Upcoming Opportunities and Deadlines

June 2007 Mexico Field Trip
The spring SEEDS field trip will take place June 1-8, 2007 in Chiapas, Mexico, hosted by El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR). The theme of the field trip will be "forest and agroforest landscape transformation in southern Mexico: consequences for biodiversity, conservation, and rural livelihoods." The application deadline is January 31, 2007. More information and the application are available at http://www.esa.org/seeds/activities/FieldtripsInfo.php.

 

ESA Annual Meeting Travel Awards
Applications for travel awards for students, alumni, and SEEDS Chapter advisors to attend the 2007 ESA Annual Meeting will be available in late December/early January. The application deadline will be March 12, 2007. The applications will be available at http://esa.org/seeds/activities/AnnualMeetingInfo.php.

 

Chapter Maintenance Grants
The SEEDS Campus Ecology Chapter program offers a Maintenance Grant to support Chapters. This grant is intended to ensure that each Chapter has funds to establish itself and/or sustain its presence on campus and beyond. Chapters in good standing may submit a proposal anytime before March 1, 2007. More information and the application are available at http://www.esa.org/seeds/activities/CampusEcologyChapters/MaintenanceGrants.php.

 

Chapter Special Project Proposals
Chapters, do you have project ideas for which you'd like to seek funding? The next SEEDS Campus Ecology Chapter Special Project Grant proposal deadline is January 26, 2007. More information is available at http://www.esa.org/seeds/activities/CampusEcologyChapters/SpecialProjectGrants.php.

 

SEEDS Highlights

Ku'ulei Vickery, 2006-07 Undergraduate Research Fellow
Aloha, I’m Ku`ulei and a senior at the University of Hawai`i at Manoa, majoring in environmental studies with an emphasis in marine ecology. I am a waterwoman. I’ve played, worked, and lived on the ocean. As an ocean enthusiast, I’m a long-distance sailor, surfer, swimmer, open-water diver, oceanographer, and budding ecologist. To read more, go to: Kuulei.

 

Mike Heithaus, PhD, 2006-07 Undergraduate Research Fellowship Mentor
I’ve been interested in biology and ecology for as long as I can remember. I grew up following my parents (both biologists) into the field and spent my time catching every creature I could find from snakes and lizards to butterflies and ants. I also loved to go fishing and spent as much time as possible at lakes or the ocean. Even as a kid I knew that I wanted to be a biologist and I have been very fortunate to be able to achieve my goals of getting to work with amazing organisms in wonderful places and to be able to share my knowledge with students at many levels from undergraduate and graduate students to kids in middle school and elementary school. To read more, go to: Heithaus.

 

Colleen Cooley, SEEDS Fellow, Radio Feature
On Arizona Public Radio KNAU, Colleen Cooley is featured on Edge of the Rez, a piece that looks at Native American college students who leave all they know on the reservation for the high expectations of campus life. To listen to Colleen's story, go to: http://www.knau.org/edgerez4.html.

 

2007-08 Fellows
In last month's issue we introduced the new fellows. This month we've asked each of them to share more with all of you. To read about each of the five new fellows - Annette, Colleen, Jarrod, Micki, and Sheena - go to: Fellows.

 

SEEDS Updates

New SEEDS Chapters
SEEDS would like to welcome Iowa State University and the University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras to the Campus Ecology Chapter network.

 

ESA Blog: Contribute Your Opinion on Service in Ecology
ESA's Blog "News and Views" has an interesting piece from past and current student section chairs entitled "Proud to be ecologists (and students)" An excerpt: "We tend to think a lot about service, which isn’t something that grad school programs seem to emphasize to budding scientists. We like research, writing, statistics, and working with plants, birds, and prairie dogs as much as the next guy. But we are probably most proud to be ecologists because of the service we are able to provide to society and to each other." To read more, go to http://www.esa.org/esablog/?p=16.

 

Event Recaps

Coweeta Field Trip
From November 2-5, 2006 SEEDS sponsored a student field trip to Georgia and North Carolina, highlighting the research of the Coweeta LTER (Long Term Ecological Research) program. Attendees included seventeen students from twelve schools across the country, two SEEDS Chapter faculty, and two staff from the Ecological Society of America. Many activities took place during the field trip. Participants met with a number of people from the University of Georgia’s Institute of Ecology and graduate school. Participants were also given a tour of the Institute. Participants then traveled from Athens, Georgia to Otto, North Carolina to learn about the ecological research being done at the Coweeta LTER. The field trip also offered an opportunity for cultural enrichment with a stop to the Museum of the Cherokee Indian. To read the field trip report and look at photos, go to http://www.esa.org/seeds/activities/FieldtripsInfo/pastfieldtrips.php.

 

Ecology Bulletin Board

Kansas State University Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)
The REU Site Program at Kansas State University provides opportunities to conduct independent ecological research projects under the guidance of experienced researchers working in conservation biology and grassland ecology has been structured to include activities that will contribute to the professional development of the participants as young scientists.  The intellectual focus of the REU program at Konza Prairie is the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology of a Temperate Grassland.  A better understanding of the biology of temperate grasslands is essential to the management of these endangered ecosystems.
Location: Manhattan, Kansas
Participation Dates: late May to early August 2007
Application Deadline: March 1, 2007
For more information, go to: ESA's Job Board

 

University of Michigan Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)
The UMBS REU is designed to provide "hands-on" experience and training in field biology and atmospheric science with all phases of research, from hypothesis formulation, through data gathering, to analysis, interpretation and communication of scientific studies.
Location: Pellston, Michigan
Participation Dates: June 23 to August 18, 2007
Application Deadline: February 15, 2007
For more information, go to: ESA's Job Board

 

University of Idaho Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)
TThe UMBS REU is designed to provide "hands-on" experience and training in field biology and atmospheric science with all phases of research, from hypothesis formulation, through data gathering, to analysis, interpretation and communication of scientific studies.
Location: Moscow, Idaho
Participation Dates: early June to early August, 2007
Application Deadline: February 15, 2007
For more information, go to: ESA's Job Board

 

Canon National Parks Science Scholars Program
The Canon National Parks Science Scholars Program 2007 competition is a collaboration among Canon, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the US National Park Service. Thanks to a generous commitment by Canon, the program will be awarding eight US$80,000 scholarships to Ph.D. students throughout the Americas to conduct research critical to conserving the national parks of the region.
Eligibility: Ph.D. students throughout the Americas to conduct research critical to conserving the national parks of the region. Research projects in the biological, physical, social and cultural sciences are eligible, as well as projects in technology innovation in support of conservation science.
Application Deadline: May 3, 2007
For more information, go to: ESA's Grants & Fellowships Page

 

Prairie Biotic Research, Inc., Prairie Research Grants
Prairie Biotic Research (PBR), Inc., is a Wisconsin nonprofit established in 2000 to foster biotic research in prairies. One way we do this is through a Small Grants Program that funds grants up to $1,000 for the study of any grassland taxon in the USA.
Eligibility: We are especially eager to support independent researchers (individuals lacking institutional support), but anyone may apply.
Application Deadline: Applications must be postmarked on or before January 8, 2007
For more information, go to: ESA's Grants & Fellowships Page

 

University of Alberta Graduate Assistantships
Three Graduate Research Assistantship’s leading to an MS or PhD at the University of Alberta in stress physiology of trees under the supervision of Dr. Mel Tyree are offered for research programs starting June to September 2007. Possible research areas include xylem structure/function, cold and drought stress physiology, tree hydraulics versus performance and role of aquaporin gene expression in whole tree hydraulics.
Location: Alberta, Canada
Participation Dates: June to September 2007
For more information (available Nov. 15), go to: ESA's Job Board

 

If you're interested in posting an opportunity, please visit http://www.esa.org/seeds/activities/newsletter.php

 

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