MRI: Acquisition of a Modern Capillary Genetic Analyzer for Multi-investigator Research in Population, Phylogeographic, Phylogenetic, and Behavioral Genetics

坦帕大学（UT）获得了用于分离和研究核酸（DNA）的毛细管电泳仪器SeqStudioTM。它将极大地促进各种行为、生态、种群遗传、环境和进化的研究项目和本科生的研究训练。该仪器将取代早期劳动密集型的单一毛细管仪器，并允许德州大学的许多教师迅速采用。德克萨斯大学主要是一所本科院校，目前正在进行一项全校范围的倡议，该倡议为教师提供资金援助，以将课程转换为包括学生提问的课程。长期以来，生物系一直致力于保持本科生对学院研究的高水平参与。毕业调查显示，60%到95%的毕业生都参与过课外研究。因此，40-50%的毕业生表示他们希望继续在STEM领域的研究生或专业项目中学习，这并不奇怪。生物学专业的本科生中，女性占近75%；22%是未被充分代表的民族或少数民族成员；14%是第一代大学生。这些比例反映在研究人员的研究实验室中，并且存在资金援助，以进一步鼓励代表性不足的学生参与研究。此外，所有的调查人员都进行强调环境科学的研究，并为保护决策提供信息。因此，收购SeqStudioTM将使下一代科学家接触到尖端的研究和仪器，并提高STEM以及环境能力和我们的全球竞争力。SeqStudioTM基因分析仪是一种用于分离和可视化DNA碱基和片段的四毛细管电泳仪器。这六名研究人员中的每一位都对野生生物进行研究，研究的重点是利用DNA技术可以从行为水平、种群水平、系统地理水平、物种描述和鉴定水平，甚至是深层系统发育水平回答的问题。研究包括对各种野生动物物种的保护、生态和进化遗传研究，表征海洋脊椎动物的视网膜视蛋白基因和表达蛋白，鱼类雄性亲代照顾的进化和多样化，鱼类的繁殖行为，以及坦帕湾、佛罗里达群岛和巴哈马群岛的海马和管鱼的生态和分布。SeqStudioTM具有运行DNA序列、片段分析（基因分型）和SNP基因分型的能力，并将允许扩展校园研究实验室的能力。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

An award is made to the University of Tampa (UT) for acquisition of a capillary electrophoresis instrument, the SeqStudioTM, for separation and study of nucleic acids (DNA). It will greatly facilitate a variety of behavioral, ecological, population genetic, environmental, and evolution research projects and research-training of undergraduate students. This instrument will replace an earlier generation labor-intensive single capillary instrument, and permit quick adoption by numerous faculty at UT. UT is primarily an undergraduate institution and currently engaged in a campus-wide initiative which provides funding assistance to faculty to convert courses to include student inquiry. The biology department has long been dedicated to maintaining high levels of involvement by undergraduates in faculty research. Graduating senior exit surveys indicate that 60% to 95% of graduating students have been involved in research outside the classroom. Thus it is not surprising that 40-50% of graduating seniors indicate that they wish to continue in graduate or professional programs in STEM fields. Undergraduates majoring in biology are nearly 75% female; 22% are members of underrepresented ethnic or racial minorities; and 14% are first generation college students. These ratios are reflected in the investigators' research laboratories, and funding assistance exists to further encourage underrepresented students to participate in research. Further, all of the investigators carry out research that emphasizes environmental science and that informs conservation decision-making. Therefore, acquisition of the SeqStudioTM will expose the next the generation of scientists to cutting-edge research and instrumentation and increase STEM as well as environmental competencies and our global competiveness.The SeqStudioTM Genetic Analyzer is a four capillary electrophoresis instrument for separating and visualizing DNA bases and fragments. Each of the six investigators carry out research on wild organisms, the focus of which spans questions that can be answered using DNA techniques from the behavioral level, to the population level, to the phylogeographic, to the species delineation and identification level, and even to the deep phylogenetic level. Studies include conservation, ecological and evolutionary genetic studies on a variety of wild animal species, characterizing the retinal opsin genes and expressed proteins from marine vertebrate, the evolution and diversification of male parental care in fishes, the reproductive behavior of fish, and the ecology and distribution of seahorses and pipefishes in Tampa Bay, the Florida Keys and the Bahamas. The SeqStudioTM has the capability of running DNA sequences, fragment analysis (genotyping), and SNP genotyping, and will permit expanded capabilities for research labs on campus.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.