Please see the announcements below regarding: 2 summer field positions sampling vegetation in Northern Alaska with the International Tundra Experiment (ITEX) project, 1 MS or PhD graduate position located in Puerto Rico with field work in Alaska studying Arctic ecosystem change with the ITEX project, 1 MS graduate position studying fire ecology in Puerto Rico, and 2 MS or PhD graduate positions assessing biodiversity and conservation of marine and freshwater terrestrial species and habitats in Puerto Rico.
Please post to interested parties. For further information contact William Gould at [email protected]. *************************************************************************** ********************************************************************* Summer Field Assistants (2) Ecosystem change in the Arctic USDA Forest Service International Institute of Tropical Forestry (IITF) Posted: January 22, 2010. Position available: Summer field work sampling vegetation in Northern Alaska. 6 weeks, July to mid August. The successful applicant will have a strong interest in field ecology and plant identification - including bryophytes and lichens. Background: This research is part of an integrated large scale experimental study, the International Tundra Experiment (ITEX) (http://www.geog.ubc.ca/itex/), to look at the response of Arctic vegetation to changes in climate. It is also part of the Arctic Observing Network (AON), a large scientific program focusing ecosystem change in the Arctic. ITEX has been measuring experimentally controlled changes in productivity, phenology, vegetation composition, and nutrient fluxes within small scale vegetation plots replicated at many sites across the Arctic. The field assistants will work with a graduate student to continue with these long term measurements by sampling vegetation composition in natural and experimentally modified (by warming and altering snow depth) plots at the Toolik Lake Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site in Northern Alaska. The goal of this study is to determine real and potential responses of arctic tundra to climate in order to further our understanding of ecosystem response to climatic change and to better our response to these changes in terms of land management. The student will work with Dr. William Gould (US Forest Service) and in cooperation with collaborators from Florida International University in the NSF funded project. Candidates should have the following skills: - Educational background in ecology, botany, environmental studies, or a related discipline; - Proficiency and experience in identifying and keying plant species; - Motivation to work independently and the ability to work from a remote field station for the summer. Applicants should submit the following to William Gould at [email protected]: - Cover letter summarizing research interests and academic and professional background. - Resume/CV. - Copies of transcripts (unofficial transcripts acceptable). - Names and contact information for three references (no letters needed at this time). *************************************************************************** ********************************************************************* Graduate Research Assistantship Ecosystem change in the Arctic USDA Forest Service International Institute of Tropical Forestry (IITF) Posted: January 22, 2010. Position available: For a MS or PhD graduate student. The successful applicant will have a strong interest in field ecology, vegetation - including bryophytes and lichens, statistical analyses and modeling, GIS analyses, and ecosystem change studies. Background: This research is part of an integrated large scale experimental study, the International Tundra Experiment (ITEX) (http://www.geog.ubc.ca/itex/), to look at the response of Arctic vegetation to changes in climate. It is also part of the Arctic Observing Network (AON), a large scientific program focusing ecosystem change in the Arctic. ITEX has been measuring experimentally controlled changes in productivity, phenology, vegetation composition, and nutrient fluxes within small scale vegetation plots replicated at many sites across the Arctic. The student will continue with these long term measurements by sampling vegetation composition in natural and experimentally modified (by warming and altering snow depth) plots at the Toolik Lake Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site in Northern Alaska and analyze vegetation change over the last two decades using data from long term monitoring. The student will also investigate techniques to integrate Lidar remote sensing into this monitoring program The goal of these analyses are to determine real and potential responses of arctic tundra to climate in order to further our understanding of ecosystem response to climatic change and to better our response to these changes in terms of land management. The student will work with Dr. William Gould (US Forest Service) and in cooperation with collaborators from Florida International University in the NSF funded project. The student will join the research team in the IITF GIS and Remote Sensing Laboratory in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico. Candidates should have the following skills: - Educational background in ecology, botany, environmental studies, GIS, and related disciplines; - Proficiency and experience in identifying and keying plant species; - Motivation to work independently; - Excellent computing and writing skills, motivation to publish in peer-reviewed journals; Candidates should ideally be current students, accepted applicants, or planning to apply to the UPR-Río Piedras Graduate School but other circumstances will be considered. Applicants should submit the following to William Gould at [email protected]: - Cover letter summarizing research interests and academic and professional background. - Resume/CV. - Copies of transcripts (unofficial transcripts acceptable). - GRE scores, if available. - Names and contact information for three references (no letters needed at this time). The position start date is flexible but would ideally include field work this summer and academic work to begin Fall 2010. *************************************************************************** ********************************************************************* Graduate Research Opportunity Wildland fire in Puerto Rico USDA Forest Service International Institute of Tropical Forestry (IITF) Posted: January 22, 2010. Position available: For a MS graduate student. The successful applicant will have a strong interest in ecology, statistical analyses and modeling, GIS and remote sensing analyses, and the interaction of humans with the environment. Background: The fire regime in Puerto Rico has shifted from one of no natural fires to one of an increasing number of small to intermediate scale human-induced fires occurring in a wide range of forests and grasslands. The cumulative impact of this current wildfire regime, up to 5000 fires seasonally, is unknown. The objectives of this research are to develop fire danger rating zones for Puerto Rico and a fire danger rating system that integrates information on current weather conditions with climatic and fuels characteristics. Fire danger rating zones will be defined based on current understanding of the island’s climate, weather, land cover and land use patterns and tested and refined by developing a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) database to map and track the spatial and temporal pattern of wildfire occurrence in Puerto Rico. This study will allow us to assess the cumulative impacts of these fires seasonally, and to determine the degree of recurrence annually. The student will develop a GIS database of fire occurrences, extent, and severity to serve as a tool for defining and evaluating a fire danger rating system for Puerto Rico. The student will make contacts with people and agencies throughout the island involved in wildland fire management, control, and ecology. The student will develop GIS databases of fuels, topography, fire history, climate, and weather conditions in order to estimate fire risk. The goal of these analyses are to put in place a useable fire danger rating system to assist land managers in allocating resources and to serve as a public educational tool regarding the risks of wildland fire. The student will work with Dr. William Gould (US Forest Service) and the research team in the IITF GIS and Remote Sensing Laboratory in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico. Candidates should have the following skills: - Educational background in ecology, environmental studies, or related disciplines; - Proficiency and experience in GIS software and analyses; - Motivation to work independently; and - Excellent computing and writing skills, motivation to publish in peer-reviewed journals. Candidates should ideally be current students, accepted applicants, or planning to apply to the UPR-Río Piedras Graduate School but other circumstances will be considered. Applicants should submit the following to William Gould at [email protected]: - Cover letter summarizing research interests and academic and professional background. - Resume/CV. - Copies of transcripts (unofficial transcripts acceptable). - GRE scores, if available. - Names and contact information for three references (no letters needed at this time). *************************************************************************** ********************************************************************* Graduate Research Opportunity (2) Assessing Vertebrate Biodiversity in Puerto Rico and the USVI USDA Forest Service International Institute of Tropical Forestry (IITF) Posted: January 22, 2010. Position available: For MS or PhD graduate students. The successful applicant will have a strong interest in ecology, statistical analyses and modeling, GIS and remote sensing analyses, aquatic ecosystems, biodiversity and conservation. Background: The structure and function of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands’ freshwater, estuarine, and near shore marine environments are affected by surrounding and upstream terrestrial ecosystems. Conservation areas often encompass both terrestrial and aquatic resources. Government policy decisions and on-the-ground conservation management often consider a complex and inter-dependant landscape matrix. Resource managers, government agencies, and conservation organizations need accurate, fine- scale scientific information on the distribution of species and habitats within this matrix in order to develop conservation management plans. To goal of this project is to create a comprehensive set of databases on Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands’ freshwater and marine resources – including habitat description and mapping, species distributions and conservation status, and protected areas and conservation priorities – combined with Puerto Rico and USVI terrestrial GAP databases, to conduct integrated analyses of gaps in conservation protection for the U.S. Territories in the Caribbean, address management needs, and test research hypotheses related to biodiversity and ecosystem structure and function. The students will compile information on species distributions and habitat requirements, map landscape characteristics, develop models of species distributions using inductive and deductive modeling approaches, and develop a Masters or PhD thesis based on this information. The students will work with Dr. William Gould (US Forest Service) with the research team in the IITF GIS and Remote Sensing Laboratory in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico. Candidates should have the following skills: - Educational background in ecology, environmental studies, or related disciplinary areas; - Proficiency and experience in GIS software and analyses; - Motivation to work independently; and - Excellent computing and writing skills, motivation to publish in peer-reviewed journals. Candidates should ideally be current students, accepted applicants, or planning to apply to the UPR-Río Piedras Graduate School but other circumstances will be considered. Applicants should submit the following to William Gould at [email protected]: - Cover letter summarizing research interests and academic and professional background - Resume/CV - Copies of transcripts (unofficial transcripts acceptable) - GRE scores, if available - Names and contact information for three references (no letters needed at this time) ************************************************************************ William Gould, Research Ecologist, USDA Forest Service International Institute of Tropical Forestry Jardín Botánico Sur 1201 Calle Ceiba Río Piedras PR 00926-1119 Telephone:787-766-5335 ext. 302, fax:787-766-6302 [email protected] ***********************************************************************
