Research Initiation Award: The ecology of microbial communities in relation to red deep sea crabs and their surrounding environment

历史上的黑人学院和大学本科项目（HBCU-UP）研究启动奖（RIAs）为hbcu中开始建立研究项目的STEM初级教师提供支持，也为那些在担任行政职务后可能已经回到教师队伍或需要重新定向和重建研究项目的职业中期教师提供支持。教师可以在自己的学校、美国国家科学基金会资助的中心、研究密集型机构或国家实验室进行研究。RIA项目将有助于进一步提高教师的研究能力和效率，改善其所在机构的研究和教学，并使本科生参与研究经验。在美国国家科学基金会的支持下，汉普顿大学（HU）将开展旨在了解与深海红蟹及其周围环境有关的微生物群落生态学的研究。这项研究将为本科生提供学术和体验的机会，以鼓励他们继续研究生学习和作为STEM研究科学家的职业。该项目将有助于加强大学的研究基础设施，并通过合作伙伴关系安排扩大胡获得先进创新资源的能力。因此，胡将定位于教育STEM劳动力的未来成员的知识进行创新研究，并提高地方，州，国家和全球的竞争力。此外，这项研究与胡目前的战略计划保持一致，以提高其在STEM科学领域的研究形象和竞争力，并成为一所高活动研究型大学。这项研究的目的是了解生活在大西洋中部斜坡上的十足类动物的微生物生态。本项目的具体目的是：1)研究红蟹原位中肠菌群特征和红蟹原位底栖海洋环境微生物群特征；2)在受控封闭系统中，研究暴露于地表水微生物群后微生物群落的稳定性。本研究将有助于我们理解：a)通过比较来自三个地理位置的数据集，扩散对微生物群落的影响；B)环境微生物菌群在蟹体内建立稳定共生群落中的作用；C)季节变化对底栖环境和与蟹类有关的微生物群落的影响。它也将为未来的研究设定一个生物学参考点。本研究结果将有助于我们对微生物生态学的理解，特别是微生物的扩散，季节变化的影响以及环境对蟹肠道群落的影响。该项目将与J. Craig Venter研究所（JCVI）、特拉华大学和大西洋红蟹公司（当地渔业）合作进行。

The Historically Black Colleges and Universities-Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) Research Initiation Awards (RIAs) provide support to STEM junior faculty at HBCUs who are starting to build a research program, as well as for mid-career faculty who may have returned to the faculty ranks after holding an administrative post or who need to redirect and rebuild a research program. Faculty members may pursue research at their home institution, at an NSF-funded Center, at a research intensive institution or at a national laboratory. The RIA projects are expected to help further the faculty member's research capability and effectiveness, to improve research and teaching at his or her home institution, and to involve undergraduate students in research experiences. With support from the National Science Foundation, Hampton University (HU) will conduct research aimed at understanding the ecology of microbial communities in relation to red deep-sea crabs and their surrounding environment. This study will provide academic and experiential opportunities for undergraduate students in an effort to encourage them to pursue post-graduate study and careers as STEM research scientists. The project will help to enhance the university's research infrastructure and expand HU's ability to access advanced, innovative resources through collaborative partnering arrangements. Thus, HU will be positioned to educate the future members of STEM workforce with the knowledge to conduct innovative research and to enhance local, state, national, and global competitiveness. In addition, this study is aligned with HU's current strategic initiative to raise its research profile and competitiveness in the STEM sciences as well as to become a High Activity Research University.The goal of the proposed study is to understand the microbial ecology of decapods inhabiting the slope of the mid-Atlantic Ocean. The specific aims of this project are to: 1) characterize the in situ midgut microflora of the red deep-sea crab and the microbiome in the in situ benthic ocean environment of the red deep-sea crab; and 2) characterize the stability of microbial communities after exposure to surface water microbiome in a controlled closed system. This study will contribute to our understanding of: a) the effect of dispersal on microbial communities by comparing datasets from three geographic locations; b) the role of environmental microbial flora in establishing the stable symbiotic communities within the crab; c) the effect of seasonal variation on the microbial communities from benthic environment and those associated with crabs. It will also set a biological reference point for future research. Findings from this study will contribute to our understanding of microbial ecology specifically: microbial dispersal, the effect of seasonal variation and how the crab gut communities are influenced by their environment. This project will be conducted in collaboration with the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), University of Delaware and Atlantic Red Crab Company (local fishing industry).