[ECOLOG-L] Managing Grants, Cooperative Agreements, and Other Significant Decisions: DOI > $100 K

[David Duffy]

This new policy from the Secretary of the Interior may cause massive
disruption for projects across the country. I apologize for the terrible
cute and paste. --David Duffy


APR 12 *2017*


*To: Assistant Secretaries*

*Heads of Bureaus and Office Directors*

*From: Secretary*

*Subject: *Managing Grants, Cooperative Agreements, and Other Significant
Decisions



A hallmark of my management of the Department of the Interior (Department)
will be empowering local managers to make responsible decisions. Local
managers are closest to the public we serve and to the precious resources we
manage on their behalf. I also have a duty to learn about the Department's
operations as I take the helm of the ship. Only by understanding the
varied operations
will I be able to lead this great Department in fulfilling its important
mission on behalf of the American people.



The Department annually distributes $5.5 billion in grants and cooperative
agreements to a variety of grantees and cooperators to advance mission
objectives. In order to help me to understand the immense impact grants and
cooperative agreements have on the mission delivery of the Department, I am
directing implementation of the following temporary procedures for
processing grants and cooperative agreements:



Effective immediately, bureau heads and office directors will use the attached
template to report all planned Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 grants and cooperative
agreements of $100,000 or more *before* final award. The reports should be
submitted through the Assistant Secretaries to Mr. James Cason, who has
been delegated the authority of the Deputy Secretary. The Office of Acquisition
and Property Management will assist Mr. Cason in reviewing these reports.
No grants should be awarded until the review has been completed. You will
be notified about your clearance to proceed with awards following this
review.



In addition, to better assess the overall functioning of the Department's
critical programs:


Each bureau head and office director shall ensure that their office obtains
proposed records of decisions (RODs) and uses the attached template to report
on proposed decisions prior to issuance. Proposed decisions that are not termed
"ROD" but have nationwide, regional, or statewide impact shall also be
reported using the template. All reports should be submitted to Mr. Cason.
A decision should not be issued until he has reviewed the report and provided
clearance.



The above procedures are temporary and are being implemented to assist me
in understanding how we make important decisions to advance the mission of
the Department, assess how we are aligning our grants and cooperative
agreements to Department priorities, and to assure coordination with the
Office of Communications for significant announcements. The review and
processing of grants, cooperative agreements, and RODs will return to their
regular order as soon as possible.










-- 
David Duffy
戴大偉 (Dài Dàwěi)
Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit/Makamakaʻāinana
Botany
University of Hawaii/*Ke Kulanui o Hawaiʻi*
3190 Maile Way
Honolulu Hawaii 96822 USA
1-808-956-8218

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Why we will March for Science

[Sergio Velasco Ayuso]

Well, enough said.

Thank you Rachel for your words. I really have the same feelings. With a lot of 
respect, I want to share my two main reasons to support the March for Science 
tomorrow in Buenos Aires, Argentina:

1. As scientists, we provide invaluable services to the society, as writers, 
painters or musicians. Nobody would tolerate any reduction in the quantity, or 
quality, of the arts, because our society is based on it, so, in the same way, 
nobody should tolerate a devaluation in the quantity or quality of science, 
because important decisions of our society are based on scientific progress.

2. Because the correct functioning of the sciences depend on people, we should 
not compromise the free movement of scientists in the world. We, as scientists, 
although we are persons too, feel very comfortable among scientists, regardless 
of the place, and we must fight to continue experiencing these good feelings, 
because only under comfortable atmospheres scientific progress can continue.

So, I will be marching tomorrow along with some good colleagues and friends.

Thank you.

> On 21 Apr 2017, at 12:23, Judith Weis  wrote:
> 
> http://easthamptonstar.com/Opinion/2017420/Why-We-March-Science-Judith-S-Weis 
> 
> From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news 
>  on behalf of Lee O'Brien 
> Sent: Friday, April 21, 2017 1:25:48 PM
> To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
> Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Why we will March for Science
>  
> What she said (below)... I couldn't have said it better.
> 
> I will be marching tomorrow for the same reasons.
> 
>  
> On 19 Apr 2017, at 18:40, Rachel Blakey  wrote:
> 
> Dear ECOLOG-ers,
> 
> I’m Rachel, an early-career ecologist from Australia about to start my
> second postdoc in the U.S. I am starting this thread in response to several
> emails on the list where people are making arguments about why we, as
> scientists, should not march for science. It’s clear that the March for
> Science (https://www.marchforscience.com/ ) 
> signifies different things to
> different people. This is OK, it’s what happens when we are building a
> diverse political movement, and these discussions are all part of it. Given
> this diversity of opinions, I thought it would be useful to share why many
> of us will be marching for science on Saturday.* I will start out with my
> opinion, but I hope that many of you will also share yours. *
> 
> I am marching to protest the game-changing environmental policies of
> President Trump that not only affect the US but the world. Trump’s
> administration has denied the science behind climate change and is taking
> steps to exit the Paris Agreement while removing regulations on fossil
> fuels to allow big polluters free reign. Furthermore, he is dismantling the
> EPA and is scaling back NASA’s earth science program, hampering our
> abilities to monitor, research and respond to global environmental change.
> As scientists, we are not only fighting for our jobs but for the future of
> the planet. Bad environmental policies are not limited to the Trump
> administration, so I am also marching to demand the following from global
> governments: broad-scale emissions reductions, transition to renewable
> energy, science-based decision making, science-based natural resource
> management and an increased investment in biodiversity conservation,
> including expansion of protected areas. The vagaries of the global market
> are not a viable substitute for evidence-based decision-making when it
> comes to preserving the future of our planet.
> 
> I also wanted to address the concerns about the March for Science being a
> protest. There seems to be a lot of concern about protests being
> ineffectual and many insist that the March for Science is not a protest. As
> a woman, it is close to home for me: the suffragettes protested and even
> died, so that one day I could get my PhD. Without the civil rights
> movement, we would not have the African American scientists who contributed
> blood banks, open heart surgery and the NASA advancements shown in *Hidden
> Figures*. Forty-seven years ago, on what we now know as “earth day” (that
> we have co-opted for the March for Science this year), 20 million Americans
> protested, demanding better protection for the environment. These protests
> spurred changes such as the creation of the EPA and legislation to protect
> air, water and endangered species. Forty-seven years later, we must
> mobilise again to protect these hard-won gains. However, a protest in
> itself is not everything. We must see this protest as a first step in
> galvanizing and rebuilding the global environment movement. All of the
> alternatives to the March for Science proposed by ECOLOG-ers are also
> important components of this movement. As 

[ECOLOG-L] NSF Graduate Research Fellow Position - Insect Invasion Biology

[Kamal Gandhi]

NSF Graduate Research Fellow (NSF-GRF) via the Graduate Research Intern 
Program (GRIP)
Insect Invasion Biology
 
Our fifteen-member USGS Powell Center working group of Federal and 
academic research ecologists and entomologists is studying the 
theoretical and applied aspects of insect invasion.  The working group’s 
goals are to: 1) develop a quantitative model that informs prediction of 
insect invasions that could be high-impact; and 2) refine our working 
hypothesis so that the relative contributions of the defense-free space 
hypothesis and the enemy release hypothesis are more fully developed and 
the role of evolutionary history more fully specified. 
 
We have developed the structure of a Traits and Factors Database 
(TraFac) for herbivory-specialist insects, and have provided its initial 
population with traits of conifer specialist invading insects.  TraFac 
will be populated with traits of other invading insects specializing on 
other plant groups and of target herbivory specialist insects not yet 
established in North America but with a high likelihood of introduction.  
We will create a statistical model of species impact as predicted by the 
traits and factors coded in TraFac, and will extend our model to 
targeted herbivory-specialist insects that have not yet invaded. 
 
Our working group has an opening for a fully-funded 12 month NSF 
Graduate Research Fellow (NSF-GRF) via the Graduate Research Intern 
Program (GRIP) that will have a lead role in further development of the 
TraFac database, developing and testing statistical models predicting 
insect invasion and host plant defense, and publishing results.  The 
Intern will work in Tucson under the direct mentorship of a USGS 
research ecologist (Dr. Kathryn Thomas) who is one of the Principal 
Investigators, and will have access to USGS computing and modeling 
resources both in Tucson and with the Powell Center in Fort Collins.  
Work will be primarily office-based at USGS offices located on the 
University of Arizona campus.
 
The ideal candidate will have a strong background in entomology, 
management of biological databases, statistical modeling using R.  The 
Intern will be a fully functioning member of the Powell working group 
and will gain experience in the development, management, and 
documentation of a complex biological database; development and 
application of quantitative models predicting the impact of insect 
herbivory; and interaction with a dynamic team of researchers across the 
nation in tackling the theoretical and practical aspects of insect 
invasion.  In addition, the Intern will have exposure to the USGS and 
governmental research environment as well as working collaboratively 
across multiple agency and university venues.  This research issue is of 
national importance and is expected to provide a number of opportunities 
for continuing collaboration.  The USGS Powell Center supported our 
working group with comment on the importance of the problem and 
potential impact that success would have on ecosystems, conservation 
science and applied conservation implementation.
 
Please contact Dr. Kathryn Thomas (kathryn_a_tho...@usgs.gov) directly 
about more details about this position.

[ECOLOG-L] Marine Mammals Summer Course - Temp. Faculty Position - Kutztown University of PA

[Alex D. Hernandez]

Kutztown University of Pennsylvania enrolls approximately 9,000 students in 
graduate and 
undergraduate programs. The University is located in the borough of Kutztown in 
a charming rural 
setting, and is within 20 minutes driving time of the diverse metropolitan 
areas Allentown/Bethlehem 
and Reading, and within 60 minutes of the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 
University is very 
interested in hiring employees who have had extensive experience with diverse 
populations.

The Department of Biology at Kutztown University invites applications for a 
part-time, temporary faculty 
position to teach a Marine Mammals course for science majors from July 23- 
August 11, 2017 at the 
Chincoteague Bay Field Station (CBFS) in Wallops Island, Virginia.  In 
accordance with the Collective 
Bargaining Agreement, performance review and evaluation of faculty is based on 
effective teaching and 
fulfillment of professional responsibilities; continuing scholarly growth; and 
service.  Required: A 
Masters degree in Marine Biology or related discipline.  Preferred: Doctoral 
degree.  One year of 
college-level teaching experience is also required; additional teaching 
experience and/or experience 
teaching biology is desirable.  This position is taught at CBFS five days per 
week for three weeks, with 
off-site field trips possible.  Successful interview and demonstration of 
relevant ability required. Salary 
competitive.  In addition to faculty pay, housing and meals are provided to 
visiting faculty members by 
CBFS.

A letter of application, vita, statement of teaching philosophy and unofficial 
transcripts should be 
submitted by the applicant directly as a single PDF file via email to: 
marinemammalsea...@kutztown.edu.  In addition, applicants should arrange for 
three current letters of 
reference to be submitted to the email address above.  Official copies of 
graduate and undergraduate 
transcripts are also required and should be sent to: Chair - Marine Mammal 
Search Committee, 
Department of Biology, Kutztown University, 15200 Kutztown Road, Kutztown, PA 
19530.  Applications 
submitted on behalf of applicants by placement agencies will not be considered. 
 Review of completed 
applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

Kutztown University of Pennsylvania is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity 
employer and actively 
solicits applications from women and minority candidates.  Kutztown University 
of Pennsylvania is a 
member of the State System of Higher Education. All applicants for employment 
are subject to a criminal 
background check.

[ECOLOG-L] PhD project on boreal forest responses to climate change

[Leslie Kerr]

Institution: Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada 
(www.trentu.ca)

Supervisor: Dennis Murray (http://www.dennismurray.ca)

We are initiating a PhD project to assess responses to climate change 
among native species in Canada’s boreal forest. The boreal forest 
comprises Canada’s largest biome but its state is rapidly deteriorating, 
including due to climate change. Our recent findings (Row et al. 2012 
Glob. Chan. Biol doi:10./gcb.12526; Murray et al., PLoS (ONE), in 
press) forecast dire consequences to the boreal forest especially in the 
boundary region between Ontario-Quebec where disjunct east-west 
populations of native plants, birds, and mammals, and extensive loss of 
native biodiversity, likely will arise. Through field sampling, species 
distribution modeling, population viability analysis, and landscape 
genetics and adaptive genomics, the PhD student will determine: 1) the 
current and potential future extent of change in boreal species in the 
Ontario-Quebec region relative to less-impacted areas; 2) how boreal 
breakdown may affect population processes and viability of native 
species in the region; 3) whether invasives are colonizing the region 
disproportionately quickly compared to other regions; and 4) if native 
or invasive species in the region demonstrate genome-level evidence of 
stress or adaptation to environmental change. The PhD student will have 
the opportunity to develop specific research questions within the scope 
of the larger project.

The funding package includes a competitive stipend, foreign tuition 
waiver (if the student is not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident) 
as well coverage of all research expenses. Successful candidates will 
have an MSc in Ecology, Conservation Biology, or related field, 
demonstrated evidence of peer-reviewed publications, strong 
quantitative, genetics, and/or field skills, and an interest in working 
collaboratively as part of a larger group. The PhD student will join the 
Integrative Wildlife Conservation laboratory at Trent University 
(www.dennismurray.ca) and be part of an interdisciplinary team 
addressing innovative solutions to environmental change (www.create-
enviro.ca). 

To apply, send a cover letter, curriculum vitae, unofficial academic 
transcript, and contact information for 3 references, to: Dennis Murray 
(dennismur...@trentu.ca). The successful candidate will begin enrolment 
at Trent University by September 2017 or January 2018, and we will 
accept applications until a suitable candidate is found, so apply early. 

[ECOLOG-L] Research assistant professor in eco-informatics or related field

[Matthew Petrie]

Position available immediately for research assistant professor (MS and 4
years experience) or (Ph.D. and 2 years experience) in computer sciences,
biological, environmental, applied mathematics or related field. Research
position working with big data as part of the Jornada Basin Long Term
Ecological Research Program in collaboration with the Jornada Experimental
Range USDA –ARS Program in Las Cruces, NM USA. The Jornada scientists use a
multi-faceted approach to solving agricultural and ecological problems that
requires geo-referencing, harmonization, and analysis of many diverse and
complex spatial and temporal data from ground-, aircraft-, and
satellite-based sensors. This position would provide data transformations
and novel statistical solutions for synthesis and integration of long-term
data with geospatial data as well as cyber-security for sensitive data sets.
The successful applicant will provide leadership in identifying emerging
technologies for acquisition, integration, harmonization, and analysis of
complex datasets in support of ecological research. The successful applicant
will provide support to scientists in publication of results, including
generation of journal-quality figures and working with project leaders to
complete manuscripts for submission to journals.

Contact Dr. Debra Peters with questions (debra.pet...@osec.usda.gov)

To apply: https://jobs.nmsu.edu/postings/27926



###

College Assistant Professor (Research)

Contact: Debra Peters, Adjunct Professor
 
Position Summary

- Analyze research data using variety of approaches as needed, including
univariate, multivariate, and nonparametric statistical analyses for
long-term data and geospatial data analyses of large-scale, complex, and
diverse data sets.

- Provide cyber-security for sensitive data sets.

- Manage existing long-term databases and GIS datasets as well as
construction and QA/QC of new databases. 

- Use statistical analyses and other informational techniques and software
for geospatial representation and processes by applying analytical methods
to geospatial data including use of GIS and geomatics (downloading, storing,
processing, harmonizing, and delivering spatially- and temporally-resolved
geographic information).

- Provide leadership in identifying emerging technologies for acquisition,
integration, harmonization, and analysis of complex datasets in support of
ecological research.

- Oversee design and maintenance of web-based and mobile platform user
interfaces in support of long-term and spatially-resolved data (e.g., Drupal
and ArcGIS).

- Provide support to scientists in publication of results, including
generation of journal-quality figures, writing first drafts of manuscripts
and reports, and working with project leaders to complete manuscripts for
submission to journals.

Required qualifications

- Master’s degree (in hand by hire date) and 4 years experience or Ph.D. (in
hand by hire date) and 2 years experience in computer sciences, biological,
environmental, applied mathematics or related field.

- Demonstrated experience with software development, computer data
organization, and multivariate statistical analyses. 

- Advanced programming skills with scripting languages (SAS, R, Python, etc.).
Demonstrated experience working with large, complex geospatial datasets
(including acquisition, harmonization, QA/QC, variable selection,
cybersecurity, and analysis).

- Demonstrated experience with web development (Drupal, JavaScript, Shiny or
similar), and with geospatial software (ArcGIS).

- Demonstrated written communication skills, and good oral communication.
At least 1 full time year of specialized work experience in similar field.

Preferred qualifications

- Experience working with long-term or large-scale geo-spatial ecological data.

Special requirements:  A US Driver’s license is required. Some travel may be
required.

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Why we will March for Science

[Judith Weis]

http://easthamptonstar.com/Opinion/2017420/Why-We-March-Science-Judith-S-Weis


From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news 
 on behalf of Lee O'Brien 
Sent: Friday, April 21, 2017 1:25:48 PM
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Why we will March for Science

What she said (below)... I couldn't have said it better.

I will be marching tomorrow for the same reasons.


On 19 Apr 2017, at 18:40, Rachel Blakey  wrote:

Dear ECOLOG-ers,

I’m Rachel, an early-career ecologist from Australia about to start my
second postdoc in the U.S. I am starting this thread in response to several
emails on the list where people are making arguments about why we, as
scientists, should not march for science. It’s clear that the March for
Science (https://www.marchforscience.com/) signifies different things to
different people. This is OK, it’s what happens when we are building a
diverse political movement, and these discussions are all part of it. Given
this diversity of opinions, I thought it would be useful to share why many
of us will be marching for science on Saturday.* I will start out with my
opinion, but I hope that many of you will also share yours. *

I am marching to protest the game-changing environmental policies of
President Trump that not only affect the US but the world. Trump’s
administration has denied the science behind climate change and is taking
steps to exit the Paris Agreement while removing regulations on fossil
fuels to allow big polluters free reign. Furthermore, he is dismantling the
EPA and is scaling back NASA’s earth science program, hampering our
abilities to monitor, research and respond to global environmental change.
As scientists, we are not only fighting for our jobs but for the future of
the planet. Bad environmental policies are not limited to the Trump
administration, so I am also marching to demand the following from global
governments: broad-scale emissions reductions, transition to renewable
energy, science-based decision making, science-based natural resource
management and an increased investment in biodiversity conservation,
including expansion of protected areas. The vagaries of the global market
are not a viable substitute for evidence-based decision-making when it
comes to preserving the future of our planet.

I also wanted to address the concerns about the March for Science being a
protest. There seems to be a lot of concern about protests being
ineffectual and many insist that the March for Science is not a protest. As
a woman, it is close to home for me: the suffragettes protested and even
died, so that one day I could get my PhD. Without the civil rights
movement, we would not have the African American scientists who contributed
blood banks, open heart surgery and the NASA advancements shown in *Hidden
Figures*. Forty-seven years ago, on what we now know as “earth day” (that
we have co-opted for the March for Science this year), 20 million Americans
protested, demanding better protection for the environment. These protests
spurred changes such as the creation of the EPA and legislation to protect
air, water and endangered species. Forty-seven years later, we must
mobilise again to protect these hard-won gains. However, a protest in
itself is not everything. We must see this protest as a first step in
galvanizing and rebuilding the global environment movement. All of the
alternatives to the March for Science proposed by ECOLOG-ers are also
important components of this movement. As scientists, we need to work
together, focus on our common goals and support each other because we have
a big task ahead of us.

As an applied scientist, who asks questions that concern environmental
management and conservation, I often feel that I am “fiddling while Rome
burns”. I think that for our work to be relevant and important, we need to
engage with the community, our stakeholders *and* in politics. If we stand
by while climate change is admonished and even the flat earth society is
re-emerging, we have failed ourselves and we have failed our community.

*I would love to hear from fellow ECOLOG-ers about why they will march for
science on Saturday, please reply to the thread!*

Cheers,
Rachel V. Blakey
University of New South Wales
Australia/California, US

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Why we will March for Science

[Lee O'Brien]

What she said (below)... I couldn't have said it better.

I will be marching tomorrow for the same reasons.

 
On 19 Apr 2017, at 18:40, Rachel Blakey  wrote:

Dear ECOLOG-ers,

I’m Rachel, an early-career ecologist from Australia about to start my
second postdoc in the U.S. I am starting this thread in response to several
emails on the list where people are making arguments about why we, as
scientists, should not march for science. It’s clear that the March for
Science (https://www.marchforscience.com/) signifies different things to
different people. This is OK, it’s what happens when we are building a
diverse political movement, and these discussions are all part of it. Given
this diversity of opinions, I thought it would be useful to share why many
of us will be marching for science on Saturday.* I will start out with my
opinion, but I hope that many of you will also share yours. *

I am marching to protest the game-changing environmental policies of
President Trump that not only affect the US but the world. Trump’s
administration has denied the science behind climate change and is taking
steps to exit the Paris Agreement while removing regulations on fossil
fuels to allow big polluters free reign. Furthermore, he is dismantling the
EPA and is scaling back NASA’s earth science program, hampering our
abilities to monitor, research and respond to global environmental change.
As scientists, we are not only fighting for our jobs but for the future of
the planet. Bad environmental policies are not limited to the Trump
administration, so I am also marching to demand the following from global
governments: broad-scale emissions reductions, transition to renewable
energy, science-based decision making, science-based natural resource
management and an increased investment in biodiversity conservation,
including expansion of protected areas. The vagaries of the global market
are not a viable substitute for evidence-based decision-making when it
comes to preserving the future of our planet.

I also wanted to address the concerns about the March for Science being a
protest. There seems to be a lot of concern about protests being
ineffectual and many insist that the March for Science is not a protest. As
a woman, it is close to home for me: the suffragettes protested and even
died, so that one day I could get my PhD. Without the civil rights
movement, we would not have the African American scientists who contributed
blood banks, open heart surgery and the NASA advancements shown in *Hidden
Figures*. Forty-seven years ago, on what we now know as “earth day” (that
we have co-opted for the March for Science this year), 20 million Americans
protested, demanding better protection for the environment. These protests
spurred changes such as the creation of the EPA and legislation to protect
air, water and endangered species. Forty-seven years later, we must
mobilise again to protect these hard-won gains. However, a protest in
itself is not everything. We must see this protest as a first step in
galvanizing and rebuilding the global environment movement. All of the
alternatives to the March for Science proposed by ECOLOG-ers are also
important components of this movement. As scientists, we need to work
together, focus on our common goals and support each other because we have
a big task ahead of us.

As an applied scientist, who asks questions that concern environmental
management and conservation, I often feel that I am “fiddling while Rome
burns”. I think that for our work to be relevant and important, we need to
engage with the community, our stakeholders *and* in politics. If we stand
by while climate change is admonished and even the flat earth society is
re-emerging, we have failed ourselves and we have failed our community.

*I would love to hear from fellow ECOLOG-ers about why they will march for
science on Saturday, please reply to the thread!*

Cheers,
Rachel V. Blakey
University of New South Wales
Australia/California, US