NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2018

这一行动为2018财年NSF生物学博士后研究奖学金提供资金，扩大了生物学领域代表性不足群体的参与。该奖学金支持一项针对该研究员的研究和培训计划，该计划将增加生物学中代表性不足的群体的参与。Erika Calvo的这项研究计划的标题是“神经发生在斑马鱼嗅球损伤后的功能恢复和形态重塑中的作用”。主办机构是西密歇根大学，赞助科学家是克里斯蒂娜·伯德-雅各布斯博士。这个项目旨在了解斑马鱼的大脑修复机制，斑马鱼是一种具有非凡的再生潜力的动物。具体地说，这位研究员正在研究新神经元的生成在损伤后大脑修复和恢复中的作用。这项研究将促进对成人脑损伤后再生、修复和功能恢复机制的现有认识和理解，以及新生神经元在这些过程中的作用。此外，这项研究对改善人类健康也有意义，因为它可能导致刺激神经元再生和整合到受损大脑区域的变革性策略。这些策略可以帮助增强中风和创伤性脑损伤后受损人脑的修复和恢复。除了提高我们对大脑修复机制的理解外，该研究员还通过促进不同的拉丁裔倡导组织之间的多合作平台，积极招募、教授和指导年轻的拉丁裔学生，从而扩大了生物学中代表性不足的群体的参与。这些外展活动将有助于认可、培养和提升有前途的拉丁裔科学家，否则这些科学家可能会因为语言、文化和经济障碍而被忽视，从而扩大他们对高等教育和生物学的参与。该研究员正在研究一种假设，即斑马鱼嗅球受损后，新生成的神经元成熟并整合到受损的神经元回路中，修复组织，促进嗅觉功能的恢复。为了研究这一点，作者正在研究：1)通过嗅觉调节的行为任务，嗅球损伤后嗅觉功能的丧失和恢复；2)通过组织学、体视学和细胞分析的方法，修复受损的嗅球；以及3)通过特定的神经发生消融后的行为和组织学分析，研究神经发生在介导受损的嗅球修复和恢复中的作用。该项目包括对研究员的以下培训活动：掌握脑再生模型的使用和实验室技术技能，以及发展教学、指导和科学交流方面的专门知识。此外，该研究员正在开展广泛的指导、教学和外展活动，使来自代表性不足群体的学生，特别是拉丁裔学生接触科学，以促进他们招募和参与生物学。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2018, Broadening Participation of Groups Under-represented in Biology. The fellowship supports a research and training plan for the Fellow that will increase the participation of groups underrepresented in biology. The title of the research plan for this fellowship to Erika Calvo is "The role of neurogenesis in the functional recovery and morphological remodeling of the zebrafish olfactory bulb following lesion." The host institution is Western Michigan University and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. Christine Byrd-Jacobs. This project aims to understand the mechanisms of brain repair in zebrafish, an animal with an extraordinary regenerative potential. Specifically, the Fellow is studying the role of the generation of new neurons in brain repair and recovery following damage. This research will advance the current knowledge and understanding of mechanisms of adult brain regeneration, repair and recovery of function following injury, as well as the contribution of newly generated neurons in these processes. Furthermore, this research has implications for improving human health since it could lead to transformative strategies to stimulate neuronal regeneration and integration into damaged brain areas. These strategies could aid to achieve enhanced repair and recovery in injured human brains after stroke and traumatic brain injury. In addition to improving our understanding of the mechanisms of brain repair, the Fellow is broadening the participation of underrepresented groups in biology by actively recruiting, teaching and mentoring young Latino students through promoting a multi-collaborative platform between different Latino advocacy organizations. These outreach activities will assist in the recognition, fostering and advancement of promising Latino scientists that might otherwise be overlooked due to language, cultural and economic barriers, thus broadening their participation in higher education and in biology.The Fellow is studying the hypothesis that following damage in the olfactory bulb of zebrafish newly generated neurons mature and integrate into lesioned neuronal circuits to repair the tissue and promote recovery of olfactory function. To study this, the Fellow is investigating: 1) loss and recovery of olfactory function after damage of the olfactory bulb, by means of olfactory mediated behavior tasks; 2) repair of the lesioned olfactory bulb, by means of histological, stereological and cellular analysis; and 3) the role of neurogenesis in mediating repair and recovery of olfactory function of the lesioned olfactory bulb, by means of behavioral and histological analysis following specific neurogenesis ablation. This project includes the following training activities for the Fellow: mastering the use of a model of brain regeneration and laboratory technical skills, as well as developing expertise in teaching, mentoring and scientific communication. Furthermore, the Fellow is undertaking wide-ranging mentoring, teaching and outreach activities that will expose students from underrepresented groups, particularly Latinos, to science in order to promote their recruitment and participation in biology.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.