[ECOLOG-L] Job: Project Manager updated
Updated from earlier post: link to the College of Charleston HR to submit applications now available. http://jobs.cofc.edu/postings/3192 The unPAK project (undergraduates Phenotyping Arabidopsis Knockouts - www.arabidopsisunpak.org) seeks a project manager to coordinate activities across 10 participating institutions. The unPAK project is collecting phenotypic information associated with Arabidopsis thaliana T-DNA insertion mutants and includes extensive involvement of undergraduate researchers. This project addresses broad questions in ecological genomics and is developing a phenotypic resource for the Arabidopsis and evolutionary genomic communities. The project manager will be responsible for communication between institutions, seed stock production, seed distribution, data curation, and management of participating undergraduates. The position will be located at the College of Charleston, and will involve travel to other participating institutions. We seek a candidate who is organized, energetic, and has strong communication skills. A successful candidate will have professional, diplomatic and leadership qualities. Ideally the candidate will bring experience working in a field or laboratory setting with plants. The position has ample opportunities for developing management skills and for publishing research. Interested individuals with undergraduate, master's or doctoral degrees are welcome to apply. Specific responsibilities - distribution of protocols to new partner schools - travel to institutions to train participants in phenotyping and data management - grow plants with student help to bulk seeds for distribution - maintain seed-stock records - coordinate seed stocks to be shipped. - maintain of tissue and genotype records - assist PI and CoPIs with maintaining CURE (course-based undergraduate research experience) plants - format datasheets for downstream bioinformatics analyses - upkeep experiment log - maintain an already existing cyber-presence including the project website and the - project google wiki site - maintain contact information for all participants - initial training of students in lab procedures - contribute to newsletters, organize joint meetings (both virtual and in person) - podcast and vodcast development For more information about the position, please contact us at: Matt Rutter (rutt...@cofc.edu) Courtney Murren (murr...@cofc.edu) Allan Strand (stra...@cofc.edu) Department of Biology College of Charleston Charleston SC USA
[ECOLOG-L] Some ideas for advancing grad education in the face of scarcity
As the semester kicks off, I wanted to share some thoughts I had over the summer on graduate eduction: --- August 25, 2014 Some ideas for advancing graduate education in ecology in a time of scarcity The science of Ecology, like most scientific disciplines, is in the midst of a crisis of sorts stemming from at least two underlying factors. First, funding for science at a national level is stable or in decline, while the number of labs that need funding to persist is rising sharply. Second, the number of PhDs being granted is vastly outpacing the job market. According to some analyses the percentage of newly granted PhDs that got a job as a tenure track academic in the 1970s was nearly 50%, while that number today is less than 10% http://www.ascb.org/ascbpost/index.php/compass-points/item/285-where-will-a-biology-phd-take-you . In the face of this gloomy picture, action is required and I believe there are some clear steps we can take. In my view, lobbying for more federal money, tweaking how funds are distributed, working toward some supplements to federal funds (e.g., crowdsourceing..like this https://www.kickstarter.com/ and that https://experiment.com/) are good things to fight for. Those are supply side issues...I would like to also propose some practices in graduate training that may be helpful: (a) revive and respect the Master's degree. In my experience, some faculty view a Master's degree as a kind of failure. They tell their very best undergrads to avoid doing a Master's and head straight to the PhD. It is a waste of time they advise, “the Master's degree is functionless”, you can't do anything with that degree, etc. In fact, many, talented, intelligent, undergraduates have no business doing a PhD because they are not suited to the particulars of the academic enterprise. We should do our best to only bring people into PhD programs who are clearly dedicated to every facet of the pursuit (see below). A MS is a good option for many (most, all?) students interesting in career in ecology. A MS serves as a vital testing ground, even for students who feel confident they want to do a Doctorate. A MS gives the student a chance to discover if research is really an endeavor they want to dedicate their life to-- statistical analysis, writing, digging through the literature-- in addition to field work, lab work, or setting up and maintaining an experiment. In my experience ~50% of the undergraduates who think they want to do a PhD, who faculty might say you really should do a PhD, will change their mind during a MS degree. In which case, that student can finish up the MS and head off to a job, instead of leaving a PhD partway through, which is a bad situation for both the student and the mentor. Screening students in this way will help the PhD glut we currently face, resulting in fewer ABDs in the world, fewer PhDs who leave the field, and will allow those involved with training PhD students to focus energy on students who are more likley to stay the course and succeed. (b) filter hard for students coming into our PhD programs. I would recommend a MS and at least one peer-reviewed article submitted, as a general qualification for admittance into a PhD program. GREs and course grades are relatively poor indicators of future success in research and they have absolutely no power to predict whether someone will have the passion for the professional grind that is needed to succeed in this new era of science. I would also recommend that Universities generally employ the approach of refusing to admit into a PhD program undergraduates who just graduated from that same program. With some important exceptions, that practice is built on faculty who don't want to bother with searching externally for students, and accommodates undergradutes who really don't know what they want to do with their life. I dont know what to do with my life isnt really a good qualification for launching into a PhD track, which is a training pathway that is for those who are ready to commit to research as a life-long endeavor. Overall, applying a fine filter on students entering our PhD programs could be a great help. (c) be terribly clear about the state of things during mentoring. We need to speak frankly, to undergrads working in our labs, to MS students, and especially to PhD students about the state of things in the field. Very few PhDs get academic jobs, because there are not nearly enough jobs to accommodate the glutted market. Some of those who get jobs, won't make Tenure because of the crisis in federal funding. We have to clearly and consistently tell students these things. (d) be open to students becoming professionals that are different than us Increasingly, tenure-track positions are an abnormal outcome for a person with a PhD. Even for good students, landing a faculty position has become the exception, not the rule. We can and should fight this as individuals by pushing our students to be one
[ECOLOG-L] Thank you, clarification Project BRASS
Thank you to everyone who responded to our message about Project BRASS (see message below) and suggested we set up a crowdfunding site. We are nonprofit, but you are correct in that sites like GoFundMe are trusted and easy to use. So, here is our site: http://www.gofundme.com/dh9p8c Second, it also was recommended that we clarify that snakebites in Latin America are, in general, incidental, a result of working and living among abundant, generalist venomous snakes like the fer de lance. Adults and kids are being bitten at alarming rate and not as a result of stupidity or alcohol-related events (things often associated with bites in the United States). The local people are asking for education on how to avoid bites and distinguish which snakes are obviously not venomous so they can reduce killings. We hope to make a difference in this unacknowledged public health problem in Panama and Costa Rica. Thank you, as always, for your support and suggestions! ___- Project BRASS: Bites Reduced AND Snakes Saved Panama and Costa Rica Team Snake Panama, based at La MICA Biological Station (www.lamica.org) in central Panama, strives to reduce the number of venomous snakebites, while conserving all species of snakes. Our efforts are focused on research, educational programs, and outreach in Panama and Costa Rica. Because education is so important, our objective is: To distribute information to communities, especially in remote areas, on the identification of and co-existing with snakes. To do so, we will visit communities throughout Panama and Costa Rica to deliver a talk about local snakes and snakebite prevention, donate a copy of our bilingual book The Venomous Snakes and their Mimics of Panama and Costa Rica to health clinics and schools, interact with local people to understand their fears and needs, and participate in guided tours led by residents to better understand the habits and distribution of each species of snake so that snakebite prevention and treatment can be improved. Make a tax-deductible donation NOW! www.lamica.org/Donate.html Background information: A recent publication reported 600 venomous snakebites annually in Costa Rica and a staggering 2800 in Panama! These numbers included just cases treated in medical centers; in many remote areas, traditional (but ineffective and even dangerous) methods are used for people unable or unwilling to go to a hospital. Because of so many bites, people kill every snake they see, despite the fact that most are harmless to humans, their pets, and livestock. Many people have asked us to help them understand which species are dangerous so they can help better protect themselves and peacefully co-exist with snakes. They acknowledge that snakes are important inhabitants of their shared environment, serving such valuable functions as controlling food and health pests like rodents. Now is the time for this essential and potentially live-saving educational experience! Our current goal is to raise $12,500, to fund visits to 125 communities ($100/site) throughout Panama and Costa Rica to deliver a presentation on identifying and co-existing with snakes, and donate a copy of our book. You can follow the project on a blog we will update regularly. Please help us reach our goal to help reduce snakebites while gaining protection for all species of snakes. Every donation will make a huge difference and will allow for more sites to be visited. Note that we also are taking recommendations of sites to visit. Please email us at teamsnakepan...@gmail.com with your suggestions. No need for crowd-funding sites; we have a nonprofit fiscal sponsor!! To make your tax-deductible contribution: Online donations can be submitted at: www.lamica.org/Donate.html Checks can be made to: Cloud Forest Institute*, P.O. Box 1435, Ukiah, CA 95482 Please note “La MICA” on the memo line of your check. *Cloud Forest Institute is the US-based 501c3 educational non-profit fiscal sponsor of La MICA Biological Station. Tax deductible donations restricted for use for La MICA can be made out to Cloud Forest Institute and mailed to the address above. Online donations can be made through PayPal. Be sure to note La MICA on check memo lines. Thank you for your contribution. Julie M. Ray, MSc, PhD Director La MICA Biological Station La Montaña para Investigación y Conservación Ambiental El Cope-La Pintada. Provincia de Cocle. Republica de Panama Fundación Centro de Investigación Biológica El Copé, S.A. (Panama) www.lamica.org la.m...@yahoo.com
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Some ideas for advancing grad education in the face of scarcity
There are good masters programs and bad masters programs, just like their are good and bad doctoral programs, undergrad programs, advisors, teachers, researchers and students. Each of us experiences a little of each, and hopefully has to deal with as little of the bad as is possible. On Mon, Aug 25, 2014 at 7:00 AM, Ryan McEwan the.ts...@gmail.com wrote: As the semester kicks off, I wanted to share some thoughts I had over the summer on graduate eduction: --- August 25, 2014 Some ideas for advancing graduate education in ecology in a time of scarcity The science of Ecology, like most scientific disciplines, is in the midst of a crisis of sorts stemming from at least two underlying factors. First, funding for science at a national level is stable or in decline, while the number of labs that need funding to persist is rising sharply. Second, the number of PhDs being granted is vastly outpacing the job market. According to some analyses the percentage of newly granted PhDs that got a job as a tenure track academic in the 1970s was nearly 50%, while that number today is less than 10% http://www.ascb.org/ascbpost/index.php/compass-points/item/285-where-will-a-biology-phd-take-you . In the face of this gloomy picture, action is required and I believe there are some clear steps we can take. In my view, lobbying for more federal money, tweaking how funds are distributed, working toward some supplements to federal funds (e.g., crowdsourceing..like this https://www.kickstarter.com/ and that https://experiment.com/) are good things to fight for. Those are supply side issues...I would like to also propose some practices in graduate training that may be helpful: (a) revive and respect the Master's degree. In my experience, some faculty view a Master's degree as a kind of failure. They tell their very best undergrads to avoid doing a Master's and head straight to the PhD. It is a waste of time they advise, “the Master's degree is functionless”, you can't do anything with that degree, etc. In fact, many, talented, intelligent, undergraduates have no business doing a PhD because they are not suited to the particulars of the academic enterprise. We should do our best to only bring people into PhD programs who are clearly dedicated to every facet of the pursuit (see below). A MS is a good option for many (most, all?) students interesting in career in ecology. A MS serves as a vital testing ground, even for students who feel confident they want to do a Doctorate. A MS gives the student a chance to discover if research is really an endeavor they want to dedicate their life to-- statistical analysis, writing, digging through the literature-- in addition to field work, lab work, or setting up and maintaining an experiment. In my experience ~50% of the undergraduates who think they want to do a PhD, who faculty might say you really should do a PhD, will change their mind during a MS degree. In which case, that student can finish up the MS and head off to a job, instead of leaving a PhD partway through, which is a bad situation for both the student and the mentor. Screening students in this way will help the PhD glut we currently face, resulting in fewer ABDs in the world, fewer PhDs who leave the field, and will allow those involved with training PhD students to focus energy on students who are more likley to stay the course and succeed. (b) filter hard for students coming into our PhD programs. I would recommend a MS and at least one peer-reviewed article submitted, as a general qualification for admittance into a PhD program. GREs and course grades are relatively poor indicators of future success in research and they have absolutely no power to predict whether someone will have the passion for the professional grind that is needed to succeed in this new era of science. I would also recommend that Universities generally employ the approach of refusing to admit into a PhD program undergraduates who just graduated from that same program. With some important exceptions, that practice is built on faculty who don't want to bother with searching externally for students, and accommodates undergradutes who really don't know what they want to do with their life. I dont know what to do with my life isnt really a good qualification for launching into a PhD track, which is a training pathway that is for those who are ready to commit to research as a life-long endeavor. Overall, applying a fine filter on students entering our PhD programs could be a great help. (c) be terribly clear about the state of things during mentoring. We need to speak frankly, to undergrads working in our labs, to MS students, and especially to PhD students about the state of things in the field. Very few PhDs get academic jobs, because there are not nearly enough jobs to accommodate the glutted market. Some of those who get jobs, won't make Tenure because of
[ECOLOG-L] PhD position at University of Groningen in sea turtle conservation genomics and evolution
We have a vacant PhD position at the Marine Evolution and Conservation group at the Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Studies (University of Groningen, The Netherlands). The objective of the project is to elucidate the evolution and population genetic structure of sea turtles in the Dutch Caribbean by analyses of genomic data for developing better conservation policies. The closing date for (on-line) applications is September 30^th , 2014. Please read the full advert (http://www.rug.nl/about-us/work-with-us/job-opportunities/overview?details=00347-005702) for more details. -- Per J. Palsbøll Marine Evolution and Conservation Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies University of Groningen Nijenborgh 7 9747 AG Groningen The Netherlands Office phone: +31 50 363 9882 Mobile +31 64 870 3295 Mail address: PO Box 11103 9700 CC Groningen The Netherlands How wonderful that we have met with a paradox. Now we have some hope of making progress. As quoted in Niels Bohr : The Man, His Science, the World They Changed (1966) by Ruth Moore, p. 196
[ECOLOG-L] Ocean Depth Profiles
Dear All, I am looking for a publicly available datasets of oceanic depth profiles with a high spatial resolution ( 1). So far, I found a global 1-minute grid here: http://topex.ucsd.edu/cgi-bin/get_data.cgi And the GEBCO website, where they announce a global 30 arc-second grid: http://www.gebco.net/data_and_products/gridded_bathymetry_data/ Unfortunately, the latter is not working at the moment and the resolution of the former is too coarse. Please let me know, if you are aware of data bases that can provide this kind of information. Many thanks in advance Christian -- Dr. Christian Jessen Coral Reef Ecology (CORE) Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology (ZMT) Fahrenheitstrasse 6 D - 28359 Bremen Germany Tel : (00)49-(0)421-23800-106 Fax : (00)49-(0)421-23800-30 web : www.zmt-bremen.de mail: christian.jes...@zmt-bremen.de Leibniz-Zentrum für Marine Tropenökologie (ZMT) GmbH Sitz der Gesellschaft: Bremen, Registergericht: Amtsgericht Bremen Handelsreg. Nr. HRB 25746 HB, St-Nr 71/607/12036, USt-IdNr DE 266278207 Vorsitzender des Aufsichtsrates: Dr. Walter Dörhage Geschäftsführerin: Prof. Dr. Hildegard Westphal -BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK- Version: GnuPG v2.0.20 (MingW32) mQENBFIMDdEBCAD7T5KueXYhtar7mLMJ/0lx3+eWWVMzWAyyPAon32MLVYD5JMcG f7Hf3jwmlJxrpC2d3FiQ0oFKsmDS/Eae9guEGQ7ddrQ4AnU7vIGdre8tnCu3PTF/ G1iIZC9RH8hRZ/a6QRzP5ZulgCm7jcK93MO/qrN7EIK1FW0aJumetjPbFKoqa0p4 KMxpIAGFBAs8IspVqN/Ouc8CsCRjJOfXL+pEfDVWl2FohqSEJYcUGJymNjJH5iJa 6apskqGtgdjxYd+WdgO1gfXtMD1QwX4n5slGm19RWZFDmJgFxobaWSZg7kamOAxS Wjrpd8WMMrcY6yuE3QyxHzbLwjW6Asz0+yVtABEBAAG0MUNocmlzdGlhbiBKZXNz ZW4gPGNocmlzdGlhbi5qZXNzZW5Aem10LWJyZW1lbi5kZT6JATkEEwECACMFAlIM DdECGw8HCwkIBwMCAQYVCAIJCgsEFgIDAQIeAQIXgAAKCRC5dstn1ilPEfa0B/oD F5CaCdmpQ8n0H8LBc9lN62DIBO60ZE1+Tgxmz2Dks6CD5qXNHGd2qAym9InGXDzs bY+7m9SuZNsXYAYeiJsWWKMPdVbUJ6Yb3Kir0U1bZ2WagKYwWKxKsvUsLDreLMTD KpS3kjNBUoxJhVQIaFMxvOvSkRLpqNsX+zFZRBWqMsnzVD3qsVvKirYM/6tj+rCu Jjq5V8KIBs+AePpESxzoZzoJJQWpSdZ4mUFgrM0fOr4XJLQR6MMGc2bcTy1DyX6b /VdblF6n9Cq7FizTAsUqhXeiPc6/P7aepGocjkG45FUqjI4CiBd3F6ZovsonspYi 1cD2IlkG3v7V18LzSZGYiQEcBBMBAgAGBQJSDBc2AAoJEN3UsqOoLkx9O5oH/RpQ aMQ/q++qKPfUBIOcUXkstkIMI4+95E8iJLLEzh0x+yIt2mneGy1jPDljQPX68P3Y D+60RhpavgDjPi9t4aTjUNhs5KdaPnh5NdXc/6IFN49d53G9l/OmmHU2sgmH2swX AsyBWXIhjkY8moUdXrqKptLBK/BOztPm7agTv/5Ilpt8wy9MkErZnrCRu831T0Dl xoJ32piBXxvNr9577FSV4IkfgTSHAcRZ9zG1HYFQoxPPc59IcxWPzBekFpsip0tZ 6SYkQjO3C4dlD9gEM67f9o/CFkMoLySY7DPSUHUZkUj3X3fWeEZvJtlNfPUr5Emj XMatUScudRZIaqsAQbA= =HoqC -END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-
[ECOLOG-L] New Documentary on Brucellosis/Yellowstone bison Management
Hello! Below is a link to a new documentary that fairly investigates the current management of Yellowstone National Park bison over the disease brucellosis. Link to film: https://vimeo.com/104296498 Some of you on this listserv contributed to the film's Kickstarter a while ago. I thank you. I appreciate all the support. Feel free to share the film if you like it. And if anyone is interested in having a short film made about your research, please feel free to shoot me an email. Best, Eddie Roqueta
[ECOLOG-L] USFS Professional Development Assistantship for Native American Students
*U. S. Forest Service Native American Professional Development Research Assistantship* The U.S. Forest Service (USFS), through partnership with The Wildlife Society, is sponsoring a professional development program for Native American students. The program will facilitate mentoring opportunities for USFS Research Development (RD) scientists with the students and promote student advancement and training for careers in natural resource and conservation-related fields. The USFS uses a science-based approach to make informed decisions on the multiple-use management of the National Forests and Grasslands. A short-term assistantship is available for Native American students interested in wildlife and forest resources and excited to learn and work with an interdisciplinary team of researchers. Applicants must be members of a Native American, First Nations, or Indigenous Tribe. Applicants should be either currently enrolled as an upper-level undergraduate (junior/senior) or graduate (M.S. or Ph.D.) student at an accredited academic institution, be taking classes in non-degree status, or a recent graduate with intent to pursue graduate school. A bachelor’s or master’s degree in wildlife biology, ecology, forestry or other closely related natural resource discipline is preferred. Potential project topics include: *1. **Restoring California black oak to support tribal values and wildlife habitat in the Sierra Nevada* *Project Objectives*: To gather and systematically organize information regarding traditional management of California black oak in mixed conifer forests of the Sierra Nevada that can inform ecological restoration treatments. Black oak acorns are a traditional food source for California Native people and provide habitat to a variety of wildlife species. The project would develop an ethnoecological database, maps of historical oak areas managed by tribes, and a scientific manuscript for publication. *2. **Tracking post-emergence movements of Myotis spp. to uncover habitat preferences and potential migratory routes* *Project Objectives*: To better understand seasonal habitat use of *Myotis* spp. on the Ottawa National Forest (NF), student will: (1) record and analyze acoustic activity of *Myotis* spp. from spring emergence to mid-summer at and surrounding multiple hibernacula; (2) analyze acoustic data to determine differences in activity level among timber stand types; (3) identify areas for summer mist netting; and (4) use radio telemetry to locate summer maternity roosts of northern long-eared bats. *3. **Examining long-term changes in stream habitats on Dzil Ligai Sian (Mt. Baldy)* *Project Objectives*: To evaluate changes in aquatic habitat over a twelve year period in streams on Dzil Ligai Sian (Mt. Baldy), the ecologically and culturally preeminent peak of the White Mountain Apache Tribe. These streams are the ancestral habitat of the Apache trout, a threatened species and important resource for the Tribe, as well as many other animals (including amphibians such as leopard frogs) and plants of cultural significance and rarity. Working with Tribal staff, we will collect physical habitat data at a series of streams that were previously surveyed in 2003 to examine how they have changed and to relate their conditions to wildlife populations. The mid-term objective is to build tribal capacity to evaluate changes in these critical habitats owing to climate change, wildfires, and other stressors. This information will help to understand how stressors including fires and climate change are affecting different streams and their riparian habitats, which can help to guide restoration and conservation efforts by determining which streams are most degraded or at-risk and which ones should be most resilient. The mid-term objective is to build tribal capacity to evaluate changes in these critical habitats owing to climate change, wildfires, and other stressors. *4. **Kings River Fisher Project - Ecology and Habitat Requirements* *Project Objectives*: To fill gaps in our current understanding of fisher (*Pekania pennanti*) ecology and habitat requirements and address the uncertainty surrounding the effects of timber harvest and fuel reduction on fishers and their habitat. Specific objectives include: (1) document population demographic parameters and identify potential limiting factors; (2) overlap multiple research techniques to improve parameter estimates and identify habitat requirements for foraging, resting or denning habitat; and (3) document the responses of fishers to changes in forest structure and composition, both natural and management-related to better understand the long-term viability of fishers in a heterogeneous, managed landscape. Projects are anticipated to begin March – August 2015 and last approximately 4 months in duration depending on the project. For more information and instructions on how to apply, please visit
[ECOLOG-L] Post-doc in biogeomorphic modelling at Duke
The Heffernan Lab is seeking a post-doctoral scholar to help understand the formation and distribution of depressional wetlands in karst landscapes, using Big Cypress National Preservehttp://heffernanlab.weebly.com/florida-everglades.html in south Florida as a case study. To read more about the Big Cypress Landscape, see Cohen et al. 2011http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10643389.2010.531224 and Watts et al. 2014http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/esp.3597/abstract. In collaboration with PIs Jim Heffernan and Brad Murray, the post-doctoral scholar will lead development of spatially-explicit models of interactions among hydrologic, ecological, geochemical, and geomorphic processes that are hypothesized to create the distinctive, regular patterning of cypress dome wetlands and other karst features. The successful applicant will have a degree in the earth or ecological sciences; experience with the development of spatially-explicit models; and demonstrated success in scholarly publication. Previous experience in collaborative projects at the interface of ecological and earth sciences, and with research in karst landscapes, is preferred. Preferred start date is May 2015, but can be flexible depending on the successful candidate's schedule. Review of applications will begin October 15th and will continue until the position is filled. This 2-year position is part of a newly funded NSF project in collaboration with the University of Florida. Submit applications, and direct inquiries, to james.heffer...@duke.edumailto:james.heffer...@duke.edu. http://heffernanlab.weebly.com/positions-currently-available.html
[ECOLOG-L] Wildlife Biology/Conservation Research Opportunity
Hello to all! I am about to enter into a one year MSc Wildlife Biology and Conservation program. For the last 4 months of the program (beginning May 2015), I am required to create and undertake my own research project related to Wildlife Biology and Conservation. While it is a bit of a ways off, I wanted to get in touch with any of you to hear your thoughts/topic ideas/opinions/advice about potential ways to apply my research. Or possibly you might know of an organization that might be interested in supporting my efforts. I am based out of Southern California and would prefer to do my studies on wildlife and their ecosystems in the surrounding area, however I am open to all ideas! I look forward to hearing from you! Have a great day, Brittnei Miller
[ECOLOG-L] Seattle Invasive Plants Conference - early-bird registration deadline approaching!
This Thursday, August 28, is the last day to register at the early-bird rate - register today at www.bit.ly/invplants2014! Meeting the Challenge: Preventing, Detecting, and Controlling Invasive Plants September 16-17, 2014 University of Washington Botanic Gardens, Seattle, WA Invasive plants are a significant threat to biodiversity and ecosystem function. New introductions continue to emerge through a variety of pathways and vectors, while existing invaders continue to persist and expand their range. Changes in climate, land use, and biotic interactions present new challenges in controlling the spread of these invaders. Land managers and scientists will hear the latest information on how to effectively prevent, detect, and respond to these persistent and emerging threats. Conference presentations, both invited and contributed, will stimulate dialogue, raise new questions and offer innovative solutions. Participants from throughout northwestern North America will contribute ideas and meet colleagues for collaboration. Details and registration at www.bit.ly/invplants2014 Hosted by University of Washington Botanic Gardens and Pacific Northwest Invasive Plant Council Sponsored by the US Forest Service Supported by the Oregon Department of Forestry Jessica Farmer Adult Education Supervisor University of Washington Botanic Gardens 206.685.8033 urbh...@uw.edu uwbotanicgardens.org
[ECOLOG-L] TODAY is the deadline for Early Bird Registration for the Life Discovery Education Conference
2nd Life Discovery - Doing Science Education conference October 3-4, 2014 San José State University Realizing Vision and Change, Preparing for Next Generation Biology www.esa.org.ldc Its Back To School and what better way to inspire your academic year than to network with your colleagues passionate about the education of our next generation! Join the Life Discovery Partner Societies for a stimulating two days towards Realizing Vision and Change, Preparing for Next Generation Biology. More than 60 workshops and presentations offer a wide range of innovative ideas and engaging techniques for your students from high school through college. There will also be opportunities for organized networking around your interests. We are also excited about our Keynote Panel who will help us reflect on the changes underway in the Next Generation Science Standards for K12 and Vision and Change for Undergraduate Biology Education on Friday morning, followed by a facilitated discussion on Saturday morning. Dr. Janet Carlson, Executive Director of the Center to Support Excellence in Teaching (CSET) in the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University Dr. Susan Rundell Singer, Division Director of the Division of Undergraduate Education at the National Science Foundation and Laurence McKinley Gould Professor at Carleton College Dr. Rodolfo Dirzo (Moderator), Professor of Biology and Director of Stanford Universitys Center for Latin American Studies. You will also be treated to a viewing of HHMIs latest Biointeractive documentary over a sponsored lunch! Next Generation Biology is here! We have a special preconference workshop on Thursday October 2 from 1 pm 5 pm on Teaching about Topics in Bioinformatics Space is limited. Sign up today. http://www.esa.org/ldc/2014-ldc-conference/information/ If you have already registered for the conference and would like to add the workshop, simply send a message to l...@esa.org. Hope to see you at San José State University October 2-4, 2014. Wishing all a fantastic start to the new academic year! On behalf of the Life Discovery Partner Societies Ecological Society of America Botanical Society of America Society for the Study of Evolution Society for Economic Botany Teresa Mourad Director, Education and Diversity Programs Ecological Society of America
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Some ideas for advancing grad education in the face of scarcity
The idea that an academic position is winning, that it is the only worthwhile endeavour for scientists to undertake, is one of the biggest problems in ecological education today. This is the reason that many PhD students don't talk to advisers about non-academic careers; suggesting that we don't want to follow in your footsteps moves us into the loser category. Becoming an expert in an ecological field has many important applications beyond training more experts. Only accepting students that say they want to follow the academic track is not the way to advance ecological education, its the continuation of the status quo and a good way to ensure that ecology is seen as a vanity science rather than essential for managing our society and world. -- Kendra Maas, Ph.D. Post Doctoral Research Fellow University of British Columbia From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU] on behalf of Ryan McEwan [the.ts...@gmail.com] Sent: Monday, August 25, 2014 5:00 AM To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Some ideas for advancing grad education in the face of scarcity As the semester kicks off, I wanted to share some thoughts I had over the summer on graduate eduction: --- August 25, 2014 Some ideas for advancing graduate education in ecology in a time of scarcity The science of Ecology, like most scientific disciplines, is in the midst of a crisis of sorts stemming from at least two underlying factors. First, funding for science at a national level is stable or in decline, while the number of labs that need funding to persist is rising sharply. Second, the number of PhDs being granted is vastly outpacing the job market. According to some analyses the percentage of newly granted PhDs that got a job as a tenure track academic in the 1970s was nearly 50%, while that number today is less than 10% http://www.ascb.org/ascbpost/index.php/compass-points/item/285-where-will-a-biology-phd-take-you . In the face of this gloomy picture, action is required and I believe there are some clear steps we can take. In my view, lobbying for more federal money, tweaking how funds are distributed, working toward some supplements to federal funds (e.g., crowdsourceing..like this https://www.kickstarter.com/ and that https://experiment.com/) are good things to fight for. Those are supply side issues...I would like to also propose some practices in graduate training that may be helpful: (a) revive and respect the Master's degree. In my experience, some faculty view a Master's degree as a kind of failure. They tell their very best undergrads to avoid doing a Master's and head straight to the PhD. It is a waste of time they advise, “the Master's degree is functionless”, you can't do anything with that degree, etc. In fact, many, talented, intelligent, undergraduates have no business doing a PhD because they are not suited to the particulars of the academic enterprise. We should do our best to only bring people into PhD programs who are clearly dedicated to every facet of the pursuit (see below). A MS is a good option for many (most, all?) students interesting in career in ecology. A MS serves as a vital testing ground, even for students who feel confident they want to do a Doctorate. A MS gives the student a chance to discover if research is really an endeavor they want to dedicate their life to-- statistical analysis, writing, digging through the literature-- in addition to field work, lab work, or setting up and maintaining an experiment. In my experience ~50% of the undergraduates who think they want to do a PhD, who faculty might say you really should do a PhD, will change their mind during a MS degree. In which case, that student can finish up the MS and head off to a job, instead of leaving a PhD partway through, which is a bad situation for both the student and the mentor. Screening students in this way will help the PhD glut we currently face, resulting in fewer ABDs in the world, fewer PhDs who leave the field, and will allow those involved with training PhD students to focus energy on students who are more likley to stay the course and succeed. (b) filter hard for students coming into our PhD programs. I would recommend a MS and at least one peer-reviewed article submitted, as a general qualification for admittance into a PhD program. GREs and course grades are relatively poor indicators of future success in research and they have absolutely no power to predict whether someone will have the passion for the professional grind that is needed to succeed in this new era of science. I would also recommend that Universities generally employ the approach of refusing to admit into a PhD program undergraduates who just graduated from that same program. With some important exceptions, that practice is built on faculty who don't want to bother with searching externally for students, and accommodates undergradutes who
[ECOLOG-L] Tenure-track Assistant Professor in Plant Biology
The Department of Botany at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater (http://botany.okstate.eduhttp://botany.okstate.edu/) seeks to hire a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Plant Biology to begin August 2015. The ideal candidate will address fundamental questions in biology with a focus on plants, and will complement or build upon departmental strengths in cell and molecular biology, evolutionary biology, and ecology. The successful applicant will contribute to undergraduate and graduate teaching and mentoring, and is expected to build an innovative externally-funded research program. Ph.D. in plant biology or related field is required; postdoctoral experience is desired. Submit application to mary.kend...@okstate.edu. In a single pdf, include cover letter, CV, statements of research accomplishments and future objectives, teaching philosophy and goals, and contact information for at least four references. Review of applications will begin November 1 and continue until position is filled, contingent upon available funding. Contact information: Linda Watson, linda.watso...@okstate.edumailto:linda.watso...@okstate.edu, 405-744-5559. http://botany.okstate.edu Oklahoma State University is an AA/EEO/E-Verify employer committed to diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. OSU-Stillwater is a tobacco-free campus.
[ECOLOG-L] Job opening: Microbial Ecologist at NEON
Summary: The Microbial Ecologist develops, tests, and evaluates documents, algorithms, and initial data associated with the Soil Microbial sampling design. Primary responsibilities include refining field and lab protocols, writing documents that describe data processing algorithms, generating datasets suitable for testing data processing algorithm functionality, supporting the development of analytical contracts, and resolving sampling issues encountered by Field Operations staff. The Microbial Ecologist will also participate in data analysis associated with commissioning the observatory. Essential Duties and Responsibilities: * Work with NEON scientists to develop and document algorithms and methods to ingest, process, and publish genetic data for public data access. * Assist with the data management between outsourced analytical facilities and NEON Cyberinfrastructure. * Assist with the development of training material and field manuals for soil sampling and laboratory processing. * Assist with the identification of and interface with external facilities for microbial analyses. * Develop data products and quality check data from field crews and external labs. * In coordination with other team members and the Assistant Director for Terrestrial Ecology, contribute to other team deliverables. * Coordinate information sharing with relevant external and or internal communities via informal (e.g. email) and formal (e.g. presentations) communications. * Work with collaborating laboratories and NEON scientists to facilitate publication of results, and collaborate with other NEON scientists to prepare reports and develop recommendations for best practices, future analyses and data processing. * Follow NEON and site specific, environmental protection requirements, policy and procedures. Required Education, Experience, Knowledge, Skills: * PhD in ecology, evolution, or related field. * Five (5) years research experience (may include PhD research) in microbiology, with a preference for experience in soil microbial ecology. * Experience analyzing high-throughput (454, Illumina, or SOLiD) data. * Demonstrated ability and experience with scientific writing and review. * Proficiency with data analysis. * Effective communication and interpersonal skills in order to communicate with and develop relationships with internal staff and external entities (e.g., outsourced facilities, science community). * The candidate may be exposed to conditions in the field, and therefore must be able and willing to traverse uneven ground such as dirt banks, stream beds, and steep slopes carrying, moving, and lifting equipment and materials up to 40 lbs. Preferred Education, Experience, Knowledge, Skills: * Experience with Quantitative Insights into Microbial Ecology (QIIME) freeware. * Experience with MG-RAST or similar metagenomics databases. * Proficiency with relational databases (PostreSQL, Access). Must have permanent authorization for US employment. - See more at: http://neoninc.org/jobs/StaffScientistMicrobialEcologist
[ECOLOG-L] Free outreach training class for scientists
Are you interested in connecting to the public with your research? If so, you're in luck. SciFund Challenge is organizing an outreach training class for scientists that we'll be running for five weeks in September and October. The class is free and is intended for scientists that are new to outreach, but would like to get started with it. The class is open to scientists at any level, in any discipline. The class will be conducted over the Internet, so all countries are welcome. You can find more information about the class here: http://bit.ly/1tvVfgI. The deadline to fill out the short application form is September 18th. Take care, Jai -- Jai Ranganathan Center Associate National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis University of California, Santa Barbara 735 State Street, Suite 300 Santa Barbara, CA 93101 ranganat...@nceas.ucsb.edu 805-892-2134
[ECOLOG-L] Liber Ero Fellowship Program - call for post-doctoral applications
We are delighted to announce the third call for post-doctoral applications for the Liber Ero Fellowship Program. The Liber Ero Fellowship Program supports exceptional postdoctoral fellows who address pressing conservation challenges of relevance to Canada. The Program aims to develop the next generation of conservation scientists, trained in the latest methods and in the skills necessary to affect policy and improve conservation of Canadas wild places and natural resources. The Liber Ero Fellowship is open to candidates from any country whose research furthers conservation goals within Canada. Fellows must be hosted at a Canadian institution, with mentorship teams drawing from expertise in non-governmental organizations, government, and universities. Applications are now being accepted, with a deadline of November 1, 2014. See http://liberero.ca/http://liberero.ca/ for more details. Please see http://liberero.ca/meet-the-fellows/http://liberero.ca/meet-the-fellows/ to read about the current cohort of fellows and their projects. Contact information: mailto:i...@liberero.cai...@liberero.ca
