[Plsugs] Two Graduate Assistantships at Michigan State

[Quist, Tanya M - (tquist)]

Subject: Two Graduate Assistantships at Michigan State

Dear Colleagues, we have a couple of rare opportunities for two 5-year funded assistantships at Michigan State associated with a USDA SCRI project. Please share the following with any students interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in stress physiology, water management and quality, and environmental remediation. Forgive the multiple copies if you are in more than one working group- Tom

Two Ph.D. graduate research assistantships are available working with Drs. Tom Fernandez and Bert Cregg in the Department of Horticulture at Michigan State University as part of the 5-year USDA SCRI Clean WateR3 project. We are looking for  a start date as soon as possible. Dissertation topics include investigating the effects of irrigation management and runoff water remediation (pesticide and nutrient) using subsurface bioreactors on recycled water quality, and the effects of recycled and remediated water on plant growth, quality and physiology in nursery production systems. Research will be conducted at the MSU Horticulture Teaching and Research Center on the main MSU campus and at cooperating grower sites. Ph.D. graduate research assistantships include a stipend, tuition, and health benefits.

The research is part of a US Department of Agriculture – National Institute of Food and Agriculture –Specialty Crop Research Initiative competitive grant entitled 'Clean WateR3 - Reduce, Remediate, Recycle – Enhancing Alternative Water Resources Availability and Use to Increase Profitability in Specialty Crops'.  The program is comprised of a national team of scientists working to encourage use of alternative water resource.  Graduate students are expected to be integrated members of the team and will participate in annual team meetings to present research updates, future plans, and additional research and collaborations. 

The Clean WateR3 team will assist the grower decision-making process by providing science-based information on nutrient, pathogen, and pesticide fate in recycled water both before and after treatment, average cost and return-on investment of technologies examined, and model-derived, site specific recommendations for water management.  The trans-disciplinary Clean WateR3 team will develop these systems-based solutions by integrating sociological, economic, modeling, and biological data into a user-friendly decision-support system intended to inform and direct our stakeholders’ water management decision-making process. 

Applicants with a primary interest in water quality, management and remediation should contact Dr. Tom Fernandez (fernan15 at msu.edu, http://www.hrt.msu.edu/tom-fernandez), applicants with a primary interest in plant physiology, growth and quality should contact Dr. Bert Cregg (cregg at msu.edu, http://www.hrt.msu.edu/bert-cregg) although the successful students will be expected to work closely and cross-compatibly in both areas. Applicants also apply online at http://www.hrt.msu.edu/prospective-students-2/. Screening of applicants will be ongoing as applications are received.

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