[ECOLOG-L] Teaching faculty position at Oklahoma State

2018-10-05 Thread Barney Luttbeg
The Department of Integrative Biology at Oklahoma State University (
http://integrativebiology.okstate.edu) invites applications for a Teaching
Assistant Professor. We seek applicants with a Ph.D. (by date of hire) in a
life sciences field, demonstrated excellence in undergraduate teaching, and
a commitment to meeting the needs of a diverse undergraduate population.
The successful candidate will teach six courses per year (lower- and
upper-division) and contribute to departmental governance and outreach
activities. The initial appointment is for three years, with continued
employment during the term of appointment dependent on satisfactory
performance and the availability of funding.

For the full advertisement see:
https://chroniclevitae.com/jobs/445541-01

-- 
Dr. Barney Luttbeg
Oklahoma State University
Department of Integrative Biology
421 Life Sciences West
(405) 744-1717


[ECOLOG-L] Two tenure-track faculty positions (Genetics, and Neurobiology)

2018-10-05 Thread Barney Luttbeg
The Department of Integrative Biology at Oklahoma State University (
http://integrativebiology.okstate.edu) invites applications for two
tenure-track Assistant Professor positions—one a neurobiologist and one a
geneticist—whose research complements departmental strengths in
understanding the biology of organisms in natural environments.

For full advertisement see:
https://chroniclevitae.com/jobs/445532-01

-- 
Dr. Barney Luttbeg
Oklahoma State University
Department of Integrative Biology
421 Life Sciences West
(405) 744-1717


[ECOLOG-L] University support for "traditional" versus "flashier" research presentations

2018-01-11 Thread Barney Luttbeg
At my university I have seen our office of research and graduate college
move their support from things like poster sessions and research
conferences to more "flashy" and commodifiable endeavors. For example, they
support the 3-Minute presentation competitions (which to me say "you aren't
worth my 10 minutes") and TED talks, and the making of research videos and
electronic posters that the university can post and use as they desire. I
can see some value in these endeavors, but it is at the cost of having
fewer traditional posters and seminar opportunities for graduate and
undergraduate students.

What I am wondering is how widespread this in the US and beyond? And is
anyone aware of any research comparing the effectiveness of more
traditional research presentations vs. flashier formats for the dispersal
of ideas, the progress of fields, and the training of students?

Best regards,
Barney
-- 
Dr. Barney Luttbeg
Oklahoma State University
Department of Integrative Biology
421 Life Sciences West
(405) 744-1717


[ECOLOG-L] Behavioral Ecology PhD/Masters position at Oklahoma State University

2017-10-25 Thread Barney Luttbeg
The Luttbeg lab (luttbegslab <http://luttbegslab.okstate.edu/Home.htm>) at
Oklahoma State University has an opening for a PhD or Master's student. As
a lab we focus on questions of how information and other state variables
affect the behavior and morphology of individuals, and what consequences
that has for ecological systems. We combine using theoretical models to
clarify our thinking and propose hypotheses with empirical experiments to
test those ideas. Students can work in any mixture of theoretical and
empirical approaches. Much of our work focuses on predator-prey
interactions, plasticity, and transgenerational or maternal effects.

The Department of Integrative Biology (integrativebiology
<http://integrativebiology.okstate.edu/>) is composed of 24 faculty and 50+
graduate students working on questions of ecology, behavior, evolution, and
ecotoxicology. The department has available teaching assistant positions
and associated tuition waivers.

If you are interested contact me by email and we can discuss are related
research interests.


-- 
Dr. Barney Luttbeg
Oklahoma State University
Department of Integrative Biology
421 Life Sciences West
lutt...@okstate.edu
(405) 744-1717


Re: [ECOLOG-L] Need for letters for job applications

2017-08-31 Thread Barney Luttbeg
Seems to me when I was on the market 10-15 years ago that most jobs asked
for letters up front. So, I don't feel that there really has been an
increase in that, but perhaps someone has the numbers. I would say from the
committee's perspective it is less work (for them) to ask for the letters
upfront and it speeds up the search. I recognize the downside of it.

Barney

On Wed, Aug 30, 2017 at 8:27 PM, Patrick, Brian <brpat...@dwu.edu> wrote:

> Dear colleagues,
>
>
>
> I have noticed over the years a significant increase in the number of
> position announcements that state that full applications must include three
> letters of reference.  As someone who has been on numerous search
> committees, has written a fair number of letters of recommendation, and has
> applied for a fair number of jobs, I can honestly say that this is
> exceptionally inconvenient to applicants, to those writing the letters, and
> not necessary for an initial application.  A list of at least three
> references should be sufficient for an initial application.
>
>
>
> Let’s be honest, in a large stack of applications, only a few tend to
> bubble to the top, and they extremely-rarely-to-virtually-never do so
> because of their recommendations.  Search committees, please do NOT require
> three letters up front.  It is largely unnecessary and extremely
> inconvenient (for the candidate and letter writers) to provide this
> information if the candidate doesn’t even make the cut for a phone
> interview.  It’s a wasted effort for the vast majority of job applicants
> and for those writing those letters for the vast majority of job applicants.
>
>
>
> In short, ask for a list of references only.  If letters from those
> references are needed from a few candidates for whatever reason, then make
> the request after making the initial trim of the pool to the candidate list.
>
>
>
> If you do not have a choice whether or not this is required, then it needs
> to be explained to the HR person or whoever makes that call that it is
> largely an inconvenient waste of many people’s time to provide the letters
> up front.  It is always better to ask for a list of references.
>
>
>
> Thank you for your time and for letting me express my opinion on this
> topic.  Too many young scientists are put in awkward positions because they
> have to ask for 14 letters from the same few people.  Personally, I try to
> personalize each letter I write to the institution or type of job for which
> the candidate is applying.  It gets very annoying to have to provide this
> when a colleague applies for a job that may be a stretch for them (but they
> should still apply!).  I think they should apply, and I want them to
> apply—my ire lies with the committees that make that up-front request for
> all applicants.
>
>
>
> Thank you again for your time!
>
>
>
> Best regards, Brian
>
>
>
> ---
>
> L. Brian Patrick, Ph.D.
>
> Associate Professor of Biology
>
> Department of Biological Sciences
>
> Dakota Wesleyan University
>
> 1200 W. University Ave.
>
> Mitchell, SD  57301  USA
>
> Office:  605-995-2712 <(605)%20995-2712>
>
>
>



-- 
Dr. Barney Luttbeg
Oklahoma State University
Department of Integrative Biology
421 Life Sciences West
(405) 744-1717


[ECOLOG-L] Assistant Professor position at Oklahoma State

2017-08-28 Thread Barney Luttbeg
We're having a very broad search for an Assistant Professor. Certainly
ecologists would be very welcome to apply.



The Department of Integrative Biology at Oklahoma State University invites
applications for a
tenure-track Assistant Professor position. We seek applicants who will
complement and expand
our departmental strengths (see http://integrativebiology.okstate.edu).

Responsibilities include establishing an extramurally funded research
program, mentoring M.S.
and Ph.D. students, and teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Applicants must
have postdoctoral experience and a strong scholarly record.

To apply, email a single pdf document containing: 1) a cover letter, 2)
curriculum vitae, and 3)
separate research and teaching statements to biologysea...@okstate.edu;
also arrange to have
three letters of reference sent in support. Application review will begin
October 10, 2017 with
employment beginning August 2018.

Oklahoma State University is an Affirmative Action/Equal
Opportunity/E-verify employer
committed to diversity and all qualified applicants will receive
consideration for employment
and will not be discriminated against based on age, race, color, religion,
sex, sexual orientation,
genetic information, gender identity, national origin, disability,
protected veteran status, or
other protected category. OSU is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor and desires
priority referrals of
protected veterans for its openings. OSU will not discharge or in any other
manner discriminate
against employees or applicants because they have inquired about,
discussed, or disclosed their
own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who
have access to
the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of
their essential job
functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to
individuals who do not
otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is
(a) in response to
a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation,
proceeding, hearing, or
action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c)
consistent with the
contractor's legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)


-- 
Dr. Barney Luttbeg
Oklahoma State University
Department of Integrative Biology
421 Life Sciences West
(405) 744-1717


[ECOLOG-L] Teaching Assistant Professor position at Oklahoma State

2017-03-09 Thread Barney Luttbeg
Teaching Assistant Professor – Non-tenure-track. The Department of
Integrative Biology at Oklahoma State University
(http://integrativebiology.okstate.edu) invites applications for a Teaching
Assistant Professor. We seek applicants with a Ph.D. in a life sciences
field, a demonstrated commitment to excellence in undergraduate teaching,
and motivation to work with natural history collections. Applicants with
expertise in vertebrate taxonomy are particularly encouraged to apply.
Teaching responsibilities will include four courses per year, ranging from
introductory to upper division. Other responsibilities (25% of appointment)
will entail working with OSU's Collection of Vertebrates (COV). Duties in
the COV will include contributing to the maintenance of a collection
comprising >600,000 specimens from all vertebrate classes, development and
implementation of policies on collection care and use, supervision of
student curatorial assistants, and participation in outreach and education.
The initial appointment is for three years, with continued employment during
the term of appointment dependent on satisfactory performance and the
availability of funding. The position includes benefits and is renewable and
eligible for promotion. To apply, please send a single pdf with 1) a cover
letter including teaching interests and any experience with natural history
collections, 2) a curriculum vita, 3) a statement of teaching philosophy,
and 4) an example syllabus; also arrange to have three letters of
recommendation sent in support. These items should be sent to Dr. Barney
Luttbeg, search committee chair, at biologysea...@okstate.edu. Application
review will begin March 31, 2017, with employment starting August 16, 2017.
“OSU is an AA/EEO/E-Verify Employer”. OSU-Stillwater is a tobacco-free campus.


[ECOLOG-L] Clinical Assistant Professor at Oklahoma State

2016-02-05 Thread Barney Luttbeg
Clinical Assistant Professor – Non-tenure-track. The Department of
Integrative Biology at Oklahoma State University (
http://integrativebiology.okstate.edu) invites applications for a Clinical
Assistant Professor. The appointment is for a three-year, 9-month,
instructional position (90% teaching, 10% service), with continued
employment during the term of appointment dependent on satisfactory
performance and the availability of funding. The position includes benefits
and is renewable and eligible for promotion. We seek applicants with a PhD
degree and evidence of the establishment, or the promise of the
establishment, of a record of instructional excellence, who can teach a
variety of courses in the department, such as Introductory Biology, Animal
Behavior, Environmental Biology, Invertebrate Zoology, Vertebrate
Morphology, Physiology, and Evolution. Responsibilities include teaching
five courses per year and establishment of a high quality instructional
program. The department leads several education projects sponsored by NSF,
HHMI, and UTeach, which provides the successful applicant opportunities to
collaborate on STEM education initiatives. To apply, please send a single
pdf including: 1) a cover letter including teaching interests, 2) a
curriculum vita, 3) an example syllabus, 4) a statement of teaching
philosophy, 5) evidence of teaching excellence, including  summaries of
teaching evaluations and samples of instructional materials, and 6) arrange
to have 3 letters of recommendation sent in support. These items should be
sent to the search committee chair, Dr. Matthew G. Bolek, at
zoologysea...@okstate.edu. Application review will begin *February 15th,
2016*, with employment beginning August 15, 2016. Hiring is subject to
available funding. Oklahoma State University is an Affirmative Action/Equal
Opportunity/E-verify employer committed to diversity and all qualified
applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be
discriminated against based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual
orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected
veteran status. OSU is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor and desires priority
referrals of protected veterans for its openings. OSU-Stillwater is a
tobacco-free campus.


-- 
Dr. Barney Luttbeg
Oklahoma State University
Department of Zoology
421 Life Sciences West
(405) 744-1717


Re: [ECOLOG-L] job market, retirement, etc.

2014-03-05 Thread Barney Luttbeg
Seems to me that were forming a circular firing squad and attacking
ourselves. We all know that there is a very tough job market, but are
dead-weight faculty really a significant part of the problem? Seems to me
more of the blame goes to the tax-cutters, legislators, and the
ever-expanding corp of well-paid university administrators.

Most of us work our butts off for many years to get good graduate
positions, good post-doc positions, good tenure-track positions, and
finally, hopefully tenure. I frankly don't blame some faculty for taking
their foot off the accelerator after they finished that obstacle course and
maybe shifting some of their time to the bottomless pit of university and
departmental committee work. Now the message is get out of the way? When
do we get the sweet reward of a less-stressful academic life after our
years of underpaid toil?

Barney Luttbeg


On Tue, Mar 4, 2014 at 8:20 PM, Lone Ranger lonerangerwann...@yahoo.comwrote:

 At 70 years young this summer, I will retire. Looking back over my long
 career, I am proud I participated as a scientist and educator in one of the
 greatest universities in the country.  My publication record is not as
 admirable as some, I never published in Science or Nature, but I my
 research regularly appeared with students in the primary journals in my
 sub-discipline.  But enough about me.

 In my career I cannot remember a more daunting job market than the one I
 have witnessed during the past 3-4 years.  Recently, I sat on a search
 committee for a position in which we screened more than 250 applications.
  Of these, well over a third had stellar credentials. However, I have to
 ask how much a person really contributes on a manuscript to Science that
 has 15-20 authors, including essentially everyone in the home lab.  This
 kind of publication inflation by labs who do it, is simply dishonest.  But
 I digress.  The job market must be at a the worst state it has ever
 reached.

 How others my age, with 30+ years of service and a nice retirement package
 sitting in investments, the bank, or under the pillow can look at
 themselves in the mirror each morning knowing that many young Ph.D.s are on
 food stamps, WIC, and unemployment is difficult for me to understand.  It
 further mystifies me why those tenured faculty members and administrators
 allow individuals who are no longer productive, and largely incompetent in
 their fields, to hang around.  Is allowing these sorts of parasites on
 academia to continue in positions they no longer deserve to occupy?  What
 happened to post-tenure review?  Each of us really needs to ask if we might
 serve our field better by eliminating some of these warm bodies.  Choosing
 to retire is not an end, it is a beginning.  Choosing to evict inactive and
 now incompetent faculty is not a violation of tenure, it is maintaining the
 sanctity of tenure.

 Yesterday, I spoke with a middle-aged Ph. D. He/She has been partially
 employed for over a decade.  He/She has been in and out of jobs thanks to
 the financial difficulties so many institutions are faced with, combined
 with the corruption at the administrative level which so many of us is very
 familiar.  His/Her retirement is zero, prospects are zero, and yet he/she
 continues to publish without any resources. How many are there that fit
 this mold?

 It is bad enough that many of our departments serve as homes for
 co-workers who no longer serve our discipline in any way, having long ago
 stopped publishing and now serve as little more than clogs in the system's
 plumbing.  There is little to nothing most of us can do about these selfish
 former scientists. But the rest of us can still contribute, advise graduate
 students, and publish as retirees.  It might be easier without teaching and
 committee responsibilities taking up our time.

 Will this email cause anyone to stop and thing?  I doubt it.  But, I look
 forward to a productive retirement in which I continue publishing, support
 our program, and the discipline knowing that having stepped aside, some
 other player is getting their turn at bat.  I hope he/she hits a home run.

 Sincerely,
 Lone Ranger




-- 
Dr. Barney Luttbeg
Oklahoma State University
Department of Zoology
421 Life Sciences West
(405) 744-1717


Re: [ECOLOG-L] job market, retirement, etc.

2014-03-05 Thread Barney Luttbeg
My response is colored by this morning reading an excellent article about
why academics put up with working so hard (and by having to go to work on
Monday despite it being a snow day because of non-research parts of the
job). The expectation of no relief plays right into the hands of
university administrators.

Quoting this recent article:

4) Work that is fun is often not perceived as *real* work. Academics may
be busy, but, hey, we're *doing what we love*, so we can't really complain,
right? We can and we should. As Miya Tokumitsu recently wrote, the Do What
You Love mantra may be the most elegant anti-worker ideology around, and
it's particularly pervasive in academe:

*Few other professions fuse the personal identity of their workers so
intimately with the work output. This intense identification partly
explains why so many proudly left-leaning faculty remain oddly silent about
the working conditions of their peers. Because academic research should be
done out of pure love, the actual conditions of and compensation for this
labor become afterthoughts, if they are considered at all.*

As she says, Nothing makes exploitation go down easier than convincing
workers that they are doing what they love. Indeed, the Do What You Love
philosophy's ability to refashion academic labor as a form of leisure
contributes to the unrelenting sense of busy-ness. We work because we love
it. Or because we think we *should* love it.

Read more:
http://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2014/03/03/essay-why-faculty-members-work-so-much#ixzz2v7eVgkAf
Inside Higher Ed

Best regards,
Barney


On Wed, Mar 5, 2014 at 2:26 PM, Lone Ranger lonerangerwann...@yahoo.comwrote:

 Circular firing squad?

 Productive people have nothing to fear.
 Relief should not be the goal of a Ph.D.


   On Wednesday, March 5, 2014 12:45 PM, Barney Luttbeg 
 lutt...@okstate.edu wrote:
  Seems to me that were forming a circular firing squad and attacking
 ourselves. We all know that there is a very tough job market, but are
 dead-weight faculty really a significant part of the problem? Seems to me
 more of the blame goes to the tax-cutters, legislators, and the
 ever-expanding corp of well-paid university administrators.

 Most of us work our butts off for many years to get good graduate
 positions, good post-doc positions, good tenure-track positions, and
 finally, hopefully tenure. I frankly don't blame some faculty for taking
 their foot off the accelerator after they finished that obstacle course and
 maybe shifting some of their time to the bottomless pit of university and
 departmental committee work. Now the message is get out of the way? When
 do we get the sweet reward of a less-stressful academic life after our
 years of underpaid toil?

 Barney Luttbeg


 On Tue, Mar 4, 2014 at 8:20 PM, Lone Ranger lonerangerwann...@yahoo.com
 wrote:

  At 70 years young this summer, I will retire. Looking back over my long
  career, I am proud I participated as a scientist and educator in one of
 the
  greatest universities in the country.  My publication record is not as
  admirable as some, I never published in Science or Nature, but I my
  research regularly appeared with students in the primary journals in my
  sub-discipline.  But enough about me.
 
  In my career I cannot remember a more daunting job market than the one I
  have witnessed during the past 3-4 years.  Recently, I sat on a search
  committee for a position in which we screened more than 250 applications.
   Of these, well over a third had stellar credentials. However, I have to
  ask how much a person really contributes on a manuscript to Science that
  has 15-20 authors, including essentially everyone in the home lab.  This
  kind of publication inflation by labs who do it, is simply dishonest.
 But
  I digress.  The job market must be at a the worst state it has ever
  reached.
 
  How others my age, with 30+ years of service and a nice retirement
 package
  sitting in investments, the bank, or under the pillow can look at
  themselves in the mirror each morning knowing that many young Ph.D.s are
 on
  food stamps, WIC, and unemployment is difficult for me to understand.  It
  further mystifies me why those tenured faculty members and administrators
  allow individuals who are no longer productive, and largely incompetent
 in
  their fields, to hang around.  Is allowing these sorts of parasites on
  academia to continue in positions they no longer deserve to occupy?  What
  happened to post-tenure review?  Each of us really needs to ask if we
 might
  serve our field better by eliminating some of these warm bodies.
 Choosing
  to retire is not an end, it is a beginning.  Choosing to evict inactive
 and
  now incompetent faculty is not a violation of tenure, it is maintaining
 the
  sanctity of tenure.
 
  Yesterday, I spoke with a middle-aged Ph. D. He/She has been partially
  employed for over a decade.  He/She has been in and out of jobs thanks to
  the financial difficulties so many

[ECOLOG-L] Funded student opportunity in burying beetle behavior and ecology

2013-09-23 Thread Barney Luttbeg
Student opportunity in burying beetle behavior and ecology

Funding is available in Luttbeg lab at Oklahoma State University (
http://luttbegslab.okstate.edu/Home.html) for a Ph.D. or Masters student to
survey the presence and abundance of the endangered American burying beetle
(*Nicrophorus americanus*) in eastern Oklahoma. The project is funded by
the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and will span 3 years. In
addition to the survey work, the student will have flexibility in pursuing
a research project on the behavior and ecology of burying beetles. The
position will begin January 13, 2014.

The position is part of multi-lab collaboration on burying beetle ecology
and management. The project will require extended periods in the field and
working in a team of scientists. Applicants should contact me (
lutt...@okstate.edu) and send a cover letter and a CV.


-- 
Dr. Barney Luttbeg
Oklahoma State University
Department of Zoology
421 Life Sciences West
(405) 744-1717


[ECOLOG-L] Tenure-track ecologist job at Oklahoma State

2013-08-28 Thread Barney Luttbeg
We are looking for a broadly defined Ecologist ranging from researchers
focused on individuals and their development or behavior in the context of
ecology up to researchers focused on ecosystems.


Assistant Professor, Ecologist – Tenure-track. The Department of Zoology at
Oklahoma State University (http://zoology.okstate.edu) invites applications
for an Assistant Professor in ecology. We seek applicants whose research
integrates ecology with the study of animal development, behavior,
biodiversity, or ecosystems. Applicants should have a Ph.D., post-doctoral
experience, teaching experience, and success in obtaining extramural
funding. Responsibilities include establishing an extramurally funded
research program, mentoring M.S. and Ph.D. students, and teaching at the
undergraduate and graduate levels. To apply 1) send a single pdf file
composed of a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and statements of research
interests and teaching philosophy, and 2) arrange to have three letters of
recommendation sent to the search committee chair, Dr. Andrew Dzialowski,
at zoologysea...@okstate.edu. Application review begins October 7, 2013,
with employment beginning August 16, 2014. Filling of this position is
contingent upon funding availability. *Oklahoma State University is an
AA/EEO/E:Verify Employer committed to diversity. OSU-Stillwater is a
tobacco-free campus.*


-- 
Dr. Barney Luttbeg
Oklahoma State University
Department of Zoology
421 Life Sciences West
(405) 744-1717


[ECOLOG-L] Funded PhD student position studying burying beetle ecology and behavior

2013-03-06 Thread Barney Luttbeg
PhD student opportunity in burying beetle ecology

Dr. Barney Luttbeg (Oklahoma State,
http://zoology.okstate.edu/luttbegslab/home.html) is seeking a Ph.D.
student to study the ecology and behavior of the endangered American
burying beetle (*Nicrophorus americanus*). The project is part of a 3-year
funded project being done in collaboration with Dr. Carmen Greenwood and
Dr. Kris Giles in Entomology and Dr. Scott McMurry in Zoology. The project
is primarily investigating the abiotic and biotic factors that affect the
distributions of the American burying beetle. In addition, the student will
have the opportunity with faculty assistance to formulate related questions
about burying beetle life history strategies, reproductive behavior, or
competition with other invertebrates. The Luttbeg lab focuses on questions
of how individuals gather and use information in predator-prey and mate
choice situations and how those informational constraints affect ecological
and reproductive dynamics.


The project will require extended periods in the field in southeastern
Oklahoma and working in a team of scientists. The position has three years
of 1 semester and summer financial support with teaching assistantships to
cover other semesters and research money. Ideally the student will already
have a Master's degree or extensive research and field experience. This
position needs to be filled quickly. If interested, please send an email
with a CV to Dr. Barney Luttbeg (lutt...@okstate.edu).


[ECOLOG-L] PhD opportunity: burying beetle ecology *revised*

2013-01-18 Thread Barney Luttbeg
PhD student opportunity in burying beetle ecology

Funding is available in Luttbeg lab at Oklahoma State University (
http://zoology.okstate.edu/luttbegslab/home.html) for a Ph.D. student to
study how the presence and abundance of the endangered American burying
beetle (*Nicrophorus americanus*) is affected by biotic and abiotic
factors. Additional potential projects include studying the reproductive
and parental behavior of congener burying beetles found in sympatry with
the American burying beetle or other related projects proposed by the
student.



The position will be part of multi-lab collaboration on burying beetle
ecology and management. The project will require extended periods in the
field and working in a team of scientists. The successful candidate will
have strong quantitative skills in either statistics or modeling. The
position has three years of 1 semester and summer support, research money,
and teaching assistantships are also available. Applicants should send a
cover letter and a CV to Dr. Barney Luttbeg (lutt...@okstate.edu) as well
as apply to the degree program (
http://zoology.okstate.edu/index.php/graduate-program). Email me if you
have any questions.

**Applications are due January 25, 2013**


-- 
Dr. Barney Luttbeg
Oklahoma State University
Department of Zoology
421 Life Sciences West
(405) 744-1717


[ECOLOG-L] Fwd: PhD opportunity: burying beetle ecology

2012-12-27 Thread Barney Luttbeg
PhD student opportunity in burying beetle ecology

Funding is available in Luttbeg lab at Oklahoma State University (
http://zoology.okstate.edu/luttbegslab/home.html) for a Ph.D. student to
study how the presence and abundance of the endangered American burying
beetle (*Nicrophorus americanus*) is affected by biotic and abiotic
factors. Additional potential projects include studying the reproductive
and parental behavior of congener burying beetles found in sympatry with
the American burying beetle or other related projects proposed by the
student.



The position will be part of multi-lab collaboration on burying beetle
ecology and management. The project will require extended periods in the
field and working in a team of scientists. The successful candidate will
have strong quantitative skills in either statistics or modeling. Salary
and benefits are competitive and are currently contingent on pending
funding. Applicants should send a cover letter and a CV to Dr. Barney
Luttbeg (lutt...@okstate.edu javascript:_e({}, 'cvml',
'lutt...@okstate.edu');) as well as apply to the degree program (
http://zoology.okstate.edu/index.php/graduate-program).

**Applications are due January 18, 2013**


-- 
Dr. Barney Luttbeg
Oklahoma State University
Department of Zoology
421 Life Sciences West
(405) 744-1717


-- 
Dr. Barney Luttbeg
Oklahoma State University
Department of Zoology
421 Life Sciences West
(405) 744-1717


Re: [ECOLOG-L] mixed-model zero-inflated negative binomial regression in R

2009-09-16 Thread Barney Luttbeg
Check out the pscl package.

http://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/pscl/index.html

I haven't used it, but students in my class have.

Barney Luttbeg

On Wed, Sep 16, 2009 at 11:55 AM, James Hodson james.hodso...@ulaval.cawrote:

 Dear all,

 I've been searching for a while now for a package in R that can perform
 mixed-model zero-inflated negative binomial regression.  I am looking to
 analyze pellet count data at the individual plot level, while accounting
 for the fact that pellet plots are nested within sites and thus are not
 strictly independent observations.  I have a lot of zero counts, which is
 why I'm interested in a zero-inflated model.  I have tried the package
 glmmADMB, but I have had no success in getting it to work with my data.
 Any advice would be welcome.

 Thanks,

 James Hodson
 james.hodso...@ulaval.ca



[ECOLOG-L] Post-doc position in predator and prey dynamics

2009-03-26 Thread Barney Luttbeg
A postdoctoral position is available for investigating the factors 
affecting the size and persistence of density and trait-mediated effects 
in tri-trophic food webs. The position will be supervised by Barney 
Luttbeg at Oklahoma State University. The position is funded by an NSF 
collaborative research grant to investigate factors affecting the 
behavioral responses of an intertidal snail to the presence of predatory 
crab, and to test if predictions about long-term dynamics better match 
long-term observations when they have been informed by inferences based 
on short-term experiments. The successful candidate will participate in 
the development of models of the optimal prey responses to cues of 
predation risk and the resulting effects on ecological dynamics. They 
will also participate in empirical tests of the resulting theory with 
potential areas of focus being the spatial distributions of prey and 
predators and the effects of uncertainty for both predators and prey.


Qualifications: 1) a PhD (or soon to have a PhD) with expertise in 
ecology, behavioral ecology, or modeling; 2) experience with individual 
based modeling approaches such as dynamic state variable models and 
genetic algorithms; 3) programming skills; 4) familiarity with model 
selection approaches, and 5) an interest in integrating behavior and 
ecology.


If you are interested please send electronically a cover letter listing 
your interests and qualifications, your CV, pdfs of a few publications, 
and the names and contact information for three references. Review of 
applications will begin April 24, 2009 and continue until the position 
is filled. The preferred starting date is June 1, 2009.  For more 
information please contact me (lutt...@okstate.edu). Oklahoma State 
University is an AA/EEO/E-Verify employer committed to diversity.


--
Dr. Barney Luttbeg
Department of Zoology
430 Life Sciences West
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK 74078

(405) 744-1717
Office: 421 Life Sciences West
http://zoology.okstate.edu/


Re: [ECOLOG-L] Gallup poll on evolution

2009-02-15 Thread Barney Luttbeg

Michael Harvey wrote:
When I studied genetics I learned that natural mutations were largely 
random. The creationists' scorn of improving a watch by a random 
change is strong. I would like to see studies showing how 
environmental parameters can direct chromosomal changes so that they 
are not random and that adaptation will occur and makes sense.  
Without such demonstration, we are all asked to believe evolution.


I don't work in this field and may have missed such reports but I have 
not seen them.


The mutations are largely randomly but selection is not. In other words 
the building blocks with which evolution occurs is randomly formed, but 
natural selection does not randomly select which blocks are used.


Barney Luttbeg


[ECOLOG-L] Master's or PhD opportunities: Behavioral and Community Ecology

2008-11-10 Thread Barney Luttbeg
I am looking for Master's or PhD students to join my lab in the Fall of 
2009. In my work I focus on questions of how the behaviors of 
individuals are shaped by information and how those resulting behaviors 
affect ecological dynamics. My current research is primarily on how 
aquatic predators and prey respond to each other and how their responses 
affect trophic dynamics. I would be happy to have students working on 
any projects focused on how individuals respond behaviorally or 
physiologically to varying environments. Graduate students in my lab are 
funded with a combination of research assistantships, teaching 
assistantships, and graduate fellowships.


Oklahoma State University has over 50 faculty members working in various 
fields of ecology (http://ecology.okstate.edu) and the Department of 
Zoology has been expanding with nine new faculty added in the past two 
years. For information about the department and how to apply for 
admission please see the departmental webpage (http://zoology.okstate.edu).


Interested students should contact me (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) and 
include a CV and a brief statement that talks about their research 
interests and experience.


--
Dr. Barney Luttbeg
Department of Zoology
430 Life Sciences West
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK 74078

(405) 744-1717
Office: 421 Life Sciences West


Negative AIC

2006-03-07 Thread Barney Luttbeg
If one is converting least square regressions into AIC using the 
following formula,

AIC = n log(RSS/n) + 2K

(with RSS being the residual sum of squares, n the sample size, and K 
the fitted parameters), then negative AIC are not uncommon. Really the 
sign of the AIC is inconsequential since it only the differences in AIC 
values that matter.

Barney Luttbeg