[NHCOLL-L:402] ANSP Research Experiences

[Tim White]

THE ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES 
RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR UNDERGRADUATES - SUMMER 2000

The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia will sponsor eight
undergraduate research fellowships during the summer of 2000, through the
National Science Foundation's (NSF) Research Programs for Undergraduates
(REU).  The Academy's REU program is dedicated to training students in
research based on the Academy's world-renowned collections in botany,
ichthyology, ornithology, entomology, malacology, and paleontology.
Research staff at the Academy work in systematics, natural history,
evolutionary biology, and ecology.

The program offers a diverse array of research experiences, which will
include field trips, workshops, and seminars.  Each student will work on a
project with an academy scientist.  Example research areas include:
revisionary systematics or taxonomy of a group of organisms, evolutionary
and systematic studies using morphological or molecular techniques,
biogeography, aquatic ecology, and the history of natural science.  For a
detailed list of areas of study, please see our website
(http://www.acnatsci.org/research/reu.html).  Students planning graduate
study and careers in systematic and evolutionary biology will find this REU
program especially valuable.

ELIGIBILITY

Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of the US or its
possessions and entering their sophomore, junior, or senior year of
college.  Participants must commit to full participation in the 10-week
program, which runs from June 4 - August 11, 2000.  The Academy will pay
for travel to and from Philadelphia, housing and expenses for supplies,
field trips, and research.  All students will live in a dormitory adjacent
to the Academy of Natural Sciences in the heart of the Museum district of
Philadelphia.  Each student will receive a stipend of $300 per week.
 
TO APPLY

Applicants should send:  1) A one-page letter of intent stating career
goals and how this experience will help meet these goals.  In your letter
please describe any prior research experience you may have had and indicate
a first and second choice of project from those listed in our website
(http://www.acnatsci.org/research/reu.html).  Also provide your address,
phone number, and e-mail address.  2) an official transcript; and 3) two
letters of recommendation.

APPLICATION DEADLINE:  March 15, 2000.  

Send applications to:	

REU Coordinator
Academy of Natural Sciences
1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia, PA 19103
http://www.acnatsci.org/

The Academy of Natural Sciences is an Equal Opportunity Employer and
encourages applications from women, minorities, and students with
disabilities.
This program is sponsored by a grant from the National Science Foundation
(DBI-97-31886).
REU Projects - Summer 2000
        

1)  Evolutionary Ecology of Larval Gastropods 
Drs. Rosenberg and Morris - Malacology Department

Widespread species should be more resistant to local environmental
disruptions than ones with narrow geographic ranges. Species with an
inherent ability to disperse might thus have an evolutionary advantage over
those that do not. Marine snails can have planktonic larvae, or can
directly develop from eggs into benthic juveniles. It is often assumed that
snails with planktonic larvae disperse further and have wider geographic
ranges than those that have direct development.  Testing this assumption
requires correlating larval biology and geographic range for many species.
Snails have the wonderful property of recording their life history in the
shell, including the embryonic shell (protoconch). In this project, you
will examine and measure the protoconchs of many snails from the Western
Atlantic in the Academy collections, and compare these results with a
database of geographic ranges of western Atlantic molluscs . You will then
examine the statistical relationship between geographic range and size and
number of whorls of the protoconch. This will test the validity of the
widespread assumption that snails with planktonic larvae have larger ranges
than those that do not. 

2)  History of Science/Digital Imaging
Dan Elliott and Eileen Mathias - Library and Digital Imaging Center

Students will explore selected scientific works of John Gould (Ornithology
in the 19th century) and/or Maria Sybilla Merian (Entomology in the 18th
century) and create digital images of the illustrations for preservation
and access to materials, create descriptions of the images, including
assigning nomenclature, and entering the information in a database.
Students with interests in natural history art, printing and publishing
history, or general history of science are encouraged to apply. Computer
skills (Macintosh) required.

3)  History of Science/Archives/Museum Collections
Dan Elliott and Carol Spawn - Library and Archives

Student will work in the Academy Archives surveying the manuscripts
collection for documentation relating to the development of the Academy's
biodiversity specimen collections by gift, deposit, or bequest. Student
will create a database containing information on collection growth and
development in the 19th and 20th centuries. Students with experience in
historical research or other library or archival projects are encouraged to
apply. Knowledge of Latin helpful. Computer skills (PC preferred) and
intellectual curiosity required.

4)  Diatoms as water quality indicators
Dr. Charles - Patrick Center for Environmental Research

Diatom algae are important components of ecological systems and are used
widely to assess water quality in rivers, lakes and wetlands.  The Academy
has a long history of diatom research and has several ongoing projects.
These include assessment of river water quality as part of a federal
monitoring program, investigating the influence of nutrients and flow
velocity on algal assemblages, developing a diatom image database, and
creating a taxonomic guide to the diatom flora in the Philadelphia region.
Students will develop a project related to these research areas that
emphasizes their particular area of interest. During their stay, students
will learn about collecting, preparation of samples for analysis,
identification of diatoms, data analysis and assessment of water quality.
They will also learn about using collections in the Academy's Diatom
Herbarium and state-of-the-art imaging technology. 

5)  Survey of the Aquatic Insect Diversity in the Mid-Atlantic region  
Dr. Gelhaus - Entomology Department

Acquiring knowledge of the identification, seasonal and geographic
distribution of freshwater aquatic insects is essential before developing a
biological monitoring system for assessing the environmental health of
aquatic habitats for any region.  This information can also be useful in
determining threatened species, species with restricted habitats, or the
extent of invasive, non-native species.  Dr. Gelhaus is currently
conducting a survey of the aquatic crane flies of Pennsylvania for  the
State of Pennsylvania.  The projected number of crane fly species for the
state is a staggering 400 species, with several undescribed species and
numerous new state records already discovered.  In this project a student
will develop with Dr. Gelhaus a suitable focus within the current surveying
project for aquatic insects within the mid-Atlantic region.  This survey
will involve some or all of the following: studying and determining species
of insects from museum collections, carrying out aquatic fieldwork,
developing a database of specimen and literature data, analyzing
distributional records, curation of a collection and creating
identification aids (preferably computer based, such as for a website).

6)  Evolution and Ecology of South American Migratory Birds
Dr. Joseph - Department of Ornithology

This project will involve joint study of the evolution and ecology of bird
migration in South America. One arm of the project will use data taken from
museum specimens of South
American migratory birds to climatically model their seasonal changes in
distribution and
determine whether or not different species show a constant response to
climate during their
migrations. A second arm of study will be concerned with the systematics of
the birds based on characters derived from traditional morphology. The aim
of this study is to revise subspecific taxonomy in the migratory species
and so lay the groundwork for links between a better understanding of
geographical structure within a species and the climatic correlates of
migration patterns as measured through the modeling in the first part of
the study.

7)  Evolution of Clonal Salamanders
Drs. Uzzell and Spolsky - Molecular Research Laboratory

Clonally-reproducing triploid mole salamanders (genus Ambystoma) have a
very distinctive mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), suggesting a possible
independent age of the clonal lineages of 5 x 106 years, far longer than
theory says strictly clonal lineages should be able to survive.
Furthermore, their mtDNA is most similar to mtDNAs of one subgenus
(Linguaelapsus), whereas the nuclear genomes apparently are derived from
another subgenus (Ambystoma). As part of a study of the molecular evolution
of these salamanders and related species, students will be amplifying parts
of their mtDNA using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Students will then
sequence the PCR products of a large number of species and individuals in
an attempt to resolve this phylogenetic paradox.

8)  Molecular Evolution of Primitive Plants
Dr. McCourt - Botany Department 
Green algae called charophytes are the closest living relatives to
primitive land plants such as liverworts and mosses. These green algae are
all aquatic and very different in structure from land plants, however, they
share many similarities in their chloroplast genes. Data from these genes
can be used to try to reconstruct they evolutionary relationships
(phylogeny) of charophytes and primitive land plants. This research will
involve extracting DNA, performing PCR on selected chloroplast genes,
sequencing them, and incorporating the data into a phylogenetic analysis to
explore the ancient evolutionary branch point connecting green algae to
land plants.

9)  Effects of reduced water quality associated with shoreline development
on the health of benthic organisms at La Paguera, southwest Puerto Rico
Dr. Kreeger and Heidi Hertler - Patrick Center for Environmental Research
and Drexel Univ.

Rapid escalation of land development along the shores of La Parguera,
southwest Puerto Rico, has led to increased sediment and nutrient loadings
to the mangrove/seagrass habitat.  Present research by Academy staff is
assessing the impacts of reduced water quality on the organisms that
constitute the mangrove/seagrass community.  In particular, Heidi Hertler,
Academy Staff Scientist, is examining the effects on seagrasses, and Dr.
Dan Kreeger and Ms. Hertler are looking at the effects on mangrove oysters.
 The REU student would be expected to select a type of plant or animal
(e.g., a benthic grazing invertebrate or epiphytic algae) for similar
study, and participate in a sampling trip with Ms. Hertler to Puerto Rico.
Organisms will be collected from an array of sites having different water
quality due to their proximity to development.  Animals or plants collected
on the trip will be brought to the Academy for analysis of their health
using various physiological and biochemical metrics.  Statistical
procedures will then be used to differentiate whether the condition of
organisms collected in habitats with degraded water quality differs from
those collected in unimpacted areas.  A final written report will be
expected prior to the end of the program.



Tim

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Tim White, Senior Collection Manager     Yale University 
Division of Invertebrate Paleontology    170 Whitney Ave., PO Box 208118
Peabody Museum of Natural History        New Haven, CT 06520-8118
                  
                                                                          
203.432.3767 (voice); 203.432.9816 (fax)                                  
tim.white at yale.edu (email), www.peabody.yale.edu (www)  
                  
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