This action funds an NSF Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY2003. The goal of the fellowship is to increase the participation of minority scientists at the postdoctoral level and to prepare them for positions of scientific leadership in academia and industry. To attain this goal, the fellowship provides opportunities for postdoctoral training and research of the highest quality to recent doctoral recipients. It is expected that Fellows supported through these fellowships will play important roles in training of the future workforce.
The research and training plan is entitled "Impacts of ultraviolet radiation on amphibian populations- assessing the importance of habitat and community structure." Increased exposure to UV-B radiation is hypothesized to be a contributing factor to the global decline of amphibian populations. Changes in population dynamics due to UV-B exposure could have severe consequences on aquatic communities. This research seeks to quantify amphibian response to multiple environmental stressors across populations and elevations in the Oregon Cascades.
