Position Available:
Field / lab technician
Heathy Forests project overview:
In Minnesota, invasive plants cause considerable ecological and
economic damage, and their control is difficult to achieve in a
long-term cost-effective manner. Although not immune from invasion,
healthy forests may be somewhat resistant to invasion; therefore
management aimed at maintaining, restoring, or enhancing key forest
characteristics might be a useful strategy for slowing forest
invasion. This type of preemptive tool could help maintain diverse
forest systems and might be cheaper and more effective in some
instances than trying to remove invaders after they are present.
Consequently, our goal is to better understand whether forest
characteristics, especially those amenable to management, can be
effective deterrents to plant invasion.
Position overview:
We are looking for a field/lab technician with a background and
interest in field biology/ecology starting April/May 2012 for a
6-month position. During the field season (from June-September) the
technician will be involved in field surveys of 20-25 sites
throughout the deciduous forest region of Minnesota. At each site,
all native and non-native species are identified, light level is
measured, and soil is collected for later analysis. There are also
opportunities for involvement in other projects during the field
season including collecting leaves for nutrient and specific leaf
area analysis and a buckthorn removal experiment. The technician is
part of field crew that typically includes 5-6 people (graduate
students, post-doc, field assistants). Trips to field sites include
day trips and camping trips sometimes over the weekend (4-8 days
long). In the field, the workday is typically 8-10 hours. Fieldwork
will take place on public lands such as state parks, wildlife
management areas and scientific and natural areas, some of which may
be remote. Working conditions can be challenging, and ticks, poison
ivy, and biting insects are common. Working rain gear and quality
footwear (waterproof hiking boots) are essential. It is preferable
(but not essential) that the technician has his/her own tent/sleeping bag.
In the lab, the technician would conduct soil analysis (pH, texture)
and leaf analysis (carbon, nitrogen, specific leaf area) and also be
involved in data entry, plant identification in the herbarium, and
potentially some greenhouses/growth chamber experiments. Typical
workdays outside the field season are eight hours Monday through
Friday, however some tasks may require weekend work.
Pay rate: $14/hour
Desired qualifications:
(1) familiarity with plant identification, especially knowledge of
Minnesota flora, (2) willingness to work hard in outdoor and lab
settings, (3) enthusiasm and curiosity for the natural world, (4)
attention to detail, (5) capacity to collect data following
established protocols.
Contact:
Please email cover letter, resume, and contact information for two
references to:
Tim Whitfeld (Research
Associate)
Department of Forest Resources
University of Minnesota
1530 Cleveland Ave N.
St. Paul, MN 55108 USA
<mailto:[email protected]>[email protected]
(612) 624-6709
Closing date for applications: March 31, 2012
The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity employer.
