NSF Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY2001

Schulte, James A, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds an NSF Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY2001. The goal of the fellowship is to prepare minority scientists for positions of scientific leadership in academia and industry. To attain this goal, the fellowship provides opportunities for postdoctoral training of the highest quality to recent doctoral recipients. This program is an effort by the NSF to increase the number of research scientists from underrepresented minority groups, thereby contributing to the future vitality of the Nation's scientific enterprise. It is expected that Fellows trained through these fellowships will play important roles in training of the future workforce. The research and training plan for this fellowship is entitled "Evolution of morphological diversity in iguanian lizards." This research compares the evolution of morphological diversity among and within two lizard families, Agamidae and Iguanidae. The goal is to identify clades that have evolved greater morphological disparity than other clades, test for common ecomorphological patterns within and between groups, and test for an association between increased morphological disparity and diversification rates using a phylogenetic context.