A research assistantship is available for a M.S. student interested in investigating greenhouse gas emissions and soil carbon dynamics within a sustainable dairy forage cropping system, beginning in the Spring or Fall 2014 semesters. The objective of the project is to determine if reduced nitrogen fertilizer additions, in response to innovative crop rotations and manure management, result in reduced greenhouse gas emissions and increased soil carbon sequestration. The research will primarily focus on field measurements and laboratory analysis. The student will work jointly with the Penn State University College of Agriculture Sciences and the USDA-Agricultural Research Service at University Park, PA. The assistantship is a half-time appointment with full tuition compensation. A description of the sustainable dairy forage cropping system project is available at: http://plantscience.psu.edu/research/areas/crop-ecology-and-management/cropping-systems
Applications should have a BS in an agricultural, environmental, life, or physical science field. Interested applicants should contact Dr. Curtis Dell (curtis.d...@ars.usda.gov, 814-863-0984), Dr. Heather Karsten (h...@psu.edu, 814-863-3179), or Dr. Doug Beegle (d...@psu.edu, 814-863- 1016). Application materials for the Penn State graduate program in Soil Science or Agronomy are available at http://ecosystems.psu.edu/graduateprograms/soil-science/masters/procedures-for- admission and http://plantscience.psu.edu/graduateprograms/agronomy/masters/procedures-for- admission.
