M.S. student wanted to model the effects of climate change and urbanization on
the major ecosystems of Long Island, New York
M.S. position modeling the effects of climate change and urbanization on the
major plant ecosystems of Long Island, New York. The objective of this project
is to model the predicted changes in the distributions of the major plant
species that structure the most important ecosystems of Long Island at chosen
future time slices. The models will include consideration of sea level rise
and increasing urbanization. The student will use existing data sets and GIS
data and work with The Nature Conservancy, Natural Area Inventory, and Dr. Luca
Luiselli, an ecological modeler (F.I.Z.V. (Ecology) and Centre of Environmental
Studies, Rome).
The student will be enrolled at Hofstra University. The position comes with
full tuition remission, but does not include salary or housing. There may be
opportunities for teaching positions and other employment.
The project may involve field work but will mostly require a detailed
evaluation of previously collected data. The candidate will be part of a
research group composed of professors and students in the Hofstra University
Center for Climate Study (HUCCS), spearheaded by Dr. E. Christa Farmer
(Geology). One branch of the research, headed by Dr. David Weissman (Physics),
will study the effect of rain on the CO2 absorption in the ocean using
space-based microwave radar. The research project advertised here is headed by
Drs. Russell Burke and Myla Aronson (Biology). The third branch of HUCCS
research will investigate paleotempestology, or the study of prehistoric
hurricanes from the geologic record, and will be spearheaded by Dr. Farmer.
The results from these studies will be disseminated to the scientific community
through publications and presentations at scientific meetings, and to the
public through a museum exhibit.
Qualifications: A bachelor's degree in biological sciences, with experience in
both plant ecology and GIS. A strong interest in conservation, quantitative
ecology, and statistics. The successful applicant must be accepted as a
graduate student in the Department of Biology at Hofstra University, a small
but intensive graduate program with new undergraduate and graduate degree
programs in Urban Ecology.
Documents to provide by e-mail : Send a short letter of introduction, a CV,
unofficial copies of academic transcripts, and the name and e-mail address of 3
references to Dr. Burke at bio...@hofstra.edu bio...@hofstra.edu.
The evaluation of candidates will begin immediately and continue until the
position is filled. We expect to start this position in Fall 2010.
