Clark Lab Field Crew Positions: Forest Ecology The Clark Lab is looking for a few reliable and motivated crew members for the upcoming 2012 field season. These are full-time, temporary positions with no benefits. Wages are $10/hr. The end date is August 31, 2012. Occasional travel (estimated 3-4 weeks total during the summer) is required. Duties include the following:
* Perform basic tree measurements on long-term forest monitoring plots. * Census seedlings/saplings growing in a warming experiment, a fungal pathogen study, and elsewhere. * Download data from and maintain infrastructure of a network of environmental sensors and data loggers. * Take pre-dawn hemispherical canopy photographs during the growing season. * Identify and count seeds collected from seed rain traps. * Enter data into spreadsheets using Excel. The Clark Lab is based in the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University, an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. We study forest community ecology; our current research focuses on forest plant demography and phenology, plant-fungal pathogen interactions, and responses to disturbance and climate change. Our research sites are located in the Duke Forest near Durham, North Carolina, at various locations in western North Carolina, and at the Harvard Forest in central Massachusetts. Most work takes place in the Duke Forest; food and lodging are provided for any work trips to non-Duke Forest sites. Ideal candidates will have a strong interest in ecology and a willingness to work outdoors in hot, humid conditions with abundant insects, ticks, and chiggers. The ability to competently identify North Carolina trees to species is desirable, as is experience with ArcGIS. Duke University is located in Durham, North Carolina. Successful applicants will need to secure housing in the Durham/Raleigh/Chapel Hill area. For full consideration, please submit application materials (a one-page cover letter, resume, and two references) in ONE DOCUMENT via e-mail to Ben Vierra ([email protected]) by midnight on Wednesday, March 7. Cordially, Ben Vierra Lab Manager for James S. Clark Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University [email protected] Clark Lab website: http://sites.nicholas.duke.edu/clarklab/
