We are looking for independent, motivated graduate students to work on a multi-state project focused on increasing adoption rates of Best Management Practices in environmentally critical areas of three Midwestern watersheds.=20
=20 The assistantships will entail the following: =20 (1) Identifying social factors within one of three watersheds that hinder or facilitate adoption of Best Management Practices: Develop and implement a survey of landowners in two subwatersheds. Analyze the results to understand motivations and constraints. =20 =20 (2) Identifying critical areas of the subwatersheds. Not all land contributes to watershed pollution equally. Part of this project involves identifying critical areas that should be targeted for management.=20 =20 (3) Designing appropriate interventions to education practices to increase adoption rates. Work with an existing watershed group to understand the survey data and design appropriate tools that address and mitigate social factors that hinder behavior change. The watershed group will then implement these interventions in one of the two subwatersheds. =20 =20 (4) Evaluating effectiveness of interventions. Use a post-test survey in the two subwatersheds to determine if the interventions designed based on improved knowledge of social factors made a difference to adoption rates.=20 =20 Successful applicants should have a strong background and interest in social science research and watershed planning. Excellent communication and writing skills are critical to this assistantship. Students who have the ability to integrate the ecological characteristics of the landscape with larger political and social phenomena will be highly competitive. An interest in interdisciplinary research is fundamental and students from backgrounds such as political science, planning, sociology, rural sociology, environmental science, natural resources, forestry, and other related fields are encouraged to apply. Minimum requirements for admission are GRE scores of 550 on each section, a GPA of 3.0 or higher, and a strong personal statement and letters of reference . Applicants are expected to have a U.S. drivers license. For the Ph.D. assistantship, applicants with Master's degrees are preferred, however related professional experience can be substituted for education. =20 =20 The start date for the assistantships is January 2006. Applications will be reviewed continuously until October 31 or until suitable candidates are identified. The assistantships include tuition, health insurance, and a monthly stipend. These positions are funded by a grant from the USDA-CSREES National Integrated Water Quality Program.=20 =20 Please e-mail a personal statement outlining your research interests and long-term goals, the degree you're interested in pursuing (MS or PhD) and a resume containing relevant courses, work experience, GPA, and GRE scores to Linda Prokopy ([EMAIL PROTECTED], 765-496-2221) if you are applying to the Ph.D. program or Shorna Broussard ([EMAIL PROTECTED], 765-494-3603) if you are applying to the M.S. program.
