**Greetings from the Merriam-Powell Center for Environmental Research!**

November 27, 2007

**Topics at a Glance**

Biology Seminars -- Forestry Seminar Series -- NAU IGERT program -- Young Researchers in Earth Sciences -- EMA San Juan benefit -- Great Basin Institute Technicians wanted -- The Conservation and Land Management Fellowship Jobs -- *Conservation and Land Management Mentoring Program -- International Association for Vegetation Science (IAVS) -- Jobs

*Biology Seminar Series*

Thursday November 29th at 3:45 in the Wettaw Building Auditorium Dr. Kevin Kelly, Associate Professor from the Environmental Endocrinology Laboratory, Marine Biology Program at California State University in Long Beach will present "Endocrine Disruption in Marine and Estuarine Fishes -- Studies from California's Urban Ocean."

*Merriam Powell Seminar Series*

Friday November 30th from 12:30-2 in the Biology Building Room 238 Karen Adair will present "Ammonia-oxidizers in soil."

*Forestry Seminar Series*

• Nov. 28. Liz Kalies, NAU School of Forestry, "Wildlife in the WUI: small mammal responses to fuels reduction treatments." Host: Chris McGlone
  
• Dec 5. Paul Beier, NAU School of Forestry, "Wechiau Community Hippo Sanctuary: measuring impact on natural, physical, and social capital." Host: Bill Bridgeland

*NAU IGERT Program in Integrative Bioscience: Genes to Environment*

NAU invites applications for six PhD student traineeships at Northern Arizona University for students admitted for the 2008/9 academic year. The purpose of this program is to provide students with instruction and research training focused on linkages between molecular genetics and ecosystem phenomena, with emphasis on multi-scale modeling approaches. Program graduates will have the skills to address fundamental and applied questions of genetic influences on ecosystem function and response to environmental change. Unique aspects of this program include: 1) multidisciplinary research with a special emphasis on scaling phenomena, 2) inclusion of molecular methodology and applied statistics coursework in all programs of study, 3) seminar courses covering scientific ethics, statistics and modeling, and student research, featuring guest speakers from integrative disciplines, 4) unique internships with community colleges, federal agencies, and Native American high schools to broaden the graduate experience and enhance connections between the research and the broader community. The NAU Integrative Bioscience PhD program will prepare innovative and creative scientists to become leaders in research, science outreach and communication, and environmental problem solving.

Traineeship packages will include $30,000/year stipend support for two years, with continued support as teaching or research assistants at more traditional stipend levels. Applicants must concurrently apply to doctoral programs in the Department of Biological Sciences http://www6.nau.edu/biology/ or the School of Forestry http://www.for.nau.edu/cms/ at Northern Arizona University. Application deadlines for the 2008/09 academic year will be January 15th , 2008. Applications will consist of 1) standard applications required for Biology or Forestry graduate programs (including three letters of reference) and 2) a 2 page essay on how this program would address your research, educational, and career goals.

Please go to http://www6.nau.edu/biology/igert/ or contact us by email or phone for more information: Dr. Catherine Gehring: Catherine.Gehring@nau.edu, (928)523-9158 or Dr. Amy Whipple: Amy.Whipple@nau.edu, (928)523-8727.

**This May 20-23 the third Meeting of Young Researchers in Earth Sciences (MYRES 2008)**

The meeting will explore the theme "Dynamic Interactions of Life and its Landscape". Our aim is to facilitate the formation of a global network of young scientists who together can tackle issues at the interface of geomorphology and ecology. Through a combination of presentations, poster sessions, and extensive discussions, we will formulate a hypothesis-driven framework for examining geomorphic-ecological feedbacks.

MYRES 2008 will be held at Tulane University in New Orleans (USA) to highlight the delicate and multifaceted nature of human-climate-landscape interactions. Following the workshop there will be an optional three days of field trips around the Mississippi Delta. To facilitate participation by a diverse global group of young researchers, MYRES will cover airfare and lodging costs for all attendees.

If you are you an early career scientist interested in linking physical and biological processes on the Earth's surface, then please consider applying to attend MYRES 2008. For further details, and an online application form, please visit our website: http://www.myres.org/myres3/index.html

We will be accepting applications from December 1, 2007 through January 18, 2008, and successful applicants will be contacted by February 6th. If you are a senior scientist (tenured faculty or senior lecturer), please forward this announcement to any current or former PhD students or post-docs who may be interested. Sincerely, The MYRES 2008 Organizing Committee, (Co-Chairs: Liam Reinhardt, Douglas Jerolmack)

*EMA San Juan benefit*

I wanted to let everyone know about a *benefit reception happening this Friday, November 30th* from 5:30-8:30 pm in the Applied Research & Developmment Building at NAU. The event will feature an opening reception, Hopi flute player, several guest speakers, and a silent auction. The night will be a great opportunity to learn about NAU's involvement in the ecological and cultural preservation of the San Juan corridor, and get a heads start on your holiday shopping. Many of our silent auction items are from local businesses and artisans.

The benefit is raising money for student scholarships, Native American river guide and cultural interpreation programs, research, education, and river equipment. Attendance is free and open to the public. Please let me know if you have any additional questions. I hope to see you all on Friday night!! Cheers, Catherine, Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Program and Foundation, Northern Arizona University, phone: (928)523-0716 www.emaprogram.com.

*Great Basin Institute is recruiting field monitoring and telemetry technicians*

In cooperation with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and other federal and state agencies, the Great Basin Institute is recruiting field monitoring and telemetry technicians, as well as support staff to help implement the 2008 Desert Tortoise Line Distance Sampling (LDS) Monitoring program. The desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) is federally listed as a threatened species north and west of the Colorado River under the Endangered Species Act. The focus of the LDS monitoring program is to collect data that will allow researchers to estimate population density of these animals in the eastern portion of their range. LDS monitoring occurs during April & May to coincide with the peak in the desert tortoise activity season. The Institute will hire an experienced GIS and Data QA/QC specialist, up to 8 field crew leaders, as well as 35-40 LDS monitoring and radio telemetry technicians.

Specific position details including timeframe, compensation and benefits, and qualifications can be viewed on the research associate employment section of the GBI website http://www.greatbasininstitute.org. Upon review of the specific position descriptions, qualified and interested applicants should forward a cover letter, résumé and three professional references to Dr. Paula Kahn, GBI , Desert Tortoise Monitoring Program Coordinator, at thinklikeatortoise@yahoo.com.

*The Conservation and Land Management Fellowship Program*

....is a partnership between the Chicago Botanic Garden, the Bureau of Land Management, National Parks Service and the USDA Forest Service. Positions are available in the western United States beginning January and June, 2008. Duties may include: plant and wildlife monitoring and mapping; endangered species reintroduction; invasive species management; geographic data acquisition and analysis; biological assessments, sensitive species lists and conservation plans; fire ecology; land use planning; archaeology-related activities; recreation areas management; rangeland assessments; seed collection.

Fellows participate in a one-week training course held in late May in Chicago. Travel and lodging expenses will be covered. Training includes: BLM/NPS/FS orientation; Endangered Species Act and associated programs; plant and animal identification and monitoring; GIS andmapping; and topographical map reading and GPS skills.

Compensation is $750.00/pay period (every two weeks)

How to Apply: Send a letter of interest, official school transcript(s), resume and three letters of recommendation as one package by February 15, 2008 (December 15, 2007 for the earlier start date) to: Cynthia Scott, CLM Fellowship Program, Chicago Botanic Garden, Division of Plant Science and Conservation, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL 60022, Ph: 847-835-6917 cscott@chicagobotanic.org.

This Fellowship opportunity may also be conducted as a research component of a Masters program with Northwestern University and the Chicago Botanic Garden. For application information, visit: http://www.plantbiology.northwestern.edu For more information visit the website: http://www.chicagobotanic.org/research/conservation/blm/

*Conservation and Land Management Mentoring Program*

Five paid botany fellowship positions are available for recent graduates. Compensation is $750 per two week pay period. The fellowships are 5 months in length. Location: California Desert BLM District Office, Moreno Valley.

Job Description: 1. Species familiarity: Knowledge of plant families, genera, and species is most important for these positions. Introduction to desert plant species will be provided by the mentor, but autonomy in plant identification in the field will be essential, since the mentor will not be able to accompany interns at all times. Other species (e.g. bird, reptile) familiarity will be beneficial, but is not required. Many non-plant sensitive and listed species occur in the project areas. Three-fifths of the fellowship will be seed collection for restoration and conservation (depending on precipitation). In the event spring blooms are less than normal, alternative projects will be available and could include some lizard or tortoise monitoring.

2. Fieldwork experience: Basic seed collection experience is preferred, but not required. Candidates with botanical knowledge and experience will be easy to train on seed collection techniques, locating seed sources, estimating probable seed viability, and timing of species flowering and subsequent seeding. Vegetation monitoring will include combinations of transect, quadrat, and point-line intersect protocols. Experience in or knowledge of these techniques is strongly desired. In addition to these two main activities, opportunities may arise for invasive species eradication experimental plots. In this case, involvement will depend on fellows' experience, desire, and any other constraints. The spring weather in the desert can be very cold and extremely windy, often causing sleepless nights and difficult work days. The end of fellowship may be extremely hot and could reach temperatures between 110 and 120 degrees Fahrenheit. 3. Geographic Information Systems: GPS (Global Positioning System) dataloggers will be used for navigation and data collection. Any previous GPS experience is preferred, but not required. Mentor will provide fellows with basic GPS training. GIS is above and beyond the requirements for these positions, but for an fellow with a desire to work in GIS, the opportunity exists within the fellowship.

Background: The Seeds of Success (SOS) program operates through the Plant Conservation Alliance, an interagency program in which BLM and Chicago Botanic Garden (CBG) participates. The SOS program serves two purposes. SOS is the United States' contribution to the Royal Botanic Garden KEW (England) Millennium Seed Bank project under which seed from approximately 10% of the world's flora are to be collected for long-term germplasm storage and conservation research. Secondly, approximately half of the seed collected by BLM is returned for storage in the U.S. to support development of plant materials for restoration and conservation purposes by BLM and other entities.

Opportunities exist to continue work overseas (Australia and/or UK) in seed biology or other botany related fields. In addition, a Masters program in Plant Biology and Conservation with Northwestern University is also available for suitably qualified post fellowship candidates. To Apply: Send a Letter of Interest and Resume to Lara Jefferson, ljefferson@chicagobotanic.org.

**Ph.D. Students Wanted! *Ecology and evolution of plants and plant-animal interactions*

My lab is broadly interested in the ecology and evolution of plants and their communities, often focusing on plant-animal interactions such as herbivory, seed predation, and seed dispersal. We use a combination of field, greenhouse, phylogenetic and molecular genetic approaches. Students are expected to develop their own independent projects (who'd want to miss the fun of doing that?) but will also have opportunities to collaborate on a new NSF-funded investigation of hybridization and adaptation to herbivory in wild sunflowers.

Rice's Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) program boasts an exceptionally active faculty and a dynamic group of graduate students. We also have great facilities, including new molecular labs and a brand-new 3600 sq. ft. greenhouse. Areas of emphasis include interspecific interactions, mutualism, cooperation, herbivory, and invasion biology. Outstanding fellowship-based financial support is available for Ph.D. students. For more info please contact: Ken Whitney, email: kwhitney@rice.edu. Please also check out the research pages for my colleagues, many of whom are also accepting students: http://eeb.rice.edu/faculty.html

**The International Association for Vegetation Science (IAVS)**

IAVS has established a new email discussion group: the IAVS Vegetation Forum. The purpose of the Forum is to provide a convenient venue for announcements or discussion of topics of interest to vegetation scientists. Individuals wishing to join the list may do so at any time at http://lists.unc.edu/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=iavs%20 Please feel encouraged to spread the word. This listserv is open to anyone with an interest in vegetation science. If you have any questions or problems, please send an email to iavs@unc.edu.

Robert K. Peet, President, International Association for Vegetation Science, University of North Carolina, Phone: 919-962-6942 Email: peet@unc.edu.

*JOBS -- JOBS -- JOBS*

*The Smithsonian Institution*, the world's largest museum and research complex, *offers several Post-Doctoral Fellowships* annually to outstanding early career scientists. The Smithsonian's distinctive combination of field research facilities, museum archives, and nternationally recognized expertise in ecology, biological conservation, systematics, and paleobiology provide unprecedented opportunities for synthetic, big-picture insights into some of the most profound issues challenging our world today, including habitat loss, climate change, and invasive species.
Some of the greatest challenges to our environment are in our most biologically productive ecosystems - the coastal zone, where 70 percent of the world's population lives, works, and plays. Scientists at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center http://www.serc.si.edu/research/labs.jsp (SERC) on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland have led ground-breaking studies on the ecological dynamics between land and sea for over 40 years, including the world's longest running study on the ecological effects of atmospheric CO2 change, and short and long-term studies on food web dynamics, invasion biology, coastal and upland ecosystem ecology, harmful algal blooms, ultraviolet radiation, biogeochemistry, and nutrient and trace element cycling. Insights gained in these systems will be crucial to developing science-based conservation plans that allow human societies to thrive while protecting our finite natural resources.
The Smithsonian and SERC are committed to training the next generation of scientists with its internationally recognized Postdoctoral Fellowship program. Smithsonian Fellows receive an annual stipend of $40,000 plus health, relocation, and research allowances. Each position is expected to run for two years, with the second year of funding contingent upon satisfactory progress. Applicants are required to secure sponsorship from a SERC scientist prior to submitting an application for this competitively-awarded fellowship. Applications are due January 15, 2008. Please contact Fellowship Coordinator Daniel Gustafson at gustafsond@si.edu, or 443-482-2217, for further details.
Application Requirements 1) Discuss the feasibility of potential projects and secure sponsorship from one of 17 senior scientists at SERC http://www.serc.si.edu/research/labs.jsp.

2) Submit formal research proposal (postmarked by January 15, 2008) to: Office of Research Training and Services, Smithsonian Institution, MRC 902 PO Box 37012, 470 L'Enfant Plaza Suite 7102, Washington, DC 20013-7012
For express mail services use the following address: Office of Research Training and Services Smithsonian Institution, 470 L'Enfant Plaza SW Suite 7102, Washington, DC 20024.
Detailed instructions on the requirements of the research proposal can be found here: http://www.si.edu/ofg/Applications/SIFELL/sifell.htm, or by contacting Fellowship Coordinator Daniel Gustafson at gustafsond@si.edu, 443-482-2217.

Ph.D. GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANTSHIP

...is available to investigate the relative importance of fire and mountain pine beetle infestations on population and resource selection of Black-backed Woodpeckers. Student will undertake a radio-tracking project to study movements and resource selection of Black-backed Woodpeckers in the Black Hills, South Dakota. The student will develop a population model to compare woodpecker demographics in burned and mountain pine beetle infestation sites. Candidates must have a M.S. in wildlife science, biology, or a closely related discipline, a GPA > 3.2, and combined verbal and quantitative GRE scores > 1100. Ability to work with a diversity of natural resource professionals, and an interest in wildlife/habitat relationships and quantitative techniques are essential. Stipend includes annual salary of $14,688, a tuition waiver, and research funds. Position is available January 2008 and review of applications begins immediately and continues until the position is filled. Submit a cover letter including a description of work experience and career goals, CV, copies of transcripts and GRE scores (unofficial at this time are acceptable), and the names and contact information of 3 references to Joshua Millspaugh or Dylan Kesler, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, University of Missouri, 302 Natural Resources Building, Columbia, MO 65211. Email MillspaughJ@missouri.edu or KeslerD@missouri.edu

 

SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY, Program in Environmental Studies

...seeks a Brown Junior Visiting Scholar in Environmental Studies to begin fall 2008. This is a two-year benefited position. We seek candidates who recognize the interdisciplinary nature of environmental studies, who are enthusiastic about teaching and mentoring undergraduate students, and who are eager to participate in a collaborative academic community. The successful candidate will have a Ph.D. (expected by August 2008) in environmental studies, physical geography (with a research and teaching portfolio exhibiting expertise in the environmental studies application of geography), or other related field. The person will teach at least one mid-level course in Environmental Studies, an upper-level course in her/his area of expertise, and will rotate responsibilities for teaching the Capstone course for majors. The successful candidate will also have an on-going research program which can include undergraduate students. A professional development budget is available to the successful candidate. The program includes faculty from the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities with a particular strength in addressing issues of environmental justice.

Consideration of applications will begin January 15, 2008 and continue until the position is filled. Send applications, including CV and three letters of reference, to Connie Imhof, Faculty Secretary, Southwestern University, Box 770, Georgetown, Texas 78627-0770.

Southwestern University is a selective, undergraduate institution committed to a broad-based liberal arts, sciences, and fine arts education. Southwestern currently enrolls approximately 1,250 students and maintains a student to faculty ratio of 11 to 1. The University's endowment ranks among the highest per student of undergraduate institutions in the country. In addition to a number of other national organizations, Southwestern University is a member of two consortia of liberal arts colleges, the Associated Colleges of the South and the Annapolis Group. Located in Georgetown, Texas, 28 miles north of downtown Austin, Southwestern is affiliated with The United Methodist Church. Southwestern University is committed to fostering a diverse educational environment and encourages applications from members of groups traditionally under-represented in academia. For information concerning the University, visit our Web site at www.southwestern.edu. Romi L. Burks, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biology, Chair, Animal Behavior Program 2006-2009, Southwestern University, 512-863-1280.

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