One MS or PhD graduate research/teaching assistantship in Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University and Lyman Briggs College

Topic: Characterize and quantify sublethal effects of sea lamprey parasitism on lake trout using molecular/biochemical/quantitative tools

Requirements:
BS in Biology, Aquaculture, Fisheries, Zoology, Chemistry, Molecular Biology or related field. Applicant must meet admission requirements for the graduate school and the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife and Michigan State University. Applicant should be comfortable teaching laboratories for a general introductory biology class.


Start date – anytime after April 15, 2010.

Salary as per GTA contract. Tuition waiver and benefits included.

Please submit a letter of interest, resume/CV, contact information for three references, copies of transcripts and GRE scores to: Dr. Cheryl Murphy, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, 13 Natural Resources Building ; Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA 48824, 517-432-7771. camurphy@msu.edu

Wetlands Ecology Technician

The Pacific Coastal Ecology Branch (PCEB) of the Western Ecology Division (WED) of the National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL), Office Research and Development (ORD) in Newport, OR is seeking individual(s), at least 18 years of age who have obtained a Bachelor’s of Science degree specializing in either freshwater/stream ecology, marine or estuarine biology, marine or estuarine chemistry, biological or chemical oceanography, or freshwater/estuarine biogeochemistry to provide services under a contractual agreement in support of laboratory research of environmental health effects. The individual(s) can either be currently enrolled in a degree program at a recognized educational institution or recently graduated within the last 24 months.

PCEB is conducting research to determine effects of nitrogenous nutrients on wetland communities to understand how elevated nutrient concentrations impact ecosystem services. The student contractor will assist with and/or conduct experiments using state of the art instrumentation and sampling equipment to measure changes in water column nutrients through multiple tidal cycles. The student contractor will also provide support to the Branch/Division by performing laboratory inventories, maintaining the organization of laboratory supplies and equipment, preparing standards, solutions and media, sample analysis and preparation, and similar tasks required to maintain the laboratory.

For more information, visit the following website where the full announcement, application instructions, statement of work, etc. are posted:
http://www.epa.gov/oamrtpnc/q1000114/index.htm

** Applications must be received by 04/23/10 **

Questions regarding this student contract should be directed to the contract specialist Jeff Clodfelter, at Clodfelter.Jeffery@epa.gov. Questions regarding the technical aspects of the duties and responsibilities should be directed to Dr. Ted Dewitt, at dewitt.ted@epa.gov.

Graduate Student Assistantship in Zooplankton Ecology

Graduate Student Assistantship in Zooplankton Ecology

The Zooplankton Ecology Lab at LSU has an immediate opening for a graduate student to pursue an M.S. degree in a NOAA-funded research program to digitize the Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (SEAMAP) zooplankton sample collection.

The thesis research project will focus on the impact of changes in the copepod prey assemblage available to juvenile tunas. Using SEAMAP data, you will explore how differences in copepod size and taxa vary with the intensity of the Loop Current and how such fluctuations are related to fluctuations in the abundances of juvenile tunas. This research will be linked to NOAA’s Gulf of Mexico Integrated Ecosystem Assessment Program. Funding is available for three years at an annual stipend of $18,000. The position could start in mid-August 2010. Interested applicants should contact Dr. Malinda Sutor (msutor1@lsu.edu), 225-578-8055

MSc position, Coastal Ecosystem Biogeochemistry

MSc projects on coastal watershed nitrogen cycling and phycotoxicity at Université de Moncton, campus de Shippagan

An MSc position will be available starting summer 2010 to conduct one of the following projects.

1)Nitrogen fixation and denitrification along coastal rivers of New Brunswick. Estuaries are thought to act as net sinks of nitrogen, thereby preventing terrestrial nitrogen from reaching coastal waters where it may otherwise lead to eutrophication. However, it remains unclear how the relative importance of nitrogen fixation (source) and denitrification (sink) change within watersheds along the hydrological gradient and among watersheds characterized by different land uses. This project will involve river sampling, estimates of nitrogen fixation and denitrification, and models of nitrogen flux to quantify the basic nitrogen cycle at the interface of terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems.

2)Paleoecological rectonstruction of water quality and algal productivity of coastal waters. In addition to increasing nitrogen inputs from terrestrial systems, coastal zones have experienced mixed signals from both anthropogenic activities (urbanization, agriculture, forestry, mining) and natural phenomena (climatic, hydrologic variability) that may have contributed in part to the recent increases in toxic blooms frequency. Sediment cores will be collected from selected New Brunswick estuaries and analyzed for historical changes in isotopic content (N source) and biological fossils (production) to quantify the relative importance of anthropogenic (manageable) and natural (unmanageable) factors in controlling coastal ecosystem health.

Qualifications: BSc in biology, environmental science or related discipline. Ability to follow courses in French.

Stipend: a $17,500/year stipend is available for the successful applicant.

Interested students should send a current resume with GPA and contact information of three references to Dr. Alain Patoine at alain.patoine@umcs.ca