Jonathan Wilson - US grants

The primary objective of the project is to develop a competitive research proposal on "Larval Release Rhythms and Control of Egg Hatching in the Cardian Shrimp Palaemonetes Pugio." Support of the project will assist a well trained biologist to improve his research capability and to complete the planning and development of a regular MRI proposal. The planning activities, if successful, will significantly enhance the potential of the investigator to compete for MRI and other research support.

It is recognized nationally that major steps must be taken to attract minority students to scientific careers. This is especially true for the marine sciences. A program to increase the participation of minority undergraduates in marine science will be initiated. The specific activities will include: 1) setting up a planning office for the newly formed Minority Institution Marine Science Association (MIMSA); 2) establishing a communication network for use by members of the Southern Association of Marine Labs (SAML) and MIMSA; 3) gathering and disseminating information on minority undergraduates interested in marine science and activities at marine science institutions that would be of interest to these students and HMCU faculty members; 4) developing a list of minority scientists who could act as seminar speakers and role models for the minority students; and 5) providing funds for other activities for minority undergraduates, such as, summer internships, travel to participate in cruises or field trips.

Jackson State University (JSU) and the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (GCRL), which is part of the University of Southern Mississippi, plan to develop a strong five.year, collaborative program to increase the number of minority students pursuing marine science degrees and professional careers. The primary objectives are: increasing the number of minority students entering the field of marine science; enhancing the marine science program at JSU; strengthening the minority recruitment program at GCRL; and increasing the exposure of pre.college and high school teachers to marine science. Pilot studies and other activities which will lead to long term increases of minority students pursuing graduate careers in marine sciences will be pursued.

This project represents a comparative study of larval release rhythms and the environmental factors that control egg hatching in caridean shrimp of the genus, Palaemonetes. Grass shrimp from estuaries exhibiting different tidal cycles and a freshwater pond/lake will be used as test organisms. Palaemontes pugio and Palaemonetes paludosus will represent the estuarine and freshwater habitats, respectively. The major objectives of this project are: 1. to determine the type of hatching rhythms shown by grass shrimp species from the two habitats; 2. to ascertain the presence of endogenous control of the hatching rhythm and the environmental parameters to which they are entrained; 3. to establish the site(s) of control of endogenous hatching rhythms in grass shrimp from the two habitats; 4. to ascertain the presence and nature of any chemical cue that synchronizes the hatching of eggs; and 5. to correlate hatching rhythms with the prevailing environmental parameters in the two habitats. The results of this investigation will represent the first comparative account of egg hatching rhythms of grass shrimp from diverse habitats and will provide a unique opportunity for testing previously proposed larval release models. The project will contribute to our understanding of the basic types of hatching rhythms and the interrelationship between the ecology of adult shrimp and hatching rhythms.

WOLFSON

DEB-9975463

The Baltimore Collaborative in Environmental Biology (BCEB), consisting of researchers from Towson University (TU), Morgan State University (MSU) and the Baltimore Ecosystem Study Long Term Ecological Research (BES-LTER) project, will provide TU and MSU undergraduate students, many from underrepresented minority groups, with research opportunities in environmental biology by engaging them in BES's effort to develop a new, integrated understanding of urban ecology. Students will: 1) learn research techniques used in environmental biology, 2) develop and carry out an independent research project, 3) present results orally and in writing, 4) participate in research seminars, short courses, and project meetings, 5) contribute to peer support and review, and 6) become a contributing part of the effort to understand the Baltimore metropolitan area as an ecological system.

BCEB will provide exposure to environmental biology research to three cohorts of undergraduate students from TU and MSU, urban institutions with a substantial number of minority biology students from the Baltimore metropolitan area. Students will discover how environmental biology has direct relevance to their own lives and to the health and well being of their local communities, learn about career paths in environmental biology, and receive the guidance and skills needed to pursue the career of their choice.

This proposal is a request for support for a 3-year exploratory research study aimed at exploring the components and impact of a teacher professional development model (PDM) on teacher performance and student achievement in STEM disciplines at schools serving large numbers of minority students. It seeks to develop a solid empirical basis for strategies to reduce and eliminate the achievement gap in school. It is aimed at exploring the components and impact of a teacher professional development model on teacher performance and student achievement and motivation in STEM disciplines at schools serving large numbers of minority students. It also aims to research and evaluate the impact of teachers who provide students with school experiences that are geared toward fostering high academic achievement. It asks the question, "can a structured intervention aimed at fostering positive student academic attitude be integrated with a quality inquiry science program to increase both student academic outcome and positive achievement-oriented attitudes?" To answer the questions the PI proposes a 3-year controlled study where the impact of PDM on teacher performance will be evaluated using measures of student achievement and attitudes. The plan is to implement research using a corps (30) of elementary and middle school teachers from the Baltimore public schools wherein three groups of teachers will be exposed to a pedagogic only program of study in an institute; another to a content only program of study; and a third group will do studies in an institute focusing on STEM pedagogy and content. The performance of students on a standardized science learning test will determine the extent to which the three groups exposure to content and pedagogy impacts student learning in science.