Contact: Dr. Mike R. Saunders, Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center, Department of Forestry and Natural Resources (FNR), Purdue University
Email: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> I am seeking high-caliper M.S. and/or Ph.D. students for the prestigious Fred M. van Eck Graduate Scholarship within the Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center (HTIRC; www.htirg.org<http://www.htirg.org>) at Purdue. Stipends are currently at $18,960 for M.S. students and $21,755 for Ph.D. students, and awardees additionally receive a subsidized insurance plan, a laptop computer upon arrival and an annual research budget ($10,000) for either two (M.S.) or three (Ph.D.) years. The van Eck Scholarships allow students to develop their own research topic under the direction of a faculty advisor. My lab focuses on two long-term research projects that investigate the influence of both prescribed fire and gap-based harvesting to increase ecological resilience in Central Hardwood forests. These projects, funded by the Department of Defense, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources - Division of Forestry, will take advantage of >15 prescribed burns being conducted over the next two years on the Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment (www.heeforeststudy.org<http://www.heeforeststudy.org>) sites and at NSWC - Crane, both in southern Indiana. Potential van Eck projects in my lab include: 1) adaptations of underplanted oak and other hardwood seedlings and saplings to prescribed fire; 2) refinement of fire models to conditions in mesic Central Hardwood forests; 3) long-term impacts of fire intensity on residual tree wood quality in shelterwood regeneration systems; 4) effects of prescribed fire on masting behavior of oak and other hard mast trees; and 5) impacts of fire on habitat structure and use by terrestrial vertebrates. Candidates should have a GPA of at least 3.4 and GRE scores averaging above the 60th. Prior research and/or work experience in fire ecology is preferred. Application deadline for Fall 2016 is December 11, 2015. Individuals will need to Submit official transcripts, GRE scores, letters of interest, and three reference letters by that date. PLEASE CONTACT Dr. Mike Saunders prior to submitting materials if interested. Purdue University is an equal opportunity-affirmative action employer. Mike R. Saunders Associate Professor of Hardwood Silviculture Department of Forestry and Natural Resources Purdue University 715 W. State Street West Lafayette, IN 47907 765-430-1440
