IRES: Research Training in Climate Change Microbiology in Greenland and Denmark

在为期三年的时间里，这一国际学生研究体验(IRES)项目每年将在格陵兰岛和丹麦的研究地点吸引两名美国本科生和两名美国研究生，总共12名参与者，在多种气候变化情景下研究北极微生物学和生物地球化学。在蒙大拿大学完成必要的培训和研究准备后，学生们前往哥本哈根接受培训并向国际导师介绍情况，然后前往格陵兰进行为期三周的实地考察。在整个过程中，学生由美国首席研究员威廉·霍尔本(William Holben)和格陵兰永久冻土研究中心(CENPERM)的专家团队共同指导，该中心由哥本哈根大学和丹麦和格陵兰地质调查局管理。每个学生的研究培训将包括规划和实施多年冻土、冰盖、温泉和冰川采样实地战略的经验，以促进学生对个别项目的所有权，同时促进在整个IRES活动期间获得的多个数据集的整合。预计研究结果将有助于对北极生态系统中储存的大量有机物质的融化和加速微生物分解的已知。在格陵兰进行每一季的实地考察和样本处理后，参与者将返回哥本哈根，准备收集的样本，用于元基因组DNA和mRNA测序和生物信息学分析。将研究这些微生物群落变化的模式，以反映不同和不断变化的环境参数。回到蒙大拿州后，学生们将继续学习计算和生物信息学方面的知识。研究结果应对冰盖和冰川上的微生物群落结构和活动以及微生物生物地球化学循环对永冻土温室气体排放的贡献提供新的见解。在IRES项目的过程中，美国和CENPERM的合作伙伴希望通过国际团队合作、研究培训和文化互动来深化合作，指导和吸引包括美洲原住民在内的一批不同的学生，成为下一代气候变化专家。对于更广泛的影响，所有参与的美国学生都将从早期的职业经历中受益，他们拥有长期的关系、专业网络和研究合作，这些对于解决复杂的全球生态问题越来越必要。

Over a three-year period, this International Research Experience for Students (IRES) program will engage two U.S. undergraduate and two U.S. graduate students annually, for a total of twelve participants, at research sites in Greenland and Denmark to study Arctic microbiology and biogeochemistry under multiple climate change scenarios. Following required training and research preparation at the University of Montana, students travel to Copenhagen for orientation and introduction to international mentors before they depart for three weeks of field work in Greenland. Throughout, students are co-mentored by William Holben, the U.S. principal investigator (PI), and a team of experts associated with the Greenlandic Center for Permafrost Studies (CENPERM), a center that is administered by the University of Copenhagen and the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland. Each student's research training will include experience with planning and implementing field strategies for permafrost, ice sheet, and hot spring and glacier sampling in a way that promotes student ownership of individual projects, while facilitating the integration of multiple data sets obtained throughout the duration of this IRES activity. Results are expected to contribute to what is known about thawing permafrost and accelerated microbial decomposition of large amounts of organic matter stored in Arctic ecosystems.Following each season of fieldwork and sample processing in Greenland, participants return to Copenhagen to prepare collected samples for metagenomic DNA and mRNA sequencing and bioinformatic analysis. These will be studied for patterns of microbial community change that reflect differing and changing environmental parameters. Upon returning to Montana students will continue the computational and bioinformatic aspects of their studies. Results should provide new insights into microbial community structure and activities on sheet ice and glaciers, as well as microbial biogeochemical cycling contributions to greenhouse gas emissions from permafrost soils. Over the course of this IRES program, the U.S. and CENPERM partners expect to deepen their collaboration through international teamwork, research training, and cultural interaction, as they mentor and engage a cadre of diverse students, including Native Americans, to become the next generation of climate change experts. For broader impact, all participating U.S. students will benefit from early career experience with the kind of long-term relationship, professional network and research collaboration that is increasingly necessary to address complex global ecological issues.