[ECOLOG-L] Teaching faculty position at Oklahoma State
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)
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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.
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
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
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
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*
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
