IRES Track I: Engaging students in management oriented research to conserve rainforest primates in Uganda

为了成功地保护热带雨林灵长类动物，需要确定和解决目前影响它们在野外生存的挑战。这种类型的研究需要科学家和野生动物管理者之间的互动来解决保护问题。通过IRES资助的这个项目，纽约市立大学亨特学院的美国本科生和一年级研究生将进行旨在解决乌干达灵长类动物保护问题的综合管理研究。在为期三年的为期8周的夏季体验中，18名学生将与乌干达野生动物管理局的公园管理员在乌干达基巴莱国家公园进行合作研究，基巴莱国家公园是一个热带雨林国家公园，拥有高密度的灵长类动物。学生们将解决与三个紧迫的保护主题相关的问题：1)全球变化和灵长类动物营养；2)野生类人猿的生态旅游；3)灵长类栖息地的入侵植物物种。通过开展这项研究，学生们将参与到乌干达的身临其境的体验中，在那里他们将获得实地经验，并在Makerere大学的生物野外站了解乌干达文化。他们将通过撰写一份关于灵长类动物保护的研究提案，构建可验证的假设和进行实地考察来发展他们的科学技能。然后，学生将在乌干达和美国的几个论坛上分析、报告和讨论他们的结果。他们将学习如何通过乌干达的媒体与记者和公共关系专业人员一起工作来传达他们的结果。亨特学院是一个为少数族裔服务的机构，至少50%的被选中参加这次经历的学生将是在科学界代表性不足的少数族裔。全球变化给热带雨林及其居民带来了紧迫的后果，即使它们受到国家公园的保护。猴子和猿的情况尤其如此，因为与大多数其他哺乳动物相比，它们的生长速度更慢，寿命更长，繁殖率也不高。为了成功地保护灵长类动物，实证研究需要与有效的管理相结合。12名本科生和6名硕士研究生将在乌干达基巴莱国家公园的三个夏季队列中进行为期8周的研究。基巴莱国家公园位于乌干达西部的热带雨林，拥有高度多样性和高密度的灵长类动物。学生们将在乌干达野生动物管理局专业人员的指导下，研究以管理为导向的研究问题，以促进灵长类动物的保护。他们将在三个主题下从事研究重点：(1)学生将调查灵长类动物的摄食生态学、树叶的营养化学、食物的可获得性和食物密度，并将当前的模式与长期数据集进行比较；(2)学生将研究生态旅游的不同参数可能如何影响黑猩猩的生态和行为；(3)学生将探索入侵和外来灌木如何影响植物群落多样性和灵长类动物的食物供应。所有学生研究人员中至少有一半将是STEM中代表不足的少数族裔本科生和研究生。学生将参与保护工作，并将他们的研究纳入保护计划。他们将学习如何准备媒体简报，并向乌干达公众传达他们的研究成果。学生们还将在纽约市、亨特学院和乌干达的几个论坛上展示他们的研究成果。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。

To successfully conserve rainforest primates, the current challenges affecting their survival in the wild need to be identified and addressed. This type of research requires interaction among scientists and wildlife managers to solve conservation problems. Through this IRES funded project, U.S. undergraduates and first year graduate students from Hunter College of the City University of New York will conduct integrative management-oriented research that is aimed towards addressing primate conservation in Uganda. During 8-week summer experiences over three years, eighteen students will conduct collaborative research with park wardens of the Uganda Wildlife Authority in Kibale National Park, Uganda, a tropical rainforest national park that hosts high densities of primates. Students will tackle problems related to three pressing conservation themes: 1) global change and primate nutrition; 2) ecotourism of wild apes; 3) invasive plant species in primate habitats. By undertaking this research, students will be involved in an immersive experience in Uganda where they will gain field experience and learn about Ugandan culture at Makerere University’s Biological Field Station. They will develop their scientific skills by writing a research proposal that addresses primate conservation, constructing testable hypotheses and conducting fieldwork. Students will then analyze, report and discuss their results in several forums in Uganda and the USA. They will learn how to communicate their results through the media in Uganda by working alongside journalists and public relations professionals. Hunter College is a minority serving institution and at least 50% of the students selected for this experience will be underrepresented minorities in the sciences. Global change has pressing outcomes for tropical forests and their inhabitants even when they are protected in national parks. This is particularly true for monkeys and apes, because they grow more slowly, have longer lives and modest reproductive rates compared to most other mammals. To successfully conserve primates, empirical research needs to be combined with effective management. Twelve undergraduates and six master’s students will conduct research for eight weeks in three summer cohorts in Kibale National Park, Uganda, a tropical rainforest in western Uganda that hosts a high diversity and density of primates. Students will investigate management-oriented research questions that will promote primate conservation under the guidance of Uganda Wildlife Authority professionals. They will engage in research foci under three themes: (1) Students will investigate primate feeding ecology, nutritional chemistry of tree leaves, food availability and food density, and compare current patterns with long term datasets; (2) Students will examine different parameters of ecotourism in relation to how it might affect chimpanzee ecology and behavior; (3) Students will explore the ways that invasive and exotic shrubs affects plant community diversity and the primate food supply. At least half of all the student researchers will be underrepresented minority undergraduates and graduate students in STEM. Students will participate in conservation efforts and integrate their research into conservation plans. They will learn how to prepare media briefs and communicate their research findings to the Ugandan public. Students will also present their research within several forums in New York City, at Hunter College and in Uganda.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.