Partial List of Graduate Research Assistantships at The Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources |
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| This is an evolving list and will be updated as faculty know about assistantships from new grants. Please either check back at this site or contact faculty members with whom you are interested in working to find out about new assistantships. | ||
| Project: Multicultural1 Fellowships for a Ph.D in Natural Resources Specializing in Forest and Ecosystem Health | ||
| Contact: Carolyn Goodwin Kueffner (cgoodwin@uvm.edu, (802) 656-2511) for application instruction. Deadline: February 1, 2010. | ||
| Description: Multicultural Fellows will collaborate with and be taught by internationally-renowned faculty at UVM. They will join the "Forest Health Research Group" at UVM to pursue research on any of a range of topics related to healthy forested ecosystems in Vermont and elsewhere. Fellows will have access to a multi- and interdisciplinary faculty to build their Studies Committee and oversee the completion of their thesis research. Modern research facilities and sites that are part of the School include the Aiken Laboratories, the Spatial Analysis Laboratory (GIS applications), the Gund Institute of Ecological Economics, the Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory, the Jericho and Wolcott Research Forests, and a network of University Natural Areas. | ||
| Full Fellowships to include: a full tuition scholarship for three years (approx. $52,300), three years of health insurance (approx. $5,700), a three-year stipend of $73,500 ($24,500/year). | ||
| Qualifications: To be eligible for the fellowships, multicultural1 candidates should be citizens or nationals of the United States as determined in accordance with Federal Law, have, or be near completion of an MS degree in a related field, and have a strong interest in pursuing a career in forest and ecosystem health. | ||
| Project: Full Fellowships for Master's Degrees for Multicultural1 Graduate Students in Forest and Ecosystem Health. | ||
| Contact: Carolyn Goodwin Kueffner (cgoodwin@uvm.edu, (802) 656-2511) for application instruction. Deadline: February 1, 2010. | ||
| Description: Multicultural Fellows will collaborate with and be taught by internationally-renowned faculty at UVM. They will join the "Forest Health Research Group" at UVM to pursue research on any of a range of topics related to healthy forested ecosystems in Vermont and elsewhere. Fellows will have access to a multi- and interdisciplinary faculty to build their Studies Committee and oversee the completion of their thesis research. Modern research facilities and sites that are part of the School include the Aiken Laboratories, the Spatial Analysis Laboratory (GIS applications), the Gund Institute of Ecological Economics, the Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory, the Jericho and Wolcott Research Forests, and a network of University Natural Areas. |
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| Fellowships to include: a full tuition scholarship for a full tuition scholarship for the two-year program ($34,860), two years of health insurance ($3,792), and a two-year stipend of $36,000 ($18,000/year). | ||
| Qualifications: To be eligible for the fellowships, multicultural1 candidates should be citizens or nationals of the United States as determined in accordance with Federal Law. Candidates should not have completed two semesters or equivalent hours of full-time graduate study or been previously enrolled in an academic program at the master’s degree level. | ||
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| 1USDA definition: "Multicultural means the variety of interests, talents, socio-economic and cultural backgrounds of students that enhance the overall educational experience of all students." | ||
| Project: Using behavioral assays to develop fitness-based quality control for predators of hemlock woolly adelgid | ||
| Contact: Dr. Kimberly Wallin at kwallin@uvm.edu (802-656-2517) for further details, and see www.uvm.edu/envnr/kwallin/ | ||
| Description: Several universities, state, federal, and private laboratories rear and release predators to be used as biological control agents. Success of these releases has been variable due to one or more factors. The overall goal is to develop quality assessment tools that quantifies behavioral and fitness changes in HWA predators. The overall objectives are to determine variability of behavioral and physiological parameters related to quality through 1) quantifying if/how rearing parameters of the predator affects its chemosensory response to its prey and prey host material and 2) if the origin of each beetle (maternal host plant and/or wild caught beetles) alters each beetles response to its prey and prey host material (hemlocks). One masters level graduate research assistantship available fall 2009 or spring (January) 2010. | ||
| Background: Students with a strong background and interest in entomology, forestry, and related ecological disciplines are encouraged to contact the principal investigator. Applicants should have strong observational, analytical, written, and oral communication skills. Applicants should also be comfortable conducting research in highly interdisciplinary environments. | ||
| Project: How does changing seasonality affect the capacity of arctic stream networks to influence nutrient fluxes from the landscape to the ocean? | ||
| Contact: Dr. Breck Bowden at breck.bowden@uvm.edu (802-656-2513) for further details, and see www.uvm.edu/~wbowden. | ||
| Description: This project focuses on the relative influences of throughflow, lateral inputs, and hyporheic regeneration on the seasonal fluxes C, N, and P in an arctic river network, and on how these influences will shift under seasonal conditions that are likely to be substantially different in the future. The interaction among these seasonally-changing ecosystem processes and their effects on key in-stream processes – specifically primary production and respiration - is poorly understood in the arctic. Understanding these interactions and effects is important because they ultimately control the flux of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus from the arctic landscape to the Arctic Ocean via river networks. | ||
| Background: Preference will be given to PhD students with a strong background in biogeochemistry, hydrology, and/or stream ecology. Well-prepared and experienced MS students will be considered. | ||
| Project: Ph.D. Fellowship in Protected Area Management at the University of Vermont/Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. | ||
| Contact: Dr. Robert Manning (Robert.Manning@uvm.edu), 802-656-3096 | ||
| Description: A doctoral fellowship is offered in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS) Conservation Study Institute and successful applicants will work closely with UVM faculty and NPS staff. | ||
| Background: This doctoral fellowship is part of an on-going partnership between the NPS Conservation Study Institute and the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources/Park Studies Laboratory. The substantive focus of the research is designed to meet the needs of the needs of the NPS and the expertise of the Rubenstein School/Park Studies Laboratory faculty. Current research address new models of conservation such as NPS national heritage areas, issues of cultural diversity applied to national parks, and management of national parks for outdoor recreation. | ||
| Qualifications: An M.S. in applied social science is required along with strong analytical, written, and oral communication skills. Applicants should also be comfortable with conducting research in highly interdisciplinary environments at the interface between science and management. | ||
| Project: Development of Indicators and Standards for Sustainable Transportation in Parks and Related Outdoor Recreation/Tourism Contexts. | ||
| Contact: Dr. Robert Manning (Robert.Manning@uvm.edu), 802-656-3096 | ||
| Description: Transportation is an important component of the experience of visiting parks and outdoor recreation/tourism-related areas. This study will help define a set of indicators and standards of quality that can be used to guide planning and management of sustainable transportation in this context. Study sites will include a national park, a scenic byway, and resort community. This study is funded by the UVM Transportation Center and includes a Graduate Research Assistantship at the doctoral level for three years. The Graduate Research Assistant will work with other students and staff in the Rubenstein School's Park Studies Laboratory. | ||
| Project: Watershed Science and Nonpoint Source Pollution. | ||
| Contact: Dr. Mary Watzin (Mary.Watzin@uvm.edu); Dr. Breck Bowden (wbowden@uvm.edu); Dr. Deane Wang (Deane.Wang@uvm.edu) | ||
| Description: A broad variety of watershed and ecosystem research is available through several funded projects. Students with a strong background in science and related ecological disciplines are encouraged to contact the principal investigators listed above. Research includes studies stormwater runoff; phosphorus loading from land to surface water; community-based watershed management; integrated land-use, transportation, and environmental modeling using a complex systems approach; threat analysis of the Lake Champlain Basin. | ||
| Project: Carrying Capacity of Parks and Protected Areas. | ||
| Contact: Dr. Robert Manning (Robert.Manning@uvm.edu), 802-656-3096 | ||
| Description: The Park Studies Laboratory consists of faculty, staff, and graduate and undergraduate students interested in parks and protected areas. We conduct a program of research for the U.S. National Park Service and other agencies on planning and managing outdoor recreation. Current projects are being conducted at Acadia National Park, Denali National Park, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Cumberland Island National Seashore, Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Champlain, and the Northern Forest. Graduate Research Assistantships are available at both the masters and doctoral levels. | ||
| Project: M.S. Assistantship in Remote Sensing of Forest Health Trends at the University of Vermont/Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. | ||
| Contact: Dr. Jennifer Pontius, (Jennifer.Pontius@uvm.edu), (802) 656-3091. | ||
| Description: One Master’s level Research assistantship is offered in partnership with the US Forest Service Northern Research Station (NRS) and the University of New Hampshire Complex Systems Research Center (CSRC). Successful applicants will work closely with UVM faculty and NRS / CSRC staff.. | ||
| Background: This Northern States Research Cooperative supported Research Assistantship is to assess forest cover and health trends over the last 25 years for a region stretching from southern Maine to northern New York State. Multi-temporal Landsat imagery will be used to predict forest health on a landscape scale using established methods. These multi-temporal products will then be used to: | ||
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examine long term trends in forest health on a landscape scale | |
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classify forested areas as to their relative sensitivity to environmental stressors | |
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identify potential stressors driving decline patterns | |
| These resulting products will provide the basis for a quantitative examination of land use change, forest sensitivity, and forest decline trends over time. Gaining a better quantitative understanding of regional scale forest health issues will assist land mangers and policy makers in decision making when faced by current or future threats to our forest’s health. | ||
| Qualifications: A B.S. in Forest Ecology, Environmental Science, Geospatial Science or related field is required along with strong analytical, written, and oral communication skills. Preference will be given to applicants with experience in remote sensing or GIS analyses. | ||
| Project: Ecosystem science (research on factor interactions, biocomplexity, and biological legacies) | ||
| Contact: Deane Wang (Deane.Wang@uvm.edu), 802-656-2694 | ||
| Co-investigators: Carl Waite, Bill Keeton, Jeff Hughes, Gary Hawley | ||
| Description: Understanding multifactor ecosystem complexity is a challenge to traditional reductionist science. We have an ongoing field experiment studying two and three factor interactions that complicate interpretation of ecosystem data on biomass accumulation, nutrient cycling, and hydrology of complex systems. Initiation of other studies is also possible. We are looking for a student well-versed in ecology with at least one course in statistics. | ||
| Project: One-year (12 month) graduate student research assistantships on transportation related research at the University Transportation Center (UTC). The UVM UTC directs and funds interdisciplinary graduate student research assistantships and brings together graduate students from college across UVM to study and research different aspects of the transportation system. | ||
| Contact: Dr. Richard Watts, rwatts@uvm.edu or (802) 656-9775. | ||
| Description: Research Assistantships (RAs) for 20 hours per week at $28,000 for the academic year of 2009-2010 are available to full-time UVM graduate students (U.S. citizens or permanent residents). Students may be in any UVM College. For more information, see: | ||
| www.uvm.edu/~transctr and | ||
| http://www.uvm.edu/~transctr/?Page=graduatestudies.html&SM=grad_submenu.html | ||
| Teaching Assistantships: The Rubenstein School has many teaching assistantships available each academic year starting in September. Graduate teaching assistants lead field and indoor laboratories, facilitate discussion sessions among small groups of undergraduates, assist with evaluation and grading, and run workshops and help sessions. Typical assignments pay $7,500, provide 12 hours of free tuition credit for the academic year and are for ten hours a week. | ||
Last modified July 27 2009 12:23 PM
