[Plantsci] FW: The Drift, January 10, 2014

Fri Jan 10 12:06:06 MST 2014

From: drift-request at list.arizona.edu [mailto:drift-request at list.arizona.edu] On Behalf Of Morton, Brian R - (brianm1)
Sent: Friday, January 10, 2014 12:00 PM
To: drift at list.arizona.edu
Subject: [drift] The Drift, January 10, 2014

The Drift

January 10, 2014
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology  - The University of Arizona
Submissions due each Thursday by 3pm
To: eeb-drift at email.arizona.edu<mailto:eeb-drift at email.arizona.edu>
Compiled by Michael Rivera.
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EEB Department News

EEB Department Seminars:
Monday Seminar Series: Jan 20, 4pm, Marley 230
TBA - Yuseob Kim.

Tuesday Seminar Series: Jan 21, 12:30pm, BSW 208
"Specialized predators in a variable world" - Simon Stump, UA EEB
"Does variation in peripheral sensory structures predict response threshold in Temnothorax ants?" - Nicole Fischer, UA EEB

EEB grads finalists in NSF sponsored "Ocean Challenge
Ann Gregory and J. Cesar Ignacio Espinoza are finalists in the Ocean 180 Video Challenge. This challenge is designed to broaden the audience of cutting edge scientific research by making it accessible to others outside its specific field. Check out their video, titled "Innocence by Viral Tagging" here http://ocean180.org/video-abstract-entries/video-3.html. Congrats!
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New Course/Seminars of Interest

MCB 181 Mentors Wanted
What: The mentor will guide a small groups of students (~4) in identifying a topic, help them to develop a hypothesis, survey the literature to collect scientific data that will help answer the hypothesis and aid in preparing a report of their findings.  Mentors are encouraged to present topics of their interest unless they prefer that the students select the topics instead. We hope this approach will encourage potential mentors to sign up because they can discuss topics that they are familiar with, which translates to less time to prepare for their meetings. However, if they prefer they can allow their students to select the topic.

When:  Four weekly meetings of one hour each, weeks of March 24 to April 14.  Listed below is the current class meeting time.  Also, if you cannot this time slot into your schedule, a meeting after 5 PM is usually a time slot available to most students.  The students will present their results back to the MCB 181 honors classes.

Frequency:  Meet once a week (and communicate by email or via 'D2L groups' as necessary). Mentors will be responsible for taking attendance and evaluating student participation.

Where: At a time and place mutually agreeable for the mentor and the students.  In the past. we had some mentors from Arizona College of Medicine in Phoenix and the students arranged a time and day to meet for a video conference via Skype.  The student group met at one video conference site, one student provided the hardware for the conference (desk top, lab top or iPAD) with video capabilities and necessary software. Skype software is free and use of the system is free.

Why:  Great outreach experience, opportunity to develop leadership and mentoring skills and serve as a role model for young, enthusiastic students. Gain the enduring gratitude of the 181H instructors and make professional relationships that will continue past the semester deadline.

How to get involved:  Send the following information to Vince Guerriero (email: Guerrier at email.arizona.edu)<mailto:Guerrier at email.arizona.edu)l>  I also will be happy to answer any questions.

Name:
Topic Title:
Brief Description of Topic:
Day and Time you can meet with students, chose one:
Wednesdays at 1 PM
or
Any day after 5PM
Location of meeting:

Class:  RAM 619 Ecology of Savannas, Shrublands & Woodlands
(cross-listed in ECOL, GEOG, SWES, ALR)
Semester:  Spring 2014
Time:  T, TH   9:30 - 10:45 am    Credits:  3
Instructor:  Steve Archer
Ecosystems comprised of co-occurring herbaceous and woody plants form a continuum between grasslands with little woody vegetation and forests with nearly complete coverage of woody plants.  These systems, variously referred to as savannas, shrublands, parklands, and woodlands, represent a substantial portion of the terrestrial biosphere. This course examines how woody and herbaceous life forms in such systems interact; how their interactions are influenced by climate, soils, and disturbances such as herbivory (e.g., grazing, browsing) and fire; and how changes in the relative abundance of grasses, shrubs and trees affect ecosystem processes and wildlife habitat. The concepts and principles covered in this class will be broadly applicable to the conservation and progressive management of dryland ecosystems characterized by dynamic mixtures of herbaceous and woody vegetation.
For more information contact:
Steve Archer, School of Natural Resources and the Environment
Email: sarcher at ag.arizona.edu<mailto:sarcher at ag.arizona.edu>

Microbial Ecology and Ecoinformatics (RNA696A)
Spring 2014
Credits: 1-2
Friday TBD, preliminary meeting will determine schedule, BSE 218
Instructors: Rachel Gallery

Using National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) datasets, we will explore the layers and drivers of soil microbial diversity within and across ecosystem.m  Collaborating with undergraduate and graduate student colleagues at Western Michigan University (WMU), we will develop and test a series of hypotheses using metadata-rich microbial meta-genetics (16s gene, 18s gene, nifH gene), phospholipid fatty acid, and biogeochemical data sets. Guest lectures will offer training in specific informatics pipelines to highlight the strengths and limitations of each. This course will develop critical thinking, data analysis, and technical writing skills and offer mentoring and leadership opportunities. The second half of the semester will focus on data analysis and writing with the goal of submitting manuscript(s) for peer review. Graduate and advanced undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds are welcome. Please address questions to: rgallery at email.arizona.edu<mailto:rgallery at email.arizona.edu>

Other Department Seminar Schedules

  *   Tree-Ring Talks: http://ltrr.arizona.edu/events/talks
  *   School of Plant Sciences Seminars: http://cals.arizona.edu/spls/seminars/current\
  *   Geocsience Colloquia: http://www.geo.arizona.edu/colloquium
  *   School of Natural Resources Seminars: http://www.snr.arizona.edu/seminars
  *   Herbarium Lunch Series: http://ag.arizona.edu/herbarium/events/herbarium-lunch
  *   Neuroscience Colloquia: http://neuroscience.arizona.edu/events
  *   Chem/BioChem Seminars: http://www.cbc.arizona.edu/seminars/seminar-week.cfm
  *   Entomology Seminars: http://insects.arizona.edu/seminars

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Classifieds
iPlant Collaborative seeks 2 scientific analysts
The iPlant collaborative is seeking two Scientific Analysts for its main site at the University of Arizona to serve as liaisons between the scientific community, the iPlant software development team, and the iPlant leadership. The successful candidates will be part of an interdisciplinary team responsible for the implementation of iPlant's Scientific Enablement Plant and the support of multiple collaborative projects. This involves active discussion with the scientists, research into appropriate supporting technologies, and the judicious application of technical judgment to convert community needs into practical design requirements as well as coordination across projects and sites. For more information and to apply go to the UA's online application page at http://www.uacareertrack.com/ and search job number 54163 or go directly to http://www.uacareertrack.com/applicants/Central?quickFind=210447. For inquiries about the position please contact Naim Matasci at nmatasci at iplantcollaborative.org<mailto:nmatasci at iplantcollaborative.org>.

Southwest Botanical Research looking for facility caretaker
The budding research facility, the Southwest Botanical Research, which is a private business, has had a vascular plant research garden in Chino Valley, Arizona for more than twenty years. Research has been focused primarily on systematic and evolution of cacti. Two years ago, a four-acre parcel with a mobile home was purchased near the Ajo Hwy, about 18 miles WSW of the Arizona herbarium. This is a fairly secure areas and I have no problems with unwanted intruders.. I would like someone interested in vascular plant, especially cacti, to live at the facility. There would be no rent in exchange for minimal amounts of effort; mostly watering the research garden during extended droughts and perhaps devising some sort of shade structure for the mobile home. The occupants would be responsible for propane and electricity charges. Any person(s) interested please contact Marc Baker at 928-713-7009.

Postdoctoral Position in Plant Development Genomics
A postdoctoral position is available in Michael Nodine's group at the Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology (GMI). The successful candidate will be a key contributor to an international consortium recently funded to understand the molecular basis of pattern formation during early embryogenesis in plants. More specifically, they will analyze, organize and communicate results from genome-wide datasets, and will also pioneer cutting-edge technology to investigate the molecular mechanisms driving the establishment of the most fundamental plant cell-types at a genome-wide scale.

Applicants should have a PhD and bioinformatics experience. Those with previous experience with genomics or next-generation sequencing technologies (i.e. RNA-Seq, ChIP-Seq, etc.) are especially encouraged to apply. Moreover, strong communication skills are required because of the collaborative nature of the project.

The GMI is a research institute committed to excellence in plant molecular biology located on the Vienna Biocenter Campus (VBC). The VBC is an international, English-speaking campus that is world-renown for its molecular and cellular biology research including plant molecular biology and genomics. Due to a combination of superb colleagues, state-of-the-art facilities and generous support from the Austrian Academy of Sciences, the GMI provides a world-class research environment for postdoctoral training. Moreover, Vienna is consistently ranked as one of world's best cities to live.

If you are interested in this position, please send a one-page cover letter describing your research experience and interest in joining the group, your CV and contact information for three references as a single PDF to Michael Nodine (michael.nodine at gmi.oeaw.ac.at<mailto:michael.nodine at gmi.oeaw.ac.at>). Review of applications will begin on January 15th, 2014 and will continue until position is filled. Although flexible, the anticipated start date is March 1st, 2014.

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