There are exciting opportunities for graduate students to obtain Master of Science or Ph.D. Degrees in Earth System Science and Policy at the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND in projects focused on the Sheyenne National Grassland. Research could specialize in or combine mapping, monitoring, modeling and assessment of existing management regimes.
The Sheyenne National Grassland is predominantly in Richland and Ransom Counties in the SE part of North Dakota. It is the largest tall grass prairie grassland in some form of conservation (around 70,000 acres) - but it is far from pristine. The grassland is subject to multi-use management, including grazing leases, hiking, horse riding, camping, hunting and conservation of rare plants. About 65% of all plants in ND occur in the Sheyenne National Grassland. It sits on four major landforms: river bottom lands, sand dunes, hummock and swale and deltaic plains. It is invaded with Kentucky blue grass and leafy spurge in places, and has more trees than is natural due to cottonwood colonization of dust bowl blowouts, plantings during grazing tenure before the grassland was established, and colonization in the absence of fire. The US Forest Service really wants to improve the condition of the grassland with a comprehensive management plan, and they welcome researchers and students. The primary areas of research involve development of better vegetation maps of the grassland, historical and contemporary landscape ecology, and assessment of impacts of existing management regimes. Prospective students would have access to very comprehensive remote sensing data for the grassland: NAIP aerial photos; comprehensive first and last return LiDAR, and a full Lidar DEM at cm vertical resolution; AeroCAM airborne imagery for 2012 at 2 m spatial resolution; and a comprehensive historical archive of Landsat data. In addition, the US Forest Service has aerial photos dating back to the 1930s, and a host of vegetation survey data and background information,. Some experience with ArcGIS and image processing is desirable but not essential. The Sheyenne Grassland is only 2 hours south of Grand Forks by car making field work highly accessible. The Department has two ASD field spectrometers, and sophisticated GPS equipment for detailed field data collection and position mapping. Topics can be tailored to fit a M.S. or Ph.D. degree. Full tuition waivers are available for successful applicants. Funding for research assistantships will be pursued from various sources for applicants with a genuine interest. Students from a wide range of fields such as Natural Resource Management, Ecology, Geography, Geology, Environmental Science, Climatology, Hydrology as well as other environmental majors are encouraged to apply. Earth System Science and Policy at the University of North Dakota is an interdisciplinary department which focuses on environmental sustainability. The ESSP Department has wide expertise in modeling and hydrology to complement the remote sensing and landscape ecology emphasis for this topic. Three degrees are offered through the department: Master of Environmental Management (M.E.M.), M.S., and Ph.D. All students must complete 20 credits of compulsory coursework in Earth System Science and Policy 501/502 during the first two semesters of their degree. If the above research topics is of interest, please see the UND Graduate School website (www.und.edu/dept/grad/<http://www.und.edu/dept/grad/>) for application instructions, or contact Dr. Michael J. Hill of the Department of Earth System Science and Policy at the University of North Dakota at (701) 777-6071, or by e-mail: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Recommended deadlines for application are February 1st for a March 1st decision, and April 15th for a May 15th decision. Tuition waivers are provided on a first qualified basis. Students must apply to the UND Graduate School in the first instance, and satisfy all application requirements before they will be assessment by the Department. For more information, see the following websites: The University of North Dakota: www.und.edu<http://www.und.edu/> Dakota Prairie Grasslands: http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/dakotaprairie/ Sheyenne National Grassland - Ransom County: http://www.ransomcountynd.com/index.asp?Type=NONE&SEC={05B67B83-EC26-4A5B-855F-43D5D61CE444}<http://www.ransomcountynd.com/index.asp?Type=NONE&SEC=%7b05B67B83-EC26-4A5B-855F-43D5D61CE444%7d> The UND Graduate School: http://www.und.edu/dept/grad/ UND Earth System Science and Policy: http://essp.und.edu/ Grand Forks Visitors Bureau: http://www.visitgrandforks.com/main.php Michael J. Hill Professor Department of Earth System Science and Policy University of North Dakota Clifford Hall, 9011 4149 University Drive Grand Forks, ND, 58202 USA Email: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Phone: 701-777-6071
