Upcoming Opportunities & Deadlines

Call for ESA Mentors for 2006 Annual Meeting
SEEDS is seeking ESA members to serve as “meeting mentors” for SEEDS undergraduate students at the 2006 Annual Meeting in Memphis, Tennessee.  SEEDS sponsors Annual Meeting attendance for underrepresented students and those with a demonstrated commitment to the program’s mission.  The mentorship program is integral in helping SEEDS nurture student interest in ecology, ultimately to diversify and advance the field. For more information and to complete the signup form, visit http://esa.org/seeds/activities/AnnualMeetingInfo/mentor.php.

 

SEEDS Chapter Deadlines
A reminder to all Campus Ecology Chapters that May 1 is the annual report deadline. Also, if your Chapter is in good standing, May 5 is the deadline for Special Project Grants. For more information and forms, visit http://www.esa.org/seeds/activities/CampusEcologyChapters.php.

 

SEEDS Highlights

Christina Wong, 2005-06 Undergraduate Research Fellow

I am a senior Biology major at Occidental College in Los Angeles, California and am interested in the fields of urban ecology, biogeochemistry and ecosystem ecology. My love for science and the environment began in my junior year of high school as a member of the Student Conservation Association’s (SCA) San Francisco Urban Youth Corps Program. For two years, I participated in bi-weekly workshops that addressed local environmental issues and in community restoration projects of city parks, Toyiabe National Forest, California and Denali National Park, Alaska. SCA educated and exposed inner-city youth from underrepresented communities to the importance of nature and conservation.

My journey as an ecological researcher began in the summer of 2004 with Dr. Rebecca Ostertag, University of Hawaii at Hilo, and Dr. Susan Cordell, USDA-Hawaii, on a NSF-REU project that assessed the impacts of invasive plants on Hawaiian lowland wet forests. In the spring of 2005, I studied abroad in Costa Rica where I explored sustainable agriculture by comparing avian diversity of local sun and shade coffee plantations. This past summer, I participated in the Institute of Ecosystem Studies (IES) NSF-REU program with Dr. Katalin Szlavecz, John Hopkins University, and Dr. Richard Pouyat, USDA- Baltimore, at the Baltimore Ecosystem Studies. I evaluated the impact of urbanization and heavy metals on soil communities throughout the Washington D.C. and Baltimore metropolitan areas. As a 2005-06 SEEDS fellow, I am working with Dr. Nancy Grimm, Arizona State University and current ESA President, and Dr. Ryan Sponseller, Arizona State University, at the central-Arizona Phoenix Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) site. My project is investigating the effects of anthropogenic nitrogen deposition on N2-fixation rates of biological soil crust in rapidly urbanizing central-Arizona. Excitingly, this is my first exposure to biogeochemistry and desert ecosystems. The fellowship is a phenomenal opportunity since it combines all of my ecological interests, thus permitting me to create a project I feel is intriguing, challenging and fun.

Ultimately, as an ecologist, I hope to change the common “urban perception,” that divides cities from nature, by working to restore, expose and understand urban ecosystems. In the future I see myself as an international researcher, urban planner, and policy maker who will assist in the development and design of sustainable and equitable cities.

I was introduced to the SEEDS program by Sharon Ziegler-Chong, Director of the Hawaii NSF-REU program. In November of 2005 I attended the SEEDS fieldtrip to the USGS National Wetlands Research Center in Lafayette, Louisiana. The fieldtrip allowed me to ride through swamps, critically examine marshes, interact with ecological researchers, and question, contemplate and discuss the threats confronting Louisiana’s wetlands. SEEDS has inspired me to pursue a career as an ecological researcher by providing me with a community of students and scientists who are passionate about ecology and diversifying the ecology profession. I share the knowledge and wisdom I have gained from my SEEDS experience with other students as co-founder of the Scientific Scholars Achievement Program (SSAP) at Occidental College. SSAP helps underrepresented students from under-funded public high schools successfully pursue their scientific passions. We offer student mentoring and tutoring sessions and strongly support community activities. In the future, we hope that our students will become science ambassadors by volunteering in inner-city public schools and minority communities. Recently, we received the Occidental Urban and Environmental Policy Institute Community Action award.

The best advice I can give fellow students is to: investigate and utilize all available resources, get involved in research projects, seek academic and professional advice from professors and other students, study abroad, and choose a subject and field that you truly love.

For more information on the SEEDS Undergraduate Research Fellowship, visit http://www.esa.org/seeds/activities/FellowshipsInfo.php

Nancy Grimm, Undergraduate Research Fellowship Mentor

I love the SEEDS program. I think it is possibly the best thing that ESA does, so I was honored when I was asked to be a SEEDS mentor. I’ve tried to always have undergraduate students in my research group, and for six years I directed a program at Arizona State University designed to increase minority participation in ecology. It was a small but successful program. In retrospect, we didn’t really get the critical mass going, and that is one way in which SEEDS is really successful. When you see all those SEEDS students helping each other out, communicating constantly—even when they’re at their home institutions—and having a big rocking reunion every time they get together, you begin to understand the power of this student network! SEEDS attracts bright and committed students from all over the country, who grew up in different cultures embracing different worldviews. The success of SEEDS comes partly from a philosophy of respecting students for who they are, support from all angles (mentors, other students, staff, and the ESA membership at large), and a creative, diverse set of activities that engage students. But the students themselves attract more and more of their young ecologist peers to the program, by sharing their passion for ecology and by being a real community. I’ve now been privileged to participate in two SEEDS events outside the annual meeting: I joined the November field trip to the Sevilleta LTER and University of New Mexico, and I hosted a fellowship leadership workshop in Tempe in early March. I came away thoroughly impressed with the intellectual talents, enthusiasm, and commitment of these young scientists.

My SEEDS fellow, Christina Wong, is in Arizona over spring break to begin working on her project. Already it’s been great working with Christina and Ryan Sponseller, a post-doc in my group who’s another mentor for Christina, to figure out the study design. Christina has been amazing in finding information from the experts and the literature. Her project is part of a larger research effort we’ve just gotten underway, studying the effects of deposition of inorganic nitrogen and organic carbon from the urban atmosphere on desert ecosystems. She will be investigating how nitrogen fixation by biological soil crusts is affected by these inputs. She will be part of a pretty big team of scientists that include faculty members, post-docs, graduate students, and other undergraduates, all practicing a ‘tiered mentoring’ system and learning from one another. I hope it’s a fun and productive summer for Christina. So far my experience working with her has been very rewarding.

My own interests are pretty broad, but generally revolve around understanding controls on the transport, retention, and transformation of nitrogen in aquatic and terrestrial landscapes. I’ve worked in desert stream and riparian ecosystems for almost 30 years now and this project that Christina is working on is my very first terrestrial ecosystems grant. Directing the Central Arizona–Phoenix LTER got me thinking about how urban ecosystems might operate fundamentally differently than their less human-altered counterparts, so with colleagues Jon Allen, Jason Kaye, and Sharon Hall, we developed a plan to evaluate those differences. I still do keep a hand in research on stream and riparian ecosystems, though. We are asking where hot spots of nitrogen retention occur (and what explains their distribution) in riparian ecosystems of the relatively unmanipulated San Pedro River in Arizona. We also translate that same kind of question to the urban landscape, asking how human manipulation of rivers and streams alters their function as transporters or processors of nitrogen.

Living in Arizona (going on 28 years now) in the wonderful Sonoran Desert affords many opportunities to hike in some of the most beautiful country on Earth. I also like to read, I enjoy opera and music in general, I swim and bike as often as possible, and now that I have a young dog, I make lots of visits to the local park (and he has helped me balance my empty-nester life because his needs preclude too-long hours at work). I enjoy traveling, which is a good thing because I certainly do a lot of it, often just a hop over to New Mexico for the weekend. I have two sons in college, a philosopher and an artist (painter), who are my greatest joys.

Finally, I want to take this opportunity, since I’ve got the podium, to make a few observations that I shared with the SEEDS fellows who participated in the Leadership Workshop. In answer to the question, “how can YOU become involved in ESA, and become a leader in the field of ecology?” I give you these nuggets of advice to do with as you will:

First, learn all you can. Insist on quality in your work and that of others who work with you. Ask questions. Get excited. Read the literature. Do what you love.

Second, work with others. Learn how to collaborate. It’s the wave of the future. Be generous with your time. Help other students. Later, help your students and your colleagues.

Third, communicate. Do this at both ends – publish your work, but also read widely. Speak up, but also listen. Develop an ability to really listen along with an ability to give a stellar presentation.

Fourth, develop your style. Be true to yourself, be serious but have fun. As my friend Scott Collins would say, “Take what you do seriously; don’t take yourself seriously.”

Fifth, get involved. Starting with this association of SEEDS, keep in touch. The field of ecology needs your talents and your energy. You are the future.

Amber Finley, Student Highlight

Hello, my name is Amber Finley. I am a senior Fisheries and Wildlife Biology major at the University of North Dakota (UND). I am an enrolled member of the Three Affiliated Tribes (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation) and Spirit Lake Dakota (Sioux). I am the current Vice President of the University of North Dakota Indian Association (UNDIA) and the Public Relations Officer for the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES). I have been a member of AISES since 2000, and it is actually through AISES that I became involved with the SEEDS program.

I attend the AISES National Conference every year in November, and I had requested for two years in a row to have more representation for environmental studies at the career fair. My requests were answered when in November of 2003 I met a student intern at the SEEDS booth at the AISES Career Fair. The intern was pursuing an ecology degree and told me how she had been involved with SEEDS. She signed me up for the SEEDS listserv and I was on my way. A few months later I received an email from Melissa Armstrong, SEEDS Coordinator, inviting me to apply for a summer SEEDS field trip.

As a single parent, it has often been the case that I am passed up for considerably beneficial positions whether in the laboratory or the field. I have often felt alone in my own department because I will not sacrifice being a parent for being a scientist. So when I saw the opportunity to go on an ecology field trip to an ecological field station, I jumped on it. I immediately began my application and felt very uneasy about what the outcome would be. Then, in April I received a letter from the ESA SEEDS Program saying that I was selected to attend the field trip. I was ecstatic to say the least, and I immediately called my mom and told her the wonderful news.

In June 2004, I attended the Calgary, Canada field trip, what an adventure that was. I met several talented students and many extraordinary ecologists. While I was on the trip, some of the students asked if I was going to the 2004 ESA Annual Meeting. That was the first time I had heard about it, so as soon as I got home I decided that the next year I would apply for both the field trip and the annual meeting. I ended up applying for the SEEDS summer field trip and the fellowship instead. I was selected for the field trip, but not the fellowship; however, I was invited to attend the 2005 ESA Annual Meeting in Montreal, Canada. Last year I participated in the University of Michigan Biological Station Field Trip in Pellston, Michigan. Again, I was able to meet so many young and talented students and was quite impressed with my SEEDS experiences with the field trip and ESA Annual Meeting. Recently, I attended the International Conference in Merida, Mexico. That was quite an adventure, this time almost all of the students in attendance I had met at a previous SEEDS event. I am really starting to feel like part of the SEEDS family.

SEEDS has given me more opportunities to actually interact with real ecologists and get hands-on experience in the field, more than I could have ever imagined. My experience with SEEDS has exposed me to several parts of the country in a perspective that most people would take for granted. In addition, I have met some of the most intelligent young scientists and wonderful mentors through SEEDS. SEEDS has really given me a direction to follow, a place on this planet, and a heart for a career in ecology.

As I get ready to graduate this May, I look back at my undergraduate career and am really happy with all of my experiences. I have held an officer position for the last five years with UND AISES Chapter. I have managed to hold a regional position with National AISES for two years. I am currently planning the 37th Annual Time-Out Wacipi (powwow). I have worked on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, as lead researcher for a Juneberry restoration project. Through several SEEDS experiences and others throughout my undergraduate career, I have become a well-rounded student and active environmentalist.

Howard University Campus Ecology Chapter

The aim of the Howard University (HU) SEEDS Chapter is to nurture students pursuing a professional career in environmental science through education, career development, and community service. HU’s SEEDS Chapter Student Representative is Shelby Burks who is a sophomore Biology major in the honors program at HU. The SEEDS Chapter also seeks to strengthen the environmental science community at HU by allowing students to connect more easily with the many exciting opportunities provided by the SEEDS program of ESA. Four members of the SEEDS Chapter (Gerald Bright, Shelby Burks, Michelle Nicholson and Tyra Pendergrass) have submitted research abstracts for the 2006 ESA Annual Meeting in Memphis, Tennessee. Chapter members have also applied for the June 2006 Konza Prairie LTER Program Field Trip sponsored by the SEEDS Program.

The HU SEEDS Chapter is involved in several community outreach activities. In conjunction with the American Institute for Biological Sciences (AIBS) Student Chapter, the SEEDS Chapter has started an outreach project with Bruce Monroe Elementary School in Washington, DC. Chapter members have visited the school for science enrichment activities, and are developing a science fair for sixth graders at the school. Students from the SEEDS chapter presented a workshop on plant ecology for students in the Science Discovery Day program organized on the HU campus by Minority Women in Science Program. HU SEEDS Chapter is also developing a near-peer mentoring program with students from Dunbar High School in Washington, DC who are participating in the EnvironMentors program. Dunbar students will visit HU’s campus for informal lunch discussions with SEEDS members, campus tours and other activities designed to increase awareness of opportunities for college study and careers in ecology. SEEDS members will also help with the annual EnvironMentors Fair in May.

In spring 2006, HU SEEDS Chapter co-sponsored seminars in the Department of Biology with Dr. Aaron Ellison from the Harvard Forest LTER, and Dr. Puja Batra from Conservation International. Future plans include raising funds to adopt a Liberian village through Forest Partners International and partnering with the HU Environmental Society to sponsor an Earth Day activity such as an Anacostia River cleanup. The chapter also plans to develop a website to advertise and promote SEEDS Chapter activities and provide information about internships, scientific meetings and other ecological opportunities.

Dr. Mary McKenna, Chapter Advisor

Mary McKenna developed a passion for understanding nature through a childhood spent exploring the forests of the Berkshire Hills in Massachusetts and the beaches and marshes of the North Atlantic coast. Mary received her Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolution from SUNY Stony Brook in 1987 under the direction of Dr. James Thomson, Dr. David Mulcahy (U Mass, Botany Dept), Dr. Doug Futyuma and Dr. Barbara Bentley. Her primary research in the areas of plant reproductive ecology, plant community interactions, alpine plant ecology and the ecology of hyperaccumulator plants has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the US Forest Service. In addition to her research on Howard University’s (HU) campus, Dr McKenna also participates in the Blandy Field Station REU program.

After a brief period at Sarah Lawrence College, Dr. McKenna joined the biology faculty at HU, where she teaches Ecology and Plant Ecology. Mary is strongly committed to maintaining a broad curriculum in HU’s Biology Department, which allows students to gain exposure to ecology, evolution and organismal biology. Mary is also passionate about promoting participation of underrepresented minorities in ecology education, research and careers. As a member of the Board of the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), she developed a Diversity Scholars program designed to attract and facilitate minority student participation in AIBS activities, and the AIBS Diversity Awards program to celebrate and promote exemplary efforts to increase diversity in the field of biology. In 2004, Dr. McKenna organized the DIBS coalition, a group of representatives of educational and scientific societies in the Washington DC metropolitan area (AAAS, AIBS, ASM, ESA, CAHSEE, NCSE, NEETF etc) that meet four times a year to promote partnerships and synergism in diversity programs.

Dr. McKenna has also worked with the Ecological Society of America for many years. From 1994-1996, Dr. McKenna served as Chair and Chair-Elect of the Metropolitan Washington Chapter of ESA, and she has represented ESA on the AIBS Council for nine years. Mentoring undergraduates and involving them in ESA is a great joy for Dr. McKenna; several of her students have participated in SEEDS activities including field trips, annual meetings and acting as SEEDS mentors. Five HU undergraduate students that Dr. McKenna mentored in her research lab so far have pursued a Ph.D. in plant ecology: Joel Abraham at UC Berkeley (with Dr. Wayne Sousa), Gerod Hall at Cornell U (with Dr. Alison Power), Nicole Sudler at U Kentucky (with Dr. Nicholas McLetchie), Tonia Quintero at U Hawaii (with Dr. Brent Sipes) and Kerry Brown at SUNY Stony Brook (with Dr. Jessica Gurevitch). Kerry Brown is currently a post-doc at Columbia U with Dr. Shahid Naeem. A HU graduate student who worked with Dr. McKenna on community outreach for a NSF grant (Lisa Hoffman) is now the Director of the Charlotte Nature Museum in Charlotte, NC.

Dr McKenna is excited about advising the recently reincorporated SEEDS chapter at HU. This chapter will promote awareness of careers in ecology across the HU campus and provide further support for the students involved in the Environmental Biology Scholars initiative. This new program is directed by Dr. McKenna and funded by a NSF Undergraduate Mentoring in Biology grant. It involves mentoring undergraduates in ecological research and encouraging students to enter graduate programs in environmental biology. The program is structured to support three cohorts of five students before the end of the current funding period. Other HU faculty mentors involved in this program include Dr. Priscila Chaverri, Dr. George Middendorf, Dr. Michael Paul and Dr. Raymond Petersen. Students are conducting research in the DC metro area, at the Baltimore LTER, at the University of Virginia’s Blandy Research Station, at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica and at Harvard Forest LTER. Student progress is facilitated through Research Forum meetings every other week where all students meet with Dr. McKenna to peer-review their research. Awareness of ecological research is stimulated by Environmental Biology Seminars that bring prominent ecologists to campus three or four times each semester. Environmental Biology Scholars receive a thorough training in ecology, evolution and organismal biology through courses at HU and through participation in a Field Ecology course taught by Dr. McKenna at Mountain Lake Biological Station. Dr McKenna is currently mentoring research for four Environmental Biology Scholars; most of their research is being conducted at Blandy Field Station in Virginia.

The Environmental Biology Scholars have shown leadership on campus by organizing a SEEDS student chapter (Shelby Burks, Student Chapter Representative), and a student chapter of AIBS at HU (Gerald Bright, President; Tyra Pendergrass,Vice-President). Another Environmental Biology Scholar (Alexandra Sutton) is president of the HU Environmental Society. These societies have engaged in several outreach projects involving K-12 schools in Washington, DC, including participation as “near-peer” mentors for the EnvironMentors program, as presenters for “Science Discovery Day”, and through organizing a science fair for an elementary school.

Shelby Burks, Student Representative

Shelby Burks, SEEDS Chapter Student Representative, is a sophomore Biology major in the honors program at Howard. Shelby is originally from Wichita, Kansas. A high school project on water quality in the Arkansas River sparked her interest in aquatic ecology. When Shelby arrived at HU, she was accepted into the Environmental Biology Scholars, a NSF-sponsored program directed by Mary McKenna that supports undergraduate research in environmental biology. Shelby has been exploring decomposition processes in urban and rural streams. She conducted research at the Baltimore Ecosystem LTER under the direction of Dr. Michael Paul at HU, and received a third place award for her oral presentation of this research at the HBCU-UP conference in Baltimore. This summer she expects to continue her studies on stream decomposition processes at the Luquillo LTER in Puerto Rico under the mentorship of Todd Crowl. Shelby will travel to Cairns, Australia this summer to present her research at the Society of Wetland Scientists annual meeting. She has also submitted an abstract to present her research at the ESA Annual Meeting in Memphis. In addition to her scientific pursuits, Shelby is interested in global justice and human rights issues, and she was nominated to represent HU in the Goldman Sachs Global Leaders competition. Shelby is also a member of the Howard U Debate Team and the HU AIBS Student Chapter.

SEEDS Updates

Two New Campus Ecology Chapters

SEEDS welcomed two new schools into its Campus Ecology Chapter program in March: Chicago State University in Chicago, IL and Clayton State University in Morrow, GA. Read more about these new Chapters at http://esa.org/seeds/activities/CampusEcologyChapters.php.

 

Event Recaps

Fellowship Leadership Workshop

The first ever SEEDS leadership workshop was a huge success! Three generations of SEEDS fellowship students and many of their mentors attended this workshop that was held from March 2 – 5 in Tempe, AZ at the Arizona State University (ASU) campus. The workshop was hosted by Nancy Grimm, ESA President and current SEEDS Fellowship mentor, and the Global Institute of Sustainability at ASU.

The unique and powerful aspect of the SEEDS fellowship workshop was the amount and quality of student input. The workshop began with a roundtable discussion on the complex topic of leadership. All participants contributed because everyone had experience leading and the result was a rich exchange among students and professionals. Students also received an introduction to the applied ecology movement within ESA from Laura Huenneke, Dean of the College of Engineering and Natural Sciences at Northern Arizona University. Students took information from this introduction to develop their ideas for a Student Summit, which is the fellowship students’ voice to the ESA community. The Student Summit will be published in the July ESA Bulletin.

Fellowship mentors gave a workshop series on practical topics to carry out ecological research in many realms - methodologically, socially, financially, and personally. Workshop topics included: “how to start up and conduct ecological research in ways that respect the people that live there, incorporating GIS into ecology research, how to make a difference while going to graduate school, how to fund and publish your research, and the role of LTERs in ecology research”. Students gained a wealth of useful information on a broad array of topics from the workshop series.

The current fellowship group presented their research proposals. These students completed their proposals in November 2005 and will be carrying out their projects in the summer 2006. The current fellowship group has widely diverse research topics ranging from agroecology in Honduras, coral reef ecology in Tahiti (Moorea Coral Reef LTER), urban ecology in Phoenix (Central Arizona Phoenix LTER), and marine mammal ecology in the Isles of Sholes off the coast of Maine.

Finally, because the leadership workshop was held in Tempe, AZ, the home of the Central Arizona Phoenix LTER, participants had the opportunity to get into the field and tour two research sites of current fellowship student Christina Wong. Participants learned much more about Ms. Wong’s research project on soil crusts and their response to urban nutrient deposition.

The success of the leadership workshop was in part because of the enthusiasm of all participants to share their knowledge to educate and encourage students to succeed in ecology research and ecology careers. Another significant element in the workshop’s success was the close bond that fellowship students have created. The chemistry of the group is such that it is a highly supportive and safe environment for all students to share their ideas even though they from many different backgrounds. Such a positive community is a great contribution to ESA.

Leadership Workshop Participants:

2004 – 2005 Fellows
Ricardo Colón Rivera – University of Puerto Rico, Humacao
Bruce Machona – Stephen F of Austin State University, Nacdoches TX
Lucero Radonic – University of Texas, El Paso
Thalia Tooke – University of Kansas

2005 – 2006 Fellows
Noemi Baquera – University of Texas, El Paso
Jorge Ramos – University of Texas, El Paso
Andrea Rivera – University of Hawaii, Manoa
Christina Wong – Occidential College

2006 – 2007 Fellows
Marla Collins – United Tribes Technical College Chris McLaughlin – USDA
Colibrí Sanfiorenzo – University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras
Ku`ulei Vickery – University of Hawaii, Manoa

Mentors
Nancy Grimm - ASU
Jeff Herrick – USDA, Jornada Experimental Range
Carol Johnston – South Dakota State University
Luis Garcia Barrios – El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR)

Professionals
Scott Collins – University of New Mexico
Laura Huenneke – Northern Arizona University
Carlos Castillo-Chavez – ASU
Willard Antone – Gila River Indian Community, Department of Environmental Quality
John Parker – ASU IGERT Program

Staff
Melissa Armstrong - ESA
Jason Taylor - ESA

Staff Activities

SEEDS at MANRRS
SEEDS exhibited and sponsored a workshop at the 2006 MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences) Annual Conference, March 30 – April 1, in St. Louis, Missouri. SEEDS’ Saturday workshop, “St. Louis Riverfront Trail: How People Use Ecology,” was a field trip that traveled along the twelve-mile trail on the Mississippi River’s west bank, focusing on the natural and cultural sites while learning about local conservation, restoration, and environmental justice efforts.

SEEDS at AIHEC
SEEDS Student Coordinator Jeramie Strickland and ESA Education Director Jason Taylor attended the 25th Anniversary American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) Conference March 11-14 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. SEEDS co-sponsored the Science Bowl Competition; the Science Oral Interpretation Competition; and the Science Poster Competition with the All Nations Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation. Jeramie and Jason assisted with the Science Bowl Competition and learned more about the students and other tribal schools during the competition. The College of Menominee Nation (CMN) in Keshena, Wisconsin won the Science Bowl Competitions. CMN is in the SEEDS Campus Ecology Chapter cohort. In addition, SEEDS staff interacted with other conference participants and disseminated ecology educational materials along with information about ESA and SEEDS.

Jeramie attended a workshop titled: Managing Your Own Leadership Development: Do You Have a Plan? This workshop allowed Jeramie to reflect on what he has done thus far in his professional development journey and gave him some insights on what he can do in the future to become a well-rounded professional leader. Jeramie plans to share this experience with SEEDS students.

SEEDS is proud to announce that SEEDS 2006-2007 Undergraduate Research Fellow, Marla Collins of United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, North Dakota was awarded Ms. AIHEC for 2006/2007!

 

SEEDS at ASLO & UHM
From February 18-23 ESA Education Director Jason Taylor attended the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) Ocean Sciences meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii.  Jason participated in a number of sessions related to diversity in the ocean sciences and exhibited SEEDS and ESA to the conference attendees.  Jason also visited with the University of Hawaii at Manoa SEEDS chapter. He was given a tour of the campus by President Andrea Rivera and Vice-President Pollyanna Fisher and discused their planning for the East Maui Ecology Field Trip.

 

Ecology Marketplace

Arizona State University Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)
Location: Tempe, Arizona         Participation Dates: 10 weeks starting approximately two weeks following the end of spring classes
Through participation in one of several research programs, students will interact with scientists and gain experience conducting independent research projects related to urban ecology in the Central Arizona–Phoenix region. Projects include: investigating interactions between the urban atmosphere and (1) desert-soil arthropod communities, (2) soil microbial activity, and (3) the elemental content and abundance of herbivores; investigating characteristics of urban open space and wildlife-corridors that contribute to higher species diversity; and investigating long-term elemental deposition patterns reflected in accumulation by lichens. Students are encouraged to contact project leaders directly with specific questions about the research projects. Project leaders include: Dr. Nancy Grimm and Sharon Hall (urban atmosphere), Drs. Lisa Shender, Paige Warren, and Stevan Earl (urban open space and wildlife corridors), and Dr. Tom Nash III (elemental deposition patterns).
Benefits: Students receive a $3000 stipend. Additional support for housing and travel may be available if needed.
Eligibility: Students must be undergraduates in summer 2006; that is, May/June 2006 graduates are not eligible for the program. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Women and ethnic minority students are especially encouraged to apply. Prior research experience is not required, but applicants should be in good academic standing and express an interest in learning about research.
Application & Deadline: For application information and to view a detailed description of summer projects, visit: http://sols.asu.edu/ugrad/reu/index.php. Priority deadline to apply is April 7, 2006; however, applications will be accepted until positions are filled or until May 30.
Contact: Stevan Earl at stevan.earl@asu.edu.

 

Sevilleta LTER Site Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)
Location: Central, New Mexico          Participation Dates: June 3 - August 11
The Sevilleta Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site is pleased to offer 3 minority undergraduate research opportunities. In 2006, 3 minority students will have the opportunity to design and implement an independent research project of their own, working closely with a mentor scientist. The Sevilleta LTER Project is located about 80 kilometers south of Albuquerque, New Mexico, in and around the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). The Refuge, which is managed by the US Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, and its surroundings, are positioned at the intersection of several major biotic zones: Chihuahuan Desert grassland and shrubland to the south, Great Plains grassland to the north, Piñon-Juniper woodland in the upper elevations of the neighboring mountains, Colorado Plateau shrub-steppe to the west, and riparian vegetation along the middle Rio Grande Valley.
Benefits: Participants receive a $3600 stipend for the ten-week program, and free housing at the Sevilleta Field Station.
Eligibility: Undergraduate freshmen, sophomores, juniors or first semester seniors are eligible to apply.
Application & Deadline: http://sev.lternet.edu - April 25, 2006 (extended)
Contact: Jennifer Johnson at jjohnson@sevilleta.unm.edu

 

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Center for Tropical Forest Service (CTFS) Research Grants Program
Location: Varies, 18 sites in 15 countries         Participation Dates: Varies, 3 months to 3 years in length
The Research Grants Program of the Center for Tropical Forest Science (CTFS) of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute supports research associated with the CTFS network of Forest Dynamics Plots. This grants program is intended to provide opportunities for senior researchers, post-doctoral fellows, and graduate students to utilize existing Forest Dynamics Plots and to conduct research with scientists associated with these plots. The CTFS network of FDPs includes 18 sites in 15 countries. Anyone working directly in a Forest Dynamics Plot (FDP), analyzing data from a plot, or generating complementary data that strengthens FDP research programs is eligible to apply. Projects can be field-oriented, laboratory-based, or analytical, and scientifically, basic or applied in nature. The CTFS Research Grants Program will make awards for projects three months to three years in length.
Benefits: Grants will range from $3,000-$30,000.
Eligibility: This opportunity is open to all researchers from graduate students to senior scientists. Applicants are welcome from all nationalities.
Application & Deadline: http://www.ctfs.si.edu - July 28, 2006
Contact: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute CTFS Grants Program, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Panamá, República de Panamá; 507-212-8144

 

University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Summer Research Assistant
Location: Chapel Hill, North Carolina         Participation Dates: mid April/May - mid August
The position will involve a mixture of field and laboratory work, with the ability to work outdoors in sometimes uncomfortable conditions being essential (i.e. direct sun, occasional rain). Previous research experience and completion of a general ecology course is preferred. Successful applicants will learn basic field ecology techniques and laboratory procedures. The research focuses mainly on the role of viral & fungal plant pathogens and aphid vectors in: (1) controlling or facilitating biological invasions by plants; (2) modulating the effects of global change on terrestrial ecosystems; and (3) structuring plant communities.
Benefits: $8.00 to $9.67/ hr, depending on experience.
Eligibility: Must be either an undergraduate or recent B.S./B.A. graduate. Ability to work full- or part-time in the fall is preferred, but not required.
Application & Deadline: Please submit the following items via email: (1) A current resume; (2) Contact information for two references; (3) Possible and preferred start and end dates; and (4) A brief cover letter. Deadline is April 30, 2006.
Contact: Scott Waring at swaring@bio.unc.edu

 

Help Support SEEDS

We invite you to contribute to ESA's SEEDS Program to help support and encourage greater diversity in the ecology profession. Contributions to the SEEDS program are tax deductible and are used to support special initiatives for underrepresented students. To contribute, visit www.esa.org/seeds/supportSEEDS.php