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

MSc Freshwater and Coastal Sciences

Aquatic ecosystems are resources of high economic and ecological value. However, they are threatened by habitat degradation, pollution, species introductions and climate change on a global scale. This MSc (either one-year or part-time) aims to provide students with the necessary skills to understand and tackle these issues.

The programme is taught by world experts from the School of Biological & Chemical Sciences and the Department of Geography at Queen Mary, University of London. Staff from a range of external agencies (eg CEH, Environment Agency, DEFRA, APEM) also contribute.

Field work is a key feature of many modules and is continued via a substantive individual research project, providing students with valuable independent research skills for further PhD research and hence into academia, or for prospective employment in the applied sector.

For further information, please contact: Postgraduate Admissions Administrator, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary, University of London, London, E1 4NS.Tel: +44(0)20 7882 3012 / Fax: +44(0)20 8983 0973, email: sbcs-pgadmissions@qmul.ac.uk

MSc Aquatic Ecology by Research

The majority of MSc programmes with an aquatic theme are based upon taught modules focusing on applied aspects of management. However, the rationale for offering the MSc Aquatic Ecology by Research (AER) is to provide a more comprehensive practical training by application in the laboratory or field, rather than by formal tuition in the lecture theatre. In essence then, AER melds both the UK and European models of MSc. The key element is the extended project which is designed to provide many the skills required to undertake further academic or applied research. Such projects are closely aligned to the current research topics of staff members of the Centre for the Aquatic and Terrestrial Environment at Queen Mary, University of London.

For further information, please contact: Postgraduate Admissions Administrator, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary, University of London, London, E1 4NS.Tel: +44(0)20 7882 3012 / Fax: +44(0)20 8983 0973, email: sbcs-pgadmissions@qmul.ac.uk

PhD FELLOWSHIP ON PHYTOPLANKTON ECOLOGY , Spain

We look for students interested in performing a PhD Thesis at the Marine Biology and Oceanography Department of the Institut de Ciències del Mar de Barcelona. We offer an FPI fellowship (beca predoctoral de Formación del Personal Investigador by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación), linked to the project "ECOALFACS: ECOlogical mechanisms controlling (harmful) phytoplankton blooms in ALFACS Bay (Ebro Delta), CTM2009-09581, PI: E. Berdalet". The Thesis will be advised by Drs. Marta Estrada and Elisa Berdalet.

The general objective of the Thesis is to investigate some biological aspects that modulate the phytoplankton dynamics in Alfacs Bay, and in particular of harmful species. Namely, the research will include: a) the estimations of in situ phytoplankton growth rates and of the grazing pressure by microzooplankton, b) the potential role of mixotrophy on the selective proliferation of certain phytoplankton assemblages and/or harmful species and c) the significance of the preferential vertical location of some (harmful) phytoplankton species linked to their migratory behaviour. Optical microscopy, flow cytometry, image analysis with FlowCam and HPLC techniques will be used.

The official call by the Spanish Government is expected to be published in January 2010, with only 15 natural days to apply. The specific requests for the application will be shown at the MICINN Webpage (http://web.micinn.es).

If interested, send CV (including the grades) and/or ask for more information to:

Dra. Marta Estrada
marta@icm.csic.es
+34 93 230 9596

Dra. Elisa Berdalet
berdalet@icm.csic.es
+34 93 230 9595

Ph.D. opportunity-Benthic Nitrogen Cycling

Ph.D. opportunity in benthic nitrogen cycling for Fall 2010.

Application deadline is Feb 26, 2010. We have space available in the Biogeochemistry Lab that currently has active projects in Weeks Bay Alabama, and Toolik Lake Alaska. Our work focuses on effects of climate change on trace gas fluxes, and how eutrophication affects coastal regions. The successful applicant will work on elucidating spatial and temporal patterns in nitrogen cycling in coastal waters located within the vicinity of Dauphin Island, a barrier island in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. The initial work will focus on using membrane inlet mass spectrometry to detect rates of denitrification.

Future work may involve tracing sources and utilization of nitrogen in coastal waters. The assistantship will include (1) a tuition waiver, (2) an annual stipend and (3) health insurance.

For additional information, contact Dr. Behzad Mortazavi, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa AL 35487, email: bmortazavi@ua.edu, ph: 251- 861-2189. Application information and forms are available at
http://bsc.ua.edu/gradstudies.htm. Funding is primarily in the form of research assistantships.