NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology for FY 2014

NSF生物学博士后研究金将联合收割机研究和培训部分结合起来，为年轻科学家在生物学与其他科学学科交叉的新兴领域的职业生涯做好准备，在这种情况下，与数学和物理科学。 这些研究员有望成为未来国家科学工作者的领导者。这项与莎拉·R的奖学金。Supp支持生物学，统计学和计算机科学交叉的研究和培训计划，并研究身体大小如何对环境变化做出反应。该奖学金的主办机构是缅因州大学和佛蒙特大学，赞助科学家是Brian麦吉尔和Nicholas Gotelli。面对快速的环境变化，很难描述、预测和保护生物多样性，但这些都是保护工作的关键目标。理解多样性的宏观生态学方法使用模式，例如，身体大小，表现出跨分类群体，生态系统和大陆的常规行为。本研究透过资料整合与存取、机制复杂系统模式化、跨尺度分析，建立一个动态的宏观生态学架构。体型模式整合了分类、功能和性状的多样性，这些模式的变化对理解生态系统功能的变化至关重要。预计大小模式是敏感的扰动，因为影响身体大小的机制包括物种的相互作用和能量的限制，这可以迅速影响人类改变景观。 目前正在研究这些相互作用，方法是开发和使用一个互动模型，以预测对全球变化情景的模式反应。 培训目标包括发展数据信息学和高级统计和计算建模技术方面的专业知识。更广泛的影响包括本科课程的开发，代表性不足的群体的参与，计算机科学外展计划，在线科学交流以及所有研究产品的开放获取共享。

NSF Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biology combine research and training components to prepare young scientists for careers in emerging areas where biology intersects with other scientific disciplines, in this case with mathematics and physical sciences. The Fellows are expected to be leaders of the nation's scientific workforce in the future. This fellowship to Sarah R. Supp supports a research and training plan at the intersection of biology, statistics, and computer science and examines how body size responds to environmental change. The host institutions for this fellowship are the University of Maine and the University of Vermont, and the sponsoring scientists are Brian McGill and Nicholas Gotelli. It is difficult to describe, predict, and preserve biodiversity in the face of rapid environmental change, yet these are critical goals for conservation efforts. A macroecological approach to understanding diversity uses patterns, e.g., body size, that exhibit regular behavior across taxonomic groups, ecosystems, and continents. This research develops a dynamic framework for macroecology through 1) data aggregation and access, 2) mechanistic complex system modeling, and 3) cross-scale analysis. Body size patterns integrate taxonomic, functional, and trait diversity, and changes to these patterns are being shown to be vital to understanding changes in ecosystem function. Size patterns are expected to be sensitive to perturbation since mechanisms that influence body size include species interactions and energetic constraints, which can be rapidly impacted in human-altered landscapes. These interactions are being studied by developing and using an interactive model for predicting pattern response to global change scenarios. Training goals include developing expertise in data informatics and advanced statistical and computational modeling techniques. Broader impacts include development of undergraduate courses, participation by under-represented groups, computer science outreach programs, online science communication, and open-access sharing of all research products.