NSF East Asia and Pacific Summer Institute (EAPSI) for FY 2013 in New Zealand

这项行动资助了怀俄明大学的摩根·邱吉尔，于2013年夏天在新西兰达尼丁的奥塔哥大学开展一项地球科学研究项目。该项目的标题是“南半球海豹和海狮的系统分类学和生物地理学”。主持人是尤恩·福代斯博士。本研究的重点是对新海狮化石的重新研究。以前，这种海狮被认为与现存的高度濒危的澳大利亚海狮密切相关，澳大利亚海狮目前仅限于西澳大利亚。然而，并没有将新海狮的头骨与其他海豹或海狮进行严格的比较。这项研究通过使用系统发育和形态计量学技术将其与南半球其他海狮和海狮进行严格的比较，重新检查了该物种的关系。这为了解新海狮在南半球的前分布以及海狮的进化提供了重要的见解，并为未来海豹和食肉动物进化的研究提供了重要的数据。EAPSI奖学金的更广泛的影响包括为研究员提供美国以外的第一手研究经验；介绍该地区的科学、科学政策和科学基础设施；以及对社会、文化和语言的了解。这些活动符合美国国家科学基金会的目标，即在其科学家、工程师和教育工作者的职业生涯早期培养国际合作，从而确保美国科学劳动力具有全球意识。此外，奥塔哥大学的化石收藏保存了重要的早期鲸鱼化石，这将有助于改进怀俄明大学地质博物馆目前正在举办的鲸鱼进化展览的设计。这项研究结果将发表在《脊椎动物古生物学》、《动物学前沿》和《系统生物学》杂志上。

This action funds Morgan Churchill of the University of Wyoming to conduct a research project in Geosciences during the summer of 2013 at University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. The project title is "The Systematics and Biogeography of Southern Hemisphere Fur Seals and Sea Lions." The host scientist is Dr. Ewan Fordyce.This research focuses on re-examining the fossil sea lion Neophoca palatina. Previously, this sea lion has been considered closely related to the living and highly endangered Australian sea lion, a species currently restricted to Western Australia. However, rigorous comparisons of the skull of Neophoca palatina were not made to other fur seals or sea lions. This study re-examines the relationships of this species by rigorously comparing it to other southern hemisphere fur seals and sea lions using phylogenetic and morphometric techniques. This provides important insights into the former distribution of Neophoca as well as the evolution of sea lions in the Southern Hemisphere and provides important data for future research on seal and carnivore evolutionBroader impacts of an EAPSI fellowship include providing the Fellow a first-hand research experience outside the U.S.; an introduction to the science, science policy, and scientific infrastructure of the respective location; and an orientation to the society, culture and language. These activities meet the NSF goal to educate for international collaborations early in the career of its scientists, engineers, and educators, thus ensuring a globally aware U.S. scientific workforce. Furthermore, fossil collections at the University of Otago preserve important early whale fossils, and will help improve the design of an exhibit currently being put into place at the University of Wyoming Geology Museum on whale evolution. This research will result in publications to Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Frontiers in Zoology, and Systematic Biology.