[ECOLOG-L] Invasive species playing cards designer - filled
Thank you to everyone who emailed with suggestions or offers of help with the playing cards of Great Lakes invasive species. We will be posting a link to the cards when they are completed, for those who are interested. Cheers, Alisha
[ECOLOG-L] Looking for ecological graphic designer/illustrator
My group is aiming to design some playing cards with pictures and some information about a series of invasive species in the Great Lakes. We have the photos and information, but looking for someone to help combine the two and create image files we can upload to the playing card website. We have a small budget to pay for these services. If you have any recommendations, please let me know at fd7...@wayne.edu Thank you!
Re: [ECOLOG-L] "The Audacity of Graduate School"
I went a slightly alternative route, born and B.S.-ed in the US, but went to Australia (University of Tasmania) for my PhD in the marine conservation field, then returned to the US for my post doc. I had an overall great experience in Australia - like Europe, no class requirements and finished in 3-4 years. I had advisors who didn't just hand me a project 'recipe', but gave me space to develop my project, while also providing guidance when needed. I was also able to get tuition and a stipend covered, even as a foreign student. I know I was lucky, but would encourage students to keep Australia in mind in their PhD search! International conferences can be a great way to meet potential advisors, as well as over email and skype.
[ECOLOG-L] most invaded terrestrial ecosystems/regions?
My academic and personal focus has always been on aquatic ecosystems, where I hear stories of the 'most heavily invaded ecosystems' being San Francisco Bay, the Great Lakes, the Mediterranean, Port Phillip Bay, etc. However, I am wondering what terrestrial ecologists consider to be the 'most heavily invaded' terrestrial spots? I appreciate your response, and any relevant 'statistics' you want to include.
[ECOLOG-L] Summary of input re: graduate workspace and student value
Many thanks to those who took the time to read and respond to my post on the value of grad students and their office environment. I received responses from 63 individuals; some individuals commented several time and almost all had thoughtful comments which led to quite a bit of reading on my part! Before I summarize the comments, I will make a few comments re: the purpose and results of my post. First, I did not intend to use my posting as a complaint, but as an information gathering exercise; the objective o f my efforts is not to secure a private office with a view, but to work toward an environment conducive to the success of the graduate students I represent so they can achieve their full potential. From the content and number of the responses, I now realize that this topic is not only applicable to my situation but to graduate students throughout the U.S. and internationally. My future efforts will reflect this; I hope to not only improve the situation at my university, but also to provide support and information for general graduate student use. It was suggested by several individuals that the results of this post be written-up and submitted to a journal. I agree, but would like to expand the scope somewhat, via a questionnaire that asks a specific set of questions (examples of which were provided by several of the respondents). If anyone is interested in this, e.g., via piloting the survey, suggesting questions, etc, please feel free to email me. I hope to develop the questions over the next month in two separate surveys: one for current grad students and one for those who have completed graduate work. I am in a British-based doctorate program but plan to design the surveys to reflect the American system so will certainly need feedback on the survey questions. For now, I will (briefly) summarize the responses. While some of the responses described positive workspaces and supportive attitudes, most of the responses described a sub-standard office environment or value for graduate work. The most common suggestions were: making administration aware of the amount of time grad students spend as teaching and research assistants, the amount of grant money and fellowships they obtain (and the associated prestige), the number of publications, the (often) significant amounts of tuition paid; obtaining faculty support; unionizing; publicizing the issue; looking into OSHA laws; look at literature on workspace and productivity from other fields; and gathering information (via surveying students, literature, etc) about the value of a work environment conducive to productive thought and activity. Several publications were provided, including: Pfeffer, J., & Salancik, G. R. (1974). Organizational decision making as a political process: The case of a university budget. Administrative Science Quarterly, 19(2), 135-151. http://www.amacad.org/arisefolder/ariseReport.pdf http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/325/5940/528 Several website were provided, including: Council of Graduate Schools http://www.cgsnet.org/ Alliance of Graduate Employee Locals (http://archive.aft.org/higher_ed/grademp/about.html Coalition of Graduate Employee Unions (http://www.cgeu.org/) UC Union http://www.uaw2865.org/home/home.php Thanks again for the interest in this topic; if you would like to participate in additional discussion of this issue (e.g., survey questions, etc), please contact me directly. Cheers, Alisha
[ECOLOG-L] Feedback on the worth of grad students and their work space
I received an unexpected amount of feedback from many ECOLOGers regarding my post - many thanks to all those who responded. I will be going through the input over the next few days, responding to individual comments and posting any specific studies or resources that have been suggested, so that others may benefit as well. Cheers, Alisha.
[ECOLOG-L] Grad students: what are they worth, and does their work space effect their productivity? Input gratefully accepted
Hi all, I am currently a phd student in my second year. Currently, within my department, grad students share a small building with several rooms, 5-7 in a room. There is a proposal to uproot all the students (and combine them with grad students in a similar department) to a renovated basement that is currently not being used because it is moldy, has poor ventilation and no natural lighting. Apart from a few short partitions, this would be a large shared space that "packed as many students in as possible" (about 40; you can imagine the potential noise and disruptions). As the grad student rep, when I explained this to the proponent of this new plan and asked for his justification, it was that "grad students aren't worth much to a university (monetarily speaking, at least, undergrads earn a school more) and it would be nice for visitors to see all the students in one space." As this plan seems to be moving forward rapidly, I would really like to pull together some documentation that supports my belief that 1) grad students will have a higher completion rate and better output in a better (e.g., quieter and well-lit) work environment and 2) grad students are actually valuable to a university. In my cursory, search, I haven't had much luck - does anyone have any suggestions or input? Feel free to email me directly. Cheers, Alisha
[ECOLOG-L] Bryozoan and/or cnidarian researchers in Oregon
I am looking for scientists working on either bryozoans or cnidarians (particularly non-indigenous species), that are located in Oregon, especially any in the Portland area. I'm looking to ask a few questions of experts with this background (I'm a current grad student working on invasive species across a variety of taxa), and will be in Portland in August for a conference. Thanks for your help.
Ballast Water/AIS Workshop
In the aquatic invasive species (AIS) world, there is a lot of one-way communication - scientists instructing maritime personnel how to reduce invasions (i.e., emptying ballast tanks in the open ocean, not ballasting at night, etc.) But little information exchange occurs in the other direction, from the maritime personnel to researchers and ecologists. The West Coast Ballast Outreach Project (WCBOP) would like find an appropriate conference to host a session that would cover the practical realities that affect the practicality of potential ballast water treatment technologies, as well as approaches for determining compliance with discharge standards. The WCBOP is trying to gauge interest in such a session and gather ideas for appropriate venues. So if you have any feedback on this topic, please respond to this post or send an email directly to Alisha Dahlstrom at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thanks! For more info on the project, please visit: http://ballast-outreach-ucsgep.ucdavis.edu/
Evaluating Env. Ed. effects on Industry
I'm trying to evaluate a series of posters and brochures the West Coast Ballast Outreach Project (http://ballast-outreach-ucsgep.ucdavis.edu/) has developed and distributed, primarily to the maritime industry. I have found many assessment tools for environmental education with children, but few for how to measure effects on industry (i.e., ship captains and crew). Can anyone point me in the right direction? Either post or email me directly, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thanks!
Restore America's Estuaries Conference Lodging
This post is for anyone attending the Restore America's Estuaries Conference in New Orleans Dec. 9-13. I am an intern (thus, on a limited budget) who is attending the conference and hoping to share a hotel room with another female also wishing to save some money. If interested, please send me an email at: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
ESA’s New and Views Blog: Creating the potential to integrate students and professional ecological discussion
Attention all professors, teachers, teaching assistants, and tutors- the ESA has launched one of the first professional science blogs. The News and Views Blog will feature a series of ecological discussions based upon provocative journal articles and posts by ecologists on current issues or events in ecology. ESA is seeking to expand the discussion beyond established ecologists we also want to hear from students of all levels the more diverse the input, the healthier the debate. Thus, we are calling on all those involved in education to use this blog as a resource in the classroom, in one of any number of ways. For example, most university classes have discussion sections, in which the professor or tutor runs a small class for the purpose of discussing a lecture topic in depth. The potential exists for the teacher to incorporate ESAs blog into discussion. Students could visit the blog site, review the blogs post and comments, then make a thoughtful comment of their own. To complete the exercise, the students could then bring the comments back to the next class to discuss. It will be a great way for students to get involved in the professional side of ecology! It provides the opportunity to read primary research, interact with other ecologists, and provide innovative and valuable contributions to a thoughtful discussion. How will you use ESAs new blog feature? Now is the time to use the blog for all its worth: we want to hear your examples, comments, and suggestions for incorporating blogs into classroom discussion. Just head to http://www.esa.org/esablog/?p=13 and blog away!
