M.S. Graduate Research Assistantship: Prescribed fire and oak forest birds The Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management at Oklahoma State University announces a Graduate Research Assistantship beginning Jan. 2015. The successful applicant will take the lead on a project to study the long- term effects of prescribed fire on ground-dwelling birds in upland oak forests of central Oklahoma. In this transition zone between eastern forests and central grasslands, fire frequency can have dramatic effects on vegetation, litter, and coarse woody debris. We are interested in vegetation structure and arthropod availability at the ground level as mechanisms to explain avian community composition along a gradient of fire frequency. The GRA will manage this project, overseeing all data collection and taking the lead on analysis and manuscript preparation in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Master of Science degree in NREM. The GRA will be co-advised by Drs. Steve Hallgren and Tim OConnell.
Compensation: Full project support for two years including non-resident tuition waiver, 3036-hour tuition remission, field housing and travel costs, OSU insurance, and annual stipend of $15,504. Qualifications: B.S. in wildlife ecology or related discipline, GPA > 3.3, combined GRE > 1100 (>300 for 2011 revised scores), English fluency, and a valid U.S. drivers license. Desired experience: Excellence in written and oral communication; proven ability to identify eastern U.S. songbirds by song and call; solid quantitative background and comfort in study design and statistics; maturity, responsibility and dedication to meticulous field work despite harsh conditions; leadership in supervision of 12 field technicians. For consideration, please send the following via email to [email protected]: 1) cover letter expressing interest in and suitability for the position, 2) CV or resume, 3) names and contact information for at least 3 references, 4) unofficial transcript and GPA, and 4) unofficial GRE scores. Documents should be attached as MS Word files or pdfs. Please do not submit a formal application to the Department unless requested to do so. Applications will be accepted until 31 August 2014.
