Graduate Student Opportunity in Grassland Paleoecology
A graduate student assistantship (MS or PhD) is available beginning in Spring or Fall 2010 as part of an NSF project that aims at understanding the influences of fire, atmospheric CO2, and climate on C4-grass abundance on the basis of paleoecological and stable-isotope analyses. The successful applicant will investigate grassland responses to environmental change at sites in East Africa and Australia, interact with scientists from several countries (US, UK, Belgium, Australia), and participate in educating the general public concerning climate change and grassland ecosystems. The student will be encouraged to design his/her research project within the overall objectives of the project. Funding is available through research and teaching assistantships.
This is a collaborative research project among Dr. Feng Sheng Hu (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), Dr. David Nelson (University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Appalachian Laboratory) and Dr. Ann Pearson (Harvard University). Students may choose to apply through the University of Illinois (Department of Plant Biology, Department of Geology, or the Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology) or the Marine-Estuarine- Environmental Sciences Program at the University of Maryland, College Park. Please contact Dr. Hu (f...@life.uiuc.edu) or Dr. Nelson (dmnel...@al.umces.edu ) for more information.
--- David Nelson, Assistant Professor University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Appalachian Laboratory 301 Braddock Rd. Frostburg, MD 21532 Phone: 301-689-7171 Email: dmnel...@al.umces.edu Web: http://www.al.umces.edu/people/faculty/davidnelson.htm