[ECOLOG-L] Soil Science Society of America poster session: 'New Insights on Biogeochemical Processes in Terrestrial Ecosystems as Revealed by Isotopic and Biomarker Approaches'

[Fernanda Santos]

Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) annual meeting


Dear colleagues,



The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) annual meeting will be held
October 22-25 in Tampa, FL.


We encourage you to submit your abstract to the poster session ‘*New
Insights on Biogeochemical Processes in Terrestrial Ecosystems as Revealed
by Isotopic and Biomarker Approaches’*, which is sponsored by the Forest,
Range and Wildland Soils Division, and co-sponsored by the Soil Biology &
Biochemistry Division. We also have a great line-up for the oral sessions,
which will be published soon.


*Please consider submitting an abstract for our poster session today.* The
final abstract submission deadline is *May 23*.


*Session Description:* The measurement of stable isotopes and use of
biomarkers has been widely applied to environmental research questions over
the past few decades and continue to provide notable scientific advances on
issues related to soil biogeochemistry. A key aspect of isotopic and
biomarker research is the ability to non-destructively study complex
interactions among soils, plants, and the atmosphere, integrating abiotic
and biotic processes occurring at different spatial and temporal scales. In
this symposium/session, we invite speakers to present on recent theoretical
and experimental developments in soil biogeochemical processes as revealed
by isotopic and biomarker analysis.



The list of oral and poster sessions can be found here:
https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2017am/webprogrampreliminary/S3.html


Registration and hotel reservations are also open. Please see this link for
further details: https://www.acsmeetings.org/


Please encourage your graduate students to sign up for one of the graduate
student poster sessions.


See you in Tampa!


Organizers: Antra Boca (Utah State University), Kevan J. Minick (North
Carolina State University), Jay E. Raymond (Virginia Tech) and Fernanda
Santos (University of California, Merced)

[ECOLOG-L] Online adjunct instructor for GIS position open

[Meriel Brooks]

*Green Mountain College *is seeking adjunct faculty to teach in its online
Master’s Program in Environmental Studies.  Currently we are looking for
someone qualified to teach a course in GIS from  July 18-Aug 28 2017.

 *Course Description*

This is an introductory course that will cover the historical development, t
heoretical basis and practical application of geographic information systems
(GIS) technologies. This course will accomplish these goals by providing you
with an understanding of: (1) numerous data formats and how to obtain freely
distributed data, (2) a variety of open-source and freely distributed GIS so
ftware packages, (3) how to manage and construct GIS databases, and (4) app
lied GIS through case studies and individualized projects.*3
credits*



*Qualifications*

*We are looking for someone with a firm foundation in GIS, preferably who
has taught GIS before, however we really need someone with experience in
QGIS and who is able to create screencast video tutorials in response to
student questions. *Experience using Moodle or a similar LMS is helpful,
and candidates who are selected are expected to complete a short online
training session.



*About the program/courses*

*The courses are all taught in 6 week blocks, are asynchronous,  and class
size is limited to 20 students.  Because the quality of these courses
depends heavily on student interaction with the instructor, daily presence
minimum of 5 days per week and serious engagement of the material with
students is expected. Compensation is $3,000.00 for the course.  Please
send cv and a brief letter of interest to Meriel Brooks, Program Director,
at *broo...@greenmtn.edu*.  Inquiries from those who might wish for more
information is welcome.  *


-- 
Meriel Brooks, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology
Director, Master of Science in Environmental Studies Program
Green Mountain College
Poultney, VT 05764
802 287 8235

[ECOLOG-L] Parasitic plant meeting

[JOHN YODER]

14th World Conference on Parasitic Plants:
>From the Genome to the Field
June 25-30, 2017
Asilomar Conference Center // Pacific Grove, California
http://www.wcpp14.org/

You are warmly invited to the 14th World Congress on Parasitic Plants. This 
congress, first convened in 1973 in Malta, brings together re-searchers from 
all parts of the world to discuss their latest findings in parasitic plant 
biology. Topics to be discussed this year include parasitic plant genes and 
genomes, ecology and evolution, and the biochemistry and physiology of host 
plant-parasitic plant interactions.

Parasitic plants provide exceptional opportunities to investigate organismal 
interactions, plant development and angiosperm evolution. Parasitic plants also 
include some of the world's most devastating agricultural pests, affecting the 
food security of millions, primarily in lesser developed countries, so the 
study of parasitic plants has both scientific and translational value.
The World Conference on Parasitic Plants will bring together about one hundred 
scientists from all parts of the globe to discuss their latest research on the 
biology, consequences and control of parasitic plants.

Keynote speakers include:
Peter McCourt, University of Toronto
Stéphane Muños, INRA, Toulouse
Claude DePamphilis, Penn State University
Markus Albert, University of Tuebingen Steven Runo, Kenyatta University
Philippe Delavault, University of Nantes
Salim Al Babili, King Abdullah University
David Nelson, University California, Riverside
   Jonne Rodenburg, Africa Rice Center, CGIAR
Hanan Eizenberg, ARO Volcani Center

Abstract deadline: April 14, 2017

Registration deadline Jun 1, 2017

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Editor bias in peer review

[Malcolm McCallum]

The editor of most journals is the gatekeeper.
Therefore, inquiry with the editor or a member of the editorial staff as to
if your paper is appropriate is very important, especially when submitting
to journals like Ecology, PNAS, etc.  With PNAS, discussion with an academy
member is probably sufficient (and largely important!).  As you traverse
from generalized international journals like Science and Nature to
specialized journals like a specific taxon journal, or regionalized like
Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, there is a tendency for editors
to increasingly treat reviewer decisions as law, and follow their
recommendations closely.  However, PNAS for example, will reject your paper
outright if you get a single non-accept decision, so I am making a gross
generalization here.  This general trend causes people to have difficulty
when they submit to generalized vs. specialized/regionalized journals.  The
writing style and content are much differently approached.  In a
specialized journal, you are writing for an audience that has a specific,
detailed understanding of your field.  For a generalized audience, you are
addressing a homogenous group of readers who range from novice to expert
and from poorly to extremely educated.

For a paper to get published in a very generalized journal, it is essential
that the author defend to the editor that their paper will be of interest
to a generalized audience.  Then, the paper must be written in a manner
that targets that audience.  This is largely in conflict with the way we
write for a specialized journal.

Explaining why a paper on fungus beetle evolution is of interest to the
general community may be very difficult.  THus, we seen tons of specialists
with specialized manuscripts unable to get in major generalized journals.
However, it does happen.  The clear key issue here when your paper is said
not to be of generalized interest is to figure out why your paper is of
generalized interest, defend it to the editor in an effective manner, and
get through that hurdle.  Sometimes, upon critical, objective
consideration, we discover our paper is in fact NOT of generalized interest
due to content, writing style, or current trends.

The first step to bridging the gap between writing for specialists and
writing for generalized audiences is to ensure your writing is in line with
the audiences involved.  This is not a simple task.  I suspect the recent
program at ESA (?) will address some of this?  At the end of the day, done
is better than perfect sometimes.  PUblished in a speciality journal
instead of a generalized journal is way better than aging in a drawer or
computer file.

Too many of us get overly-focused on where we publish rather than IF we
publish.  Publishing is not hard, writing in a manner that transcends our
specializations to inform a general audience is very hard for people who
are trained to write to their specialist peers.

Perhaps having a few people who regularly publish in said generalized
outlets read and comment on your paper would help you reach that goal.

My dept. chair (an endowed position) a few years ago came out of Johns
Hopkins and had published in the extreme generalized journals a lot.  We
were talking about publishing because I had a paper in peer review with one
of the top tier generalized journals (not sure if I should say name or not,
so left off!).  However, he stopped doing it.  Why?  Because his
discipline's journal was plenty good enough for him (as he put it).  In
fact, he said he published almost every paper in the same journal during
the past 5-10 years (I forgot how long he had been there).  His point to me
was that it was more important to be published than where to be published.
Clearly, getting hits in bigtime outlets is important, but it is not the
end-game.  I think he was partly preparing me for the likely possiblity my
paper would be rejected (heck, only 10% of submissions made the peer-review
stage!).  It did, I got a great peer review, submitted it elsewhere and it
was published, and has been cited A LOT.

I guess the bottom line is that if your work is good, where it gets
published is not as important as one thinks.  Likewise, if your work is
bad, it only matters to the journal that published it!

Never be ashamed of not getting in , what is
shaming, is waffling on submitting and not publishing the work you did (or
not doing any work in the first place within the constraints of your
conflicting responsibilities!)

:)


On Fri, May 19, 2017 at 11:11 AM, Edwin Cruz-Rivera <
edwin.cruzriv...@uvi.edu> wrote:

> Dear all,
>
>I apologize for the cross listing. We are trying to cover as broad a
> canvas as possible:
>
> In the past years, journals have increased the responsibilities of
> editors-in-chief to the point that they have become gatekeepers of their
> publications. The bottom line is that papers get sent out to peer reviewers
> only when editors say so, if they deem the article to be "of broad enough

[ECOLOG-L] Biodiversity Postdoc Positions at Univ Arizona | Extended deadline & eligibility

[Merideth, Robert W - (merideth)]

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATES (Call for Applications)



Bridging Biodiversity and Conservation Science (BBCS) Program, University of 
Arizona (Tucson)



Review of applications begins June 2, 2017; announcement open until all 
positions filled. | Open to all qualified U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens.



The University of Arizona Office of Research, Discovery and Innovation, in 
collaboration with the Institute for the Environment, invites applications for 
up to four two-year research appointments in the recently established 
postdoctoral cluster hire, Bridging Biodiversity and Conservation Science 
(BBCS): Forecasting Future Operating Environments.



The BBCS comprises a team of core faculty, steering committee members, and 
other affiliated researchers that identified several cross-cutting research 
projects that use biodiversity as a focal point for interdisciplinary 
investigation in public health, governance, informatics, and security.



The postdoctoral researchers will contribute to the development of: (i) 
synthesis papers, (ii) pilot ("proof of concept") data, and (iii) at least one 
of several planned major research proposals ($2-5M) that connect biodiversity 
science with public health, governance, informatics, and security to be 
submitted during FY2018 or FY2019.



Each postdoctoral researcher will be supervised by the BBCS program manager and 
at least two proposal PIs (UA faculty members) from different disciplines 
(i.e., Liz Baldwin, public policy & governance; Brian Enquist, biodiversity 
science; Kacey Ersnt, public health & epidemiology; Laura López-Hoffman, 
ecosystem services & public policy; or others as appropriate) who will lead the 
proposal development with significant contributions from the postdoctoral 
researchers.



The postdoctoral research associates will be situated in offices of the UA 
Institute of the Environment (ENR2 Building) and will spend time in the labs or 
in lab meetings of the respective faculty PIs, and in regular meetings of the 
broader BBCS team.



The scientific goal of the BBCS program is to build a more robust and 
predictive biodiversity and conservation science and to addresses emerging, 
critical issues in human health and well-being, and in environmental, food, and 
national security.



The program seeks three to four outstanding postdoctoral scholars who have (i) 
an ability to collaborate with interdisciplinary teams and create novel 
synthetic research, and (ii) creative insight in biodiversity and conservation 
science and expertise or interest in an additional targeted research area, 
specifically public health, epidemiology and emerging diseases; public policy, 
public administration, and governance; national security; or informatics.



Review of applications begins June 2, 2017; announcement open until all 
positions filled. | Open to all qualified U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens.



To apply, submit materials here: https://uacareers.com/postings/17422



For more information, see: 
http://udallcenter.arizona.edu/bridging-biodiversity-conservation-science



=
Robert Merideth
Program Manager, Bridging Biodiversity & Conservation Research

Research Director, López-Hoffman Lab
School of Natural Resources and the Environment and
Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy
The University of Arizona
Environment & Natural Resources 2 (ENR2) Bldg. Rm N307
Tucson, AZ 85721
520.979.1293 (mobile)
520.626.9868 (lab)
520.626.4393 (office)
udallcenter.arizona.edu/rm

[ECOLOG-L] JoGayle Howard Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Felid Reproduction

[Lavin, Shana]

JoGayle Howard Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Felid Reproduction

The Department of Reproductive Sciences, Center for Species Survival of the 
Smithsonian's Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) is proud to announce the 
availability of the JoGayle Howard Post-Doctoral Fellowship. This training 
opportunity is for women only. It honors the life and pioneering research of 
Dr. JoGayle Howard who made significant contributions to understanding the 
reproductive biology of endangered species, especially wild felids.



Our team is seeking a Post-Doctoral Fellow with the qualifications that 
embodied JoGayle Howard's career - enthusiasm, passion, hard work and absolute 
dedication to high quality science. Research will be in the area of felid 
reproductive biology, veterinary science and/or nutrition (or a combination).



The fellow will be working in a strong team environment with the opportunity 
for travel. A modest research allowance will be provided. This 2-year position 
(with an optional third year) has an annual stipend of $50,000.



A Ph.D. and/or D.V.M. are required. Candidates must have a strong interest in 
the study of felids and a background in reproductive physiology. We are 
considering only highly motivated women with outstanding communication skills 
(written and verbal) and evidence of working effectively with partners.



The Center for Species Survival has laboratories at the 3,200 acre SCBI 
facilities near Front Royal, VA and at the National Zoological Park in 
Washington DC. Its multidisciplinary research generates new knowledge to solve 
high priority conservation problems, especially related to species reproductive 
fitness, survival and sustainability.



Applicants should submit a curriculum vita with at least three reference 
contacts and a cover letter of interest via email attachments to Pierre 
Comizzoli comizzo...@si.edu. The deadline for applications is July, 1 2017.
This opportunity is funded by the JoGayle Howard Revocable Trust

[ECOLOG-L] Summer Short Course on Bayesian Modeling for Socio-Environmental Data

[Emily Cassidy]

Bayesian Modeling for Socio-Environmental Data

Solutions to pressing environmental problems require understanding connections 
between human and natural systems. Analysis of these systems requires models 
that can deal with complexity, are able to exploit data from multiple sources, 
and are honest about uncertainty that arises in different ways. Synthesis of 
results from multiple studies is often required. Bayesian hierarchal models 
provide a powerful approach to analysis of socio-environmental problems that 
are complex and that require synthesis of knowledge.

Past participants of this short course have worked on research questions 
including, but not limited to, the use of network analyses to understand 
measurement uncertainly in the context of extreme weather events, the study of 
governance effectiveness and fisheries biomass, and the relationship between 
advocacy group compositions and estuarine quality.

The National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) will host a nine-day 
short course August 15 - 25, 2017 covering basic principles of using Bayesian 
models to gain insight from data. The goals of the course are to:

  *   Provide a principles-based understanding of Bayesian methods needed to 
train students, evaluate papers and proposals, and solve research problems.
  *   Communicate the statistical concepts and vocabulary needed to foster 
collaboration between ecologists, social scientists, and statisticians.
  *   Provide the conceptual foundations and quantitative confidence needed for 
self-teaching modern analytical methods.

All participants must be proficient users of R and be able to bring a laptop to 
each class meeting.

Apply for this short course by May 26 on SESYNC's webpage: 
sesync.us/bayes


Emily S. Cassidy
Science Communications Coordinator
National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC)
University of Maryland
Email: ecass...@sesync.org
Phone: 410-919-4990

[ECOLOG-L] Postdoctoral fellowship (2yrs) in Movement & Spatial Ecology at SCBI-Mpala Research Centre

[Katherine Mertes]

Postdoctoral fellowship (2yrs) in Movement and Spatial Ecology
Tracking wildlife and land cover change across Laikipa, Kenya

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) is seeking a 
Postdoctoral Fellow to advance the Smithsonian’s ongoing research into 
wildlife movements and land cover / land use change in Kenya. This is a 
full-time, 2-year appointment. The fellow will be jointly based at 
SCBI’s campus in Front Royal, VA, and Mpala Research Centre (MRC) in 
Laikipia, Kenya. 

The objectives of this fellowship are to: (1) assess recent trends in 
land cover and land use change in the region of Laikipia, Kenya, and 
their impact on the distribution of native wildlife; (2) investigate 
wildlife and livestock movements during periods of extreme environmental 
variation; (3) expand efforts to map regional land cover and land use; 
(4) lead workshops that build capacity in data management and spatial 
analysis; and (5) work with national agencies and local conservation 
groups to compile and integrate spatially explicit data across Kenya.

The successful candidate will pursue innovative research questions in 
the fields of land cover and land use change dynamics, movement ecology, 
and spatial ecology, in order to develop applied solutions for critical 
regional issues. Research topics may include (but are not limited to):  
the potential carrying capacity of grasslands under drought stress, the 
impact of fencing on wildlife movements, competition between wildlife 
and livestock for productive vegetation and water resources, and the 
effects of overstocking and land use change on grassland vegetation. The 
postdoctoral fellow will work with Drs. Peter Leimgruber (SCBI) and Dino 
Martins (MRC), and will join a growing team of ecologists and 
conservation biologists at the Conservation Ecology Center at SCBI.

Responsibilities
•   Collaborate with US and Kenyan colleagues to develop and conduct 
research to quantify recent land use and land cover change in Laikipia.
•   Explore the movement ecology of wildlife and livestock in the 
region, and assess how land use / land cover change, and projected 
climate change, may affect these movements.
•   Link research activities to regional issues of concern by 
developing applied tools and solutions that benefit both scientific 
research and partner groups.
•   Compile remote sensing imagery, wildlife occurrence data, 
information on livestock density and human impact, and other geospatial 
data across Kenya. 
•   Work across Smithsonian research centers, Kenyan wildlife and 
scientific agencies, and local conservation groups to advance existing 
collaborations and develop new partnerships. Lead workshops on 
collecting, managing, and analyzing geospatial data.
•   Build regional technical capacity by coordinating and teaching 
workshops (and other educational events) on data management, remote 
sensing and GIS analysis, and other spatial analysis skills.
•   Participate in scientific meetings, develop scientific papers, 
and engage with colleagues and collaborators pursuing related research 
questions.
•   Provide guidance and assistance to technicians, students, fellow 
postdocs, and others carrying out related work.

Preferred qualifications
•   A Ph.D. in Ecology, Geography, Remote Sensing, Environmental 
Sciences, or a related academic field.
•   Expertise and experience in remote sensing and GIS, especially 
multi-temporal analysis of land use and land cover change and management 
of large databases. 
•   Significant analysis skills in R; additional programming 
experience advantageous (e.g. Java and/or Python).
•   Experience designing, organizing, and managing international 
field work, and teaching in non-traditional environments.
•   Enthusiasm for collaborating across institutions and countries 
to jointly pursue research topics relevant to both academic and applied 
audiences. 
•   Willing and able to split time between Laikipia, Kenya and Front 
Royal, Virginia. 

Preferred start date is September 2017. Interested applicants should 
submit a CV, names and contact information for 3 references, and cover 
letter to scbi@gmail.com by June 30, 2017. The cover letter should 
include (i) the applicant’s earliest possible start date; (ii) a summary 
of the applicant’s research and analysis experience in remote sensing, 
GIS, mapping land cover and land use change, R programming; and (iii) 1-
3 examples of how the applicant has worked successfully with 
international collaborators, or how they would plan to do so.

[ECOLOG-L] 2 year post-doc in Aquatic Microbial Ecology @iDiv (apply by May 31 2017)

[Dylan Craven]

Postdoctoral fellowship on “Aquatic microbial ecology”
in the group of Prof. Dr. Kirsten Küsel at the Friedrich Schiller
University Jena

We focus research activities on experimental platforms like AquaDiva that
addresses
the vertical dimension of biodiversity. We are seeking a post-doctoral
researcher to perform a synthesis of bacteria-bacteria interactions and
overall community interactions. In addition, we want to integrate the
growing fields of macroecology with microbial ecology. For doing this, we
seek an enthusiastic postdoc to join our multinational and
interdisciplinary team (http://www.geomicrobiology.de/).

*PLEASE APPLY BY MAY 31 2017 via apply.idiv.de   *

*CONTACT Dr. Kusel (kirsten.kue...@uni-jena.de
) for further questions regarding this
position *

*Topic/job description:*
- Data analysis using advanced statistics mainly using R based multivariate
statistics, network analysis toolboxes and modeling, e.g. structured
equation modeling
- Meta-omic analyses and mining of molecular microbial physiology databases
- Teamwork within iDiv (especially with the groups for theory and
synthesis) and other AquaDiva partners
- Co-supervision of doctoral researchers and supervision of master students
- Writing high-ranking scientific publication

*Requirements:*
- PhD in (molecular) microbial ecology, ecology, or bioinformatics with a
background in ecology
- Experience in working with omics ́ databases (high-throughput DNA or
RNA-sequencing)
- Training in multivariate statistics and network analysis
- Excellent knowledge of the English language in speaking and writing
- Solid experience in scientific publishing attested by first authored
publications in ISI listed journals
-- 
Dylan J. Craven, M.F.S., Ph.D.
Post-Doctoral Fellow
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv)

E-mail: dylan.cra...@aya.yale.edu
Personal Website: dylancraven.weebly.com
Skype: elgringacho

[ECOLOG-L] Last Chance to Register for Arthropod Genomics Symposium!

[Ashley Scott]

The 10th Arthropod Genomics Symposium

and Arthropod Bioinformatics
Workshop

will
be held from June 7 - June 11, 2017 and is hosted by the Eck Institute for
Global Health at the University of Notre Dame.



*May 26, 2017: Poster Abstracts Due** & **Registration Deadline*



http://globalhealth.nd.edu/10th-annual-arthropod-genomics-symposium/



The website above has information on registration, speakers, abstract
submissions, the accompanying bioinformatics workshop, and accommodations.
Feel free to contact me (ascot...@nd.edu, 574-631-9227 <(574)%20631-9227>)
with questions.

-- 
Ashley Scott
Program Director
Eck Institute for Global Health
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN 46556
574-631-9227

[ECOLOG-L] 2 Postdoc positions: Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (

[Bob Muscarella]

Hi all,

The first two postdoc positions with Jen-Christian Svenning's Villum 
Investigator project 
on ”Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World” (BIOCHANGE) (see: 
http://bit.ly/VIpr17uk), 
are open:

2-yr postdoc on "Global change-robust solutions to the global biodiversity 
crisis"
http://bit.ly/solbioVIP

2-yr postdoc on "Climate change and societal drivers of global vegetation 
dynamics"
http://bit.ly/climvegVIP

The application dead-line is June 23.