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The Drift
October 5, 2007

Carol Freeman, Editor
Submissions to The Drift need to be submitted by 5:00 pm on Thursday to:
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-In This Edition–
EEB Department News
    Monday Seminar Series
    Tuesday “Noon” Seminar Series
    Welcome Liz Oxford
News from Other Areas
    Dept. of Entomology Seminar Series
    Neurobiology Discussion Group
    AZ Cancer Center Seminar and Demonstration
    LifeSciences Computing Workshops
Fellowship/Employment Opportunities 
    Simpson Postdoctoral Fellowships in Vertebrate Systematics and Evolution
    Recruiting BioME Graduate Fellows
    McGinnies Graduate Scholarship in Arid Land Studies
    Laboratory Opportunity in EEB for Undergraduate Student
General Announcements
    CoSSAC STAR Award Nominations
    Emily Krauz Staff Endowment Scholarship

Date:            October 8, 2007
Time:            4:30 pm
Location:       Biosciences West, Room 301
 
Dr. John L. Sabo
Arizona State University
http://www.public.asu.edu/~jlsabo/
Hosts: Dr. Kevin Bonine & Dr. Brian Enquist

Hydrologic Connectivity and Biodiversity Gradients in Desert Riparian Ecosystems

Riparian ecosystems have been highly acclaimed for harboring high numbers of animal, plant and fungal species relative to terrestrial ecosystems located in adjacent uplands.  I will show you how this notion is not a generality across the globe.  Instead, riparian ecosystems often increase region-wide (gamma) richness by harboring different rather than more species.  I give a few examples of variation in these richness gradients from the San Pedro River using taxa including plants, spiders, small mammals, butterflies and other organisms.  Richness patterns along this river include the traditional gradient (high riparian - low upland), the opposite pattern (low riparian - high upland) to no gradient at all.  Gradients for some taxa show considerable variation seasonally and spatially.  Much of this variation can be explained by relative water availability.  Thus, in the second part of my talk I shift my attention to mechanisms by which water can affect the foraging behavior, abundance and strength of species interactions among riparian animals.  Specifically, I discuss the idea that obligate desert riparian trees--like cottonwood and willow--host a suite of more cosmopolitan, xeriphobic animal species by providing ground water to these animals thereby diminishing water stress.  More generally, I show how the availability of surface water directly influences the strength of predator-prey interactions in this system.  This observation is supported both theoretically and from recent experiments on the San Pedro River.  I close with a discussion about how understanding water stress at the individual level could provide the basis for understanding animal diversity gradients in arid and semi-arid terrestrial landscapes.

Tuesday “Noon” Seminar Series

Date:            October 9, 2007
Time:            12:30 pm
Location:       Biosciences West, Room 208
 
No Seminar Scheduled

Welcome Liz Oxford
 
EEB would like to welcome Liz Oxford as the newest member of the advising staff.  Liz joined the department as an Academic Advisor in mid-September.  She is a recent arrival from the state of Washington, with a BA in Chemistry from Western Washington University.  If you have not had the opportunity to meet Liz, please stop in and introduce yourself.
 
Welcome Liz, we are happy to have you!

Dept. of Entomology Seminar Series
 
Date:            October 11, 2007
Time:            4:00 pm
Location:       Marley Auditorium, Room 230
 
Dr. Kathleen Walker
University of Arizona
 
Life on the edge: Ecology of Aedes aegypti in the desert southwest

Neurobiology Discussion Group
 
Date:            October 15, 2007
Time:            12:00 Noon
Location:       Gould-Simpson, Room 601

Dr.  Lynn Nadel
Regents' Professor, Psychology
University of Arizona

Memory Consolidation: Fixation or Transformation?

AZ Cancer Center Seminar and Imaging System Demonstration
 
Pizza Lunch Seminar
Date:            October 10, 2007
Time:            12:00 – 1:30 pm
Location:       Kiewit Auditorium
                   Arizona Center Center
 
LAS-4000 Imaging System Demonstrations
Dates/Times: October 10, 2007, 2:00 – 5:00 pm
                   October 11, 2007, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Location:       Arizona Cancer Center, Room 4916

LifeSciences Computing Workshops
 
The BCF has scheduled a series of hands-on LifeSciences Computing Workshops during October and November.  The workshops will run from one-three days, two-three hours/day.  We have space for 10 individuals. The workshops will be held in the relocated BCF computer lab in the Keating Building #111.  These workshops can be customized to your specific needs.  To request a workshop on a particular topic, email bcf@arl.arizona.edu.
 
For specific details and registration information, visit http://bcf.arl.arizona.edu/bcfworkshops.

Simpson Postdoctoral Fellowships in Vertebrate Systematics and Evolution
 
The Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology announces three postdoctoral fellowship positions for Fall 2008, named in honor of G. G. Simpson's long tenure at the University of Arizona. Simpson Fellows are expected to conduct an active research program that is facilitated and complemented by the Department's extensive natural history collections in ichthyology, herpetology, ornithology, and mammalogy. The EEB collections have a strong taxonomic focus on the fauna of the southwest United States, northwest Mexico, the Gulf of California and the Eastern Pacific. The positions are part of a renewed commitment to natural history collections on the University of Arizona campus and a new initiative in biodiversity informatics, and Postdoctoral Fellows are encouraged to establish research collaborations with faculty in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Responsibilities of the positions include teaching one course per year in the Fellow's taxonomic specialty. Salary is $37,500 (DOE) plus benefits. A research stipend of $5000 will also be included. The positions are renewable for at least two years based on satisfactory performance.
 
Applicants should submit application materials online at the University of Arizona Human Resources website (https://www.uacareertrack.com; look for job #39290), including C.V., statement of research and teaching interests and experience, and two letters of reference. Position is open until filled, but we anticipate reviewing applications beginning on November 15, 2007.
 
For additional information, please contact Dr. Peter Reinthal (pnr@email.arizona.edu), Dr. Alex Badyaev (abadyaev@email.arizona.edu) or Dr. Michael Sanderson (sanderm@email.arizona.edu).

Recruiting BioME Graduate Fellows
Application Due Date: October 29, 2007
 
BioME (Biodiversity from Molecules to Ecosystems) creates one-year partnerships between UA life science graduate students and K-12 science teachers. Fellows help plan science units and projects, assist with lesson development and implementation, and guide students in inquiry-based activities and research projects. Through the program, fellows will become better communicators of scientific concepts and methods, while teachers and their students will benefit from enriched science content and develop a better understanding of the process of scientific research.
 
BioME graduate fellows work with their teacher partners throughout the school year (~15 hours per week) and receive a $30,000 stipend, plus additional funds for university fees and benefits.
 
For more details about the BioME program, including application information, please visit the website at http://biome.bio5.org or contact Kathleen Walker (BioME graduate coordinator) at krwalker@ag.arizona.edu.  

McGinnies Graduate Scholarship in Arid Land Studies
Application Review Date: December 1, 2007
 
The intent of the McGinnies Scholarship is to provide additional support to graduate students whose dissertations or theses projects involve the plants, animals, biotic history, or environment of the world’s arid and semiarid lands.  The annual scholarship award is $1,000.
 
Additional information and application details can be found at: http://www.arid.arizona.edu/McGinnies/index.asp

Laboratory Opportunity in EEB for Undergraduate Student
 
The laboratory of Dr. Richard Michod (http://www.eebweb.arizona.edu/Michod/) is seeking a motivated, responsible undergraduate to work 10-15 hours/week for pay ($7.50/hr) or research credit in Fall 2007 - Spring 2008. The selected individual will be assisting in a project exploring the causes of a major evolutionary transition, the transition from unicellular life to multicellular organisms. Lab experience is preferred, but not required. Training will be provided.
 
To apply, please send a brief email of interest and CV (or list of courses taken) to Matt Herron: mherron@email.arizona.edu.

CoSSAC STAR Award Nominations
Nomination Deadline: Wednesday, October 10, 2007
 
A brief reminder that the nomination deadline for the CoSSAC STAR awards is rapidly approaching.  Please submit your nominations to Beth Sanchez (EEB mailbox or via email at esanchez@email.arizona.edu) by October 10.
 
For additional information and nomination forms, please go to:  http://cossac.arizona.edu/ua_star_program.html

Emily Krauz Staff Endowment Scholarship
Application Deadline:  November 1, 2007
 
The Emily Krauz Staff Endowment Scholarship is open to any benefits-eligible UA classified staff member. The purpose of the fund is to encourage and support UA career staff members toward their career advancement and/or education.  This scholarship can be applied toward educational expenses such as registration costs, books and supplies. Class registration may be at the UA, including correspondence courses, or Pima Community College.
 
Details about the scholarship are available at http://fp.arizona.edu/sac/krauz_scholarship/Emily_Krauz_brochure.pdf.
 
On-line application form is available at: http://fp.arizona.edu/sac/krauz_scholarship/application.html