The US Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District is recruiting for several temporary botany positions in support of the stewardship programs at Fern Ridge Reservoir near Eugene, Oregon. One position will be in the GS-0404 Biological Technician series, temporary – not to exceed 6 months – GS 4/5, an and advertised through the USA jobs website, we expect the announcement to op open January 19th and close January 28th. This position is full time for 6 mo months and expected to start in early April, 2018. Two to three more botany po position may be hired through AmeriCorps.

Duties for the GS-0404 Biological Technician botany position include inventory and monitoring for sensitive and ESA listed plant species (Bradshaw’s lomatium, Willamette daisy, Kincaid’s lupine, and others), invasive species inventory and treatment, plant community inventory and site descriptions, seed collection, data entry, report writing, assisting with wildlife surveys, serving as point invasive species inventory and treatment, plant community inventory and site descriptions, seed collection, data entry, report writing, assisting with wildlife surveys, serving as point-of-contact for work crews (high school and corrections), and other stewardship related duties as needed.
The person in this position will work both as a member of a crew, and leader of a smaller crew (depending on project needs) leading a crew of 1-3 Amer AmeriCorps interns in fieldwork. We are seeking someone with strong plant iden identification skills, who will be excited and able to work outdoors in all weat weather, and who communicates and works well with others.

https://www.usajobs.gov/

USACE plans to two or three more botany positions through AmeriCorps (via Northwest Youth Corps). These are subject to funding, and will likely be two 675 hour positions (this would be about 4 months at 40 hours per week) beginning in April, 2018 and continuing through the summer. We encourage students to apply, and may accommodate spring term class schedules through June 15th on a case by case basis provided they can work at least two full days per week (M-F) and at least 20 hours/week; however, we may give pr preference to applicants who can work full time in May and June. Duties wi will be similar to the GS 4/5 botany position, but without crew lead re responsibility. Another 450 hour position may be available starting ea earlier. We expect these positions to post to the following website by the en end of January, 2018:

http://www.nwyouthcorps.org/m/OurPrograms/ConservationInterns

Contact:
Rhiannon Cochrane
Botanist – USACE Willamette Valley Project Rhiannon.C.Cochrane@usace.army.mil

A Master’s position is available in the Quantitative Forest Management lab of Dr. Steve Chhin in the Division of Forestry and Natural Resources at West Virginia University (WVU).

The graduate student will primarily conduct field and laboratory work
for a project funded by the USDA Forest Service.    The general
objective of the project is to develop new site index curves for Central Appalachian red spruce by correcting for historical growth suppression.
Models will also be developed which relate red spruce site index to the site index of commonly associated species such as American beech, black cherry, red maple, and yellow birch.  This will aid in restoration and resiliency efforts for red spruce by providing site quality information in areas where red spruce is absent or where new red spruce habitat is expected due to climate change.  Dendroclimatic models will be developed to examine sensitivity of red spruce to past and future climate change.

Qualifications:

A completed Bachelor’s degree in forestry, biology, ecology, environmental sciences, or a similarly related natural resource field is acceptable.  Preference will be given to applicants that are highly self-motivated, possess a strong work ethic, and have strong oral and written communication skills.  Experience with statistical software packages (e.g., R) and proficiency with GIS would be assets.  A background or strong interest in conducting field based research and working in a laboratory environment is desirable.  Applicants must enjoy working (e.g., rigorous field work) and living outdoors (e.g., camping) and possess a valid driver’s license.  A cumulative GPA greater than
3.25 in undergraduate coursework is preferred.  The start date for this position is May 2018.  This position includes a tuition waiver and health benefits, and a competitive stipend.

Application materials:

Please submit: 1) cover letter, 2) curriculum vitae, 3) unofficial transcripts, 4) GRE scores, 5) contact information of two references, and 6) TOEFL scores (for international applicants).  Please describe your career goals in the cover letter.  Applications will be considered immediately and continue until the position is filled.  To ensure full consideration, please e-mail your application material to Dr. Steve Chhin (sc0061@mix.wvu.edu) by February 9, 2018.

The School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences at Auburn University is seeking candidates for a graduate assistantship (Ph.D.) in Wildlife Ecology and Management to take the lead on a comprehensive research project examining evolutionary ecology of a large mammal.  The research will be conducted at the Auburn University deer research facility and will examine the evolutionary aspects of reproduction using white-tailed deer as a model.  Working as part of a research team, the selected student will develop a research focus using data (physical characteristics, genetics, blood profiles, parasite loads, hormone levels, etc.) collected over the past 10 years from over 500 individual animals.  During this time period, we have determined parentage assignments for over 400 of these individuals.  These data, as well as an additional 3 years of data collected by the research team while the student is at Auburn, will be available to the student.  The Auburn deer research facility (wp.auburn.edu/deerlab), which is a 430-acre laboratory setting that simulates a free-ranging population of white- tailed deer, has approximately 100 individual adult deer that inhabit the facility at any given time.  The selected candidate will be able to develop a research focus in areas including, but not limited to, relationships among breeding patterns, fitness, the MHC, physical characteristics, parasite loads, and hormone levels.  Responsibilities of the selected candidate will be to spearhead continued data collection in the field (e.g., capture of deer and collection of samples), and to enhance the database that has already been developed for the population.

The position will be available beginning May 2018.  The candidate selected for this position will also serve as the writing TA for the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences.  As the writing TA, the candidate will assist undergraduate and graduate students with development of their writing skills.  This responsibility is not to be confused with proofreading writing and telling them what needs to be corrected.  Rather, Auburn University has implemented a complex writing assistance center on campus, and this position serves as the liaison for students in the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences.  The selected candidate will be trained by the AU Writing Center, and will normally work with students 8-13 hours/week by appointment.  To satisfy the assistantship during the summer semester, the candidate will work with Forestry and Wildlife undergraduate students on their writing for approximately 4 weeks during May-June each summer at our remote campus (The Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center).  The assistantship includes a $19,180 salary, a full tuition waiver, and comes with its own office.
Additionally, highly quality candidates may be considered for an AU Presidential Graduate Research Fellowship, which lasts for 3 years and comes with an annual stipend of $30,000.  If the student is awarded this fellowship, they will still be expected to meet their writing TA responsibilities.

Applicants should possess an M.S. degree in Wildlife Ecology or related field, a strong work ethic, and field and/or lab experience.
Applications will be accepted until the position is filled, but the hope is to make a decision by early February.  Interested applicants should send a cover letter outlining their qualifications for the project, copies of transcripts and GRE scores, and contact information for at least 3 references to Dr. Steve Ditchkoff, School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, 3301 Forestry and Wildlife Building, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849. Phone – (334) 844-9240: E-mail – ditchss@auburn.edu.  Application materials can be sent by e-mail.