Description:The Memphis Zoo Department of Research and Conservation is offering aresearch assistant position in behavioral ecology and reproductivephysiology. This program offers a unique research experience inconservation, with a chance to work with amphibians both in the lab and in the field (roughly 80% lab work and 20% field work). Interns willgain experience in a variety of field and laboratory techniques, such as visual encounter surveys, hormone induced spermiaiton, sperm assessment, captive breeding, in vitro fertilization, behavioral observations, and morphological characterization. Additionally, interns will learnstrategies for communicating their science to broad audiences and will have the opportunity of presenting their research findings in aprofessional scientific setting.
Project synopsis:Amidst the sixth mass extinction, amphibians are one of the mostthreatened groups of animals, with more than 30% of amphibians (i.e.over 2000 species) at risk of extinction. One of the ways to safeguard species from extinction risks is to keep them in captive colonies. The ultimate goal of captive colonies, however, is to enhance in situconservation of the species by releasing captive individuals andincreasing or reestablishing natural populations. A critical factor that ultimately determines the success of captive release programs is whether released individuals have the ability to adapt to natural environments. With this in mind, we will be working on research projects thatinvestigate the behavior and morphology of tadpoles in an array ofdifferent treatments.
Requirements:Applicants must have a B.S. or at least three years of college levelcourse work in biology or a related field. Preference will be given to individuals with a particular interest in behavioral ecology, leadership ability, strong communication skills, and a demonstrated commitment to wildlife conservation. Experience with field studies, laboratorytechniques, data analysis, and amphibian biology is preferred, but not required. Interns must be well organized and able to work well with ateam and independently
Benefits:This is an unpaid full-time (40 hr/wk) internship with off-site housing provided.
Materials to submit:Applications must be submitted by January 31, 2017 and should include a letter of interest, CV, unofficial college transcript, and two letters of recommendation. The letter of interest should describe theapplicant=92s interests and experience related to biology/wildlife with more detail than what is provided in the CV. In addition, please clearly state the earliest possible start date within the letter of interest. If possible, submit these materials as a single PDF file. Recommendationletters may be emailed separately.
All materials should be addressed to Dr. Sinlan Poo and emailed tovolunteer@memphiszoo.org with the applicant=92s last name and =93Research=
Internship=94 in the subject line. Applications with incomplete materials=
will not be considered.