[ECOLOG-L] Three NEW Professional Training Courses at the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation
Graduate/Professional Training - Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation The Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation, a partnership between George Mason University and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI), is offering a full schedule of unique, intensive residential training courses hosted in our new, sustainably-built Academic Center on the grounds of SCBI in Front Royal Virginia. Most courses can be taken either for graduate credit or continuing education units. Limited scholarships are available for eligible applicants and reduced fees are now available to applicants from less-developed nations. Visit our website (http://SMConservation.gmu.edu) or email us at scbitrain...@si.edu for more details about each course, course costs, and credits earned. NEW COURSE: Conservation for Development Professionals: Strategies for implementing biodiversity action plans for the private sector (August 10-14, 2015) Learn strategies for developing and implementing a Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP), particularly as they relate to companies involved in natural resource extraction or industrial development; international examples applied at the national and site specific levels to manage and conserve habitats and species will be a focus. Learn how BAPs relate to other development projects, such as the Environmental and Social Impact Assessments, how they improve biological knowledge and information, and the role of education and conservation programs. Ecology and Conservation of Migratory Birds (September 14-25, 2015) Led by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, this course teaches the most current methods in the research of migratory birds including theoretical concepts, field and laboratory methods (e.g. mist-netting, banding, tissue sampling, stable isotope geochemistry, geolocators and radio telemetry), data analysis (including distance sampling and mark-recapture statistics) and applied conservation strategies. Participants will be mist-netting and handling birds nearly every morning of the course, and will also learn to prepare museum voucher study skins. NEW COURSE: Statistical Downscaling of Global Climate Models in SDSM 5.2 (December 7-11, 2015) The Statistical DownScaling Model (SDSM) is a freely available software tool that facilitates the rapid development of multiple, low-cost, single-site scenarios of daily surface weather variables under present and future climate forcing. This course trains on the use and application of this decision support tool for assessing local climate change impacts, and is taught by professionals currently using this technique in their own research. The course progresses from download and management of site-specific climate data, to development of future scenarios of climate change based on global models, and finally to downscaling techniques including quality control and data transformation; screening of downscaling predictor variables; model calibration; weather generators; analysis and graphing of observed and downscaled data; frequency analysis; scenario generation; and time series analysis. Additional Upcoming Courses: . Practical Zoo Nutrition Management (April 11-15, 2016) - NEW COURSE . Species Monitoring Conservation: Terrestrial Mammals (May 9-20, 2016)
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Question for the Professionals
(not targeting Ben here, just replying to thread) I know there has been talk about the cellular level and how it seems tangent or outside the realm of ecology, but it is not. Much of ecotoxicology deals with cellular elements. Stress responses can be read in immunofunction, antioxidant levels, and heatshock protein up regulation. Genetic technology is increasingly important, in fact, I have seen a growing number of genomics-wildlife vacancies in recent years. Further, many of the wildlife problems are pathogenic leading to the need for a firm understanding in the microscopic and submicroscopic world. Never under-estimate the value of what you can learn, always shoot to learn as much as you can, and continue to learn new things even after you are in school. If you do this, you will continue to grow as a person, a professional, and as a scientist. Unfortunately, most people really do stop learning the moment the leave school (some stop earlier than this). The stagnation that results will gradually lead to an array of phenomena that are neither healthy nor productive. You can never know too much, and the one thing in life that is certainly true is that the more you learn, the more easily you learn who is full of it, and who is not! :) Stepping outside of your comfort zone and learning crazy new stuff often leads to the biggest and neatest results. When you take ideas from one field and apply them to another where they have not been introduced, it can be pretty amazingly enlightening. So, don't be afraid of getting stuck in a course on membranes! It just turns out that one of the easiest ways to detect stress is to detect free radical attack on lipid membranes, and these tests constitute very important stress markers in all organisms! And, of course stress is fundamental to what drives evolutionary change, population stability and change, and ultimately ecosystem function. So, its not all that distantly related to the big picture! :) On Wed, Apr 8, 2015 at 10:03 AM, Ben Fertig fer...@marine.rutgers.edu wrote: Hi Matt, To answer your question: Yes, you probably can become a successful ecologist or wildlife biologist with either environmental studies or biology. A Masters and possibly a PhD would also likely give you helpful credentials, depending on your interests and the degree to which you want your career to be based in hard science. My two cents is that undergraduate years are what one makes of them. While the focus of a department may influence a student’s interests, I believe self-motivation is ultimately critical in pursuing science. While maybe not the norm for a small liberal arts university such as Brandeis, I graduated in 2003 with a BA in Biology and an Env. Studies minor (there was no major at that time). After internships and working for a few years I went to U. of Maryland for my Ph.D. (2010) in Marine, Estuarine and Environmental Science with an Ecology area of specialization. I have always felt that the rigor of the (essentially pre-med) Biology major at Brandeis has been extremely helpful beyond college despite that my interests lay outside the cellular level. Cheers, Ben Fertig https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Benjamin_Fertig On Apr 8, 2015, at 8:21 AM, Judith S. Weis jw...@andromeda.rutgers.edu wrote: I haven't looked at it lately, but last I knew, the Bio Dept at Brandeis was not interested in anything outside the cell membrane - which would explain some of these policies. I would suggest transferring to a school that appreciates ecology. Dear Matt, What a crazy biology department you must have! Studying abroad, enrolling in a SFS program (or, better, helping conduct scientific research in a more formal setting, or taking an Organization for Tropical Studies course) is EXACTLY what you should be doing! Students without research experience in ecology will always have a hard time getting into top ecology departments. In my experience, environmental studies programs can weak in the hard sciences ... and you do need to know some physics and chemistry, certainly math (calculus, linear algebra, probability) and statistics (means and variances, t-tests, ANOVA, MANOVA, regression, multiple regression) and ... some real biology - get to know the ecology and systematics (and physiology) of at least one group very well, and it will serve as an inspiration and strength forever. Cheers, Tom Thomas J. Givnish Henry Allan Gleason Professor of Botany University of Wisconsin givn...@wisc.edu http://botany.wisc.edu/givnish/Givnish/Welcome.html On 04/07/15, Matt Smetana wrote: Hey Everyone! My name is Matt Smetana, and I’m a current sophomore at Brandeis University out near Boston. I have been subscribed to this listserve for a few months and have been applying to various summer internships within the ecological/biological field. I am certain this is the career path I
[ECOLOG-L] Statistics course: Darwin, Australia
Apologies for cross-posting There are 8 remaining seats on the following course: Course: Data exploration, regression, GLM GAM with introduction to R When: 3-7 August 2015 Where: Darwin, Australia Course flyer: http://www.highstat.com/Courses/Flyers/Flyer2015_08Darwin_regression_GLM_GAM.pdf URL: http://www.highstat.com/statscourse.htm Kind regards, Alain Zuur -- Dr. Alain F. Zuur First author of: 1. Beginner's Guide to GAMM with R (2014). 2. Beginner's Guide to GLM and GLMM with R (2013). 3. Beginner's Guide to GAM with R (2012). 4. Zero Inflated Models and GLMM with R (2012). 5. A Beginner's Guide to R (2009). 6. Mixed effects models and extensions in ecology with R (2009). 7. Analysing Ecological Data (2007). Highland Statistics Ltd. 9 St Clair Wynd UK - AB41 6DZ Newburgh Tel: 0044 1358 788177 Email: highs...@highstat.com URL: www.highstat.com
Re: [ECOLOG-L] book recommendations for human ecology
Hi David, What about The Human Age: The World Shaped by Us by Diane Ackerman (WW Norton Co, 2014)? I confess I haven't gotten very far into it (just picked it up the other day) but it's a wonderful read, gets very strong reviews (including from Jared Diamond and others), and seems to be something non-major's might enjoy and be able to tackle. Barbara On Tue, Apr 7, 2015 at 2:34 PM, David Robert Johnson davi...@stedwards.edu wrote: Hi Ecologers - I'm teaching a non-major's biology class this fall that I'm calling human ecology. I'm looking for a pop-science book that deals with one or all of the following: urban ecosystems, the anthropocene, human systems, humans as a dominant evolutionary driver. I want it to be forward thinking, and not doomy and gloomy, if possible. I have a couple of books in mind that deal with human evolution and smaller scale stuff as well as past human ecosystem interactions but want to have students read something bigger picture. Thanks and feel free to e-mail me directly. Cheers, David David R. Johnson, PhD Department of Biology St. Edwards University davi...@stedwards.edu -- ___ *Barbara L. Dugelby, Ph.D. *NAPIRE Program Coordinator Organization for Tropical Studies Cell: 830-965-6869 barb...@dugelby.com ots.ac.cr/napire
[ECOLOG-L] Graduate Assistant Position available - Hood College Dept. of Biology
Hood College, Department of Biology has one Graduate Assistant position available to begin August 1, 2015. Under the close supervision of the Biology Department Chair, the Graduate Assistant will have a strong undergraduate record and an interest in pursuing research in environmental biology or cell biology/molecular biology/biochemistry. Duties will include preparing and teaching laboratories and conducting research within the department. Candidates must be accepted into the Hood College Graduate School and will enroll in either the Environmental Biology or Biomedical Science M.S. program. Students will receive a stipend, benefits and waiver of graduate course tuition. Please visit www.hood.edu for more details, including a description of the position. Qualified candidates are invited to apply on-line via our electronic application, https://re11.ultipro.com/HOO1003/JobBoard/JobDetails.aspx?__ID=*26C15C9AD3C4605D, which requires submission of a letter of interest, resume, and undergraduate transcripts and should arrange for three letters of recommendation to be mailed to Dr. Kathy Falkenstein, Ph.D., Department of Biology Chair, Department of Biology, Hood College, 401 Rosemont Avenue, Frederick, MD 21701 or submitted electronically to falkenst...@hood.edu. (The electronic application is found at the end of the job description on the lower right hand side, Apply On-line.) Questions about the position should be directed to Dr. Kathy F. Falkenstein, Ph.D., Department of Biology Chair (falkenst...@hood.edu). Review of applications will begin May 1, 2015 and will continue until the position is filled. If you need assistance with the on-line application process, please email humanresour...@hood.edu or call (301) 696-3592. Hood College is committed to diversity and subscribes to a policy of hiring only individuals legally eligible to work in the United States. EEO
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Question for the Professionals
Feeling targeted here, I respond. I did not mean to imply that learning about cellular and molecular biology was not useful. I criticized biology departments that have only courses about those aspects of biology and no ecology courses. A good biology major should have both. (not targeting Ben here, just replying to thread) I know there has been talk about the cellular level and how it seems tangent or outside the realm of ecology, but it is not. Much of ecotoxicology deals with cellular elements. Stress responses can be read in immunofunction, antioxidant levels, and heatshock protein up regulation. Genetic technology is increasingly important, in fact, I have seen a growing number of genomics-wildlife vacancies in recent years. Further, many of the wildlife problems are pathogenic leading to the need for a firm understanding in the microscopic and submicroscopic world. Never under-estimate the value of what you can learn, always shoot to learn as much as you can, and continue to learn new things even after you are in school. If you do this, you will continue to grow as a person, a professional, and as a scientist. Unfortunately, most people really do stop learning the moment the leave school (some stop earlier than this). The stagnation that results will gradually lead to an array of phenomena that are neither healthy nor productive. You can never know too much, and the one thing in life that is certainly true is that the more you learn, the more easily you learn who is full of it, and who is not! :) Stepping outside of your comfort zone and learning crazy new stuff often leads to the biggest and neatest results. When you take ideas from one field and apply them to another where they have not been introduced, it can be pretty amazingly enlightening. So, don't be afraid of getting stuck in a course on membranes! It just turns out that one of the easiest ways to detect stress is to detect free radical attack on lipid membranes, and these tests constitute very important stress markers in all organisms! And, of course stress is fundamental to what drives evolutionary change, population stability and change, and ultimately ecosystem function. So, its not all that distantly related to the big picture! :) On Wed, Apr 8, 2015 at 10:03 AM, Ben Fertig fer...@marine.rutgers.edu wrote: Hi Matt, To answer your question: Yes, you probably can become a successful ecologist or wildlife biologist with either environmental studies or biology. A Masters and possibly a PhD would also likely give you helpful credentials, depending on your interests and the degree to which you want your career to be based in hard science. My two cents is that undergraduate years are what one makes of them. While the focus of a department may influence a studentâs interests, I believe self-motivation is ultimately critical in pursuing science. While maybe not the norm for a small liberal arts university such as Brandeis, I graduated in 2003 with a BA in Biology and an Env. Studies minor (there was no major at that time). After internships and working for a few years I went to U. of Maryland for my Ph.D. (2010) in Marine, Estuarine and Environmental Science with an Ecology area of specialization. I have always felt that the rigor of the (essentially pre-med) Biology major at Brandeis has been extremely helpful beyond college despite that my interests lay outside the cellular level. Cheers, Ben Fertig https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Benjamin_Fertig On Apr 8, 2015, at 8:21 AM, Judith S. Weis jw...@andromeda.rutgers.edu wrote: I haven't looked at it lately, but last I knew, the Bio Dept at Brandeis was not interested in anything outside the cell membrane - which would explain some of these policies. I would suggest transferring to a school that appreciates ecology. Dear Matt, What a crazy biology department you must have! Studying abroad, enrolling in a SFS program (or, better, helping conduct scientific research in a more formal setting, or taking an Organization for Tropical Studies course) is EXACTLY what you should be doing! Students without research experience in ecology will always have a hard time getting into top ecology departments. In my experience, environmental studies programs can weak in the hard sciences ... and you do need to know some physics and chemistry, certainly math (calculus, linear algebra, probability) and statistics (means and variances, t-tests, ANOVA, MANOVA, regression, multiple regression) and ... some real biology - get to know the ecology and systematics (and physiology) of at least one group very well, and it will serve as an inspiration and strength forever. Cheers, Tom Thomas J. Givnish Henry Allan Gleason Professor of Botany University of Wisconsin givn...@wisc.edu http://botany.wisc.edu/givnish/Givnish/Welcome.html On 04/07/15, Matt
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Question for the Professionals
Matt, It is quite possible, particularly in conservation-focused environmental fields, to pick up experience *outside* of school that may substitute for some of what you are unable to get *in* school. While not specifically research-focused, the Student Conservation Association places many, many students in stipended internships ranging from 10 weeks to a year or so. Many of these also qualify for Americorps service, which comes with monetary awards usable to pay tuition and education loans. (Just as an added incentive!) It can take some effort to find SCA positions that include opportunities for what one might call research, but with a little creativity even physical labor internships might offer opportunities to write up a report or article. Improvements in trail construction speed: a comparison of novice- and apprentice-level trail staff or The efficacy of three herbicides on Japanese Stiltgrass in southern Indiana or Trends in small mammal populations in Northeastern flood inundation areas are a few hypothetical titles I can think of from my own experiences with SCA. The bottom line? Be creative, be inquisitive, and you'll go far. Best of luck! Chris Chris Scheiner GIS Technical Analyst On Thu, Apr 9, 2015 at 12:37 AM, Mitch Cruzan cru...@pdx.edu wrote: The bottom line is that a degree in biology will provide you with the best training and the broadest base from which to advance your career. Specializing too early (environmental science or wildlife biology) will limit your options. I suggest you stick with biology - hopefully in a program that is strong in ecology. This is a mistake that many students make because they cannot see how the basic science they are learning can be applied to topics that are relevant to applications in the real world. This is your challenge - some professors will help you with it but many will not. Yes, some day you will discover that even the chemistry and physics courses that might be required for your bio degree are useful as they deepen and broaden your understanding of science and nature in general. Be a biologist first, and then focus on the more specialized fields later - you will never regret it. Mitch Cruzan On 4/7/2015 3:36 PM, Matt Smetana wrote: Hey Everyone! My name is Matt Smetana, and I’m a current sophomore at Brandeis University out near Boston. I have been subscribed to this listserve for a few months and have been applying to various summer internships within the ecological/biological field. I am certain this is the career path I want to take but am unclear of the skill set required to be successful in this field. My current degree is Environmental Studies, but I am also highly interested in Ecology, Wildlife Biology, and Forestry. I am most drawn to internships and jobs pertaining to the biological field but enjoy my course work and have a real passion for the environment. My question is, can I become a successful ecologist or wildlife biologist with a degree in environmental studies or must I switch my major in order to obtain the necessary skills for the career that I want. My main concern with choosing biology is that it inhibits me from taking many desired courses, studying abroad at a School for Field Studies programs, participating in independent research opportunities, and possessing an internship this summer (I would need to enroll in Chemistry this summer). I will have already taken all of the requirements for the biology degree such as the introductory courses, biology lab, one semester of general chemistry and lab, and all required electives. But I have not finished general chemistry, organic chemistry, or physics. As ecologists, do you think it is more important to go for the biology degree or stay with environmental studies and gain experience through research, study abroad, and internships? Any input would be very helpful and could potentially change the course of my future! Best, Matt Smetana -- Mitch Cruzan Professor of Biology Portland State University Department of Biology, SRTC rm 246, PO Box 751 Portland, OR 97207 USA http://web.pdx.edu/~cruzan/
[ECOLOG-L] Postdoc positions available on Preventing rhino poaching
We are looking for two postdocs to develop instrumentation for wildlife protection, especially to prevent poaching of rhino. Poaching is an increasing problem for wildlife and threatens the survival of many species. The goal of this project is to build a fast and self-learning response system to predict when and where poaching is expected to take place and to allow an intervention. One postdoc will be responsible for developing understanding of changes in movement dynamics of wildlife using advanced mathematical techniques to signal anomalies in data from sensors. The second postdoc will implement this knowledge in a multi-sensor architecture for detection and tracking of poachers. Both postdocs will be primarily based at the Resource Ecology Group of Wageningen University. The postdoc on movement pattern recognition will mainly work with Dr. Frank van Langevelde, Prof. Herbert Prins (Resource Ecology Group) and Prof. Arjen Doelman (Mathematical Institute, University of Leiden), the postdoc on multi-sensor architecture mainly with Dr. Frank van Langevelde, Prof. Herbert Prins and Prof. Paul Havinga (Pervasive Systems Group, University of Twente). They will be part of a larger team working on instrumentation for wildlife protection. The project is funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). The successful candidate preferentially: -holds a PhD in ecology, remote sensing, computer science or (applied) mathematics by the start date -has experiences with developing or using advanced computer codes and/or with analysing data from airborne (thermal) sensors, radio-tracking devices or accelerometers -is well-versed in multidisciplinary research methods, data-mining and/or the analysis of large data sets -has an excellent publication record in international scientific journals and excellent verbal and written communication skills -is willing to do field work in South Africa and in possession of a driver’s licence -has proven ability to work in a collaborative multidisciplinary team Wageningen University and Research Centre (Wageningen UR) invites applications for postdocs on the subject of preventing rhino poaching. We offer you a full time (38 hours per week) contract for 3 years. Gross Salary: from € 3324,- to € 4551,- (scale 11), based on full time employment and dependents on expertise and experience. More information Additional information about the vacancy can be obtained from Dr. Frank van Langevelde, Associate Professor, e-mail: frank.vanlangeve...@wur.nl For application, see: http://www.wageningenur.nl/en/Jobs/Vacancies/Show/Postdoc-on-Preventing-Rhino-Poaching-.htm
[ECOLOG-L] Call back about telemetric amphibians monitoring.
We are currently doing an inventory of technics used in telemetric monitoring amphibian. The aim is principally to clarify all technics which have been tested concerning the fitting of transmitters, in order to know the more effective ones, and if certain amphibian species have specific problems to certain of these technics (very high mortality, absence of movements, individuals in poor health…). The final purpose is to allow the community of people who want to lead such monitoring in the future to be aware of tested methods, and mostly, aware of potential problems or benefits of each technics. So this document will be made public. For this, we initiate a call back of experiences : if you or some of your acquaintances have accomplished such studies, thank you for contacting us, by explaining your choices of technics, and their outcomes (success or fail, and why). You can do it by email or by telephone, at your convenience. You can also choose that your name appears or not in the final report. Deadline for answering : April 20, 2015 Contacts : Ninon Pégourié, trainee in second year of Master at the Center of Evolutionary and Functional Ecology (CEFE) of Montpellier, France, and at the University of Angers (Supervisors : Aurélie Coulon (Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Center of Ecology and of Conservation Science, and CEFE), Damien Picard (Group Ecology and Conservation of Vertebras, University of Angers), Claude Miaud (CEFE)). Ninon Pégourié : ninon.pegour...@etu.univ-lorraine.fr
[ECOLOG-L] Summer Natural History Workshops at the UWM Field Station
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Field Station offers natural history workshops that provide college-level instruction on focused topics under the guidance of experts. We offer one-day, two-day and week-long workshops, and housing and meals are available at the Station. Enrollment is limited to 20, the atmosphere is informal and instruction is individualized. We are offering 8 classes for summer and fall 2015. •Wildlife Inventory and Monitoring. May 29 30 (Friday Saturday) •Vegetation of Wisconsin. June 15-20 (Monday - Saturday) •Sedges: Identification and Ecology. June 19 20 (Friday Saturday) (waitlist only) •Aquatic Invertebrates. July 17 18 (Friday Saturday) •Ecological Geology. July 27 - 31 (Monday - Friday) •Grasses: Identification and Ecology. August 7 8 (Friday Saturday) (waitlist only) •Invasive Plant Management Techniques. September 19 (Saturday) •Wetland Restoration. Sept. 25 26 (Friday Saturday) All of our workshops can be taken for continuing education credits, and some are available for college credit. All classes are offered at the main Field Station property in Saukville, WI, just north of Milwaukee. Please visit our website (http://www4.uwm.edu/fieldstation/workshops/) for information on credit, class descriptions, and fee information, or contact us with questions (262-675-6844, field...@uwm.edu). UWM Field Station 3095 Blue Goose Road Saukville, WI 53080 http://www4.uwm.edu/fieldstation/ (262) 675-6844 | field...@uwm.edu
