EXTRA!

Have a Good Idea for a New SEEDS Newsletter Name?

We at SEEDS are changing the name and format of the current newsletter. We are still accepting your ideas. Please send them to: seeds@esa.org

 

Upcoming Opportunities and Deadlines

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

Marla Striped Face-Collins, 2006-07 Undergraduate Research Fellow

Marla Striped Face-Collins is a full-time sophomore/junior tribal college student pursuing dual degrees in Business Administration and Interdisciplinary Environmental Science. Marla graduated with her AAS degree in Tribal Environmental Science on May 5, 2006. She is presently attending Sitting Bull College located in Fort Yates, North Dakota, 60 miles south of Bismarck, North Dakota where she lives. She is pursuing her bachelors in both majors.

Mrs. Collins was introduced to SEEDS when she found the website through the American Indian Science and Engineering Society scholarships and opportunities website. She was very instrumental in developing the SEEDS Chapter at United Tribes Technical College and has been the Student Representative since the Chapter started in the Spring of 2005, and is a campus Green Committee participant. Marla recently received a SEEDS Undergraduate Research Fellowship for 2006/2007.

Marla believes the Lakota people are part of the complex interrelationships that exist among plants, animals, ecological systems, soil, water, and climate, and that historically there were large numbers of bison, elk, antelope, and beaver, certain types of plants, and water. She also believes the devastating decline in these indigenous animals and an increase in invasive species has had an adverse effect on the water and climate of the prairie. Marla wants to study the environmental issues, air quality, and climate change of the prairie in hopes of merging modern western science with traditional indigenous ecological knowledge while learning how to manage water and to do ecological forecasting. Marla knows this seems like a lot to study and research, but as a Lakota person, she believes that everything is in some way or another related, and that what affects one thing also affects something else or many things down the line.

Mrs. Collins receives support from her husband while pursuing her science and business courses. She received inspiration for her research project from Alice Outwater’s book The History of Water.

Marla is an enrolled Standing Rock tribal member and upon graduating with a doctorate in Environmental Science will return to her tribe with the skills and knowledge she has attained to give back to the Standing Rock community. Her advice for students of all ages, races, and ethnicities who like being outdoors is to have enthusiasm for discovering nature; to help people become more aware of their environment; and to pursue their education in environmental science with passion. From this they will gain the experience to know that they can do anything they want to do and go anywhere they want to go.

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

 

Carol Johnston, PhD, 2006-07 Undergraduate Research Fellowship Mentor

I am the SEEDS mentor for Marla Striped Face-Collins of Sitting Bull College, who is a 2006-2007 SEEDS Fellow. We had great fun at the SEEDS Fellowship Professional Development Leadership Workshop held last March, which was my first exposure to the SEEDS Program. I was really impressed by the knowledge and enthusiasm of all the SEEDS students. SEEDS is a great way to expose students to ecology through networking with established ecologists and student peers.

I am helping Marla with her research project on the effects of beavers on water resources in the Northern Plains. I studied beaver ponds in northern Minnesota, but this was my first exposure to beaver dams in the Plains. Beavers are amazingly versatile animals - Marla and I saw a beaver dam constructed almost entirely out of mud and pieces of shale from an adjacent bedrock outcrop. The dams that beavers are building at Marla's study site are different than the big beaver ponds I studied because they just raise the water level in the creek by little stair-steps, like the water in a ship canal. The water that the beaver dams retain is really important in this region, though, because other parts of the creek dry up in summer. The western Dakotas have experienced severe drought for a several years, and it was 100 degrees Fahrenheit when Marla and I did our last field work together. It was very refreshing to go wading in the beaver ponds!

I became interested in ecology because I witnessed secondary succession in my backyard. As a girl, I lived in a suburb that had an old field behind it, and I spent many happy hours observing nature firsthand. I brought home a jar of what I thought were tadpoles, and discovered instead something about the life cycle of mosquitoes! That old field has been replaced by a fitness center now, but it was a wonderful living laboratory when I was growing up.

My advice to today's ecology students is "take a GPS along with you." A Global Positioning System (GPS) is an amazing, inexpensive technology for documenting your field location. Knowing where you did your field studies will help other people use your data, and will help you in the future when you are scratching your head trying to remember the location of your research plots when you go back for a repeat visit.

 

SEEDS Updates

New 2007-08 Fellows!

We are pleased to announce the five new recipients of the SEEDS Fellowship: Jarrod Blue, Davidson College; Annette Cardona, Texas A&M University; Colleen Cooley, Northern Arizona University; Sheena Hillstrom, Washington State University; and Micki Lindeman, United Tribes Technical College. Congratulations new Fellows! Their Fellowship will officially begin in March 2007, but they will be working with the SEEDS program over the next few months to select their research mentors. The new Fellows will be at the 2007 ESA Meeting and will present their work at the 2008 ESA Meeting.

 

New SEEDS Chapters

SEEDS would like to welcome the University of Michigan and the University of Puerto Rico in Bayamon to the Campus Ecology Chapter network.

 

SEEDS on the Road

SEEDS at SACNAS

ESA/SEEDS exhibited at the 2006 SACNAS (Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science) Annual Conference October 26-28 in Tampa, Florida. Thanks to all the SEEDS students who helped at the booth. Several SEEDS students presented their research.

 

 

 

 

 

An Introduction to the New Ant World Ant Xenomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Cristina M. Campbell, Jose A. Pacheco, William P. Mackay. University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX.

 

 

 

 

 

Investigation of Uranium Uptake by Sporobolus Airoides
Colleen Cooley, Jani Ingram, Nancy Johnson. Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ.

 

 

 

 

 

Population Sizes, Site Usage and Behavior of Harbor and Gray Seals in the Isles of Shoals, Gulf of Maine
Jorge Ramos^1,3, Myra Shulman², Greg Early⁴. ¹University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, ²Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, ³Shoals Marine Laboratory, Ithaca, NY, ⁴Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA.

 

Ecology Bulletin Board

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.
Benefits:Since 2002, we have awarded 34 grants worth nearly $31,000 to researchers in 13 states to study insects, plants, mammals, reptiles, slime molds, mycorrhizal fungi, spiders, and invasive species.
Eligibility: We are especially eager to support independent researchers (individuals lacking institutional support), but anyone may apply.
Application: To apply for a grant, contact Michael Anderson at Prairie Biotic Research, Inc., PO Box 5424, Madison, WI 53705, or by email at pbr-grants@tds.net for a 2007 Grant Application Form and instructions.
Application Deadline: Applications must be postmarked on or before January 8, 2007

 

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
Application: Contact mtyree@afhe.ualberta.ca with statements of research interest and a CV, and consult www.ualberta.ca for information on graduate school admissions.
Application Deadline: GRAs open until filled.

 

Ecological Society of America Policy Analyst

The Ecological Society of America, the nation’s premier organization of 10,000 ecological scientists, seeks to fill the position of Policy Analyst. Responsibilities include: tracking environmental legislation and identifying opportunities for scientific input; developing Society statements; writing bimonthly policy updates for the membership; organizing congressional briefings, and attending hearings and other relevant meetings. The position requires a degree in environmental science, political science, or related field, and two years of policy experience.
Location: Washington DC
Benefits: Salary up to middle $30s, depending on experience. Excellent benefits, EOE.
Eligibility: The ideal candidate will be a flexible self-starter with excellent judgment, interpersonal, and communications skills. Hill experience would be beneficial, as would experience working with scientists. Application: To apply, email, fax, or mail by November 13, 2006 cover letter, resume, and one-page writing sample to resumes@esa.org; fax: 202.833.8775; ESA, Attn. Policy Analyst Position, 1707 H Street, NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20006. No phone calls please.
Application Deadline: November 13, 2006

 

Florida Keys Ocean Science Center Marine Instructor Internships

Location: Pigeon Key, Florida Keys
Participation Dates: January 2007 – May 2007
The Florida Keys Ocean Science Center is a Science and Research facility located on Pigeon Key Island in the heart of the Florida Keys.  The Florida Keys Ocean Science Center offers programs to students and teachers from elementary school through college. Interns will teach various marine science courses both in and outside the classroom. Interns will also accompany students to the coral reef and act as underwater naturalists.
Benefits: $250/week plus housing and food when available
Eligibility: This opportunity is open to recent college graduates. All applicants must have a bachelors degree and must be a strong swimmer. Lifeguard certification and experience helpful.
Application: Please submit resume, cover letter, and list of 3 references
Application Deadline: November 30, 2006
Contact: Florida Keys Ocean Science Center, P.O. Box 500130, Marathon, FL, 33050; 305-289-0025; gofkosc@gmail.com

 

Environmental Protection Agency P3 Award Program

Benefits: The P3 competition will provide grants to teams of college students to research, develop, and design solutions to challenges to sustainability. P3 highlights people, prosperity, and the planet – the three pillars of sustainability – as the next step beyond P2 or pollution prevention. The P3 Awards program is a partnership between the public and private sectors to progress toward sustainability by achieving the mutual goals of economic prosperity, protection of the natural systems of the planet, and providing a higher quality of life for its people. EPA and its affiliates offer the P3 Awards competition to respond to the technical needs of the developed and developing world in moving towards the goal of sustainability.
Eligibility: Public nonprofit institutions/organizations (limited to public institutions of higher education) and private nonprofit institutions/organizations (limited to private institutions of higher education) located in the U.S. are eligible to apply to be the recipient of a grant to support teams of undergraduate and/or graduate students.
Application: You may submit either a paper application or an electronic application (but not both) for this announcement. Please refer to the website.
Application Deadline: Competition closes December 21, 2006
Contact: http://www.epa.gov/P3

 

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