Infrastructure via Science and Technology Enhanced Partnerships III

这项授予蒙大拿州EPSCoR的RII奖将建立一个将微生物学、生态学和气气学联系起来的协调研究项目，以了解控制生态系统如何响应气候变化的过程的动力学。通过这种跨学科和以生态系统为中心的方法，该项目将提供一个既具有区域相关性又具有全国意义的创新模式，同时利用蒙大拿州独特的资源和科学优势。资助的参与者包括蒙大拿大学系统（MUS）、蒙大拿大学（UM）和七所部落学院：黑脚社区学院、佩克堡社区学院、小比格霍恩学院、斯通儿童学院、贝尔纳普堡学院、佩克堡社区学院和萨利什·库特奈学院。该项目将形成一个全州范围内的伞式机构——蒙大拿大学生态系统研究和教育系统联盟（MtCERE），该机构将在EPSCoR过去的投资基础上，在目标科学领域获得新的人才，建立共享的研究设施，并制定综合教育、多样性和推广计划。提出的MT EPSCoR研究计划旨在将微生物生态学，系统生态学和气候学联系起来，研究控制生态系统对气候变化响应的多尺度过程。特别是，研究人员将研究在多个尺度上运作的物理和生物过程如何相互作用以控制生态系统的结构和功能以及气候变化对这些系统的影响。该项目确定了三个重点研究领域：1)微生物动力学和生态系统过程之间的反馈；2)景观格局与生态系统过程的联系；3)物种和生态系统对气候变化的多尺度相互作用和特定脆弱性影响。该项目将涉及跨学科实验、观察、建模和四个基准蒙大拿州生态系统的迭代数据模型比较，包括大陆之冠、高平原、上密苏里和大黄石。更广泛的影响研究成果将有很强的相关性，广泛的研究领域，无论是在蒙大拿州和全国。该项目有一个广泛的多样性计划，以提高美国原住民本科生和其他代表性不足的群体在数学和科学方面的成功，改善部落学院的核心环境科学教育，支持部落学院学生加速数学准备，并增加美国原住民环境科学博士生的数量。劳动力发展努力包括研究伙伴关系、教师教学计划、大学预科学生机会、以团队为中心的研究实习和指导，以及科学传播的新方法，以促进蒙大拿？科学与国家的联系？美国农村和代表性不足的人口。此外，该项目计划利用蒙大拿州？美国独特的自然区域，包括黄石国家公园和冰川国家公园，与公众进行广泛的外部接触。

This RII award to Montana EPSCoR will build a coordinated research program linking microbiology, ecology, and climatology to understand the dynamics of the processes that govern how an ecosystem responds to climate change. Through this interdisciplinary and ecosystem-centric approach, the program will provide an innovative model that is both regionally relevant and nationally significant, while capitalizing on the unique resources and scientific strengths in Montana. The funded participants include Montana University System (MUS), University of Montana (UM), and seven tribal colleges: Blackfeet Community College, Fort Peck Community College, Little Big Horn College, Stone Child College, Fort Belknap College, Fort Peck Community College, and Salish Koontenai College.This project will form a single statewide umbrella institute, the Montana University System Consortium for Ecosystem Research and Education (MtCERE), which will build on past EPSCoR investments to acquire new talent in targeted scientific areas, establish shared research facilities, and develop an integrated education, diversity, and outreach program. Intellectual MeritThe proposed MT EPSCoR research program aims to link microbial ecology, systems ecology, and climatology to investigate the multi-scale processes that govern ecosystem responses to climate change. In particular, researchers will examine how physical and biotic processes, operating at multiple scales, interact to govern ecosystem structure and function and the influence of climate change on these systems. The project has identified three focal areas to study: 1) feedback between microbial dynamics and ecosystem processes; 2) linkages among landscape patterns and ecosystem processes; and 3) impacts of multi-scale interactions and specific vulnerabilities of species and ecosystems to climate change. The project will involve interdisciplinary experimentation, observation, modeling, and iterative data-model comparisons in four benchmark Montana ecosystems, including the Crown of the Continent, High Plains, Upper Missouri, and Greater Yellowstone. Broader ImpactsThe research outcomes will have strong relevance to a broad set of research fields, both within Montana and nationally. The project has an extensive diversity plan to enhance math and science success for Native American undergraduate students and other underrepresented groups, improve core environmental sciences education at Tribal Colleges, support accelerated math preparation for Tribal College students, and increase the number of Native American Ph.D. students in environmental sciences. Workforce development efforts include research partnerships, teaching-the-teacher programs, pre-college student opportunities, team-centered research internships and mentoring, and new approaches for science communication to promote Montana?s connection to science and provide the state?s rural and underrepresented populations. In addition, the project plans to take advantage of Montana?s unique natural areas, including Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks, to have extensive external engagement with the general public.