[Plsfaculty] SPLS: Tumamoc Hill funding opportunity

Tue Aug 5 10:11:00 MST 2025

Dear colleagues,

Please see below for a funding opportunity to conduct research at the Desert Laboratory at Tumamoc Hill, in Tucson.

Warm regards,

Betsy

The Desert Laboratory at Tumamoc Hill welcomes applications for research seed funding.

The Desert Laboratory<https://desertlaboratory.arizona.edu/> supports research and outreach on over 800 acres of pristine Sonoran Desert in the heart of Tucson, AZ. We welcome applications from any relevant research field, including, but not limited to, ecology, wildlife biology, public health, social science, archeology, and remote sensing.

Applications are due September 22 by 5pm PST. Awards are available up to $5000 per project. Preference will be given to early career researchers and research proposals that leverage existing long-term datasets collected on the hill, including plant community data<https://desertlaboratory.arizona.edu/research/long-term-ecology/spalding-vegetation-plots> (since 1906), Saguaro<https://desertlaboratory.arizona.edu/research/long-term-ecology/saguaro-plots> population data (since 1909), climate data (since 1903) and pack rat middens from the Tumamoc collections.

Applications require: 3 page max project summary which must contain PI names and affiliations, project goals, methods, timeline, data management plan, and plans for extending research at the conclusion of the grant, if applicable (references, if included, do not count within the page limit); 1 page max outreach plan (all proposals must describe how project outcomes will be delivered to the non-science community of Tumamoc Hill, or Tucson, AZ in general); 1 page budget and budget justification.

Please direct any questions and proposals as a single PDF to Elise Gornish, Director, Desert Laboratory at Tumamoc Hill: egornish at azona.edu<mailto:egornish at azona.edu>.

This award was established in honor of Dr. Kenneth L. Cole, a distinguished research ecologist who earned his Ph.D. in Geosciences from the University of Arizona. Dr. Cole made significant and lasting contributions to the understanding of vegetation history in the American West. His research at the Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill put him at the forefront in the fields of paleoecology and paleoclimatology.

 Dr. Cole’s most influential work involved the study of packrat middens. Through the collection and analysis of more than 50 middens, he reconstructed historical shifts in vegetation zones across elevation gradients over the past 28,000 years. His research continues to serve as a foundational reference in the study of long-term ecological change.

 This graduate research award recognizes and honors Dr. Cole’s enduring legacy at the Desert Laboratory and supports emerging scholars whose work reflects his commitment to excellence in ecological and geoscientific research.

Dr. Elise S. Gornish
Cooperative Extension Specialist in Ecological Restoration<https://www.gornishlab.com/>, University of Arizona,

Director, Desert Laboratory at Tumamoc Hill<https://tumamoc.arizona.edu/tumamoc-hill/overview>

Office: N317 in ENR2
Phone: 520-621-3307

Restoration book for kids<https://www.amazon.com/kids-guide-Ecological-Restoration/dp/B0B3S2728Q/ref=sr_1_1?crid=14PSFHSEU2T89&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.f2X8JnU3rJa_77tq9U8t4pPl5PlFPXT5mDkcX3oYAdg.WtqKzSibMomp_MmooGnIJeuZMU_7siLVjyrcgildCzg&dib_tag=se&keywords=gornish&qid=1724702653&sprefix=gornish%2Caps%2C172&sr=8-1>
AZ Restoration Portal<https://ecorestore.arizona.edu/>
Twitter<https://x.com/RestoreCAL> + Instagram<https://www.instagram.com/restorecal/>

[The University of Arizona block 'A' logo.]
A. Elizabeth Arnold, PhD

Interim Director and Professor, School of Plant Sciences

Curator, Gilbertson Mycological Herbarium

Chair and Director of Graduate Studies,

Ecosystem Genomics GIDP

THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

fungi at arizona.edu

www.arnoldlab.net<http://www.arnoldlab.net/> | www.gilbertsonherbarium.net<http://www.gilbertsonherbarium.net/>

To schedule a meeting, please use https://calendly.com/fungi-arizona

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