Job Description: The USDA, Agriculture Research Service, Northern Plains Agriculture Research Laboratory in Sidney, MT is seeking an enthusiastic and hard working individual to serve as a biological science aide on a project examining the influence of landscape structure on pest insects and their natural enemies (e.g. ladybeetles, parasitoid wasps) in alfalfa. The research is focused on developing ecologically-based, sustainable and environmentally friendly approaches to pest management. This position will involve a mixture of field work to collect insects in alfalfa fields, and lab work to sort and identify insect natural enemies and rear pest insects to assess rates of parasitism. The successful candidate will gain hands on experience in field sampling and insect rearing and identification techniques, and the chance to work with the diverse insect fauna associated with alfalfa cropping systems in a team oriented research environment.
Job title, Grade & Salary: Biological Science Aide GS 0404/3 at $11.95/hour Dates: This is an 8-10 week appointment with a start date of May 24, 2010. Shared accommodation is available at a cost of $150.00 for an 8-week period. Qualifications: The candidate must be physically fit, and comfortable spending long hours outside in sometimes uncomfortable field conditions (hot, biting insects etc.) Willingness to work long days, and weekends when necessary is also a must. Candidate must have 1 academic year of education above the high school level or 6 months of general experience, or an equivalent combination of both. Undergraduate course work in ecology, entomology or environmental science, and previous field or lab work experience is preferred. Application process: If you are interested in applying for this position, please send Resume (CV), and names and contact information of two references (electronically) to Deb Waters ([email protected]) or Tayana Rand ([email protected]) by APRIL 1, 2010. For more information on our location visit our website at: www.ars.usda.gov/npa/nparl/pmru or contact us directly.
