8-WEEK SUMMER INTERNSHIP IN PLANT EVOLUTIONARY ECOLOGY USDA-ARS, Sidney Montana Pay: GS-3: $11.95/hour (roughly $3,824 for eight weeks,40 hours/week)
Intern wanted to assist with an experiment on the effects of maternal environment and local adaptation on phenotypic expression in plants. The intern will collect plant physiological data (water use and photosynthetic rate) and morphological data (leaf color, leaf roll, plant growth habit, and plant size) in a common garden experiment located in an agricultural field near Sidney MT. This common garden contains Poa secunda plants grown from seed collected from around the Great Basin, and also contains progeny from these same plants collected from three different maternal environments (common gardens in Montana, Washington, and Oregon). The intern will collect the data and compile it for analysis. Data from this experiment will be used to demonstrate the potential for using information on local adaptation and maternal effects in order to grow the most effective seed for restoration plantings. The intern will have the opportunity to create a senior-authored poster on the results of this work, to be presented at a station-wide symposium of student work at the end of the 8-week internship session. In addition, the intern will have the opportunity to talk about the experimental results with end users at a local county fair. Although the start and end dates of the internship are flexible, the county fair is the first weekend of August. The bulk of the data collection will be conducted daily alongside the scientist, Erin Espeland, where there will be many opportunities for informal mentoring. The technician in the lab, Mo OMara, is an excellent supervisor and mentor, highly ranked by former employees. The intern will have an opportunity to work with Mo during the data compilation stage of the internship. Both Mo and Erin will mentor the intern in poster preparation and how to discuss the results with non-technical audiences. If the intern is interested, further mentoring beyond the 8-week internship would be supplied in the form of collaboration in manuscript preparation. Sidney MT is a small town of 5,000 people near the border of North Dakota. There are abundant recreational opportunities, and the National Grasslands are less than 10 miles from town. There is a shared house in town available for summer interns at a cost of $150 for an 8-week period. Contact person: Dr. Erin Espeland, [email protected], phone: 406-433-9416 Web Address: http://www.ars.usda.gov/pandp/people/people.htm?personid=43176 Application Deadline: April 1, 2010. Selection will be made by April 25. Eligibility and Qualifications: 1. Must be a U.S. citizen or a citizen of certain countries in alliance with the United States (must have permanent residency); and 2. Be currently enrolled and have successfully completed at least one year of classes at an accredited vocational, technical, two-year or four-year college/university in a degree program (seeking a Certificate, Associate, BS/BA, MA/MS, or PhD) with at least six hours in math and/or science courses; and plan to continue your education in the fall of 2010 (proof of enrollment will be required). Application Instructions: Write a statement of interest and include three personal or professional references. Complete the form found at http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/of612.pdf . For item #1 put Intern, for item #2 put GS-3, and leave item #3 blank. E-mail both to [email protected] by the application deadline. www.ars.usda.gov/npa For information about the ARS Northern Plains Area (NPA). The USDA is an equal opportunity employer
