Re: [ECOLOG-L] Hypothesis Testing in Ecology
Honorable Forum: Re: I think these general surveys are valuable, but they don't overtly involve hypotheses and testing. However, it can and does include assumptions/hypotheses; as one of the posters on the topic pointed out there are always assumptions made. One doesn't walk every square inch of a site, rather picks areas (from aerials, maps, knowledge, observations when out there) places that are most likely to be different/interesting (have rare things). --Pat Swain (Monday, March 07, 2011 6:03 AM) I don't want to appear to jump to conclusions, so I would be interested in Swain's expansions upon this issue. I wonder if Pat would have funded a survey which was based upon random sampling/mapping that would provide a baseline dataset and provide another level of scrutiny of the different/interesting as well as an opportunity to discover that which one's present state of knowledge might otherwise overlook. Please describe the theoretical foundation for walking the site rather than randomly sampling it, and how one approaches gaining knowledge of a site without a (statistically) valid inventory. WT - Original Message - From: Swain, Pat (FWE) pat.sw...@state.ma.us To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Sent: Monday, March 07, 2011 6:03 AM Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Hypothesis Testing in Ecology Ecolog-L, Way back when the question about hypothesis testing in ecology was first posed to the group, one of the questions was whether anyone had rejected projects or grant proposals for lack of hypotheses. The discussion has gone on while I thought about posting a response to that, but with Jane Shevtsov's prodding, I offer the following thoughts on hypothesis testing and research. For some years I was on a committee to review and select graduate student research proposals for grant support for a regional botanical organization at the same time that I was involved in evaluating proposals for small contracts from my office which is focused on rare species and uncommon natural communities in the state. (I stress the research grants vs. contracts; and I am no longer on the committee which no doubt has different biases from mine, and my office doesn't have money for small contracts like we used to). On the grad research committee, I was far more likely to approve proposals for consideration if a hypothesis was stated, and I tended to veto projects that didn't do that. For example, I think that pure survey of a property for species (making a list of all the species of some taxonomic group) encountered isn't research, but such a project can be developed and proposed in ways that has research in it (effects of land use history, recreation, management...). If a student wanted to inventory a property as a research project, as someone funding grants I wanted the reasons given for why that property is worth the effort and what will be done with the results. I recall one otherwise quite good proposal I didn't consider because it just said that the property was interesting and the nonprofit owning it should know what was on it. I wanted to be shown what assumptions are being made (those should be stated as hypotheses to be tested in a proposal for a research grant), predictions! of where differences might be and why and expectations that post inventory analyses would be undertaken. However, some of the projects that I rejected as not being research might well have been fundable (I think some were) by my office where we want to know what rare species are in particular places, and what is rare. We have funded contracts for surveys for particular taxonomic groups in general as well others focused on rare species/natural communities along rivers, on particular properties, and so on. I think these general surveys are valuable, but they don't overtly involve hypotheses and testing. However, it can and does include assumptions/hypotheses; as one of the posters on the topic pointed out there are always assumptions made. One doesn't walk every square inch of a site, rather picks areas (from aerials, maps, knowledge, observations when out there) places that are most likely to be different/interesting (have rare things). So my thinking back when I was on the grad research committee was that for an inventory to be research and worth funding with a grant, the proposal had to clearly state hypotheses to be tested, and better, to discuss (yes, in only 2 pages) underlying assumptions going into the project. Maybe some of what I was after was an overt awareness of the questions and assumptions involved in setting up the project. And some idea of expected analysis of the results. My convoluted discussion summarizes to 'yes, I rejected proposals that didn't have hypotheses stated'. Pat -- Patricia Swain, Ph.D. Community Ecologist Natural Heritage Endangered Species Program Massachusetts Division of Fisheries
[ECOLOG-L] Mother Pelican + March 2011
For your consideration: Mother Pelican - A Journal of Sustainable Human Development Volume 7, Number 3, March 2011 Energy Transition, Homo Economicus, and Homo Ecologicus http://www.pelicanweb.org/solisustv07n03page1.html This issue is focused on the transition from nonrenewable to renewable sources of energy, which is contingent on human adaptation from the economic mindset to the ecological mindset. The central concept is to mitigate the human propensity to consume and activate the human capacity to adapt. Please forward this notice to friends and colleagues who might be interested. Submission of research papers on sustainable human development is cordially invited. Sincerely, Luis Luis T. Gutiérrez, PhD, PE The Pelican Web of Solidarity and Sustainability Mother Pelican: A Journal of Sustainable Human Development A monthly, CC license, free subscription, open access e-journal
[ECOLOG-L] Young Ecologists in the Review Process: Survey and Workshop Invitation
Dear ECOLOGGERS, The Student Section of the Ecological Society of America (ESA -SS) would like to collect the opinion of young ecologists (high school through pre-tenured faculty members) regarding the involvement of young researchers in the peer-review process of journals. Please complete this one-page survey before Friday 11, 2011. We would also like to invite all students to participate in a related workshop where young ecologists will have the opportunity to interact with 10 Editors-in-Chief from many of the major journals in Ecology. See below for more information. Survey link is here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ESASSPeerReviewSurvey Reviewing articles is one of the many responsibilities that are expected from professionals in the field of ecology. Unfortunately many graduate programs do not cover the basics on the ‘how to’ and the benefits of reviewing manuscripts. The ESA SS is organizing a workshop at the ESA 2011 annual meeting in Austin, TX titled *Things they don't teach you in grad school: peer-review inside-out* where the attendees will have the chance to learn first-hand about the peer review process and ask questions of the Editors-in-Chief of various journals in the field of ecology. In order to tailor this workshop towards the needs of young ecologists we have created this very short and anonymous survey. The Student Section will also use the information gained from this survey to increase the involvement of young ecologists in the review process. The following journals are to be represented by their Editors-in-Chief: Ecology, Ecosphere, ESA Bulletin, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, Oecologia, TREE, American Naturalist, Journal of Ecology, Ecology Letters and Ecological Monographs. Please forward this to other student or early career ecologists. Many thanks. ESA Student Section Board
[ECOLOG-L] Job Ad
Science Teaching Fellow The Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EBIO), at the University of Colorado, Boulder, invites applicants for the position of Science Teaching Fellow to assist with enhancing teaching and learning in our undergraduate courses. Candidates should hold a doctoral degree in Ecology or Evolutionary Biology or a related field and have excellent organizational and interpersonal communication skills. However, their primary interest and at least some experience should be in science education. The successful candidate will work within the department and with other education specialists. Specific responsibilities will include working with EBIO faculty who teach our core undergraduate courses (Ecology, Genetics and Evolution) to specify an integrated set of specific learning goals for these courses; develop strategies for including more active learning; develop and validate assessments of student learning gains; and participate in the development of techniques, materials and practices for improving student learning in these courses. The salary for this 1-year renewable (up to three years) appointment will be competitive and commensurate with experience. Applicants should submit a single pdf containing their CV, a statement of teaching philosophy, and the names and email addresses of three individuals who can serve as references to a...@colorado.edu. To ensure full consideration, applications must be received by April 15, 2011. The University of Colorado at Boulder is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution committed to cultural diversity and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Women and minorities encouraged to apply. We invite applications from qualified candidates who share our commitment to diversity. The University of Colorado conducts background checks on all final applicants being considered for employment. Andrew Martin Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Colorado Boulder, CO 80309
[ECOLOG-L] Need textbook Suggestiond
I am developing a course in Ecological Literacy. At a minimum, I would like to use one book on systems thinking, and one general ecology text. I may use two books on systems thinking and also add a book on ecological resilience, and of course, individual papers and book chapters. I am having trouble finding an appropriate general ecology text. I need something with an emphasis on ecosystem science and climate interactions (don't need any autecology). Many of the students may not be science majors, so the typical ecosystem science textbook is not appropriate. But the students will have had some science and will be very into the subject and fairly knowledgeable on environmental issues, so a typical environmental science text for non-majors may not be right either. I need something in between. Finally, I don't want anything too big, heavy or expensive. Any suggestions? Thanks! Becky Sherry University of Oklahoma rshe...@ou.edu
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Hypothesis Testing in Ecology
I am amazed by Pat Swain's statements implying that unless a program of work includes formal hypothesis testing, it's not even research. (...I think that pure survey of a property for species (making a list of all the species of some taxonomic group) encountered isn't research..., ...some of the projects that I rejected as not being research might well have been fundable ...)This appears to be defining the word research in a way I have never seen or heard before. Does this mean that none of the scientific work that was done before the rise of modern statistics was not research? Where the people doing that work also not really scientists? And whatever happened to library research? Martin 2011/3/7 Wayne Tyson landr...@cox.net Honorable Forum: Re: I think these general surveys are valuable, but they don't overtly involve hypotheses and testing. However, it can and does include assumptions/hypotheses; as one of the posters on the topic pointed out there are always assumptions made. One doesn't walk every square inch of a site, rather picks areas (from aerials, maps, knowledge, observations when out there) places that are most likely to be different/interesting (have rare things). --Pat Swain (Monday, March 07, 2011 6:03 AM) I don't want to appear to jump to conclusions, so I would be interested in Swain's expansions upon this issue. I wonder if Pat would have funded a survey which was based upon random sampling/mapping that would provide a baseline dataset and provide another level of scrutiny of the different/interesting as well as an opportunity to discover that which one's present state of knowledge might otherwise overlook. Please describe the theoretical foundation for walking the site rather than randomly sampling it, and how one approaches gaining knowledge of a site without a (statistically) valid inventory. WT - Original Message - From: Swain, Pat (FWE) pat.sw...@state.ma.us To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Sent: Monday, March 07, 2011 6:03 AM Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Hypothesis Testing in Ecology Ecolog-L, Way back when the question about hypothesis testing in ecology was first posed to the group, one of the questions was whether anyone had rejected projects or grant proposals for lack of hypotheses. The discussion has gone on while I thought about posting a response to that, but with Jane Shevtsov's prodding, I offer the following thoughts on hypothesis testing and research. For some years I was on a committee to review and select graduate student research proposals for grant support for a regional botanical organization at the same time that I was involved in evaluating proposals for small contracts from my office which is focused on rare species and uncommon natural communities in the state. (I stress the research grants vs. contracts; and I am no longer on the committee which no doubt has different biases from mine, and my office doesn't have money for small contracts like we used to). On the grad research committee, I was far more likely to approve proposals for consideration if a hypothesis was stated, and I tended to veto projects that didn't do that. For example, I think that pure survey of a property for species (making a list of all the species of some taxonomic group) encountered isn't research, but such a project can be developed and proposed in ways that has research in it (effects of land use history, recreation, management...). If a student wanted to inventory a property as a research project, as someone funding grants I wanted the reasons given for why that property is worth the effort and what will be done with the results. I recall one otherwise quite good proposal I didn't consider because it just said that the property was interesting and the nonprofit owning it should know what was on it. I wanted to be shown what assumptions are being made (those should be stated as hypotheses to be tested in a proposal for a research grant), predictions! of where differences might be and why and expectations that post inventory analyses would be undertaken. However, some of the projects that I rejected as not being research might well have been fundable (I think some were) by my office where we want to know what rare species are in particular places, and what is rare. We have funded contracts for surveys for particular taxonomic groups in general as well others focused on rare species/natural communities along rivers, on particular properties, and so on. I think these general surveys are valuable, but they don't overtly involve hypotheses and testing. However, it can and does include assumptions/hypotheses; as one of the posters on the topic pointed out there are always assumptions made. One doesn't walk every square inch of a site, rather picks areas (from aerials, maps, knowledge, observations when out there) places that are most likely to be different/interesting (have rare things).
[ECOLOG-L] posting on jobs wiki
Hi, for 4-5 years I have been among a group of people that keep an academic jobs wiki together for applicants to communicate. It is generally intended to be a supportive community that exchanges information about job searches. It is not a place to post vacancies, but rather a place where people can exchange info about their experiences and notify each other that positions may have been cancelled or moved forward to interview stages, or filled. It is a nice tool when it is operating properly because it allows you to make tough decisions about accepting one job over another, c. It has been a valuable resource barring a few glitches when people accidentally delete a line, or mess up a date. It is pretty popular with the unemployed. During this past year, a number of individuals have taken to attacking others, posting insults (even directed at people or institutions by name), posting inappropriate pictures, and using foul language that is completely inappropriate for this venue and certainly unprofessional. The latest post attacked and named of individuals from the Ecolog listserv with a variety of comments directed at the listserve community. Its amazing to me how many do this while signed into Google so their name reveals who is writing the stuff. I'll be nice and not name names. If you have a problem with people on this list, it would be wise to either ignore them or correspond with them directly rather than attacking them on a wiki for which such input is neither desired nor solicited. If you have a problem with the listserve, maybe it is not the appropriate community for your needs and desires. Certainly, a job search is stressful, but that doesn't give anyone the right to take it out on others. Each of us needs to be mindful of what we say in public, even when we believe we are anonymous. I've made my own bonehead mistakes in public, so I know that sometimes people do or say things without thinking. I certainly do not want to see junior scientists chastised or black-listed because they posted some comment on a public forum in a fit of frustration. However, I also don't want to see others defamed by the same individuals. Do junior scientists who post these things realize that it could impede their careers? Maybe some of you do not realize it, but I know for a fact that some people on search committees scan the wiki during searches, some contribute anonymously. Maybe the comments would not bother me as much if it didn't reflect on the group of us who maintenance the wiki. In fact, a few of those moderating the wiki have permanent jobs and just like doing it (I guess). I wonder if any of them were on search committees this year? I don't think any of us wants to be viewed as crude, intolerant, or spiteful. I personally think these folks are blowing off steam and just plain depressed with the last two years' miserable job markets. They probably just plain didn't think about it. Regardless, the behavior displayed on the wiki this year is a very new phenomenon and has been pretty disappointing. Employers want people who try to work with others and get along. Who wants to work with someone who is mean, insulting or generally disagreeable? I hope this opens some eyes and cleans up the problems that have recently developed. -- Malcolm L. McCallum Managing Editor, Herpetological Conservation and Biology Peer pressure is designed to contain anyone with a sense of drive - Allan Nation 1880's: There's lots of good fish in the sea W.S. Gilbert 1990's: Many fish stocks depleted due to overfishing, habitat loss, and pollution. 2000: Marine reserves, ecosystem restoration, and pollution reduction MAY help restore populations. 2022: Soylent Green is People! Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message.
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Hypothesis Testing in Ecology
Hola Manuel, Yours is a tough question, looking for specificity that is beyond what I looking for in grant proposals. When I reviewed grad student research proposals , I was looking for a statement that would demonstrate some thought about the proposed project and plans for analysis beyond the immediate results. I was not looking for a statistical hypothesis. I agree that, as you say, statement of an hypothesis can be easy and the difficulty is designing the test. Maybe, because I was dealing with student proposals, I was trying to teach the applicants that they needed to state what they thought was obvious and think about predictions to test what they were proposing to do. In English we also say, do as I say, not as I do. I hope that in my example, we weren't 100% guilty of the 'not as I do' part since I differentiate between grants intended to support research, and what I do at work, which isn't usually research to my way of thinking because we don't do much analysis of the results of any given inventory (from the office perspective, the main point is to know where rare species are in order to protect them). So, what do I consider a scientific hypothesis to be? For practical purposes I've looked for a statement of a question to be investigated and a discussion of how it is to be tested. You may well be right, that there isn't much carefully defined hypothesis testing in Ecology, but I think that it is useful to encourage attempts to approach that goal, and to try to do it oneself, if only to keep in mind that (inverting things) what we observe may have more than one cause or the cause that seems obvious may not be the operative one (using the multiple working hypotheses ideas). Saludos, Pat -- Pat Swain NHESP Community Ecologist From: Manuel Spínola [mailto:mspinol...@gmail.com] Sent: Monday, March 07, 2011 12:02 PM To: Swain, Pat (FWE) Cc: ECOLOG-L@listserv.umd.edu Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Hypothesis Testing in Ecology Dear Pat, But what do you consider a scientific hypothesis? Because the statement of an hypothesis could be easy, the difficult task is the logic of the study to test the hypothesis, something that you have to do with the predictions because you cannot test an hypothesis itself, but throught its predictions. My believe is that there is an illusion about hypothesis testing in Ecology. In spanish we say: Haz lo que yo digo pero no lo que yo hago (do what I say but not what I do). Most published articles on ecological journals are not about truly hypothesis testing. Best, Manuel 2011/3/7 Swain, Pat (FWE) pat.sw...@state.ma.usmailto:pat.sw...@state.ma.us Ecolog-L, Way back when the question about hypothesis testing in ecology was first posed to the group, one of the questions was whether anyone had rejected projects or grant proposals for lack of hypotheses. The discussion has gone on while I thought about posting a response to that, but with Jane Shevtsov's prodding, I offer the following thoughts on hypothesis testing and research. For some years I was on a committee to review and select graduate student research proposals for grant support for a regional botanical organization at the same time that I was involved in evaluating proposals for small contracts from my office which is focused on rare species and uncommon natural communities in the state. (I stress the research grants vs. contracts; and I am no longer on the committee which no doubt has different biases from mine, and my office doesn't have money for small contracts like we used to). On the grad research committee, I was far more likely to approve proposals for consideration if a hypothesis was stated, and I tended to veto projects that didn't do that. For example, I think that pure survey of a property for species (making a list of all the species of some taxonomic group) encountered isn't research, but such a project can be developed and proposed in ways that has research in it (effects of land use history, recreation, management...). If a student wanted to inventory a property as a research project, as someone funding grants I wanted the reasons given for why that property is worth the effort and what will be done with the results. I recall one otherwise quite good proposal I didn't consider because it just said that the property was interesting and the nonprofit owning it should know what was on it. I wanted to be shown what assumptions are being made (those should be stated as hypotheses to be tested in a proposal for a research grant), predictions! of where differences might be and why and expectations that post inventory analyses would be undertaken. However, some of the projects that I rejected as not being research might well have been fundable (I think some were) by my office where we want to know what rare species are in particular places, and what is rare. We have funded contracts for surveys for particular taxonomic
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Hypothesis Testing in Ecology
People seem to be struggling over how to understand the value of observational research in the context of hypothesis-oriented discussions. One missing fact is that hypothesis-oriented research does not have to involve “modern statistics”, because scientific hypothesis-testing is not the same as statistical null hypothesis testing. I’m surprised that no one has quoted Darwin’s perceptive comment about observational research (an activity in which he was an acknowledged master): How odd it is that anyone should not see that all observation must be for or against some view if it is to be of any service!” (see http://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/entry-3257 for the entire letter, to H. Fawcett, 18 Sept. 1861) Hal Caswell On Mar 8, 2011, at 8:49 AM, Martin Meiss wrote: I am amazed by Pat Swain's statements implying that unless a program of work includes formal hypothesis testing, it's not even research. (...I think that pure survey of a property for species (making a list of all the species of some taxonomic group) encountered isn't research..., ...some of the projects that I rejected as not being research might well have been fundable ...)This appears to be defining the word research in a way I have never seen or heard before. Does this mean that none of the scientific work that was done before the rise of modern statistics was not research? Where the people doing that work also not really scientists? And whatever happened to library research? Martin 2011/3/7 Wayne Tyson landr...@cox.net Honorable Forum: Re: I think these general surveys are valuable, but they don't overtly involve hypotheses and testing. However, it can and does include assumptions/hypotheses; as one of the posters on the topic pointed out there are always assumptions made. One doesn't walk every square inch of a site, rather picks areas (from aerials, maps, knowledge, observations when out there) places that are most likely to be different/interesting (have rare things). --Pat Swain (Monday, March 07, 2011 6:03 AM) I don't want to appear to jump to conclusions, so I would be interested in Swain's expansions upon this issue. I wonder if Pat would have funded a survey which was based upon random sampling/mapping that would provide a baseline dataset and provide another level of scrutiny of the different/interesting as well as an opportunity to discover that which one's present state of knowledge might otherwise overlook. Please describe the theoretical foundation for walking the site rather than randomly sampling it, and how one approaches gaining knowledge of a site without a (statistically) valid inventory. WT - Original Message - From: Swain, Pat (FWE) pat.sw...@state.ma.us To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Sent: Monday, March 07, 2011 6:03 AM Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Hypothesis Testing in Ecology Ecolog-L, Way back when the question about hypothesis testing in ecology was first posed to the group, one of the questions was whether anyone had rejected projects or grant proposals for lack of hypotheses. The discussion has gone on while I thought about posting a response to that, but with Jane Shevtsov's prodding, I offer the following thoughts on hypothesis testing and research. For some years I was on a committee to review and select graduate student research proposals for grant support for a regional botanical organization at the same time that I was involved in evaluating proposals for small contracts from my office which is focused on rare species and uncommon natural communities in the state. (I stress the research grants vs. contracts; and I am no longer on the committee which no doubt has different biases from mine, and my office doesn't have money for small contracts like we used to). On the grad research committee, I was far more likely to approve proposals for consideration if a hypothesis was stated, and I tended to veto projects that didn't do that. For example, I think that pure survey of a property for species (making a list of all the species of some taxonomic group) encountered isn't research, but such a project can be developed and proposed in ways that has research in it (effects of land use history, recreation, management...). If a student wanted to inventory a property as a research project, as someone funding grants I wanted the reasons given for why that property is worth the effort and what will be done with the results. I recall one otherwise quite good proposal I didn't consider because it just said that the property was interesting and the nonprofit owning it should know what was on it. I wanted to be shown what assumptions are being made (those should be stated as hypotheses to be tested in a proposal for a research grant), predictions! of where differences might be and why and expectations that post inventory analyses would be undertaken. However, some of the projects that I rejected as
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Need textbook Suggestiond
Donella Meadows book Thinking in Systems: A Primer would appear to fit one of your needs. I was impressed with this book after a quick hands-on review at a local bookstore. I recall thinking it would make a nice intro to the subject... Doug Penn State University mil...@eesi.psu.edu On 3/8/11 12:06 AM, Rebecca Sherry wrote: I am developing a course in Ecological Literacy. At a minimum, I would like to use one book on systems thinking, and one general ecology text. I may use two books on systems thinking and also add a book on ecological resilience, and of course, individual papers and book chapters. I am having trouble finding an appropriate general ecology text. I need something with an emphasis on ecosystem science and climate interactions (don't need any autecology). Many of the students may not be science majors, so the typical ecosystem science textbook is not appropriate. But the students will have had some science and will be very into the subject and fairly knowledgeable on environmental issues, so a typical environmental science text for non-majors may not be right either. I need something in between. Finally, I don't want anything too big, heavy or expensive. Any suggestions? Thanks! Becky Sherry University of Oklahoma rshe...@ou.edu
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Hypothesis Testing in Ecology
Ecology suffers from a surfeit or people who feel that if you don't do things their way it isn't right. One of the greatest events in marine ecology in my opinion was the discovery of abyssal vent communities fuelled by chemosynthesis. I have no idea what the funding proposal for this research was, but the key factor was that an ROV went to a new kind of location and just looked around. Some of the greatest discoveries in all fields af science involved stumbling across something totally unexpected, and certainly not hypothesized. Bill Silvert - Original Message - From: Martin Meiss mme...@gmail.com To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Sent: terça-feira, 8 de Março de 2011 13:49 Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Hypothesis Testing in Ecology I am amazed by Pat Swain's statements implying that unless a program of work includes formal hypothesis testing, it's not even research. (...I think that pure survey of a property for species (making a list of all the species of some taxonomic group) encountered isn't research..., ...some of the projects that I rejected as not being research might well have been fundable ...)This appears to be defining the word research in a way I have never seen or heard before. Does this mean that none of the scientific work that was done before the rise of modern statistics was not research? Where the people doing that work also not really scientists? And whatever happened to library research? Martin
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Hypothesis Testing in Ecology
Actually, there is no reason why library research shouldn't be rigorously hypothesis driven: I wish to test the hypothesis that there is no article in the ecological literature on the incidence of frogs in lily ponds. Uf we find some articles that are almost there, say on the incidence of toads near water hazards, we can put wide confidence intervals on our graphs. Martin 2011/3/8 mcnee...@cox.net Martin Meiss mme...@gmail.com wrote: I am amazed by Pat Swain's statements implying that unless a program of work includes formal hypothesis testing, it's not even research. (...I think that pure survey of a property for species (making a list of all the species of some taxonomic group) encountered isn't research..., ...some of the projects that I rejected as not being research might well have been fundable ...)This appears to be defining the word research in a way I have never seen or heard before. Does this mean that none of the scientific work that was done before the rise of modern statistics was not research? Where the people doing that work also not really scientists? And whatever happened to library research? Martin Martin, I had the same response. I suppose that folks like John Wesley Powell could have cast hypotheses to cover their appeals for funding. Maybe T. Jefferson, M. Lewis, and W. Clark could have jointly written a grant proposal, stating as hypotheses that the Missouri River reached to the Rocky Mountains, that the Rocky Mountains were only as tall as the Appalachians, that there were rivers in the west that reached the Pacific Ocean, that there was an extant elephant species in the interior of North America, that Native Americans would be friendly and trade with the expedition, .. . Again, why? that Some things we just don't know, and collecting information toward finding out is a good thing. In some cases, the only legitimate question to ask is, What is there? Once we know that, then we can craft hypotheses about the what and the where. Now, so far as library work is concerned, surely you realize that one can craft excellent hypotheses that can be very effectively tested by examining data that have already been collected. Meta analysis has become an extremely important way to get answers in a wide range of fields. But you are right, exploration is research, hypothesis or no. Darwin did not set out around the world to test the hypothesis of common descent, or that of natural selection. He set out to see what was there (and to have an adventure rather than a pulpit). mcneely 2011/3/7 Wayne Tyson landr...@cox.net Honorable Forum: Re: I think these general surveys are valuable, but they don't overtly involve hypotheses and testing. However, it can and does include assumptions/hypotheses; as one of the posters on the topic pointed out there are always assumptions made. One doesn't walk every square inch of a site, rather picks areas (from aerials, maps, knowledge, observations when out there) places that are most likely to be different/interesting (have rare things). --Pat Swain (Monday, March 07, 2011 6:03 AM) I don't want to appear to jump to conclusions, so I would be interested in Swain's expansions upon this issue. I wonder if Pat would have funded a survey which was based upon random sampling/mapping that would provide a baseline dataset and provide another level of scrutiny of the different/interesting as well as an opportunity to discover that which one's present state of knowledge might otherwise overlook. Please describe the theoretical foundation for walking the site rather than randomly sampling it, and how one approaches gaining knowledge of a site without a (statistically) valid inventory. WT - Original Message - From: Swain, Pat (FWE) pat.sw...@state.ma.us To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Sent: Monday, March 07, 2011 6:03 AM Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Hypothesis Testing in Ecology Ecolog-L, Way back when the question about hypothesis testing in ecology was first posed to the group, one of the questions was whether anyone had rejected projects or grant proposals for lack of hypotheses. The discussion has gone on while I thought about posting a response to that, but with Jane Shevtsov's prodding, I offer the following thoughts on hypothesis testing and research. For some years I was on a committee to review and select graduate student research proposals for grant support for a regional botanical organization at the same time that I was involved in evaluating proposals for small contracts from my office which is focused on rare species and uncommon natural communities in the state. (I stress the research grants vs. contracts; and I am no longer on the committee which no doubt has different biases from
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Hypothesis Testing in Ecology
Martin Meiss mme...@gmail.com wrote: I am amazed by Pat Swain's statements implying that unless a program of work includes formal hypothesis testing, it's not even research. (...I think that pure survey of a property for species (making a list of all the species of some taxonomic group) encountered isn't research..., ...some of the projects that I rejected as not being research might well have been fundable ...)This appears to be defining the word research in a way I have never seen or heard before. Does this mean that none of the scientific work that was done before the rise of modern statistics was not research? Where the people doing that work also not really scientists? And whatever happened to library research? Martin Martin, I had the same response. I suppose that folks like John Wesley Powell could have cast hypotheses to cover their appeals for funding. Maybe T. Jefferson, M. Lewis, and W. Clark could have jointly written a grant proposal, stating as hypotheses that the Missouri River reached to the Rocky Mountains, that the Rocky Mountains were only as tall as the Appalachians, that there were rivers in the west that reached the Pacific Ocean, that there was an extant elephant species in the interior of North America, that Native Americans would be friendly and trade with the expedition, .. . Again, why? that Some things we just don't know, and collecting information toward finding out is a good thing. In some cases, the only legitimate question to ask is, What is there? Once we know that, then we can craft hypotheses about the what and the where. Now, so far as library work is concerned, surely you realize that one can craft excellent hypotheses that can be ver! y effectively tested by examining data that have already been collected. Meta analysis has become an extremely important way to get answers in a wide range of fields. But you are right, exploration is research, hypothesis or no. Darwin did not set out around the world to test the hypothesis of common descent, or that of natural selection. He set out to see what was there (and to have an adventure rather than a pulpit). mcneely 2011/3/7 Wayne Tyson landr...@cox.net Honorable Forum: Re: I think these general surveys are valuable, but they don't overtly involve hypotheses and testing. However, it can and does include assumptions/hypotheses; as one of the posters on the topic pointed out there are always assumptions made. One doesn't walk every square inch of a site, rather picks areas (from aerials, maps, knowledge, observations when out there) places that are most likely to be different/interesting (have rare things). --Pat Swain (Monday, March 07, 2011 6:03 AM) I don't want to appear to jump to conclusions, so I would be interested in Swain's expansions upon this issue. I wonder if Pat would have funded a survey which was based upon random sampling/mapping that would provide a baseline dataset and provide another level of scrutiny of the different/interesting as well as an opportunity to discover that which one's present state of knowledge might otherwise overlook. Please describe the theoretical foundation for walking the site rather than randomly sampling it, and how one approaches gaining knowledge of a site without a (statistically) valid inventory. WT - Original Message - From: Swain, Pat (FWE) pat.sw...@state.ma.us To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Sent: Monday, March 07, 2011 6:03 AM Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Hypothesis Testing in Ecology Ecolog-L, Way back when the question about hypothesis testing in ecology was first posed to the group, one of the questions was whether anyone had rejected projects or grant proposals for lack of hypotheses. The discussion has gone on while I thought about posting a response to that, but with Jane Shevtsov's prodding, I offer the following thoughts on hypothesis testing and research. For some years I was on a committee to review and select graduate student research proposals for grant support for a regional botanical organization at the same time that I was involved in evaluating proposals for small contracts from my office which is focused on rare species and uncommon natural communities in the state. (I stress the research grants vs. contracts; and I am no longer on the committee which no doubt has different biases from mine, and my office doesn't have money for small contracts like we used to). On the grad research committee, I was far more likely to approve proposals for consideration if a hypothesis was stated, and I tended to veto projects that didn't do that. For example, I think that pure survey of a property for species (making a list of all the species of some taxonomic group) encountered isn't research, but such a project can be developed and proposed in ways that has research in
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Hypothesis Testing in Ecology
I think Martin identifies one of the problems with a very restrictive definition of what science is - it excludes a bunch of stuff that most of us would think of as research. In fact, I would say that sequencing the human genome did not involve hypothesis testing - it was natural history at the molecular level - and most people would consider it one of the greatest scientific achievements of the last decade. However, I also have some sympathy with Pat's take that simply telling us what is there often has limited value. And if we think back to how this is 'supposed' to work (based on textbook science), descriptions are often the source of hypotheses that we should tyhen test. I would say at this point we have many, many untested or poorly tested hypotheses, which may explain why many scientists are not very supportive of work that will just provide more hypotheses to test. Best. Jeff Houlahan I am amazed by Pat Swain's statements implying that unless a program of work includes formal hypothesis testing, it's not even research. (...I think that pure survey of a property for species (making a list of all the species of some taxonomic group) encountered isn't research..., ...some of the projects that I rejected as not being research might well have been fundable ...)This appears to be defining the word research in a way I have never seen or heard before. Does this mean that none of the scientific work that was done before the rise of modern statistics was not research? Where the people doing that work also not really scientists? And whatever happened to library research? Martin 2011/3/7 Wayne Tyson landr...@cox.net Honorable Forum: Re: I think these general surveys are valuable, but they don't overtly involve hypotheses and testing. However, it can and does include assumptions/hypotheses; as one of the posters on the topic pointed out there are always assumptions made. One doesn't walk every square inch of a site, rather picks areas (from aerials, maps, knowledge, observations when out there) places that are most likely to be different/interesting (have rare things). --Pat Swain (Monday, March 07, 2011 6:03 AM) I don't want to appear to jump to conclusions, so I would be interested in Swain's expansions upon this issue. I wonder if Pat would have funded a survey which was based upon random sampling/mapping that would provide a baseline dataset and provide another level of scrutiny of the different/interesting as well as an opportunity to discover that which one's present state of knowledge might otherwise overlook. Please describe the theoretical foundation for walking the site rather than randomly sampling it, and how one approaches gaining knowledge of a site without a (statistically) valid inventory. WT - Original Message - From: Swain, Pat (FWE) pat.sw...@state.ma.us To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Sent: Monday, March 07, 2011 6:03 AM Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Hypothesis Testing in Ecology Ecolog-L, Way back when the question about hypothesis testing in ecology was first posed to the group, one of the questions was whether anyone had rejected projects or grant proposals for lack of hypotheses. The discussion has gone on while I thought about posting a response to that, but with Jane Shevtsov's prodding, I offer the following thoughts on hypothesis testing and research. For some years I was on a committee to review and select graduate student research proposals for grant support for a regional botanical organization at the same time that I was involved in evaluating proposals for small contracts from my office which is focused on rare species and uncommon natural communities in the state. (I stress the research grants vs. contracts; and I am no longer on the committee which no doubt has different biases from mine, and my office doesn't have money for small contracts like we used to). On the grad research committee, I was far more likely to approve proposals for consideration if a hypothesis was stated, and I tended to veto projects that didn't do that. For example, I think that pure survey of a property for species (making a list of all the species of some taxonomic group) encountered isn't research, but such a project can be developed and proposed in ways that has research in it (effects of land use history, recreation, management...). If a student wanted to inventory a property as a research project, as someone funding grants I wanted the reasons given for why that property is worth the effort and what will be done with the results. I recall one otherwise quite good proposal I didn't consider because it just said that the property was interesting and the nonprofit owning it should know what was on it. I wanted to be shown what assumptions are being made (those should be stated as hypotheses to be tested in a proposal for a research grant), predictions! of where differences might be and why and expectations that post
[ECOLOG-L] Rarefaction calculation
Hello all, I am writing to see if any of you all know a quicker way to calculate rarefaction curves. I currently use EstimateS to calculate rarefaction curves and I really like the program, but the numerous notepad outputs after each run are starting to drive me crazy. I have nearly 220 simulations that I need to run and I was wondering if anyone has come across another program or has written a SAS or R code to do this procedure in a quicker more efficient manner. Thanks for any help you can provide. Bill Sutton
[ECOLOG-L] Postdoctoral Openings: PalEON
Dear Colleagues, Three postdoctoral research positions are available with the PalEON project (A PaleoEcological Observatory Network to Assess Terrestrial Ecosystem Models), an interdisciplinary research group of paleoecologists, ecological statisticians, and ecosystems modelers working together to study how climate variations shape forest dynamics across a range of timescales (www.paleonproject.org). All postdoctoral positions have a desired start date of May, 2011. Specific PalEON goals include developing a coherent inferential framework with rigorous estimates of uncertainty for paleoecological data, applying these techniques to reconstruct variations in forested ecosystems for the last 2000 years from the Great Lakes to New England, and then assimilating these datasets into a suite of regional-scale ecosystem models to infer presettlement biogeochemical cycles. PalEON has recently received funding from NSF-Macrosystems to begin a two-year effort towards these goals, with an emphasis on initial development of methods and datasets, community-building, and interdisciplinary training in paleoecology, statistical ecology, and ecosystem modeling. *1. Postdoctoral Position in **/Paleoecological and Paleoclimatic Data Synthesis and Analysis /* The primary responsibilities of this position are to coordinate the assembly of the witness tree, fossil pollen, charcoal, and paleohydrological datasets and analyze these datasets for intra- to interregional patterns of variance and synchrony.The postdoc will work closely with the other postdocs and the rest of the PalEON team towards the objective of fitting a full space-time statistical model to the paleoecological data and assimilating these reconstructions into the ecosystem model experiments. Minimum qualifications are a doctoral degree in a relevant ecological or environmental science. The ideal candidate would have a strong familiarity with Quaternary paleoecological and paleoclimatic data, skills in paleoecoinformatics, knowledge of scripting languages such as Matlab and R, and experience with multivariate statistical methods. Experience with Bayesian hierarchical models, spatial models, and/or ecosystem models is also desirable. This position will be based at the Department of Geography at the University of Wisconsin and will be jointly supervised by Drs. Jack Williams (University of Wisconsin) and Steve Jackson (University of Wyoming).This position is up to two years with a preferred start in early May 2011. Salary is competitive and this position includes health and other insurance benefits. See _http://info.gradsch.wisc.edu/admin/hr/info/benefitschart.pdf_ for additional information. The University of Wisconsin is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Interested applicants are encouraged to email a CV and cover letter with the names and contact information of three references to Alice Halfen (ahal...@wisc.edu) with the subject line: PalEON Postdoctoral Application. For more information contact Dr. Jack Williams j...@geography.wisc.edu or Dr. Steve Jackson jack...@uwyo.edu. Evaluation of applications will begin April 4 and continue until the position is filled. *2. Postdoctoral Position in **/Ecological Statistics /* This researcher will lead the development of statistical models, based on spatial statistics, state space, and data assimilation methods for the PalEON initiative, interacting with statisticians, paleoecologists, paleoclimatologists, and ecosystem modelers. Specific modeling challenges may include spatio-temporal modeling of paleoecological data, state-space modeling informed by ecological models, modeling uncertainty in radiocarbon dating, and spatial modeling of vegetation based on colonial settlement-era historical records.Strong applicants will possess a background in Bayesian statistical modeling, especially spatial modeling, state space modeling, or data assimilation.Applicants must be interested in working at the interface of statistics and ecology. The postdoctoral researcher will be based at the University of Notre Dame's new Department of Applied and Comutational Mathematics and Statistics and is supported in part by the Notre Dame Environmental Change Initiative (ND-ECI).This position will be supervised by Dr. Jason McLachlan at Notre Dame, with extensive input from Dr. Chris Paciorek at UC Berkeley, and interaction with other PALEON team members. The position is available for a two-year period, subject to annual performance review. We will consider applications on a rolling deadline. Funding is available for an immediate start, but we will consider start dates as late as summer 2011. Please email your CV and a cover letter with the names and contact information of three references to Jason McLachlan (jmcla...@nd.edu). The University of Notre Dame, an equal opportunity employer with a strong institutional and academic commitment to
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Hypothesis Testing in Ecology
Having reviewed dozens of research proposals for NSF, USGS, Delta Bay Authority, and Faculty Grant Programs at Universities I have rejected research w/o hypotheses stated when the program required hypotheses be stated. In two cases, the proposals set up LTREM sites in which data collection and hypothesis generation was the goal. Again, its much harder to get a grant through for exploratory research because confirmatory research has very obvious end-points demonstrating a product evolved from the funding. Exploratory research can go on for a long time w/o anything but data collection. On Mon, Mar 7, 2011 at 8:03 AM, Swain, Pat (FWE) pat.sw...@state.ma.uswrote: Ecolog-L, Way back when the question about hypothesis testing in ecology was first posed to the group, one of the questions was whether anyone had rejected projects or grant proposals for lack of hypotheses. The discussion has gone on while I thought about posting a response to that, but with Jane Shevtsov's prodding, I offer the following thoughts on hypothesis testing and research. For some years I was on a committee to review and select graduate student research proposals for grant support for a regional botanical organization at the same time that I was involved in evaluating proposals for small contracts from my office which is focused on rare species and uncommon natural communities in the state. (I stress the research grants vs. contracts; and I am no longer on the committee which no doubt has different biases from mine, and my office doesn't have money for small contracts like we used to). On the grad research committee, I was far more likely to approve proposals for consideration if a hypothesis was stated, and I tended to veto projects that didn't do that. For example, I think that pure survey of a property for species (making a list of all the species of some taxonomic group) encountered isn't research, but such a project can be developed and proposed in ways that has research in it (effects of land use history, recreation, management...). If a student wanted to inventory a property as a research project, as someone funding grants I wanted the reasons given for why that property is worth the effort and what will be done with the results. I recall one otherwise quite good proposal I didn't consider because it just said that the property was interesting and the nonprofit owning it should know what was on it. I wanted to be shown what assumptions are being made (those should be stated as hypotheses to be tested in a proposal for a research grant), predictions! of where differences might be and why and expectations that post inventory analyses would be undertaken. However, some of the projects that I rejected as not being research might well have been fundable (I think some were) by my office where we want to know what rare species are in particular places, and what is rare. We have funded contracts for surveys for particular taxonomic groups in general as well others focused on rare species/natural communities along rivers, on particular properties, and so on. I think these general surveys are valuable, but they don't overtly involve hypotheses and testing. However, it can and does include assumptions/hypotheses; as one of the posters on the topic pointed out there are always assumptions made. One doesn't walk every square inch of a site, rather picks areas (from aerials, maps, knowledge, observations when out there) places that are most likely to be different/interesting (have rare things). So my thinking back when I was on the grad research committee was that for an inventory to be research and worth funding with a grant, the proposal had to clearly state hypotheses to be tested, and better, to discuss (yes, in only 2 pages) underlying assumptions going into the project. Maybe some of what I was after was an overt awareness of the questions and assumptions involved in setting up the project. And some idea of expected analysis of the results. My convoluted discussion summarizes to 'yes, I rejected proposals that didn't have hypotheses stated'. Pat -- Patricia Swain, Ph.D. Community Ecologist Natural Heritage Endangered Species Program Massachusetts Division of Fisheries Wildlife 1 Rabbit Hill Road Westborough, MA 01581 508-389-6352fax 508-389-7891 http://www.nhesp.org -- Malcolm L. McCallum Managing Editor, Herpetological Conservation and Biology Peer pressure is designed to contain anyone with a sense of drive - Allan Nation 1880's: There's lots of good fish in the sea W.S. Gilbert 1990's: Many fish stocks depleted due to overfishing, habitat loss, and pollution. 2000: Marine reserves, ecosystem restoration, and pollution reduction MAY help restore populations. 2022: Soylent Green is People! Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for
[ECOLOG-L] Searching for GIS layers for Mexico
I am grad student at the University of Central Oklahoma and I am gathering GIS data layers for the US and Mexico. I am making habitat suitability maps from 3 separate ecological niche models for a threatened cactus *Echinocereus reichenbachii*. Mainly I am looking for Mexico environmental layers like soils, land use land cover, etc. Any suggestions or info on where to find this data would be appreciated. -- Eric Wheeler
[ECOLOG-L] Updated solicitation for NSF Faculty Early Career Development program
The new solicitation (NSF 11-690) for the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program has been posted on the CAREER webpage: www.nsf.gov/career (http://nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503214) The new associated FAQs (NSF 11-038) will be posted soon. BIO, CISE, EHR, OCI - Proposal Deadline Date: July 25, 2011 David W. Inouye Program Director Population and Community Ecology Cluster Division of Environmental Biology National Science Foundation 4201 Wilson Blvd, Suite 635 Arlington, VA 22230 Phone: 703.292.8570 Fax: 703.292.9064 E-mail: dino...@nsf.gov
[ECOLOG-L] New Zealand PhD opportunity in vertebrate pest management
We are re-advertising for applications to a PhD project at the University of Auckland in collaboration with Landcare Research focussed on pest mammal behavior and interactions with control devices in relation to maximizing detection probabilities. This PhD is part of a larger programme of research aimed at improving the cost-effectiveness of both aerial and ground-based control and eradication of mammal pests for the protection of New Zealands indigenous biota and livestock health. The student will have scope in selecting fieldwork locations, methods, and the species of interest in consultation with supervisors. The project will be suited to a student with interests in statistics, fieldwork, pest control and mammal biology. Expected start date is mid 2011 with fieldwork commencing by the end of the year. The position will remain open until filled, but for strongest consideration applications (CV, university grades and 2-3 references) should be received before March 31 2011. A first decision will be made in mid-April and all applicants contacted by the end of April. Preferred selection criteria Completion of 1st-class or high second-class honours or a Master of Science (MSc). High GPA in order for application to Doctoral scholarships (7.5/9) Interest in both quantitative and qualitative research design, methodology and analysis Interest in undertaking field-based mammal research, especially related to pest control An enjoyment of the outdoors and confidence in working in remote locations that frequently experience extreme weather. Willingness to engage with external stakeholders, such as private companies, regional councils, and government departments Excellent interpersonal, oral and written communication skills Willingness to work as part of a large interdisciplinary team Both domestic and international applications are encouraged. For a full project brief please contact Dr. James Russell.
Re: [ECOLOG-L] What do technicians do in the off season?
Hello all, I've been doing seasonal fieldwork the last 3 years and another option, similar to the desert strategy, is fieldwork in the tropics. I've spent at least part of all my winters, since graduating from undergrad in 2008, working for field ecology research projects in Latin America. A questions that has been growing in my mind - is there some point of (almost) no return of working as a seasonal field tech for too long and narrowing your options for other types of work in the sciences? Especially in the context of applying to graduate programs - can you get too old to be taken seriously? Thanks Erin On Tue, Feb 22, 2011 at 10:37 AM, Chalfant, Brian bchalf...@state.pa.uswrote: An emphatic ditto of the AmeriCorps suggestion - assuming the Corporation for National and Community Service funding isn't zeroed out. An AmeriCorps program helped me personally get into a full-time, year-round ecology gig, and I know of many others who can say the same; not to mention education gigs. Plus, you can do a full-year term or two with many AmeriCorps programs, which can get you through a winter or two. Granted, you don't make much money with AmeriCorps, but certainly enough to get by on. And - as Olivia, Susan and Chris point out - you can gain invaluable experience through many AmeriCorps programs and different programs can open all kinds of training and networking doors. The education award can help with paying off student loans or can be applied to future schooling. If anyone ends up exploring the AmeriCorps route, my only suggestion would be to really check out the organization you'll be serving with - 99% of the people I know who've served with AmeriCorps have had fantastic experiences, but not all - and those few instances had to do with disorganized host organizations. Smiles = Brian -Original Message- From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU] On Behalf Of Chris Coxen Sent: Friday, February 18, 2011 10:12 AM To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] What do technicians do in the off season? Chiming in to give one more shout out to the AmeriCorps. I graduated in December '09 with a degree in Fisheries and Wildlife and have been fortunate to find steady work. While working as a coastal bird tech, I applied to my current AmeriCorps stewardship position with a non profit in the Appalachian mountains. While initially being reluctant to sign on for a full year, this job has turned out to be invaluable for networking and gaining experience with GIS, writing management plans, and getting an inside look at NGO land conservation all while spending time outside in beautiful places. There are also several stories of AmeriCorps members finding work as a direct result of the connections they have made. The education award is just icing on the cake. Also, please sign petitions to keep the AmeriCorps around, they do a huge service to this country! Chris On Fri, Feb 18, 2011 at 8:58 AM, Susan Pienta spie...@gmail.com wrote: Thank you Olivia for giving a shout-out to AmeriCorps. I am currently serving a second term and through AmeriCorps, I have gained skills in GIS, stream and fisheries restoration, grant writing, prescribed burning, among others. If you weren't already aware, it is has been proposed to eliminate funding for the corporation for national and community service which includes AmeriCorps programs. For all of you who have been an AmeriCorps member, have utilized the skills of a member, or just recognize the importance of this program, please encourage your congressional representatives to vote no! Thanks, Susan On Tue, Feb 15, 2011 at 1:21 PM, Olivia D. oliviadu...@gmail.com wrote: Dear Jason et al., After 10+ years of doing the seasonal field tech thing (including a couple after getting my MS), I absolutely echo what Ms. Orling and Ms. Weissinger and others have said (there are winter jobs in Arizona and southern California! go travel and volunteer!), but I also want to put in a plug for Americorps. Americorps is not just for recent high school or college graduates. The others in my program were well-educated, well-experienced, entry-level professionals. My Americorps position with a water district was an opportunity to hold a lot of responsibility, learn a great deal, and work for a whole continuous year building resume-worthy experience while getting a stipend and funds to pay back some school loans. SCA is another good conservation-oriented organization with leadership opportunities. In my opinion, volunteerism gets short shrift in the US, and it's often overlooked by those of us looking for yet another field gig. Olivia
[ECOLOG-L] Botany Restoration Field Technician
In cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service Spring Mountains National Recreation Area (SMNRA), the Great Basin Institute is recruiting up to three (3) Field Technicians to work cooperatively as part of a larger team on botany, avian biology and restoration initiatives. The Technicians will focus a majority of their efforts on a variety of rare plant and butterfly host plant inventories for trail construction and campground improvement projects. Technicians will also assist with implementation of long-term monitoring projects for rare plant species. Other projects may include identification and collection of native plant seeds for restoration projects, conducting migratory and nesting bird surveys, as well as small- scale riparian and arid land restoration projects. Collectively, the team is responsible for data collection, entry and analysis; report writing; project planning and mapping; and other tasks assigned by SMNRA resource biologists. Opportunities to collaborate with other GBI crews at the SMNRA (e.g.: archaeology crew), and participate in trainings (e.g., GIS) are available. Compensation: o $10,200 Living Allowance o $2,675 AmeriCorps Education Award* o Student loan forbearance* o Daily field per diem o Medical and dental benefits o Optional housing offered in USFS Spring Mountains NRA dormitory or trailer in Mt. Charleston, NV * AmeriCorps Education Award may be used for past, present or future education experiences, including payment of qualifying federal student loans. Timeline: o April 18, 2011 – October 28, 2011 o Full time, minimum 40 hours per week Location: o Spring Mountains National Recreation Area (25 miles North and West of Las Vegas, NV) Qualifications: Technical requirements: o Experience conducting botanical field work; o Coursework in plant taxonomy and or systematics (transcripts may be requested); o Knowledge of southwestern flora and fauna and/or ability to learn southwestern flora and fauna; o Experience using a plant key without pictures is critical; o Experience conducting plant surveys using various protocols. Monitoring protocols include collecting repeat photography, and transect and quadrat systematic sampling; o Experience working with hand-held GPS equipment for navigation and data collection; o Knowledge of GIS software, highly desirable but not required; and o Experience with technical writing and/or producing written project/grant reports. o Experience with restoration techniques (e.g., seed collection) Additional requirements: o Possess a valid, state-issued drivers license and clean driving record; o Experience operating 4WD trucks in an on paved and unpaved roads, including narrow, mountain forest roads; o Ability to work productively as part of a team to accomplish mutual goals; o Ability to communicate effectively with team members, agency staff, and a diverse public; o Possess good organizational skills; o Ability to work in harsh and rapidly changing environments, work in all types of weather conditions, traverse uneven terrain, carry upwards of 40 pounds in a backpack, and otherwise maintain good physical condition; and o Meet AmeriCorps eligibility requirements: (1) U.S. citizenship or legal resident alien status, (2) eligible to receive an AmeriCorps Education Award (limit of four in a lifetime, or equivalent of two full-time terms of service), and (3) pass National Sex Offender Public Registry (NSOPR) and federal criminal background checks. How to Apply: Qualified and interested applicants should forward a cover letter, their résumé, and a list of three professional references to Stacy Mitchell, Recruitment Coordinator at smitch...@thegreatbasininstitute.org. Please include where you found this position posted. This program is available to all, without regard to race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, political affiliation, or religion. Persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
[ECOLOG-L] Endangered Species Act science under attack by Congress
Colleagues, The scientific foundation of the Endangered Species Act is under attack by Congress-again. The House of Representatives is trying to remove an individual species from the endangered species list for purely political reasons. If successful, this would be the first time Congress has intervened in the listing process. Please review this scientist letter to the United States Senate, and if you agree, join hundreds of your colleagues in signing before Friday: https://secure3.convio.net/ucs/site/Advocacy?cmd=displaypage=UserActionid=2816 The details: a provision of the House-passed budget bill for the remainder of fiscal year 2011 would delist the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act. It is up to the Senate to reject the harmful wolf provision that the House has approved. But right now, the Senate is under heavy pressure to compromise on spending legislation in order to avert a government shutdown, and some senators-both Republicans and Democrats-have sent signals that they are open to accepting the wolf provision. The Endangered Species Act works because listing decisions are made by experts solely on the best available scientific information. The congressional effort to delist the grey wolf would further politicize science and set a precedent for future political interference in the Endangered Species Act. Once one species is delisted by Congress, all of the species on the list become vulnerable to future political attacks. Please read and sign the letter today: https://secure3.convio.net/ucs/site/Advocacy?cmd=displaypage=UserActionid=2816 And then be so kind as to forward this email to colleagues. We will deliver the letter to the Senate and release it to the press next week. If you choose, we will also keep you informed about the fate of this legislation and other attacks on science. Thanks for considering this request. Best, Michael Halpern Scientific Integrity Program Manager Union of Concerned Scientists
[ECOLOG-L] Job: research assistant, climate change and prairie plants, Pacific NW
The Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Oregon has an opening for a full time Research Assistant to work on research project investigating how predicted climate change will affect native prairie plants in the Pacific Northwest. The position is available 4/15/2011, with renewal until 12/31/12 possible dependent on performance, funding and need. A Bachelor's degree and prior field work experience is required. Botanical knowledge of Pacific Northwest prairie species and biogeochemistry training are preferred qualifications. Must be able to work in a team atmosphere, be available for extensive travel to field sites from Southern Oregon to Central Washington, and conduct field and laboratory research under the direction of PIs Scott Bridgham and Bart Johnson. Salary 24k. Please send letter of application and a current resume with names and contact information of three references to: CEEB Posting: 11052, 5289 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-5289. (mailto:ceebj...@uoregon.educeebj...@uoregon.edu) To assure full consideration, applications must be received by 3/8/11, but the position will remain open until filled. EO/AA/ADA institution committed to cultural diversity. See full posting: http://hr.uoregon.edu/jobs/unclassified.php?id=3306http://hr.uoregon.edu/jobs/unclassified.php?id=3306.
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Hypothesis Testing in Ecology
William and Honorable Ecolog Forum: The benefit of addressing those questions, or gathering data in the context of those questions, rather than simply plunging ahead with gathering more data, is that the answers to those questions can guide us to be more efficient in prioritizing what data we still need to gather with our limited time and resources. --William Resetarits (Ecolog, Tuesday, March 08, 2011 12:34 PM) What ARE those questions, and what ARE their priorities (and through what disciplined, universally supported process are they established)? WT - Original Message - From: Resetarits, William william.resetar...@ttu.edu To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Sent: Tuesday, March 08, 2011 12:34 PM Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Hypothesis Testing in Ecology It seems a rather critical issue has raised its head at this juncture in the discussion. Is all data gathering research. I think we risk being disingenuous and misleading the many students on this listserve if we don't clearly and unequivocally answer NO. To suggetst hat the system is somehow faulty and that it is OK for folks, especially students, to follow their hearts and simply gather data on their favorite organisms or systems is doing them a grave disservice. One of the first, and undoubtedly the most important, thing I learned in my PhD. was also the most simple. The key question in any research project, whether empirical, experimental or theoretical, is... What's the question? Or as one of my committee members so eloquently put it, why should I care. The fact that no one knows anything about a particular taxon or a system, or I really like organism X is rarely an adequate answer. No one really doubts the absolute value of pure descriptive natural history, and data is a good thing, but it cannot realistically be an end in itself for a professional scientist in this day and age. Even the most storied present day natural historians, and those of the past as well, bring much more to the table. In any realistic funding climate, question driven science will, and should, take precedence. This does not mean that one can't do pure natural history in the context of question driven science, but it alone is unlikely to be sufficient to drive the research to the top of anyone's funding list, onto the pages of top journals, or to drive a candidate to the top of many job lists, at least at the PhD. level. Similarly, biodiversity discovery is important, ongoing, and it gets funded. Why? NSF's Program in Biotic Surveys and Inventories, recently expired programs in Microbial Observatories, and Microbial Inventories and Processes, and to some extent the ongoing Dimensions of Biodiversity program, among others, target biodiversity discovery. But all of them require well-framed questions that convince the target audience that THIS biodiversity discovery project should be funded over the 90% of those submitted that cannot be funded. The key is what else it brings to the table beyond just documenting what is out there. Most applied funding that allows for simple inventories and surveys is driven by economic and political considerations, not scientific. As valuable as it was for documenting the flora, fauna, ethnography, and geology of the American West, the Corps of Discovery expedition was NOT a scientific expedition but funded solely for economic and political purposes. Onl! y Jefferson's personal missive to gather data on plants, animals, Indian tribes etc., made it something beyond an exploration and mapping expedition. The actual science was done by others long after the Corps had returned. Similarly, naturalists (such as Darwin) were employed on commercial and exploratory voyages largely to bring back interesting, and more importantly, economically valuable plants and animals. Such was the case with the Beagle. We all admire Darwin as a natural historian, but that isn't why we remember him and why he is on the British ten-pound note and voted the second most admired Brit in history (behind only Churchill - for very pragmatic reasons). Why the situation now is different is that he lived in a time when you had to expand the realm of natural history and systematic data both to generate and shed light on important questions. I agree with Jeff that we have a backlog of questions. The benefit of addressing those questions, or gathering data in the context of those questions, rather than simply plunging ahead with gathering more data, is that the answers to those questions can guide us to be more efficient in prioritizing what data we still need to gather with our limited time and resources. On 3/8/11 8:51 AM, David L. McNeely mcnee...@cox.net wrote: Martin Meiss mme...@gmail.com wrote: I am amazed by Pat Swain's statements implying that unless a program of work includes formal hypothesis testing, it's not
[ECOLOG-L] NYC conference on environmental toxins THIS FRIDAY-SATURDAY
Thought this might be of interest to folks on this list living in the New York City area. The Global Health Department of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine is hosting a conference this Friday- Saturday on environmental toxins in the developing world, with a particular emphasis on hydraulic fracture drilling for natural gas. Registration is only $15, and only $8 for students. For more information and to register, visit http://globaltoxins.eventbrite.com/ Best, Nate
