MS Assistantship in Forest Ecology =20
Oklahoma State University Natural Resource Ecology and Management =20 The Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management (NREM) at OSU is seeking applications for a MS graduate research assistantship (GRA) in forest ecology to study the extent, magnitude and possible reasons for forest composition and structure changes over the past 50 years. Research will involve remeasurement of forest plots and dendroecological techniques and is part of the project, "Magnitude and geographic distribution of the threat of eastern redcedar encroachment in Oklahoma Cross Timbers forests." In addition to the cooperation of several departments at OSU, the research includes collaboration with the Tree Ring Laboratory at the University of Arkansas and the Oklahoma Biological Survey at the University of Oklahoma. =20 =20 The Cross Timbers vegetation type is a mosaic of oak forest, oak woodland and tallgrass prairie covering almost 5 million hectares from southeastern Kansas across Oklahoma to north-central Texas. It retains some of the best preserved old-growth oak forests in the south-central US because the forest has little commercial timber value. When Washington Irving visited these forests in 1835 he called them the "cast iron forest." These forests are highly threatened today by overgrazing, invasive species, exclusion of fire and clearing for agriculture and urbanization. =20 Position: The student will enroll in a MS program in at OSU starting Summer or Fall 2008. The stipend will be $15,504 per year for two years and will be renewed after one year based on satisfactory progress. Benefits include tuition waiver and health insurance.=20 =20 Application: A complete application includes the following: personal statement, three letters of reference, curriculum vitae, official transcripts of all college level study, GRE scores and a completed OSU Graduate College application. Please contact Steve Hallgren with questions. =20 =20 Steve Hallgren 022 Ag Hall Natural Resource Ecology and Management Oklahoma State University Stillwater, OK 74078 office: 405-744-6805 FAX: 405-744-3530 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
