OPPORTUNITY: Response of Bee Pollinators to Wetlands Restoration and Management PhD or high-achieving Master’s in Conservation Biology Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Start Date: January 2019 Location: SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF), Syracuse, New York. SUNY ESF is home to the fourth largest undergraduate and graduate education program in wildlife science, conservation biology, and aquatic and fisheries science in the United States; it is by far the largest such program in the northeastern region. SUNY ESF is located in central New York with abundant outdoor opportunities with the Finger Lakes region, many state properties and national wildlife refuges, Lake Ontario, and the 6.1 million-acre Adirondack Park a short distance away. The Montezuma Wetlands Complex, the first Important Bird Area designated in New York, is less than an hour drive from campus. With its diverse lakes and wetlands, myriad breeding, migrating, and wintering birds, and a landscape rich in human history, the region provides an ideal place for study of wetland-wildlife. In collaboration with a diversity of conservation stakeholders throughout North America, we meet the challenges of a changing world. Description and requirements: We seek a motivated and experienced individual to study pollinators in restored wetlands at Montezuma and Iroquois National Wildlife Refuges, as well as adjacent NY State Wildlife Management Areas (WMA; Northern Montezuma, Oak Orchard, and Tonawanda WMAs). The selected individual will collaborate with Drs. Mike Schummer (waterfowl and wetland ecology), Melissa Fierke (entomology) and Don Leopold (wetland ecology and botany) to deliver novel research and produce technical and peer-reviewed publications. In intensive agricultural landscapes, flowering plants in restored wetland areas may be sources of nutrients and nesting sites for pollinators, but most studies of wetland restoration focus on broad plant and wildlife responses. Our goal is to determine the role of wetland restoration and management in sustaining bee diversity and abundance in these agricultural landscapes. At minimum, sampling of bees and plants will occur May, July, and September, 2019 and 2020. Program Requirements: Applicants must be competitive for a departmental teaching assistantship (GPA 3.5 or higher and GRE scores above average in all categories with 2 of the 3 scores > 75th percentile). Departmental teaching assistantships include a tuition waiver and stipend. Applying: Email a letter of interest, resume, unofficial transcripts, and GRE scores (preferably as a single pdf) to Dr. Michael Schummer ([email protected]). After an interview, the successful applicant will be encouraged to apply to the Graduate School at SUNY ESF.
