Beginning with his undergraduate thesis (Nehm and Geary, 1994), and continuing with his doctoral dissertation (Nehm, 1998), the PI has been developing the marginellid gastropod genera Prunum and Volvarina as model macroevolutionary research systems (Nehm, 2001a, b, c, d). Previous NSF funding (NSF Dissertation Improvement Grant and NSF International Postdoctoral Fellowship) has facilitated the PI's construction of systematic, phylogenetic, and paleontological foundations for his research program on evolution and development in tropical American (primarily Dominican Neogene) gastropods. This CAREER proposal will employ this well developed research system to explore new questions in evolutionary-developmental paleontology. Specifically, this study will be one of the first to analyze patterns and processes of shell microstructural composition and development through speciation events in the fossil record. The morphometric comparison of size and shape is the most common approach to studying evolution and development in paleontology. This approach does not elucidate the patterns and processes by which morphological structures are constructed. Additionally, although structures may be similar in size or shape, they can be constructed of different compositional materials or the same materials in different spatial arrangements. Although similarity in size and shape does not necessarily indicate constructional or compositional similarity, such similarity is being used as the primary criterion for determining the mode of developmental evolution in fossil invertebrates. Research is critically needed in order to determine if shape-space similarity (or difference) coincides with structural and constructional homogeneity. Although many investigations of evolutionary changes in developmental timing (heterochrony) in fossils have characterized morphological change in size and shape, they have failed to investigate the composition and construction of these morphological structures. Conclusions about the processes that produce developmental evolution may be incomplete or inaccurate if we exclude information on how morphological structures are constructed during ontogeny and what they are made of. For these reasons, constructional morphology has great potential in expanding our understanding of both patterns and processes of invertebrate developmental evolution. Few (if any) invertebrate paleontological studies have examined this question. This CAREER grant will permit the PI to continue his research program and integrate morphometric analyses with constructional morphological studies of developmental evolution in the fossil record using marginellid gastropods. The PI has also been involved in science education research and science teacher preparation for the past two years at Columbia University (Nehm, 2001e). The educational component of this CAREER grant will integrate the PI's Geoscience research on the Neogene of the Dominican Republic (DR) with the science education of Dominican-American teachers and students in New York City (NYC). Two broad goals are to: (1) increase the quality of Geoscience education in District 6, NYC, and (2) increase minority participation in Geoscience research. This project will involve K-12 science teachers in DR Geoscience research, fieldwork, and the development of educational modules for use in Dominican-American dominated classrooms in District 6. The PI is well suited for this project because his new position as Assistant Professor involves joint appointments in the Dept. of Biology and the School of Education (Science Education division) at the City College, C.U.N.Y. City College is located near the largest concentration of Dominican Americans in the U.S. The PI's experience with paleobiological research on the DR Neogene, his previous involvement in teacher education, and his location near a Dominican American community with extensive ties to the Dominican Republic provides a unique opportunities to increase minority participation in the geosciences, improve the quality of teacher preparation, and develop culturally-relevant science modules on the Dominican Republic for District 6.
The Americas Program of the Office of International Science and Engineering is contributing the funds to support the costs associated with the international travel/collaboration component of this proposal.
