[ECOLOG-L] postdocs, ecosystem dynamics, Princeton U.

[Jeremy Lichstein]

Postdoctoral Research Associate positions available

Professor Stephen W. Pacala of the Department of Ecology and
Evolutionary Biology and the Princeton Environmental Institute at
Princeton University seeks two Postdoctoral Research Associate
positions: one in vegetation and ecosystem dynamics and/or climate
change and one in global vegetation modeling.

A postdoctoral research associate position to pursue modeling projects
related to climate change, carbon cycling, and vegetation dynamics.
The position is broadly defined and may address a wide range of
questions related to vegetation dynamics, ecosystem ecology and
climate change. Both empirical and theoretical approaches are welcome,
and funding for field studies is available.  Requirements: PhD in
related field. Candidates with strong mathematical, computational,
and/or statistical skills are especially encouraged to apply.

A second postdoctoral research associate position focuses on
developing a next-generation global land model that can be coupled to
the NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Lab (GFDL) Earth System Model.
Principal collaborators include GFDL and the US Forest Service
Northern Research Station. Diverse data sources, including forest
inventories, eddy-flux towers, and plant-trait databases, will be
assimilated to add physiological mechanisms to a new mathematically
and computationally tractable forest dynamics model (Strigul et al.
2008, Ecological Monographs; Purves et al. 2008, PNAS) and to broaden
the model to cover other biomes.  Initial efforts to calibrate the
model will focus on northern Wisconsin and will contribute to a Forest
Service assessment of forest carbon mitigation potential in this
region.  The Wisconsin prototype will be integrated with the GFDL
modeling framework to facilitate extensions to the global scale.
Requirements:  PhD in related field. Candidates with strong
mathematical, computational, and/or statistical skills are especially
encouraged to apply.  Desired qualifications are field and modeling
experience in forest dynamics, familiarity with Bayesian or likelihood
estimation, one or more low-level programming languages (GFDL uses
Fortran 90), and Unix shell scripts.

Both positions are one-year initial appointments with the possibility
of renewal. Start date is flexible. Apply online at
http://jobs.princeton.edu  under Requisition #1000328.  Include
curriculum vitae, names of three references, and one-page statement of
research interests.  For more information, email Jeremy Lichstein
(j...@princeton.edu) with subject “Princeton postdoc.”

Princeton University is an equal opportunity employer and complies
with applicable EEO and affirmative action regulations.  For
information about applying to Princeton and voluntarily
self-identifying, please link to
http://www.princeton.edu/dof/about_us/dof_job_openings/.

[ECOLOG-L] Yasuní, the most diverse place on the planet

[Pamela J. Woods]

This CNN report shows the on-going struggle between advocates for preservation 
of the most 
diverse place on the planet, the impending drive for oil development, and the 
difficult economic 
choices developing countries need to make for themselves within a climate of 
international 
pressure from both companies and developed governments. The deal Ecuador has 
proposed could 
serve as an economic model of development for so many other places - please 
watch this at the 
very least to be aware. Plus, these presentations would be a great educational 
tool.

Dr. Kelly Swing was my professor 10 years ago for an undergrad Tropical Ecology 
semester, for 
which we spent a month in Yasuní. That program was the most influential part of 
my entire (on-
going) education, Yasuní is my favorite place in the world, and Kelly´s 
dedication continues to 
amaze me.

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/international/2010/05/27/ef.amazon.research.bk.b.c
nn.html

If you liked that, check this out, but don't be put off by the lack of sound - 
it gets better as it 
progresses: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdJhvbvjOnk

Pamela Woods
Ph.C.
University of Iceland
University of Washington

Re: [ECOLOG-L] heterogeneity vs. variability

[Jurek Kolasa]

You might want to have a look at a book "Ecological Heterogeneity" edited by
J. Kolasa and S.T.A. Pickett (1981; Springer).  The book contains a
conceptual review and a variaty of applications and implementations of these
two concepts.

Cheers,

Jurek K

-Original Message-
From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news
[mailto:ecolo...@listserv.umd.edu] On Behalf Of Pablo Munguia
Sent: May-30-10 11:30 AM
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] heterogeneity vs. variability

Dear Sanghoon,

I tend to think of heterogeneity referring to resource quality (or a
qualitative trait of the resource), whereas variability refers to resource
quantity.  Heterogeneity can differ both spatially and temporally.  

Sincerely, 
Pablo Munguia




Date:Fri, 28 May 2010 18:17:46 -0400
From:=?iso-8859-1?Q?Sanghoon_Kang?= 
Subject: heterogeneity vs. variability

I was writing a paper discussing spatial heterogeneity of soil measurements.
At the moment, I became confused between the concept of heterogeneity and 
variability. To me 'heterogeneity' contains 'spatial' context, 
and 'variability' has 'variations of values'. Thus 'heterogeneity of N' 
means 'N concentrations are different at different sampling locations', 
while 'variability of N' means simply 'variations of N concentration 
without considering locations of sample'. Then in the context of 'spatial' 
it seem like they become indistinguishable. But I feel like they are not 
exactly same. Any insight?

SANGHOON KANG.

[ECOLOG-L] Still time to apply for Awards for students attending ESA 2010 annual conference‏

[Andrea Kuchy]

The ESA Student Section is proud to sponsor several awards. The deadline 
for the following award applications is ***June 15, 2010***. If you are 
planning on attending the 95th annual conference of the Ecological Society 
of America (Pittsburgh, PA), please check out these opportunities:

- 2010 Outstanding Student Research in Ecology Awards (OSREAs): We will 
award one undergraduate and one graduate student cash prizes for 
excellence in research. For more info: 
http://www.esa.org/students/section/node/347 

- 2010 Best Undergraduate Presentation Awards (BUPAs): We will award two 
awards to undergraduate students for excellence in research presented 
(oral and poster presentations) at the annual 2010 ESA conference. For 
more info: http://www.esa.org/students/section/node/351 

- 2010 Academic Excellence Award for Young Women in Ecology: We will 
awardone female student a cash prize for academic excellence demonstrated 
by an outstanding research publication and a commitment to increase the 
visibility of other women in science. For more info: 
http://www.esa.org/students/section/node/119 

The winners will be announced at the ESA Student Section Award Ceremony
(exact time and day TBA), which will take place at the ESA annual 
conferencein Pittsburgh, August 1st-6th, 2010 (Please note that the 2010 
BUPAs will be announced at the 96th ESA annual conference, to be held in 
2011 in AustinTX). 

Finally, if you would like to become an active voice in one of the most 
active Sections of the ESA, please consider becoming an ESA Student 
Section officer. Deadline is *June 15th*. For more info: 
http://www.esa.org/students/section/node/350

If you haven't submitted your application package, you still have time to 
do so!


The ESA-SS Board

[ECOLOG-L] Blog discussions: lethal research on sharks, an interview about overfishing with commercial fishermen, and the internet's best oil spill resources

[David Shiffman]

Hi, everyone!

My marine biology and conservation blog has three discussions going on that
many of you might be interested in.

The first concerns a recent paper in the journal of conservation biology.
The authors argue that it is sometimes necessary to kill individual sharks
for the benefit of species-level conservation, and it has generated a lot of
strong opinions. What do you think? Join the discussion here:
http://www.southernfriedscience.com/?p=5412

Red snapper are one of the most overfished species in the United States, but
tough new regulations have fishermen marching on Washington, DC in protest.
Two commercial fishermen agreed to take my questions about their side of the
story. See their responses and leave more questions for them here:
http://www.southernfriedscience.com/?p=5746

Finally, my co-blogger has compiled a list of the internet's best resources
for oil spill news. It includes blog posts and Twitter feeds. Check it out,
and let us know if you have any that we should add:
http://www.southernfriedscience.com/?page_id=5720

Thanks, everyone!

Sincerely,
David Shiffman
Masters in Marine Biology candidate, College of Charleston

[ECOLOG-L] JOB: Research Botanist, NatureServe

[Kelly Gravuer]

NatureServe, an international nonprofit conservation organization, is 
seeking a Research Botanist to join its team of scientists.  This is a 
full-time position located in Arlington, Virginia. The Research Botanist 
assesses and reviews the conservation status of rare North American plants 
and contributes to a diverse array of projects and analyses that use this 
information to influence conservation decisions. Frequent clients/partners 
include U.S. and Canadian Federal land management agencies, as well as 
more local conservation groups and university-based conservation 
researchers.

The ideal candidate will have a M.S. in botany or in biology/ecology with 
a botanical emphasis, at least one year of experience working in a 
botanical field, a working knowledge of some portion of the North American 
flora, knowledge of systematic concepts, and excellent research and 
communication skills.

NatureServe’s mission-focused, collaborative atmosphere motivates staff to 
contribute their best efforts to make a positive impact on some of the 
world’s most pressing environmental issues.

We offer a competitive nonprofit benefits package that includes a 401(k) 
savings and retirement plan with matching contributions; health and dental 
insurance; short and long-term disability; annual and sick leave; and life 
insurance.

NatureServe is located in Arlington, Virginia just outside Washington, 
D.C., in a location easily accessible by foot, bike, or public 
transportation (metrorail and metrobus). If you would like to pursue a 
career in plant conservation that makes a tangible difference, please go 
to http://natureserve.org/aboutUs/jobs.jsp for detailed information about 
this job, the organization, and how to apply.

[ECOLOG-L] Staff Position, Education and Outreach Coordinator, NIMBioS

[Catherine Crawley]

Staff Position - Education and Outreach Coordinator - National Institute 
for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS)
This full-time position is responsible for coordinating all outreach and 
education research activities of NIMBioS in collaboration with the 
Director and the Associate Director for Education, Outreach and 
Diversity. This position develops the array of outreach activities of 
NIMBioS including activities with the general public, K-12 programs at 
schools, collaboration networks for high school teachers, coordination 
of summer undergraduate research programs, mentoring networks for 
undergraduates, coordination of outreach-linked-to-research with the 
staff of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and organization of 
workshops and conferences related to education and outreach. A MS in a 
quantitative scientific field (e.g., Mathematics, Statistics or Computer 
Science) or an area of the Life Sciences or equivalent experience is 
required; a PhD is a plus. Applicants should also have experience 
working in collaboration with researchers with BS, MS and PhD degrees to 
meet project tasks and the ability to communicate scientific topics to 
diverse audiences. Position Title: Research Associate II. Pay Grade 41. 
To apply, submit a CV with cover letter and names of two references to: 
Dr. Chris Welsh via email to cwe...@utk.edu . The 
University of Tennessee is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/Section 
504/ADA/ADEA institution in the provision of its education and 
employment programs and services. All qualified applicants will receive 
equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, 
national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual 
orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, or 
covered veteran status.

Re: [ECOLOG-L] heterogeneity vs. variability

[Jianwei Li]

Dear Sanghoon,
I thought of the issue for a while too.
In my mind, variability is a word to be used in broad sense, but 
heterogeneity is one more specific. Dependent on the spatial context (known 
spatial location or unknown), the two words convey different level of 
content. Variability (variations of values) are actually spatial scale 
dependent(study plot or area), but many studies usually don't require an 
accurate record of spatial location (or pattern) of their sampling, rather, 
more focus on changes of "central tendency" for their research goals. I 
have used coefficient of variation (CV) and Cocran's C test to index 
variability in my study.  With accurate spatial location known, variability 
can be well represented by heterogeneity, which can be indexed by a various 
of methods (trend surface analysis, autocorrlation correlograms, kriging 
maps).
In my recent publication we explored the within-plot variability and 
contrasting spatial heterogeneity among three land uses.


Li J, Richter DD, Mendoza A, Heine P (2010) Effects of land-use history on 
soil spatial heterogeneity of macro- and trace elements in the Southern 
Piedmont USA. Geoderma 156:60-73


Hope it helps.
Thanks,
Jianwei


--
Jianwei Li, Ph.D
Postdoctoral Researcher
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Kansas Biological Survey
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS  66047
Email: j...@ku.edu
Office: 785-864-1564
Fax: 785-864-1534



--On Friday, May 28, 2010 6:17 PM -0400 Sanghoon Kang  wrote:


I was writing a paper discussing spatial heterogeneity of soil
measurements. At the moment, I became confused between the concept of
heterogeneity and  variability. To me 'heterogeneity' contains 'spatial'
context,
and 'variability' has 'variations of values'. Thus 'heterogeneity of N'
means 'N concentrations are different at different sampling locations',
while 'variability of N' means simply 'variations of N concentration
without considering locations of sample'. Then in the context of
'spatial'  it seem like they become indistinguishable. But I feel like
they are not  exactly same. Any insight?

SANGHOON KANG.

[ECOLOG-L] Job: associate analyst for scientific integrity (UCS)

[Michael Halpern]

Greetings, 
 
Please circulate the job announcement below widely and encourage
energetic and capable candidates to apply. 
 
Thank you, 
Michael 
 
*
 
The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) is seeking an associate analyst
to support the work of its Scientific Integrity Program. 
 
The Program: The UCS Scientific Integrity Program works to defend
science and scientists from political interference in their work and
restore scientific integrity to federal policymaking. The scientific
community over the past several years has witnessed significant
manipulation, suppression, and distortion of federal government agency
science research and federal advisory committees and the censorship of
scientists. President Obama has pledged to “restore science to its
rightful place,” a complex task that needs input, support, and
oversight. For more information, see
www.ucsusa.org/scientific_integrity. 
 
The Position: The person who takes this position will manage, design,
and carry out independent research projects to increase understanding
and visibility of scientific integrity issues. The associate analyst
compiles, writes, and edits technical and policy analyses, reports, fact
sheets, and other materials, often under tight deadlines. The associate
analyst monitors current events and identifies issues with a scientific
integrity component. This requires the associate analyst to develop a
familiarity with a wide array of public health, environmental and
science-related topics and laws, and the legal and organizational
structure of multiple government agencies over a variety of topics.  
 
As appropriate, the associate analyst participates in the development
of scientific integrity policy, outreach and advocacy initiatives. The
person in this position represents SIP interests in relevant
policy-related coalitions and workshops; tracks scientific integrity
aspects of relevant legislation; develops internal systems to manage
research information and facilitate and coordinate information exchange
among members of the program; and assists in the education and
management of day to day activities of SI interns. 
 
Qualifications: The position requires comprehensive knowledge of a
scientific field, generally obtained through a master's degree or
equivalent experience. The ability to analyze and write quickly to meet
the needs of the current media and congressional landscape is essential.
 Candidates should possess a solid understanding of how science informs
public policy and a familiarity with general public health and
environmental concepts and issues. Robust written and oral
communications abilities, strong quantitative and analytical skills, and
a working knowledge of and interest in the way in which the U.S.
government functions are necessary for this position. Most of all,
candidates should possess a passion for improving the way in which
science informs policy making, and a demonstrable commitment to working
in the public interest/non-profit sector. Work requires at least four
years of advanced education or progressively responsible experience in a
scientific discipline and ideally experience with science policy
development and analysis and advocacy.
 
To Apply: 
Please submit a cover letter, resume, salary requirements, list of
three references, and two writing samples no longer than five pages each
(one of which must non-academic writing, such as a memo, op-ed, press
release, or blog post) to j...@ucsusa.org – Please include “Associate
Analyst” in subject line. No phone calls, please.
 
Application Deadline: As soon as possible, but no later than Sunday,
June 6, 2010
 

[ECOLOG-L] PhD and PostDoc position in terrestrial ecosystem/biosphere modelling in Frankfurt

[Thomas Hickler]

A PhD and a PostDoc position are available at the Biodiversity and Climate 
Research Centre (BiK-F) in Frankfurt/Germany. BiK-F is a new 
interdisciplinary institute with the mission to carry out internationally 
outstanding research on the interactions of biodiversity and climate 
change. It provides a dynamic research environment that integrates a 
variety of disciplines from both natural and social sciences. The Project 
Area E “Data and Modelling Centre” invites applications for 

1 PostDoc position (Ref. #E16)
1 PhD position (Ref. #E18)
“Modelling of the terrestrial biosphere”

Candidates are expected to further develop ecosystem and terrestrial 
biosphere models, with a particular focus upon interactions between 
climate, ecosystems and biodiversity. Envisioned key development areas 
include interactions between herbivores and ecosystems, climate impacts on 
forests, and an improved representation of functional diversity within 
Dynamic Global Vegetation Models (DGVMs).

The applicant should hold a master/diploma or PhD degree in Biology, 
Geography, Geoecology, Physics, Forestry, Earth System Science, 
Environmental Science or similar. He/she needs to have expertise in 
numerical modelling and computer programming, and an interest to work in 
interdisciplinary teams. Expertise in Linux system administration, shell 
programming and C++ are an advantage. Very good written and oral English 
language skills are required. Applicants for the PostDoc positions should 
have published in international, peer-reviewed journals.

The Research Centre BiK-F advocates gender equality. Women are therefore 
strongly encouraged to apply. Equally qualified severely handicapped 
applicants will be given preference.

Salary and benefits are according to public service positions in Germany 
(TV-H E 13 for PostDoc positions and TV-H E 13 50% for PhD positions).

The contract shall start as soon as possible and will initially be 
restricted to three years. An extension of an additional three years is 
possible being subject to personal performance and availability of funds. 
The duty station will be Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

Please, send applications by mail or e-mail, mentioning the reference of 
this position (#E16 or #E18), and including a cover letter describing the 
applicant’s motivation to apply, a detailed CV, two references, a copy of 
your thesis and a list of publications, until June 20th, 2010 to
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. V. Mosbrugger, Scientific Coordinator Biodiversity and 
Climate Research Centre, Senckenberganlage 25, D-60325 Frankfurt am Main, 
Germany. E-mail to Service and Finances: recruit...@senckenberg.de.
For scientific enquiries please write to Prof. T. Hickler (e-mail: 
thomas.hick...@senckenberg.de).
Further information: http://www.bik-f.de (click “en” in upper right corner 
for English version)