[ECOLOG-L] M.S. student wanted to model the effects of climate change and urbanization on the major ecosystems of Long Island, New York
M.S. student wanted to model the effects of climate change and urbanization on the major ecosystems of Long Island, New York starting in Fall 2009 or spring 2010 M.S. position modeling the effects of climate change and urbanization on the major plant ecosystems of Long Island, New York. The objective of this project is to model the predicted changes in the distributions of the major plant species that structure the most important ecosystems of Long Island at chosen future time slices. The models will include consideration of sea level rise and increasing urbanization. The student will use existing data sets and GIS data and work with The Nature Conservancy, Natural Area Inventory, and Dr. Luca Luiselli, an ecological modeler (F.I.Z.V. (Ecology) and Centre of Environmental Studies, Rome). The student will be enrolled at Hofstra University. The position comes with full tuition remission, but does not include salary or housing. There may be opportunities for teaching positions and other employment. The project may involve field work but will mostly require a detailed evaluation of previously collected data. The candidate will be part of a research group composed of professors and students in the Hofstra University Center for Climate Study (HUCCS), spearheaded by Dr. E. Christa Farmer (Geology). One branch of the research, headed by Dr. David Weissman (Physics), will study the effect of rain on the CO2 absorption in the ocean using space-based microwave radar. The research project advertised here is headed by Dr. Russell Burke (Biology). The third branch of HUCCS research will investigate paleotempestology, or the study of prehistoric hurricanes from the geologic record, and will be spearheaded by Dr. Farmer. The results from these studies will be disseminated to the scientific community through publications and presentations at scientific meetings, and to the public through a museum exhibit. Qualifications: A bachelor’s degree in biological sciences, with experience in both plant ecology and GIS. A strong interest in conservation, quantitative ecology, and statistics. The successful applicant must be accepted as a graduate student in the Department of Biology at Hofstra University, a small but intensive graduate program with new undergraduate and graduate degree programs in Urban Ecology. Documents to provide by e-mail : Send a short letter of introduction, a CV, unofficial copies of academic transcripts, and the name and e-mail address of 3 references to Dr. Burke at bio...@hofstra.edu. The evaluation of candidates will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled Dr. Russell Burke Associate professor Department of Biology Hofstra University bio...@hofstra.edu
[ECOLOG-L] Save Money; Register Before June 17 for the ESA Annual Meeting
Early Bird Registration for the 94th ESA Annual Meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico ends at 5 pm Eastern Time this Wednesday, June 17. To save up to as much as $50 on registration fees and avoid the last minute rush, please submit your registration form today. Links to all meeting and accommodation forms are posted at http://www.esa.org/albuquerque/registrationforms.php. Please review all information on all forms carefully before submitting payment. (If you require your ESA login information, please e-mail passwo...@esa.org. Membership forms and information are available at http://www.esa.org/member_services/join_renew.php.) Preliminary program information for the 94th Annual Meeting is available on the ESA website at http://www.esa.org/albuquerque/. This now includes descriptions of Scientific Program activities, Field Trips, and Ticketed Events, as well as a great deal of other important information about this years meeting. If you have questions or concerns, please contact Tricia Crocker, ESA Registrar, at regist...@esa.org, or Michelle Horton, Meetings Manager, at miche...@esa.org. You may also call the main ESA number at 202-833-8773. See you soon in Albuquerque!
[ECOLOG-L] FW: ESA Faculty Education Opportunities at the 2009 Annual Meeting
Hi everyone, As a reminder, ESA Early Bird registration closes this Wednesday, as does registration for the all-day Sunday workshop on teaching using continental-scale datasets. Jennifer ESA Faculty Education Opportunities at the 2009 Annual Meeting ESA is offering several opportunitieshttp://www.esa.org/education_diversity/sessions_2009.php at this year's meeting in Albuquerque to help faculty learn new skills for using, developing, and publishing teaching resources, including: * large volume datasets, digital images, or innovative activities to teach ecology * new ideas and resources for engaging your students * publishing what you're using in your own courses In this year's sessions you can: * Explore the use of continental-scale datasets for your courses in a full-day Sunday workshophttp://eco.confex.com/eco/2009/techprogram/S4520.HTM. * Discuss your ideas and practices for engaging your students with your colleagues in a Monday special sessionhttp://eco.confex.com/eco/2009/techprogram/S4521.HTM. * Learn how to publish your teaching resources online through ESA's peer-reviewed digital library in a Monday evening sessionhttp://eco.confex.com/eco/2009/techprogram/S4518.HTM. To learn more about these sessions visit the ESA websitehttp://www.esa.org/education_diversity/sessions_2009.php or email jenni...@esa.orgmailto:jenni...@esa.org. You can register onlinehttp://www.esa.org/albuquerque/registrationinfo.php today. Early Bird Registration rates end June 17! Jennifer Riem Education Coordinator Ecological Society of America Department of Education and Diversity Programs jenni...@esa.orgmailto:jenni...@esa.org tel 202-833-8773 x236 fax 202-833-8775 EcoEd Digital Libraryhttp://www.ecoed.net/ Teaching Issues and Experiments in Ecology (TIEE)tiee.ecoed.net
[ECOLOG-L] Nonequilibrium ecology book suggestions ecology outside the conservation paradigm
Dear fellow ECOLOGgers, I've gotten one book suggestion and one dialogue response to my query about nonequilibrium ecology and the conservation/preservation topic. Perhaps it would help if I jump-started the conversation with some cut-and-paste magic. Here is some of the interesting dialogue I've enjoyed with someone from this list: Me: Conserving a species for its own sake flies in the face of what we've come to understand about ecology, that populations emerge, rise, fall, affect other species and populations, move, emigrate, adapt, and sometimes become extinct. But others develop, hybridize, adapt, and become part of this enormous living soup we call Earth. It's not that we humans should just go ahead and do whatever we wish to the planet. To me, the issue is that we should understand that the way the world works and respect that, as nature changes, so will our comprehension of its relationships and dynamics. Response: “Unfortunately, we don't have perfect knowledge of how all individual species fit into the whole, or of how much of a species' fall might be due to humans, so we tend to assume that we have significantly impacted a species that it's important in the ecosystem therefore figure that we better try to save it.” Me: Another question, about the importance of a species: If there are very few of a particular species, say a type of Chinese turtle, for example, at what point does that species no longer have a significant or even relevant impact on its environment? There was a news article some weeks (months?) ago about some zoo in China (I think it was China!) that housed two aging male turtles of some sort. A female of the same species was discovered at another zoo, and the trio was reunited. There was all this talk about bringing the species back from the brink of extinction... but I have to ask: to what purpose? With only 3 individuals left in the world, are we preserving them out of nostalgia or guilt? Being in captivity, they obviously no longer hold any sort of niche in any ecosystem, and would reviving the species and releasing them into the wild disturb, perturb or damage said ecosystem? Do we do more harm than good when we take on this role of savior? Response: “I think nostalgia guilt are big motivators. I also wonder about brink of extinction restorations, especially when they involve employing other species (like whooping sandhill cranes), and restoring individuals of mixed or different genetics (like peregrine falcons - this one is even more complex - restoring species to breeding status in places where they previously only migrated!). Another important factor often cited to motivate conservation/preservation is the fear of losing potential lifesaving pharmaceuticals. This seems to be especially true of efforts to preserve ecosystems in general, but could also be applied to rescue of individual species. Again, quite an anthropocentric motivation.” Me: True, I agree that the more we learn, the more we discover that we have yet to learn. I have to wonder, though, about that word important when it comes to an endangered species. I think the endgangered species idea is very human-oriented in terms of assigning values to different species. We tend to throw money and effort into saving a cute animal or beautiful plant, things that appeal to our sense of wonder or things that we can anthropomorphize. You never hear of anyone on a Save the Nematode campaign or putting up posters to raise awareness of the endangered Slimy-Nosed Subterranean Skincrawler. They aren't cute or interesting or big enough to be deemed important or at least to be considered worthy of our donations and time. Looking forward to hearing from more of you, Kelly Stettner Black River Action Team (BRAT) 45 Coolidge Road Springfield, VT 05156 http://www.blackriveractionteam.org
[ECOLOG-L] Summary of Responses to Student w/ Asperger's post
Hi, I wrote about a month ago seeking advice on applying to gradschool as a student with Asperger's Syndrome (high functioning autism). I would like to thank everyone that wrote to me, offering insightful advice or perspective, related to pursing a graduate degree as a student w/ cognitive quirks. I appreciated the personal stories that were shared. Many of the posts made me smile with a new sense of optimism for the future, and acted as a reminder that being an atypical thinker is a challenge, but not necessarily I should hide. It occurred to me that others might be curious about the advice received, or perhaps have/ know of folks with Aspergers, learning differences, atypical thinkers, neurological disorders, or cognitive quirks, so I summarized some of the major points gleaned from the letters I have received: -Dont stop trying. -Use the intense focus associated with Aspergian thinking as a tool rather than a hindrance. Remember that graduate programs differ from undergrad in that it is all about narrowing your interests and specialization in a single topic. -Think of the cognitive challenges as a positive experience (rather than an excuse), try to focus on the beating the odds angle of the story and highlight everything that you have managed to achieve such as research experience or upper level courses in statistics. -Find a mentor that understands both your area of research, and is a person who you feel comfortable communicating with and perhaps had an understanding of your learning style. Having a good mentor is the most important part of the grad school experience. -Explain your story to those that are willing to listen; if they reject you outright then chances are you wouldnt want to be working with them for the next few years of your life anyway. If you are nervous about disclosing your quirks consider telling only half of the schools that you apply for then you can have a better idea of the possible reactions. -Apply to both MS and PhD programs, the benefit of taking a MS first is that professors may be more likely to take a risk and adopt a non-traditional student. -Bite the bullet and take either the prereqs required (ideally at a community college because of the smaller classroom style), or go directly to taking the GRE subject exams to show some level of competence in the subjects. Also consider a total immersion style of course where you can focus on a single topic at a time. -If you really dont want/have difficulty with the hoops needed for a standard biology program consider applying to other programs such as geography, philosophy, systems science, or natural resources management. -Consider more alternative or interdisciplinary programs, such as the grad school in conservation biology/resource management at Antioch, Evergreen State College, or one of the IGERT funded programs. -Take a look at grad programs in other countries, especially in Europe, New Zealand, Australia, or Canada. -Let's band together and start a university of neurodiversity, with a focus on preserving earth's biodiversity ;) Thank you again for all the responses, Azure Zebu (screen name) PS. contact me if you are interested in getting together at the ESA annual conference for an unofficial mixer/round table discussion on adapting to the standard academic system, or being little islands of the consciousness, for those us that have atypical minds two standard deviations from the norm (Asperger's, the gifted/disabled duo, creative genius, dyslexia, ADHD, scizophenia, depression, bi-polar, synesthesia, non-traditional academic background, or are simply a tad eccentric and at times feel a sense of kinship to the nutty professor or the mad scientist archetype.) Depending on response we can meet at the conference, or use a different site to maintain a sense of privacy for unfiltered dialog. Thanks again for sharing thoughts. :)
[ECOLOG-L] citation manager
Hi, Please tell me I'm not crazy. I seem to remember someone describing a free ware beta-version program similar to Reference Manager etc. during the last few weeks. I have tried to search the archives, but I'm not having any luck. Could someone forward a copy of that email to me offline? Thanks. Liane D. Liane Cochran-Stafira, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Biological Sciences Saint Xavier University 3700 West 103rd Street Chicago, Illinois 60655 phone: 773-298-3514 fax:773-298-3536 email: coch...@sxu.edu http://faculty.sxu.edu/~cochran/ http://faculty.sxu.edu/~cochran/
[ECOLOG-L] Ecology Restoration and conservation policy Re: [ECOLOG-L] Nonequilibrium ecology book suggestions ecology outside the conservation paradigm
Kelly and Forum: (Please forgive me for changing the lead on the subject line--this will get lost in the thousands of archived ecologs if I don't) The crucial pivot-point in conservation and restoration ecology policy decisions probably should be somewhere around the causal factors of the potential extinction in question. If, for example, the Chinese turtles in your example, were driven to the brink of extinction by apes gone wild, er, civilized, there is, I submit, a moral imperative to pull it back, to atone for our sin against Nature, by God. Much better this than wasting the resources needed for such atonement on species which have declined because they are adapted to an age, habitat conditions, tolerance limits, and needs gone by as the earth changes due to forces far beyond the anthropomorphic. Preservation does not, it seems to me, to apply to individual species, and certainly not their enzooment. Adjusting our habits to habitat requirements of whole ecosystems and ecosystem subsets, however, is a much more efficient way of clawing our way back up the slippery slope muddied by excess, onto more and more solid ground. Still, there are instances, even with enzooment, where mere captivity of curiosities morphs into compensatory restoration, as in, so far, at least, the encouraging case of the California condor. Whoop, whoop, HOORAY! Ladies and gentlemen, start your ultra-light engines, and soar, soar, SOAR! So what if they are charismatic--they serve as surrogates for my favorite organisms, should they ever be in need of our protection (thank the God of it all they don't NEED it), the cyanobacteria. Or DO they need it? Naw, I think we need THEIR protection. I remember when I tried to save a big patch of cryptobiotic soil crust from a parking lot and lawn. I was laughed out of the office. But that didn't stop me. And, at long last, but not least, there are the lessons to be learned about ecosystems, even--especially--from our errers. WT - Original Message - From: Kelly Stettner blackriverclea...@yahoo.com To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Sent: Monday, June 15, 2009 11:24 AM Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Nonequilibrium ecology book suggestions ecology outside the conservation paradigm Dear fellow ECOLOGgers, I've gotten one book suggestion and one dialogue response to my query about nonequilibrium ecology and the conservation/preservation topic. Perhaps it would help if I jump-started the conversation with some cut-and-paste magic. Here is some of the interesting dialogue I've enjoyed with someone from this list: Me: Conserving a species for its own sake flies in the face of what we've come to understand about ecology, that populations emerge, rise, fall, affect other species and populations, move, emigrate, adapt, and sometimes become extinct. But others develop, hybridize, adapt, and become part of this enormous living soup we call Earth. It's not that we humans should just go ahead and do whatever we wish to the planet. To me, the issue is that we should understand that the way the world works and respect that, as nature changes, so will our comprehension of its relationships and dynamics. Response: “Unfortunately, we don't have perfect knowledge of how all individual species fit into the whole, or of how much of a species' fall might be due to humans, so we tend to assume that we have significantly impacted a species that it's important in the ecosystem therefore figure that we better try to save it.” Me: Another question, about the importance of a species: If there are very few of a particular species, say a type of Chinese turtle, for example, at what point does that species no longer have a significant or even relevant impact on its environment? There was a news article some weeks (months?) ago about some zoo in China (I think it was China!) that housed two aging male turtles of some sort. A female of the same species was discovered at another zoo, and the trio was reunited. There was all this talk about bringing the species back from the brink of extinction... but I have to ask: to what purpose? With only 3 individuals left in the world, are we preserving them out of nostalgia or guilt? Being in captivity, they obviously no longer hold any sort of niche in any ecosystem, and would reviving the species and releasing them into the wild disturb, perturb or damage said ecosystem? Do we do more harm than good when we take on this role of savior? Response: “I think nostalgia guilt are big motivators. I also wonder about brink of extinction restorations, especially when they involve employing other species (like whooping sandhill cranes), and restoring individuals of mixed or different genetics (like peregrine falcons - this one is even more complex - restoring species to breeding status in places where they previously only migrated!). Another important factor often cited to motivate conservation/preservation is the fear of
[ECOLOG-L] Polgar Fellows sought
The Hudson River Foundation is developing a directory of Tibor T. Polgar Fellows. If you are a past participant, please email Helena: hel...@hudsonriver.org or call 212-483-7667. If you know any former Fellows, please pass on this information. Thank you.
[ECOLOG-L] You can help the funding situation for NSF and USGS
From the American Institute of Biological Sciences policy list pol...@aibs.org: Write to Congress about Increasing Funding for NSF and USGS Congress is currently considering the spending plans of the National Science Foundation (NSF), US Geological Survey (USGS), and several other science agencies. The appropriations bills being debated will ultimately determine the budgets for these agencies in fiscal year 2010, which begins on 1 October 2009. Please write to your Senators and Representative about the importance of federal funding for biological research at http://capwiz.com/aibs/utr/1/HDSDKRHEOR/HCQPKRHFAZ/3488602476NSF and http://capwiz.com/aibs/utr/1/HDSDKRHEOR/HJWAKRHFBA/3488602476USGS. While both agencies have thus far received Congressional support for funding increases in fiscal year 2010, these spending levels are not yet guaranteed. Voice your support for NSF and USGS by writing to your members of Congress and letting them know how NSF and USGS benefit your research and your state. We must act soon, as the first appropriations bill may pass the House this week. Two letters about funding for NSF and USGS are available on the AIBS Legislative Action Center (http://capwiz.com/aibs/utr/1/HDSDKRHEOR/MRDBKRHFBB/3488602476www.capwiz.com/aibs/home). With only a few moments of your time, you can send the letters to your Senators and Representative. The letters are also fully editable to allow you to communicate how NSF and USGS have benefited your personal research.
Re: [ECOLOG-L] citation manager
Thanks to all who sent me the URLs for a couple of citation managers. http://www.mendeley.com/blog/2008/09/mendeley-desktop-058-available-now/ Another site mentioned in some replies was http://www.zotero.org/ Liane D. Liane Cochran-Stafira, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Biological Sciences Saint Xavier University 3700 West 103rd Street Chicago, Illinois 60655 phone: 773-298-3514 fax:773-298-3536 email: coch...@sxu.edu http://faculty.sxu.edu/~cochran/ http://faculty.sxu.edu/~cochran/
Re: [ECOLOG-L] citation manager
Perhaps you're thinking of Zotero (www.zotero.org)? It's open-source, works as a Firefox plug-in, and is under active development. The latest version, which allows synchronization across multiple machines with data-base saved on zotero's server IS beta, but I've been using it for several months now with no complaint. The non-synchronizing version (fine if you're not using several computers) is long-stable. It is not perfect in every way, but neither are the commercial packages, and I've found the forums and tech support very good -- even aside from the philosophical preference for open source, I like it a lot. On Mon, Jun 15, 2009 at 4:33 PM, Cochran-Stafira, D. Liane coch...@sxu.eduwrote: Hi, Please tell me I'm not crazy. I seem to remember someone describing a free ware beta-version program similar to Reference Manager etc. during the last few weeks. I have tried to search the archives, but I'm not having any luck. Could someone forward a copy of that email to me offline? Thanks. Liane D. Liane Cochran-Stafira, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Biological Sciences Saint Xavier University 3700 West 103rd Street Chicago, Illinois 60655 phone: 773-298-3514 fax:773-298-3536 email: coch...@sxu.edu http://faculty.sxu.edu/~cochran/ http://faculty.sxu.edu/%7Ecochran/ http://faculty.sxu.edu/~cochran/ http://faculty.sxu.edu/%7Ecochran/ -- Kerry D. Woods Bennington College, Natural Sciences Dir. of Research, Huron Mt. Wildlife Found. www.hmwf.org faculty.bennington.edu/~kwoods kwo...@bennington.edu wo...@nceas.ucsb.edu
Re: [ECOLOG-L] citation manager
Zotero is fantastic, and cross-platform (works as a Firefox plugin). There are also several half-way decent Linux programs that should pop up with a synaptic search (assuming you're on a Debian derivative). Josh Stumpf On Mon, Jun 15, 2009 at 1:33 PM, Cochran-Stafira, D. Liane coch...@sxu.eduwrote: Hi, Please tell me I'm not crazy. I seem to remember someone describing a free ware beta-version program similar to Reference Manager etc. during the last few weeks. I have tried to search the archives, but I'm not having any luck. Could someone forward a copy of that email to me offline? Thanks. Liane D. Liane Cochran-Stafira, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Biological Sciences Saint Xavier University 3700 West 103rd Street Chicago, Illinois 60655 phone: 773-298-3514 fax:773-298-3536 email: coch...@sxu.edu http://faculty.sxu.edu/~cochran/ http://faculty.sxu.edu/%7Ecochran/ http://faculty.sxu.edu/~cochran/ http://faculty.sxu.edu/%7Ecochran/ -- Despair leads to boredom, electronic games, computer hacking, poetry, and other bad habits. --Ed Abbey Masochism is a valuable job skill. . --Chuck Palahniuk It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the beans of Java that my thoughts acquire speed. My hands acquire shaking, the shaking becomes a warning. It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion...
