NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2016

申请号1608997本行动资助2016财年美国国家科学基金会生物学博士后研究奖学金，扩大生物学中代表性不足群体的参与。该奖学金支持一项研究和培训计划，该计划将增加生物学中代表性不足的群体的参与。伊娃·k·费舍尔博士的研究计划的标题是“毒蛙亲代抚育的维持和进化”。这项奖学金的主办机构是哈佛大学，赞助科学家是劳伦·a·奥康奈尔博士。该研究员的研究目标是确定促进物种内亲代抚育的生理、神经和分子机制，以及促进物种间替代亲代抚育策略进化的机制。为了做到这一点，研究员利用了南美毒蛙丰富的行为多样性，它们表现出母系照顾、父系照顾和双亲照顾。在许多不同的物种中，不同的亲代照顾行为已经进化出来，这使得动物能够利用新的栖息地，从而促进生物多样性。虽然亲代抚育一直被认为是一种进化创新，但人们对亲代行为维持和进化的机制知之甚少。一个特别的挑战是，在许多物种中，亲代抚育与配偶结合密切相关，这使得很难确定与亲代行为具体相关的机制。通过比较不同物种的养育策略，研究员可以区分雄性和雌性的亲代行为机制和配对结合机制。此外，该项目还利用了雄性和雌性毒蛙可以逆转其养育行为的事实。例如，当雄性缺乏经验或消失时，雄性照顾物种的雌性青蛙有时会提供照顾。这种反向行为可能是替代亲代照料策略进化的重要前兆。该研究员正在探索三个具体目标，即确定(1)激素变化，(2)神经活动，(3)大脑基因表达模式如何与育儿行为联系起来。比较雄性和雌性之间的数据，以及正常物种和角色反转物种之间的数据，将揭示一个物种内部如何维持亲代照顾的基本原则，以及毒蛙和其他动物之间亲代照顾策略的多样性。研究员的培训和职业发展目标是通过以下活动来实现的：(1)将毒蛙发展为一个有前途的独立研究项目系统；(2)提高研究员的科学交流和专业技能；(3)提高研究员在大学和社区内作为导师的技能。该研究员工作的一个主要组成部分是为不同社区创造科学学习和创造力的机会。正在通过各种活动鼓励在生物学中代表性不足的群体扩大参与。(1)研究员将扩大由她的赞助科学家（奥康奈尔博士）于2012年创立的小青蛙学校项目。该项目向教室提供活毒蛙，并利用它们作为实验科学教学的工具。研究员还为教师提供培训和资源，定期访问参与的教室，并为教师和学生开发网络资源。其中包括课程计划和活动、阅读材料、对研究人员的采访、“青蛙摄像头”直播视频流，以及研究人员和学生之间以及参与课堂之间的互动和数据共享论坛。(2)通过与女孩科学俱乐部的合作，该研究员正在为所有年龄段的K-12学生协调活动，包括每年指导两名高中研究实习生。女孩科学俱乐部是一个非营利组织，为来自STEM领域代表性不足的种族和社会经济背景的学生提供服务，从而为所有年龄的学生提供有意义的科学体验。(3)在奥康奈尔实验室指导本科生进行自主研究项目。这名研究员正在与哈佛大学的两个项目合作，针对代表性不足的群体，包括少数族裔和第一代大学生。

Postdoctoral Fellow: Eva FischerProposal Number 1608997This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2016, Broadening Participation of Groups Under-represented in Biology. The fellowship supports a research and training plan that will increase the participation of groups underrepresented in biology. The title of the research plan for this fellowship to Dr. Eva K. Fischer is "Maintenance and evolution of parental care in poison frogs." The host institution for this fellowship is Harvard University and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. Lauren A. O'Connell.The goal of the Fellow's research is to identify physiological, neural, and molecular mechanisms that promote parental care within species, as well as those promoting the evolution of alternative parental care strategies across species. To do so, the Fellow is taking advantage of the rich behavioral diversity of South American poison frogs that exhibit maternal care, paternal care, and biparental care. Different parental care behaviors have evolved across many different species, and allow animals to take advantage of novel habitats and thereby contribute to biodiversity. While parental care has long been appreciated as an evolutionary innovation, very little is known about the mechanisms that underlie the maintenance and evolution of parental behaviors. One particular challenge is that parental care is tightly linked with pair bonding in many species, making it difficult to identify mechanisms specifically associated with parental behaviors. Comparisons across species with different care strategies allow the Fellow to distinguish mechanisms of parental behavior from those of pair bonding in both males and females. Furthermore, the project takes advantage of the fact that male and female poison frogs can reverse their parenting behaviors. For example, female frogs of paternal care species sometimes provide care when males are inexperienced or disappear. Such reversed behavior may be an important precursor for the evolution of alternative parental care strategies. The Fellow is exploring three specific objectives, which are to identify how (1) hormonal changes, (2) neural activity, and (3) brain gene expression patterns, are linked to parenting behavior. Comparing data between males and females, and among both normal and role-reversing species, will uncover fundamental principles governing how parental care is maintained within a species and how diverse parental care strategies evolve across poison frogs and other animals.The Fellow's training and career development goals are being met through activities that (1) develop poison frogs as a promising system for an independent research program, (2) refine the Fellow's science communication and professional skills, and (3) improve the Fellow's skills as a mentor, both within the university and the community. A major component of the Fellow's work is creating opportunities for scientific learning and creativity for diverse communities. Broadening participation of groups underrepresented in biology is being encouraged through a variety of activities. (1) The Fellow will is expanding the Little Froggers School Program founded by her sponsoring scientist (Dr. O'Connell) in 2012. This program provides live poison frogs to classrooms and utilizes them as a tool for teaching experiment-based science. The Fellow is also providing training and resources to teachers, regularly visiting participating classrooms, and developing web-based resources for teachers and students. These include lesson plans and activities, reading materials, interviews with researchers, a "Frogger Cam" live video stream, and forums for interaction and data sharing between researchers and students as well as among participating classrooms. (2) Through a partnership with the Science Club for Girls, the Fellow is coordinating activities for K-12 students of all ages, including mentorship of two high school research interns per year. The Science Club for Girls is a non-profit that serves students from racial and socio-economic backgrounds underrepresented in STEM fields, thereby providing meaningful scientific experiences for underserved students of all ages. (3) The fellow is mentoring undergraduates conducting independent research projects in the O'Connell Lab. The fellow is partnering with two Harvard Programs to target underrepresented groups, including racial minorities and first generation college students.