Ruth Yanai is seeking new graduate students (M.S. or PhD) to participate in a large collaborative project investigating above and belowground carbon allocation, nutrient cycling, and tradeoffs involved in multiple resource allocation. The Multiple Element Limitation in Northern Hardwood Ecosystems (MELNHE) project has field sites located at Hubbard Brook, Jeffers Brook, and Bartlett Experimental Forests in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Since 2011, thirteen stands have been receiving N, P, N&P, and control treatments in 0.25-ha plots, with six stands receiving Ca treatments. Research opportunities in the MELNHE project include: soil respiration, soil mineralization, beech bark disease, leaf production by species, foliar nutrient resorption, water use, mycorrhizae, forest productivity (among species and stand age classes), and snail and arthropod diversity. More information on the project can be found at http://www.esf.edu/melnhe.
We welcome inquiries from prospective students interested in forest ecology, nutrient cycling, and uncertainty analysis. Applicants should be self-motivated, excited to work as part of a multi-investigator project, have laboratory and field experience, and be comfortable living and working in a group setting. A field crew blog from previous years is available at http://shoestringproject.wordpress.com. The ideal student will be able to start June 1, 2015, to allow familiarization with the field sites and our research activities. Starting in January 2016 is also a possibility. Funding will consist of a combination of research and teaching assistantships (ability to TA General Chemistry would be a plus). A stipend and full tuition waiver will be provided. Prospective students may apply to the Department of Forest and Natural Resources Management or the Graduate Program in Environmental Science, both at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY. We also offer opportunities to contribute to uncertainty analyses. QUEST (Quantifying Uncertainty in Ecosystem Studies) is a Research Coordination Network led by Yanai and others. Learn more at http://quantifyinguncertainty.org. We appreciate communicating with students as part of the application process. Students are encouraged to review MELNHE related data and publications and supply their own ideas for research in relation to the project. Prospective students should begin that conversation by requesting the password for Ruth's project materials from Heather Engelman at forestecol...@esf.edu<mailto:forestecol...@esf.edu>. Heather ------------------------- Heather Engelman Research Support Specialist, Forest Ecology Laboratory Department of Forest and Natural Resources Management SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry B9 Marshall Hall (Mailing: 105 Marshall Hall) 1 Forestry Dr Syracuse, NY 13210 phone: 315.470.4868 email:forestecol...@esf.edu<mailto:forestecol...@esf.edu> http://www.esf.edu/for/yanai/research.htm
