[ECOLOG-L] Call for Contributed Oral and Poster Abstracts for the 95th ESA Annual Meeting
Call for Contributed Oral and Poster Abstracts 95th Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania August 1-6, 2010 http://www.esa.org/pittsburgh Deadline for Submission: Thursday, February 25, 2010 We invite submissions of abstracts for contributed oral and poster presentations at the 95th annual meeting of the Ecological Society of America. The theme for the meeting is Global Warming: The legacy of our past, the challenge for our future. Abstracts related to this theme are highly encouraged, but submissions may address any aspect of ecology and its applications. We also welcome submissions reporting interdisciplinary work, that address communication with broad audiences, or that explore ways of teaching ecology at any level. Please note that invited speakers for Symposia and Organized Oral Sessions should not submit their abstracts until they receive specific instructions by email in late January. These abstracts will still be due on February 25, 2010. Contributed oral presentations are allotted 15 minutes plus 5 minutes for questions, and will be placed in thematic sessions scheduled Monday afternoon through Friday morning. By submitting an abstract, it is expected that authors will be available during any of these time slots. Contributed poster presentations are placed in late afternoon poster sessions scheduled Monday through Thursday afternoon. Posters should be hung all day preceding their session, and authors are expected to present their posters during the entire 2 hour poster session. For more information and to begin the submission process, please go to http://esa.org/pittsburgh/call_contributed_opa.php. If you have any questions, please contact the Program Chair, Frank Gilliam, at gill...@marshall.edu, or the Program Assistant, Aleta Wiley, at al...@esa.org.
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Climate Change Credibility Research grants etc
Of course ecologists try to link their research to climate change! Everyone wants their research to sound (and hopefully be) important, and climate change is clearly important. Just as acid rain is important, and species extinctions, and the hole in the ozone layer. And yes, this is partly motivated by a desire for funding, but also by a desire to continue doing research on important questions. I see nothing wrong with this. Claiming that global warming is a fraud because scientists use it as a buzz-word to get funding is absurd. Next they'll say that cancer is a fraud, because molecular biologists and chemists use it as a buzz-word to help obtain funding. I wonder if even the tobacco companies ever stooped so low. Tom Raffel -Original Message- From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:ecolo...@listserv.umd.edu] On Behalf Of Wayne Tyson Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 2009 5:24 PM To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Climate Change Credibility Research grants etc ECOLOG: One of the major propaganda statements of those opposed to climate change research and actions to reduce atmospheric CO2 is that money is a major motivation behind what they claim is a fraud. Funding requests are often cited, and the claim has been made that, for example, all you have to do to get your proposal funded is to mention 'climate change,' 'global warming,' or some similar buzz-phrase. To what extent do you think this might be true? WT No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.430 / Virus Database: 270.14.101/2555 - Release Date: 12/22/09 08:09:00
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Climate Change Credibility Research grants etc
I suggest that (1) money is actually the major motivation behind climate science denial, and (2) the interests behind this kind of denial are adept and shameless at deliberately accusing others of what they themselves do. The truth is that greed, fraud, and shameless lies destroy effective public science (all effective public discussion and decision making, in fact), they do not promote it. And I seem to remember that the tobacco companies actually pioneered many of these fraudulent techniques, yes? Steve Lohse Futures Studies Dept. of Political Science University of Hawaii at Manoa Good governance is not something that we must institute before we can start living wisely. Good governance IS living wisely. - Original Message - From: Raffel, Thomas traf...@cas.usf.edu Date: Wednesday, December 23, 2009 7:43 am Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Climate Change Credibility Research grants etc To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Of course ecologists try to link their research to climate change! Everyone wants their research to sound (and hopefully be) important, and climate change is clearly important. Just as acid rain is important, and species extinctions, and the hole in the ozone layer. And yes, this is partly motivated by a desire for funding, but also by a desire to continue doing research on important questions. I see nothing wrong with this. Claiming that global warming is a fraud because scientists use it as a buzz-word to get funding is absurd. Next they'll say that cancer is a fraud, because molecular biologists and chemists use it as a buzz-word to help obtain funding. I wonder if even the tobacco companies ever stooped so low. Tom Raffel -Original Message- From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:ecolo...@listserv.umd.edu] On Behalf Of Wayne Tyson Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 2009 5:24 PM To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Climate Change Credibility Research grants etc ECOLOG: One of the major propaganda statements of those opposed to climate change research and actions to reduce atmospheric CO2 is that money is a major motivation behind what they claim is a fraud. Funding requests are often cited, and the claim has been made that, for example, all you have to do to get your proposal funded is to mention 'climate change,' 'global warming,' or some similar buzz-phrase. To what extent do you think this might be true? WT
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Climate Change Credibility Research grants etc
Well said, Daniel! The only thing I might add is that, if one looked carefully, one might find an apparent bias against research that fails to find evidence for human-caused global warming or that finds evidence against it. This isn't because it's not PC to say that global warming isn't real or isn't caused by humans. Rather, it's because (1) null results are less likely to be published, regardless of the topic, and (2) extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence (usually). Failing to find evidence for global warming or for a human role in it is a null result, and it will be harder to publish if the research methods and analysis aren't impeccable. Similarly, at this point, the evidence for human-caused global warming is strong, so a study that yields a contrary result had better have solid methodology, if the authors want to publish. One other possible source of apparent bias (or maybe real bias) is our perception of what the moneyed interests would rather believe (and fund). If every dollar in the world got to vote on whether or not human-caused global warming is a real problem that we need to fix, I think we'd see a landslide victory for global-warming skeptics, and I think most scientists would predict the same result. If this really is our perception, I'd expect that results inconsistent with the anthropogenic global warming hypothesis get extra scrutiny from reviewers on the grounds that any scientist that can be bought will most likely be bought by the wealthier side of the debate. Jim Crants On Tue, Dec 22, 2009 at 6:32 PM, Daniel Muth dj...@virginia.edu wrote: Well it's undeniably true that an overwhelming number of solicitations in the field specifically ask for this particular connection. It's also true more and more in the literature that any paper no matter how loosely connected to climate change seems to feel obligated to talk about it. There are probably many scientists, particularly in the carbon game, that wouldn't be here but for the fact that overall funding in the environmental field is so minuscule (compared to say that apportioned for health or defense) that one needs to pick spots where they can actually work. Like it or not, money leads research, but if environmental scientists were only interested in landing fat grants, they'd be MUCH better off in another field. You'll find more pvc and duct tape in an ecology lab than in a plumbers van, mostly because we can't afford anything else (and hell it works!). I've also never come across a solicitation that told it's recipients what to find. As long as the methods are sound, scientists are generally free to make their own conclusions. This is one of the areas in which science is fundamentally misunderstood by the public, as the rigorous progression of a novel idea to a paradigm is not something that happens without serious challenges from within the community itself. There isn't a greater community of skeptics on the planet! What's more, skepticism is encouraged within the realm of intelligent debate. There isn't one of us that wouldn't like to conclusively prove that climate change isn't happening, which is why the near consensus on the topic (at least with regards to the overall trend) is so impressive. I'm not aware of many scientists who have somehow enriched themselves in climate change research. To me this makes the money claims levied by the disenfranchised millionaires (billionaires?) in the fossil fuel industry, beyond absurd. What detractors misunderstand is that if someone is getting rich off climate science it sure isn't us. On Tue, Dec 22, 2009 at 5:24 PM, Wayne Tyson landr...@cox.net wrote: ECOLOG: One of the major propaganda statements of those opposed to climate change research and actions to reduce atmospheric CO2 is that money is a major motivation behind what they claim is a fraud. Funding requests are often cited, and the claim has been made that, for example, all you have to do to get your proposal funded is to mention 'climate change,' 'global warming,' or some similar buzz-phrase. To what extent do you think this might be true? WT
[ECOLOG-L] PhD assistantship available - spatial ecohydrology of wetlands
PhD Assistantship - University of South Florida Spatial Ecohydrology of Wetlands Contact: Dr. David Lewis, le...@cas.usf.edu, 813-974-8108 The Dept. of Integrative Biology at the Univ. of South Florida seeks applicants for a Ph.D. position to study the spatial ecohydrology of wetlands. The wetlands of west-central Florida are embedded in a landscape template of variable groundwater hydrology, land cover, and underlying geology. The student would investigate how this template regulates the distribution, structure, function, and resilience of wetlands. While the student is free to define the focus and approaches for their dissertation, one requirement will be geospatial analyses of existing data to examine spatial relationships among wetland ecohydrology variables and human activities. Thus, good geospatial analysis and GIS skills are prerequisites, as is a Masters degree in Ecology or a related field. This assistantship is partially supported by an NSF-funded ULTRA-Ex (Urban Long- Term Research Area-Exploratory) grant. The broader project examines social and ecological drivers of water policy, urbanization, and wetland change. The student will thus interact closely with faculty and students from the social and natural sciences, and can access a well-established pipeline for communicating research to management agencies. The student will be supported by a combination of grant-based research assistantships and teaching assistantships during the period of study. For more information, please contact Dr. David Lewis at le...@cas.usf.edu or 813-974-8108 (website: biology.usf.edu/ib/faculty/dlewis/). Applications are due Jan 1st to be considered for a University Graduate Fellowship, or Feb 15th to be considered for the combined RA/TA support described above. To apply, please follow the application procedures described here: biology.usf.edu/ib/grad/prospective/approcess/
[ECOLOG-L] BioFuels Research Grants
Is anyone aware of USDA, NSF of DOE programs designed to fund research related to the ecological sustainability of biofuels? Best wishes, Bruce Robertson
[ECOLOG-L] RA position in plant ecology lab, Florida
Research Assistant Position Available in Plant Ecology, Florida We seek a research assistant in the Plant Ecology Lab at Archbold Biological Station, Florida, starting early in 2010. The Plant Ecology Lab, headed by Eric Menges, is a large, active research lab with projects in plant ecology, conservation ecology, fire ecology, and restoration. http://www.archbold-station.org/station/html/research/plant/plant.html Archbold Biological Station is an independent biological station on a large natural area with programs in research, conservation, and education. http://www.archbold-station.org/abs/index.htm The Position: The RA will focus on collecting field data in Florida scrub, managing data, and maintaining scientific experiments in lab, greenhouse, and field. This is a full-time position with benefits, running 4-12 months with a strong possibility of extension to multiple years. The position will start early in 2010. Salary will be commensurate with experience. Housing is available at the biological station. Requirements: BA or BS in biology, botany, or a related field, willingness to work under ambient field conditions in Florida, temperament to work with teams of researchers and supervise student interns. Desirable: experience and skills in field biology, data management, GPS/GIS, plant identification. To Apply: Send letter summarizing experience, CV, and list of courses and grades to email address below. Arrange to have two letters of reference sent directly to email address below. Application Deadline: January 11, 2010. Applications and Information: contact Eric Menges at emen...@archbold-station.org. Email applications only. Dr. Eric S. Menges Senior Research Biologist Archbold Biological StationPackages: 123 Main Dr. PO Box 2057Venus, FL 33960 Lake Placid, FL 33862 phone: 863-465-2571 ext. 234 fax: 863-699-1927 email: emen...@archbold-station.org _ Your E-mail and More On-the-Go. Get Windows Live Hotmail Free. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/171222985/direct/01/
[ECOLOG-L] ASSISTANT PROFESSOR - INFORMAL BIOLOGY EDUCATION, SUNY-ESF, Syracuse, NY
The State University of New York – College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF; www.esf.edu) in Syracuse invites applications for an academic-year, tenure-track position as Assistant Professor in Informal Biology Education. Through this position, SUNY-ESF seeks to foster projects and activities that promote lifelong learning by the public through voluntary, self-directed engagement in biology-rich informal learning environments and experiences. * * *Responsibilities: * Leadership in teaching and academic advising in support of the Natural History and Interpretation undergraduate major and Environmental Interpretation graduate area of study (M.S. and Ph.D. level, see www.esf.edu/efb/). The appointee will also develop an integrated, extramurally funded program in informal biology education, such as that delivered to the public in science centers and museums, zoos and aquaria, botanical gardens and nature centers, youth and community centers, lectures, video, exhibits, websites, and community and citizen science projects. This is a collaborative position: the successful candidate will interact with faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, and outside agencies to develop an integrated research, instruction and outreach program focused on developing informal learning opportunities to educate and engage the public in the areas of natural history and applied biology. *Qualifications:* PhD in life sciences required along with interest and demonstrated ability to deliver combined instruction, research, and outreach program focused on informal biology education. Preference given to candidates with record of scholarly activity, grantsmanship, teaching and service in the area of informal biology education emphasizing themes of organismal biology and ecology in natural settings. *Institutional Background: * The College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) hosts a large group of scientists, engineers, and landscape architects dedicated to solving environmental problems through research, teaching and service. Total enrollment is about 2,000 undergraduates and 600 graduate students. ESF is on the same campus as Syracuse University, giving students and faculty the added resources of a large institution of higher education, including a wide array of courses, computer and library facilities, and sports and health services. ESF, through its continuing education program and Centers for Native Peoples and the Environment, the Urban Environment and Community Design Research, has developed significant partnerships with schools and diverse community groups in the local metropolitan and outlying rural areas. Field biology* *forms a strong foundation for much of the coursework taken by undergraduate students and ESF field stations (covering over 10,000 hectares) provide many opportunities for graduate and faculty research. These include the Huntington Forest and its associated Adirondack Ecological Centerhttp://www.esf.edu/aec( www.esf.edu/aec), the Cranberry Lake Biological Stationhttp://www.esf.edu/clbs( www.esf.edu/clbs) in the Adirondack Mountains, the Heiberg Forest south of Syracuse, and the Thousand Islands Biological Stationhttp://www.esf.edu/tibson the St. Lawrence River ( www.esf.edu/tibs). *Application Procedure*: Application is online only ( http://www.esf.edu/hr/search/). One PDF file attachment should include a letter summarizing qualifications, a curriculum vitae, and statements describing research and teaching interests. Relevant publications or other materials can be uploaded as PDF files. The candidate should arrange for three reference letters to be sent separately, as PDF email attachments, to ranor...@esf.edu. *Completed application materials must be received by March 15, 2010* for optimal consideration. Position available July 1, 2010; remaining open until filled. *For More Information:* Contact Roy A. Norton (ranor...@esf.edu, 315/470-6752) or James P. Gibbs (jpgi...@esf.edu, 315/470-6764), Informal Biology Educator Search Committee Co-Chairs, SUNY-ESF. *SUNY-ESF is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer*
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Climate Change Credibility Research grants etc
Climate change has to happen. With respect to temperature, over any period of time temperature will go up...or go down..on average as compared with any other period of time. That human activities, specifically, the release of CO2 into the atmosphere, will have serious consequences is a prediction that simply has not borne out. Acid rain had obvious consequences that did not require very weak tedious statistical arguments, for example. The CO2 caused greenhouse effects predictions simply did not happen, and that's the problem with the current climate change debate. Maybe they could occur in the future, but as we deplete fossil fuel reserves and normal economic forces move us away from fossil fuels, the potential is much less than it was in any event. My problem with this is that we have done good work in educating people on the effects of atmospheric pollution, and as a result have had a great effect on industrial methodology and related technologies; reducing emissions of serious pollutants. We risk exchanging our credibility on real issues for what looks like politically motivated extremism on the CO2 issue. If the CO2 argument is to be validated in any meaningful way, related models have to make accurate elegant predictions. So far they have failed, and mainly are used to explain past events; and as such represent little more than classic pseudo science. So easy it seemed once found, which yet unfound most would have thought impossible John Milton Robert G. Hamilton Professor of Biology Department of Biological Sciences Mississippi College P.O. Box 4045 200 South Capitol Street Clinton, MS 39058 Phone: (601) 925-3872 FAX (601) 925-3978 This communication may contain confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient or if you are not authorized to receive it, please notify and return the message to the sender. Unauthorized reviewing, forwarding, copying, distributing or using this infomration is strictly prohibited. Raffel, Thomas traf...@cas.usf.edu 12/23/2009 8:15 AM Of course ecologists try to link their research to climate change! Everyone wants their research to sound (and hopefully be) important, and climate change is clearly important. Just as acid rain is important, and species extinctions, and the hole in the ozone layer. And yes, this is partly motivated by a desire for funding, but also by a desire to continue doing research on important questions. I see nothing wrong with this. Claiming that global warming is a fraud because scientists use it as a buzz-word to get funding is absurd. Next they'll say that cancer is a fraud, because molecular biologists and chemists use it as a buzz-word to help obtain funding. I wonder if even the tobacco companies ever stooped so low. Tom Raffel -Original Message- From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:ecolo...@listserv.umd.edu] On Behalf Of Wayne Tyson Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 2009 5:24 PM To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Climate Change Credibility Research grants etc ECOLOG: One of the major propaganda statements of those opposed to climate change research and actions to reduce atmospheric CO2 is that money is a major motivation behind what they claim is a fraud. Funding requests are often cited, and the claim has been made that, for example, all you have to do to get your proposal funded is to mention 'climate change,' 'global warming,' or some similar buzz-phrase. To what extent do you think this might be true? WT No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.430 / Virus Database: 270.14.101/2555 - Release Date: 12/22/09 08:09:00
[ECOLOG-L] Postdoc and PhD positions: Biodiversity, Macroecology and Conservation Biogeography
Fulltime post-doc and halftime PhD-positions, Free Floater junior research group Biodiversity, Macroecology and Conservation Biogeography (Prof. Dr. Holger Kreft) The Biodiversity, Macroecology and Conservation Biogeography group (Prof. Dr. Holger Kreft) at the Georg-August-University Göttingen invites applications for postdoctoral positions (full-time) and Ph.D. positions (half-time). Positions are initially available for two years, but can be extended to three years after positive evaluation. The salaries are defined according to the German E13 TV-L scale. Research in the group focuses on documenting and understanding broad-scale ecological and biogeographic patterns as well as implications of human activities on global biodiversity. Model groups are mainly plants and terrestrial vertebrates. Research opportunities include basic and conservation-related topics in predictive geostatistical modelling, island biogeography, testing of species richness hypotheses, biotic homogenization and geographic patterns of plant invasions, integrating of phylogenetic, functional, and species diversity. Postdoctoral applicants should have a PhD in ecology, biogeography or a closely related field. Candidates should have a strong publication record. Working knowledge in at least two of the following areas is required: management and analysis of large relational databases, GIS (ArcGIS/ArcINFO), statistical methods (package R) scripting and programming languages (C++, Python). Doctoral applicants should have a master or diploma degree in biology, geography, environmental sciences or a related field. A strong interest in modern macroecological and biogeographical research questions is required. The doctoral thesis will be published as a series of English manuscripts in international peer-reviewed journals. The Biodiversity, Macroecology and Conservation Biogeography group is a Free Floater Research Group recently established at the Georg-August-University Göttingen in the scope of the German Excellence Initiative. The university ranks among the top research institutions in the country, offering great career opportunities for young researchers and a vibrant academic environment in biodiversity research. Applications can be uploaded to the online form (https://lotus1.gwdg.de/uni/uzpr/zuk/0910_ff_hk.nsf/enter?OpenPage) by January 20, 2010 (24.00 hrs local time Göttingen, Germany). Full contact and application information can be found within the portal link. For informal enquiries about the posts please contact Prof. Dr. Holger Kreft (hkr...@uni-goettingen.de) or visit his webpage (http://www.uni-goettingen.de/en/128741.html) for further information. We explicitly welcome applications from abroad. The University of Göttingen seeks to increase the participation of women in areas in which they are currently underrepresented and therefore explicitly encourages applications from female candidates. Disabled persons with equivalent aptitude will be favoured. Online Application Portal: https://lotus1.gwdg.de/uni/uzpr/zuk/0910_ff_hk.nsf/enter?OpenPage (appologies for cross-postings) -- Dr. Holger Kreft Phone: ++49-(0)228-73-6333 Email: h...@uni-bonn.de www.uni-bonn.de/~uzsxeg Nees Institute for Biodiversity of Plants Head Prof. Wilhelm Barthlott Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Meckenheimer Allee 170 53115 Bonn - Germany Phone: +49 228 732526 Fax : +49 228 733120 Email: n...@uni-bonn.de www.nees.uni-bonn.de
[ECOLOG-L] Bioenergy Tenure-Track Faculty Positions
Bioenergy Tenure-Track Faculty positions The University of Wisconsin-Madison is committed to improving our energy future through renewable energy research and discovery. To facilitate that commitment, UW-Madison's College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) formed the Wisconsin Bioenergy Initiative (WBI) to grow bioenergy expertise among UW-Madison, UW-System and Wisconsin stakeholders. The WBI is a university-based coalition that helps the talent within Wisconsin create, commercialize and promote bioenergy solutions. Its goal is to harness the talent, creativity and natural resources in Wisconsin to build a renewable energy landscape in our home state and beyond. In order to advance these goals, UW-Madison is seeking individuals to grow bioenergy expertise in established departments with focus areas including, but not limited to: . Behavior change, public attitudes and social marketing, particularly in the energy sector. . Applied ethics and public policy to support the understanding of the social impacts of new energy technologies. . Ecological modeling which may include time series analysis, spatial statistics, hierarchical models and Bayesian statistics that can be applied to natural resource management, including assessment of bioenergy potential and impacts. . Community and regional development, with an emphasis on the economic and physical infrastructure needed for bioenergy development, and the analysis of social, cultural and land use impacts of bioenergy production, distribution and use. The UW-Madison campus is located in the heart of the city of Madison, Wisconsin that offers an unsurpassed vibrant living and learning community. (www.uc.wisc.edu/slideshow) Applications, nominations, and inquiries are all invited. Review of applications will commence on 12/1/09, and continue through 1/31/10, or until successful candidates are identified. Please visit www.wbi.wisc.edu/careers for details and submission instructions. Unless confidentiality is requested in writing, information regarding applicants must be released upon requests. Finalists cannot be guaranteed confidentiality. UW-Madison is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.
