The College of Natural Resources at Utah State University invites
applications for two MS Fellowships to begin Fall 2012
Natural resource professionals face ecological changes occurring at
unprecedented scales and rates due to a combination of historical
management activities and climate change. In the Interior West, many
forest ecosystems are at, or near, tipping points with respect to
ecological integrity. Phenomena such as large#8208;scale insect outbreaks,
rapid
aspen die#8208;offs, and geographically and temporally synchronized severe
fires
are occurring across the region. Impacts may exceed historical resilience
limits of forests, resulting in irreversible ecosystem state changes with
pronounced socioeconomic impacts. This situation creates an acute need for
a new generation of forest resource managers and scientists skilled in a
variety of emerging technologies, able to incorporate rapidly changing
research and data into decision#8208;making, and able to communicate
effectively
with a variety of stakeholders. In response to this need, we have
initiated an integrated graduate training program and invite applications
for two MS Fellowships to begin August 2012.
Our goal is to create a small cohort of graduate students whose research
will be linked under the theme Managing for Resilience in Forested
Ecosystems of the Intermountain West. This program will use emerging
research tools, common coursework, seminars and specific shared extension
projects to provide the student fellows with skills and knowledge
necessary for effective science#8208;based input to management decisions about
forested landscapes undergoing or threatened with large#8208;scale change.
Current topics related to management, adaptation, resilience and human
dimensions of forest ecosystems and their components in a changing climate
will be emphasized. Student fellows will participate in several outreach
projects in cooperation with USU Extension Forestry during their time at
USU including the planning of a Restoring the West regional conference,
and publication of at least one article each in the Utah Forest News. The
student fellows will also benefit from coordinated mentoring by an
Advisory Board of faculty members who have active research programs in
dynamic forested landscapes. The Advisory Board includes faculty in the
Wildland Resources and Environment and Society departments in the College
of Natural Resources #8208; Dr. Karen Mock, Dr. Jim Long, Dr. Mike Kuhns, and
Dr. Zhao Ma; and Dr. Barbara Bentz with the USFS Rocky Mountain Research
Station, and Dr. Paul Rogers with the USU#8208;affiliated Western Aspen
Alliance.
MS fellowships will be $17,000 per year for 2 years (Fall 2012 through
Spring 2014). Student health insurance will be subsidized. Fellows may
apply for tuition awards through the Department of Wildland Resources.
Support for student training is provided by USDA National Needs Graduate
Fellowship Competitive Grant No. 2011#8208;38420#8208;20087 from the National
Institute of Food and Agriculture. The full proposal is available on the
Wildland Resources Departmental website. Utah State University is an equal
opportunity employer and we strongly encourage applications from groups
who are underrepresented in natural resources professions. Fellowship
candidates are required to be a citizen or national of the United States
of America.
Research projects will be developed through discussions among the student
fellows, their supervisory committees, and faculty Advisory Board members.
Research topics will be related to management, adaptation, and resilience
of forest ecosystems and their components in a changing climate. Research
projects will capitalize on the strengths and skills of the advisory board
members and may include topics such as:
Forecasting climate#8208; and human#8208;induced disturbances and their
interactions,
and cumulative effects on structure and dynamics of montane forests,
Assessing tipping points in human systems and economies that are linked
to forest ecosystem thresholds,
Assessing wildlife responses to forest ecosystem thresholds,
Determining below#8208;ground indicators of and responses to forest ecosystem
thresholds,
Assessing resilience and dynamics in aspen#8208;dominated forests in changing
climatic and land management conditions, including the temporal and
spatial dynamics of clones, sexual reproduction, and forest types,
Assessing interactions of overstory, understory, and below ground
components in forest ecosystems as affected by management and climate
change,
Developing silvicultural systems to build and maintain resistance and
resilience to a range of environmental challenges,
Assessing forest landowner perceptions of and responses to increasing
drought, insect outbreak and fire under changing climatic conditions,
Determining the ecological and non#8208;ecological factors affecting the
decision
#8208;making