M.S. Graduate Student Assistantship in Amphibian Conservation
Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, LA to start in late Nov. 2018 with the start of the Winter Quarter under supervision of Drs. Julia Earl and Don Shepard.
This is a State Wildlife Grant funded project to survey the state of Louisiana for any remaining Crawfish Frog populations, a species of conservation concern. There is currently only one known population, but this will be the first systematic survey of Louisiana. The project will primarily be based on frog call surveys (both in person and using automated recorders) and road cruising.
Student must have a good driving record, be comfortable driving and collecting data late at night, and be knowledgeable or interested in frog call identification. Students should also have a good attitude, as detection of crawfish frogs is likely to be very rare. There will be opportunities to ask additional ecological questions using data collected on other frog species that could be tailored to the student’s interests. Other student responsibilities include entering and analyzing data, presenting results at scientific meetings, and writing scientific manuscripts. Students need to have a B.S. in Biology, Wildlife, Environmental Science, or other related field by the start date. The assistantship provides support of ~$20,000 per year but does not include an in-state tuition or fee waiver (all out of state students will be eligible for in-state tuition).
To apply, please email an application as a single pdf including a cover letter explaining your interest in the project and long-term goals, a CV (including GPA, GRE scores, and relevant coursework), and the names and contact information for 3 references. Submit applications by email by Sept. 1, 2018.
For more information, email Dr. Julia Earl (jearl@latech.edu) and/or Dr. Don Shepard (dshepard@latech.edu).