[Plsugs] CAMPUS JOB - The Archer Lab, School of Natural Resources and the Environment

[Quist, Tanya M - (tquist)]

Undergraduate employment opportunities available in the Archer Lab, School of Natural Resources and the Environment, for the project "Brush management and ecosystem services: a quantification of trade-offs on Western rangelands"

The Archer Lab<https://cals.arizona.edu/research/archer/> in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment<https://snre.arizona.edu/> seeks undergraduate students interested in and available to assist with field work on the Santa Rita Experimental Range (SRER) during the Fall 2018 semester, with potential for work to extend through Spring 2019. This work is part of a broader project to examine the effects of brush management in a rangeland environment. This is a great opportunity to be a part of interdisciplinary research. Students who have been involved in the project have gained experience that has served them well in summer internships, as well as State and Federal employment. Many are now pursuing graduate studies. For more information, please continue reading below, read the attached flyer, and visit the project website<https://cals.arizona.edu/research/archer/bmes/>:

Job description
We welcome undergraduate students who are interested in field and laboratory research. Prior relevant experience is not required. We will provide training and transportation to the field site (about 40 miles south of Tucson), as well as a wage of $11.75/hour. Hired technicians will have the opportunity to assist with the following on an as-needed, as-available basis:


  *   Field measurements of vegetation to characterize diversity, biomass, and recovery/mortality.
  *   Sample collection of coarse woody debris, litter, and soil cores for carbon and nitrogen analysis.
  *   Data and sample collection to characterize small mammal and arthropod communities.
  *   Processing of field samples in a laboratory environment.
  *   GIS-based work to facilitate planning and computer modeling efforts.

Depending upon course and work schedules, field dates may be arranged for weekends and/or weekdays.

Research Description
Woody plant encroachment is a global phenomenon that poses problems for the sustainability of rangeland ecosystems and livestock production as an important economic activity on rangelands. Land managers use brush management to reduce woody vegetation cover in order to improve forage for livestock and reduce erosion potential. However, this is a relatively narrow focus, and brush management also affects a variety of other ecosystem services. The long-term impacts on these services at watershed-scales are poorly understood. By taking this new perspective, our work will better position us to evaluate the viability of brush management as a rangeland management tool. We are investigating the effects of brush management on a suite of ecosystem services on four instrumented watersheds on a desert grassland encroached by velvet mesquite on the SRER south of Tucson, Arizona. Field data combined with remotely sensed data from drones will be incorporated into simulation models to predict long-term ecosystem responses.

Requesting an interview
If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact Dr. Adam Naito (anaito at email.arizona.edu<mailto:anaito at email.arizona.edu>) by 5:00 PM on Wednesday, August 22, 2018, to schedule a 20-minute informal interview during the first week of classes. Please send the following documentation and information when requesting an interview (please note the two categories):

Required:

  *   A current resume (DOCX or PDF).
  *   A copy of your Fall 2018 class and work schedule (GIF/JPG/PNG or DOCX/PDF).
  *   A listing of your available times during business hours between Monday, August 20 and Friday, August 24, 2018 to participate in an interview.

Optional, but strongly recommended and helpful:

  *   A one-page cover letter (DOCX or PDF)
  *   List of 1-3 professional references, if available. List may be included in the resume.

Dr. Naito will reply to your request with a date and time for your interview based upon the times you provided. Final selection and hiring of technicians is expected by the end of August, with the first field dates tentatively scheduled for the end of the first full week of September.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://list.cals.arizona.edu/pipermail/plsugs/attachments/20180723/6a037913/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Archer_Lab_SNRE_undergraduate_employment_opportunities.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 1855692 bytes
Desc: Archer_Lab_SNRE_undergraduate_employment_opportunities.pdf
URL: <https://list.cals.arizona.edu/pipermail/plsugs/attachments/20180723/6a037913/attachment.pdf>