I am seeking one volunteer field assistant for a M.S. project on the effects of mammals on leaf litter reptile and amphibian communities at La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica. Start date is flexible. I am looking for someone to start in September 2009.
Assistants will be responsible for travel expenses (including airfare to San Jose, Costa Rica and taxi/bus to La Selva) and half of station fees (around US$400/month). Station fees include lodging, 3 meals/day, internet access, and office space. A commitment of at least 3 months is required. Assistants should expect long days in the field and evening lab work, 6 days a week. Latin American students are encouraged to apply, send me an email for more information. I am seeking exceptionally motivated applicants with backgrounds in field ecology. A B.S. in a related field and field experience are preferred. Applicants must be capable of working long hours in high heat and humidity and often in continuous rain, walking 15+ km daily over steep/muddy terrain carrying heavy loads, tolerating tedious and at times monotonous work (e.g., very slowly surveying plots for tiny litter reptiles and amphibians, sorting through leaves and weighing samples, counting arthropods, all while dealing with hundreds of biting mosquitoes), and rapidly learn how to accurately identify amphibians and reptiles. Applicants must also collect fecal samples from peccaries (Tayassu tajacu). We will occasionally work at night, sometimes in swamps. The ability to speak both Spanish and English is a plus. The site has potential hazards like venomous snakes and scorpions, stinging insects, and spiny plants. Assistants will learn much about designing and conducting ecological research in the tropics (and probably a lot about how not to, as well). There will be opportunities to conduct independent research projects, meet students and faculty from top graduate programs around the world, meet many of the leaders of tropical biology, and work at one of the most well-studied and well-known field stations in the Neotropics. To apply or for more information, please contact Kelsey Reider at kreid006 (AT) fiu.edu. If applying for the position, please include your CV (2 pages), a statement explaining your qualifications and why you are interested in the position (2 pages), and contact information for 3 references (include their name, institution, relationship to applicant, phone number and email address), and please tell me when you would be available for the position.
