[ECOLOG-L] Graduate Research Assistantship, Restoration Ecology, Colorado State University
Master of Science Degree Position: Graduate Department Program in Ecology at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA. Advisor: Dr David Cooper Project Title: Examine methods for establishing vegetation on a constructed fen in Alberta’s oil sands region Start of term: May 2018 Project background: Northern Alberta contains the largest deposit of oil sands in the world and conventional open-pit mining used to access portions of the deposit removes large expanses of upland forests and peatland basins. After years of forest and open-water wetland reclamation, industry partners and restoration scientists have constructed the first self-sustaining reclamation fen and associated watershed (the Fen) on a mine near Fort McMurray, Alberta. This project is a collaboration between Colorado State University (CSU) and Waterloo University, involving fen ecology, hydrology, and geography. Funding has been granted from industry partners and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. The overall research goal is to evaluate the Fen's design, compare it to regional natural fen systems, and develop a globally applicable strategy for similar peatland reclamation projects. A multi-factorial design was planted in 2013 to determine the most effective method to establish mosses and plants. After four years of evaluation, a second phase will be implemented in 2018 to further evaluate methods that were most successful during the first phase. A Master's position is now available, under the guidance of Dr. David Cooper at CSU. The candidate will help design and implement a field experiment to develop methods of introducing vegetation to the constructed fen. Topics of research could include; species selection, vegetation community dynamics, interactions between vascular plants and bryophytes, and/or plant responses to environmental gradients such as water level and salinity measures of planted species.. Candidate Profile: Highly motivated candidates should have a B.S. in Ecology, Botany, Environmental Sciences, or Wetland/Peatland Biology and be familiar with plant identification, vegetation surveying, wetland ecology, restoration concepts, and/or statistical analysis. How to apply and contact information: Please send your CV and a motivation letter to Dr. David J. Cooper, david.coo...@colostate.edu Website: http://warnercnr.colostate.edu/~davidc/David_Cooper/Home.html
[ECOLOG-L] PhD POSITION IN RESTORATION ECOLOGY at COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY
PH.D. POSITION IN RESTORATION ECOLOGY AT COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY, FORT COLLINS, COLORADO, USA. A Graduate Research Assistantship is available for a Ph.D. candidate to work on establishing vegetation on a constructed fen in the oil sands region of Alberta, CANADA. Northern Alberta contains the largest deposit of oil sands in the world, and it is being mined using open-pit techniques. These activities disturb large land areas of upland forest and peatland ecosystems. Our project, near Fort McMurray, is developing, implementing and evaluating techniques for establishing peat-forming vegetation (bryophytes and vascular plants) on a self-sustaining constructed fen. Oil industry partners and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada are sponsoring this collaborative project between Colorado State University and three Canadian Universities. The successful candidate would contribute to and conduct research on the vascular plant component of this program, evaluating techniques and ecological processes that facilitate or limit plant establishment and growth, with the goal of achieving a continuous vegetation cover and peat accumulation. The candidate would work closely with hydrologists, geochemists, engineers, and ecologists studying this experimental ecosystem, and there will be many opportunities for cross- disciplinary integration and international collaboration. Applicants must have a MS in ecology or an allied field, and experience working with vascular plants. Experience in plant sampling at the individual and population scale, statistics, ecophysiology, and above and below ground production are desirable. Experience in restoration programs is also important. The student would be admitted to Colorado State University through the Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, with Dr. David J. Cooper as advisor and mentor, and be housed in the Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship. The assistantship pays 12-month salary, tuition, travel and field expenses, housing during the summer in Fort McMurray, and participation in conferences and workshops. To apply send a letter of interest explicitly stating your qualifications and a current CV via email, to Dr. Cooper, david.coo...@colostate.edu
