[ECOLOG-L] Two MS positions in Ecotoxicology

[Scott Glaberman]

The Glaberman Lab is looking for two graduate students to perform research
on ecotoxicology as part of the Masters in Environmental Toxicology Program
(ETOX) at the University of South Alabama (USA).  This is a two-year program
that combines coursework and a thesis research experience. We are looking
for students to work on each of the following general projects:

(1) Computational ecotoxicology: the student will focus on looking at the
genetic and protein basis for understanding differences in species
sensitivity to chemicals. This project combines examination of molecular
biology data and bioinformatics with available information on chemical
toxicity. Experience with statistical software (e.g. R) or bioinformatics
tools (e.g., BLAST) is a plus.

(2) Nematode ecotoxicology: the student will help develop our new toxicity
testing system in nematodes. This includes performing nematode husbandry and
designing toxicity testing procedures. The project will focus initially on
looking at effects of neurotoxic pesticides on nematode behavior, survival,
and reproduction. The goal is to build an improved system for examining
effects of chemicals on soil health.

The deadline to apply to the MS program for Fall 2018 is July 15th, so
prospective students should contact me at least several weeks in advance. 
Students have the ability to earn an assistantship and stipend and serve as
teaching assistant for extra money. More information on USA’s ETOX program
can be found at:
http://southalabama.edu/graduatemajors/etox/

The Glaberman Lab is based in the Department of Biology at the University of
South Alabama. We specialize in applying evolutionary biology approaches to
ecotoxicology. More information on Dr. Glaberman’s laboratory can be found at:
http://scottglaberman.com

The University of South Alabama is located in Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf
Coast. Mobile is a short drive from beautiful beaches and wildlife viewing
spots and its Mardis Gras is the oldest Carnival celebration in the US.

If you are interested in these MS positions or have any questions, please
contact Dr. Scott Glaberman (scottglaber...@southalabama.edu).

[ECOLOG-L] PH.D. Graduate Research Assistantship: Invasion Ecology in Agroecosystems

[Marcus Lashley]

Ph.D. Assistantship - 
Integrating new technologies to understand invasion ecology in 
Agroecosystems

We seek a highly motivated student to fill a fully funded Ph.D. position 
in the labs of Drs. Marcus Lashley and Garrett Street at Mississippi State 
University to study Invasion Ecology in Agroecosystems. This research is 
an extension of an ongoing 6+ year project (beginning year three now). The 
student will be expected to collect data with unmanned aerial vehicles 
(UAV) to integrate with other in situ data sets into a landscape modelling 
framework with the objective of predicting the spatiotemporal probability 
of human wildlife conflicts, the effects of swine invasion on native 
wildlife communities, and swine population vulnerability as predicted by 
island biogeography theory. The successful student will have access to 
large data sets from radiotags and accelerometers deployed on feral swine, 
remotely sensed agricultural data, a captive feral swine facility, the 
Center for UAV Research, and camera traps deployed in remnant forest 
patches across Agroecosystems of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. 

Required Qualifications: Successful completion of the FAA UAS training 
will be required within the first semester. Possess or obtain a driver’s 
license. Ability to work in teams or individually in secluded and remote, 
hot and humid conditions, where most organisms want to sting, bite, or 
puncture you.

Preferred Qualifications: Strong quantitative, GIS, and written skills are 
desirable. Strong interpersonal skills, fun attitude with a good sense of 
humor, and desire to promote research and technology transfer through 
social media and public speaking.

Interested applicants should submit via email a cover letter outlining 
your interest in the project, a current curriculum vitae, contacts for 
three references, and an example of writing (preferably a peer-reviewed 
publication) to Dr. Marcus Lashley, marcus.lash...@msstate.edu.
We will be accepting and reviewing applications immediately until a 
suitable applicant is found. Start date is flexible but intended for 
August 2018. 

[ECOLOG-L] FINAL Call for Applications: Professional Masters in Conservation and Restoration Science

[Marni Falk]

Master’s Program in Conservation and Restoration at UC-Irvine is 
accepting our last round of applications for Fall 2018!

The Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and the Center for 
Environmental Biology (CEB) at the University of California, Irvine are 
accepting applications for the Masters in Conservation and Restoration 
Science (MCRS) graduate program providing training for students 
interested in careers in the research and management of natural 
resources. Is accepting applications for the second cohort of MCRS 
students for Fall 2018! Sectors and potential careers for MCRS graduates 
include: non-profit land management sector, local and federal government 
agencies, and environmental consulting firms. For more information, 
visit the MCRS webpage (http://mcrs.bio.uci.edu), or contact program 
administrators at uciconresscie...@uci.edu.
 
The MCRS degree will provide students with the academic and professional 
skills needed to study, protect, and conserve natural resources, and to 
hold leadership and management positions in environmental fields related 
to conservation, restoration, and sustainability. Potential applicants 
will need a B.A. or B.S. degree, preferably in the natural sciences 
(biology, conservation biology, ecology, environmental science, 
forestry, wildlife biology, horticulture, or similar degree title) from 
a fully accredited academic institution. Applicants with undergraduate 
degrees in other areas will be considered, but must demonstrate 
proficiency in the natural sciences and/or practical experience working 
in this professional field.

The program includes two years of coursework and activities, including 
18 units of core courses (e.g., ecology, conservation science), 16 units 
of topical electives (e.g., environmental policy, land use policy), 18 
units of technical and professional skills courses (e.g., technical 
writing, GIS), and 8 units associated with technical and professional 
workshops (e.g., regional professional gatherings). A collaborative, 
year-long group capstone project (12 units), aligned with community 
partners, integrates the program’s learning objectives and applies 
student’s new skills to key environmental challenges facing society.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. The last round of 
applications will be reviewed for admission after July 1, 2018.

[ECOLOG-L] Summer Institute R2R-CAL: Ridge-to-Reef - Climate and Life

[Marni Falk]

UCI announces a 10-day Summer Institute for graduate students, R2R-CAL: 
Ridge to Reef - Climate and Life, that tackles climate-human-ecosystem 
interactions to impact management and decision making from local to 
global scales. R2R-CAL engages participants with interdisciplinary 
training to build deep understanding and effective modeling of coupled 
human-natural systems. Emphasis is placed on integrating theory, 
analysis of large data sets, and modeling across space and time scales, 
as well as translational research and co-generation of knowledge with 
stakeholders who critically need information to manage and preserve the 
environment.

Curriculum Highlights: 
Lecture, workshop, and field components
Analysis of coupled systems including: Regional, climate model 
projections, Data mining and detection of trends, analysis of extreme 
events and remote sensing.  Professional development skills improved 
through: science communication, policy and management.  

Open to all post-docs and graduate students.  Enrollment, accommodation, 
and meals are covered by R2R-CAL.  Participants cover travel expenses.  
A limited number of travel grants are available.

For more information, visit: r2r.bio.uci.edu/r2r-cal-2018

Application application: May 31, 2018 

[ECOLOG-L] Nominations for Latin American & Caribbean Section SCB BoD - June 4th

[Nicolette Roach]

The Latin American & Caribbean Section of Society for Conservation Biology 
(https://conbio.org/groups/sections/latin-america-caribbean) Board of Directors 
is 
accepting nominations for 5 positions:

• Director of Chapters
• Director of Education
• Director of Nominations
• Director of Membership
• Secretary

Successful candidates will serve 2 years. We are looking for truly committed 
people that 
are interested in enhancing Latin American and Caribbean participation in SCB. 
For a full 
description of each position please visit: http://ow.ly/NzAU30k26FS 

Apply or nominate someone by June 4th, 2018.

Twitter: @LACA_SCB; FB: https://www.facebook.com/LACAsection/

Cheers,

LACA BoD

[ECOLOG-L] Requesting a few reviewers for a paper on vitamin D in plants, insects, and humans

[Jorge A. Santiago-Blay]

 Dear Colleagues:

I received a long (ca. 11,000 words, including captions and Literature
Cited) paper on vitamin D in insects, plants, and humans. If you know of
someone who may be interested in reviewing this paper for my journal before
the end of May 2018, please let me know off the list.

blayjo...@gmail.com

Apologies for potential duplicate emails.

Gratefully,

Jorge

Jorge A. Santiago-Blay, PhD
blaypublishers.com

1. Positive experiences for authors of papers published in *LEB*
http://blaypublishers.com/testimonials/

2. Free examples of papers published in *LEB*:
http://blaypublishers.com/category/previous-issues/.

3. *Guidelines for Authors* and page charges of *LEB*:
http://blaypublishers.com/archives/ *.*

4. Want to subscribe to *LEB*? http://blaypublishers.com/subscriptions/


http://blayjorge.wordpress.com/
http://paleobiology.si.edu/staff/individuals/santiagoblay.cfm

[ECOLOG-L] Postdoc in plant disease ecology

[Matt Daugherty]

Postdoc – Plant disease ecology
An opening is available for a postdoctoral researcher to study the 
epidemiology of Pierce’s disease in Northern California vineyards. The 
researcher will analyze an extensive dataset of vector and disease records to 
understand the factors driving an ongoing epidemic, then leverage the results 
to develop an epidemiological model to inform management strategies. 
Applicants should have a Ph.D. in ecology, plant pathology, entomology or a 
related field with extensive training in quantitative methods. The ideal 
candidate would have a combination of experience with statistical 
(generalized linear models, hierarchical models, model selection) and 
consumer-resource or epidemiological modeling. Familiarity with spatial 
statistics or geospatial tools is desirable, but not required. The position 
will be 1 1/2 to 2 years in duration, with a preferred start date this 
Summer, and with the potential for being located at UC Riverside or UC 
Berkeley. To apply, send a cover letter, CV, list of professional references, 
and a writing sample to Matt Daugherty (ma...@ucr.edu).

[ECOLOG-L] [POTENTIAL JUNK MAIL] Automatic Stomatal Phenotyping Now Available

[Karl Fetter]

Hi Ecologers,

In 2016 I surveyed the community of plant biologists on Ecolog who phenotype 
stomata and it was clear from your responses that an automated tool to 
phenotype stomata would be welcomed by the community. My collaborators and I 
have created a publicly available convolutional neural network trained to 
identify stomata from 700 species of plants. The tool is available at 
http://www.stomata.science/  and you can read the 
manuscript describing the method on bioRxiv here 
. 

We are currently looking to expand the training data set used in the neural 
network so the method is more transferable to other sample preparation and 
microscopy settings. If you are interested in using the tool for a project, try 
uploading and annotating several dozen images. We will retrain the model to 
incorporate your images and the method should work very well for your own 
personal sample prep and microscopy settings.

Thanks for the support and please contact me for questions!

Sincerely,

Karl Fetter

Ph.D. Candidate
Keller Lab
Department of Plant Biology
University of Vermont
kfet...@uvm.edu

[ECOLOG-L] REMINDER - 2018 Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program at BIOS

[Audrey Pope]

REMINDER – APPLICATION DEADLINE MAY 31

2018 Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program at BIOS

8 x FULLY FUNDED MARINE, OCEANOGRAPHIC AND ATMOSPHERIC UNDERGRADUATE 
INTERNSHIPS 
  
The Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) has received funding from 
the National Science Foundation (NSF), for the Research Experiences for 
Undergraduates (REU) Program (http://www.bios.edu/education/reu/), to 
support eight internships for undergraduate student research at BIOS 
during Fall 2018 (arrive August 26 and depart November 17, 2018).

An REU internship at BIOS is a great way to gain the experience necessary 
to embark on graduate studies or careers in the marine and atmospheric 
sciences.

Funding includes return air travel to Bermuda, accommodation and meals. 
Each successful REU applicant will also receive a competitive stipend.

This program provides recipients with the opportunity to design and 
conduct intensive, hands-on research projects - under faculty supervision 
and mentorship, 
within several research areas including:
•   Biology, chemistry, and physics of the open ocean
•   Biology, physiology, and biochemistry of reef building corals and 
reef ecosystems
•   Molecular biology of marine organisms
•   Environmental chemistry of Bermuda's atmosphere and inshore waters
•   Effects and consequences of global environmental change

Further information on the REU program at BIOS can be found here 
(http://www.bios.edu/education/reu/), including eligibility, application 
instructions, online application form, past student testimonials and more 
detail on potential projects that students may apply to work on in 2018. 

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

Completed at least one year of undergraduate study
Will still be enrolled as an undergraduate in the fall of 2018
U.S. citizen or permanent resident 

The application deadline is May 31st, 2018. We urge all successful 
applicants to arrange for independent study credit through their home 
institutions. 
Underrepresented groups, and students attending colleges or universities 
where research opportunities in STEM are limited, are especially 
encouraged to apply.
Students having participated in an Ocean Science REU are normally 
ineligible.

Please don't hesitate to contact us should you require additional 
information on BIOS's REU program or other BIOS education programs.

Audrey

Audrey Pope
University Programs Internship Coordinator
Communications and Data Manager 
Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS)
17 Biological Station | St. George's GE 01 | Bermuda
T 441 297 1880 x115 
audrey.p...@bios.edu  
www.bios.edu 

[ECOLOG-L] Postdoc in Conservation Research and Teaching - New York

[Mary E. Blair]

Postdoctoral Conservation Research and Teaching Fellow

The American Museum of Natural History offers a unique opportunity for a recent 
Ph.D. 
who is interested in both biodiversity conservation research and educating the 
next 
generation of students in applied biodiversity conservation. The purpose of 
this position 
is to conduct scientific research with a focus on biodiversity conservation, 
and teach in 
the Museum's Student Research Mentoring Program as it expands biodiversity 
conservation research opportunities for high school students from 
historically underrepresented groups. For more information and to apply go to:  
 
https://careers.amnh.org/postings/1461

[ECOLOG-L] Course on Agent-Based Models using NetLogo, Barcelona, Sept 17-21

[Soledad De Esteban-Trivigno]

Dear colleagues,Registration is open for the course Introduction to Agent Based-Models Using NetLogo, September 17th-21nd, 2018, Barcelona (Spain)Scholarships: https://www.transmittingscience.org/funding/scholarships/ Deadline: May 31st. You should register for the course before applying.Instructors: Dr. Jürgen Groeneveld (Institute of Forest Growth and Computer Sciences, Germany), and Dr. Lukas Egli (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Germany).Site: Capellades, Barcelona (Spain).In Ecology and Socio-Ecological systems, many patterns at the population or community level emerge from processes, variability and interactions at the individual scale. Therefore it is increasingly acknowledged that the basic entities in many models should be individuals. This is the aim of individual-based modelling (or agent-based modelling).In this course, we present the principles of agent-based modelling. We will introduce participants to NetLogo**, a development environment and a domain specific computer language for agent-based modelling. In lectures, we explain techniques to develop, analyse, test and document agent-based simulation models. Hands-on session will familiarise participants with the concepts: In small groups they will develop, implement and analyse an agent-based model to answer an ecological or socio-ecological question.Questions will be suggested by the instructors and will comprise applied (e.g. sustainable forestry) and theoretical topics. Every group will present their project and their experiences at the end of the course in a short presentation. Our intention is that after the course the participants are able to implement and analyse simple models in NetLogo.More info: http://bit.ly/transmittingscience-netlogoOrganized by: Transmitting Science and the Institut Català de Paleontologia M.C.With best regardsSoleSoledad De Esteban-Trivigno,PhD.Scientific DirectorTransmitting Sciencewww.transmittingscience.org