The Richards-Zawacki lab at the University of Pittsburgh invites undergraduate applicants for a 10-week summer research experience at the Pymatuning Lab of Ecology in northwestern Pennsylvania (http://www.biology.pitt.edu/facilities/pymatuning). This position is part of the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program. Ongoing work in the Richards-Zawacki lab aims to clarify the relationship between climate and the dynamics of chytridiomycosis, a fungal disease that threatens amphibian populations on several continents. The successful applicant will design and carry out a study using physical models deployed in the field to investigate differences in the thermal biology of co-occurring amphibian hosts and how these differences might translate to differences in susceptibility to chytridiomycosis. The student will also work collaboratively with other members of the Richards-Zawacki lab to survey local amphibians for Batrachochytrium pathogens, the fungi that cause chytridiomycosis.
Room and board at the Pymatuning Lab of Ecology will be provided, along with transportation and a stipend of $500/week. To apply, please send a one page personal statement (about your scientific interests and how this REU will support your professional goals), your resume or cv, unofficial transcripts, and the names of two professional references (including title, address, phone number and email address) to Dr. Cori Richards-Zawacki ([email protected]). Applications are due March 4, 2016. Please direct any questions you may have about the program to Dr. Richards-Zawacki ([email protected]).
