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The Drift

December 21, 2007

 

Shanley Yates, Editor

Submissions to The Drift need to be submitted by 5pm on Thursday to:

eebdept@email.arizona.edu

Please reference the word “Drift” in the subject line.

 

~In This Edition~

EEB Department News
Front Office Holiday Closure Reminder

Mail Service During Holiday Closure

Journal Request

Monday Seminar Series
Tuesday “Noon” Seminar Series

ARL Division of Neurobiology talk Friday Jan 4th and 11th

Faculty In The News

            John Pepper

Faculty Award Announcements

American Ornithologists Union Research Awards for Women

Student Grant Announcements

Biodiversity travel grants

Training Opportunities

Introduction To Using Digital Images In Science

Spring 2008 Course Announcements

New Symbiosis Course in Spring 2008

New ECOL 495/596H Course In Spring 2008

Ways to Volunteer

Science Fair Judges Needed on January 28

 Fellowship/Employment Opportunities

The University of Arizona Biosphere 2 Science and Society Fellows Program

Maryland Sea Grant's Research Experience for Undergraduates Estuarine Science Program

Educational Programs Paid Internship - Tumacacori National Historical Park

Internship & Volunteering Opportunities – Madagascar
CEDO Field Education Internship

       

Front Office Holiday Closure Reminder

 

As a reminder, the EEB front office as well as most UA offices will be closed during the holidays, beginning on Friday, December 21st at Noon.  The office will re-open for business at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 2nd, 2008.  During this closure time mail will not be delivered to EEB nor will any deliveries be made to the department.  Please keep this in mind when placing equipment and supply orders.

 

Friday the 21st is a payday - if you receive a "live" check rather than a direct deposit, please be sure to pick your check up before Noon on the 21st.

 

Thank you and have a safe and happy Holiday.

 

Mail Service During Holiday Closure

 

This year’s holiday closure begins Monday, December 24, 2007 and will reopen Wednesday, January 02, 2008.

During the closure period there will be no mail delivery to the MAIN CAMPUS. However, University Postal Services will sort incoming mail daily from the U.S. Postal Services. Departments wishing to pick up their mail during the closure must notify University Postal Services in writing, of their intention to do so. University Postal Services must receive the written notification no later than 4:00 p.m., Friday, December 14, 2007.

During the closure the following instructions apply:

¨        Mail must be picked up no later than 11:00 am;

¨        Personnel picking up mail will be required to show University ID;

¨        Personnel picking up mail must take all mail for the department (no individual caller service);

¨        There will be no inter-campus or outbound mail processing; and

¨        The College of Medicine’s outbound mail processing facility will be closed.

Mail received during the holiday closure will be delivered when regular mail processing resumes on Wednesday, January 2, 2008.

If you have questions regarding mail delivery, please contact University Postal Services at 621-7939

 

Journal Request

 

Does anyone receive a paper (not online) subscription to the journal Genetics?

Please contact:

Stacy Marie Mazzalupo

smm@email.arizona.edu

626-6322

 

Monday Seminar Series
 
Date:            January 21, 2008
Time:            Tentatively 4:30 pm
Location:       TBA
 
Dr. Harold Mooney
Stanford University
http://www.stanford.edu/group/Mooney/
Host:  EEB Graduate Students

"The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment--what it accomplished and what is next?" 


Tuesday “Noon” Seminar Series

Date:            January 22, 2008
Time:            12:30 pm
Location:       Biosciences West, Room 208
 
Ellen Suurmeyer

Title TBA (25 mins)

Dr. Machado’s Lab

 

Grant Peterson
Title TBA (25 mins)

Dr. Masel’s Lab

 

ARL Division of Neurobiology talk

 

Date:            January 14, 2008
Time:            4:00 pm
Location:      
Marley 230 Refreshments will be served at 3:45 pm

 

William Newsome, PhD

Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Professor

Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University

"Reward, Value and Choice: Neural Mechanisms of Value-Based Decisions"

 

John Pepper's work featured on UANews website

 

John Pepper's recent work on cell reproduction is featured at top of the page on UANews yesterday.  The story is one of the 4 that is cycling through page at the top.

You can see the featured story "Why don't we get cancer all the time?" at: http://uanews.org/
You may also view the story at any time at: http://uanews.org/node/17381.

 

Congratulations Dr. Pepper!

 

American Ornithologists Union Research Awards for Women

 

ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED:                Research or Dissertation

ACADEMIC BACKGROUND REQUIRED: Graduate Students

                                                 Undergraduate Students

CITIZENSHIP REQUIRED:                 U.S. Citizens

                                                 Permanent U.S. Residents

                                                 Non U.S. Citizens/Residents

RESTRICTIONS:                            Women

DEADLINES ANNOUNCED:                02/04/2008

 

 

American Ornithologists Union

Suite 402

1313 Dolley Madison Boulevard

McLean, VA  22101

E-mail:   membershipawards@aou.org

Web Site: http://www.aou.org/

E-Forms:  http://www.aou.org/student/researchaward.php3

 

Biodiversity Travel Grants

 

Announcing the first annual “Grants for Biodiversity Collections Enhancement”

 

As part of the Biodiversity Informatics Initiative at UA, sponsored by Bio5, the College of Science, and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, we are pleased to announce the availability of research travel mini-grants for graduate students and post-docs. The aim of this program is to support research travel that will result in deposition of specimens in UA natural history collections. For each award, up to $2500 will be provided for travel expenses, which may be used to cover transportation, lodging, per diem, permits, and expendable collecting supplies.  Up to five proposals may be selected for funding.

 

Specimens should be professionally prepared, identified, labeled with precise locality data (GPS geo-referenced), and submitted to the appropriate natural history collection on campus. Furthermore, the set of collections should be substantial.  For example, funding to support field work involving vascular plants could easily be expected to provide at least one hundred scientifically important collections. For critical species for which physical collection is not possible, appropriately annotated photographic vouchers may be substituted. In that case, the relevant natural history collection must be granted rights to database and redistribute such digital images. 

 

All data, including label details and any images, must be provided in a form that can be deposited in the collection’s online database resource, providing open access to the global research community.  Proposals without explicit plans for data availability will not be considered.

 

To apply, send the following information electronically to Shelley McMahon, Chair, Biodiversity Travel Grant Committee at mcmahonm@email.arizona.edu.

 

[1]              Summary of proposed travel (two single-spaced pages maximum), addressing the following specific criteria:

 

a.      Scientific importance of the proposed collections.  Include in this section evidence of the scientific value of these collections.  For example, a search of online databases may reveal that an area is undercollected, or a taxon of interest is poorly represented.  Additionally, if the collections will benefit particular research projects, including thesis or dissertation projects, describe this in detail. 

b.      Data availability.  Provide a description of the accessibility of materials and data once deposited in the collection, including a demonstrated understanding of the targeted collection and its data access policy.

c.      Number of proposed collections.

d.      Feasibility of project, especially including demonstrated understanding of any necessary permitting issues. Copies of applicable permits must be submitted to the appropriate collection's curator at the time specimens are deposited.

 

[2]              Detailed budget and budget justification (one page maximum).  If per diem is requested, standard University rates should be used.

[3]              C.V.

[4]              Letter of support from Major/Faculty Advisor

 

Please include [1]-[3] as a single PDF file. The letter of support may be sent separately by the advisor. Applications are due no later than 5pm, Friday, December 14, 2007. Awards will be announced by January 15, 2008. Awarded funds must be spent by June 30, 2008, and specimens should be deposited no later than September 31, 2008 (extensions for this aspect may be granted under special circumstances).

 

For questions regarding the grant program, please contact Shelley McMahon or Mike Sanderson (sanderm@email.arizona.edu).  For questions regarding the natural history collections on campus, including advice on professional collection preparation and deposition requirements, as well as access to information on current collections and ideas for collections enhancement, please contact the collections directly (if needed, email the committee chair for further contact information).

 

Introduction To Using Digital Images In Science

 

For those who missed the one last August, a workshop on digital images will be given Jan. 10, 2008. The goal of the workshop is to give all attendees an appreciation that the image is data, what can be done with that data, and the ease with which it can be compromised.  While the use of digital images is common in a wide variety of scientific disciplines, the majority of examples will come from the world of microscopy. The basic aspects of what constitutes a digital image and what goes into acquiring good images will be discussed.

 

Jargon and concepts associated with digital images, such as pixels, resolution, over saturation, color space, image format, bit depth, and image processing filters will be described and illustrated. Options and formats for presentation of images will also be presented. A discussion of the ethical (and unethical) use of digital images will close the session. Only general references will be made to software packages, operating systems or hardware.

 

The workshop will be held from 8:30AM to 1 PM in room 114A of the Drachman Building.  Registration is limited to the first 100 applications, so make your reservation soon. To register, go to:  http://www.mcb.arizona.edu/imagingWorkshop.cfm

 

Instructors:

Carl Boswell, Staff Scientist, MCB, AZCC, Bio5, ARIBI cboswell@email.arizona.edu Doug Cromey, Assist. Scientific Invest., CBA; Manager, Cellular Image Core, SWEHSC cromey@arizona.edu

David Elliott, Assist. Professor, CBA; Director, Research Microscopy Core Service elliott@arizona.edu

Chip Hedgcock, Research Specialist Sr., ARL Neurobiology chip@neurobio.arizona.edu

 

New Symbiosis Course in Spring 2008

 

Next semester Dr. S. Patricia Stock will be offering a Seminar on "Symbiosis".  ENTO 596-A (SMR-2) Date and time TBA

The goal of this Seminar Series will be to gain an appreciation of the importance of symbiotic interactions in extant organisms, ecological systems, and evolutionary processes. Topics from the community level to molecular aspects of these relationships will be considered.

 

If you have any questions, please contact:

Dr. S. Patricia Stock

Assistant Professor / Adjunct Professor Department of Entomology / Plant Sciences

Voice: (520) 626-3854

Lab: (520) 621-1317

e-mail: spstock@ag.arizona.edu

 

New ECOL 495/596H Course In Spring 2008

ECOL496H/596H Complex systems: networks and self-organization in biology

 

2 credit graduate seminar, starting Wednesday 01/23/08, 3pm-4:50pm.

 

Check out the course website for more information:

http://eebweb.arizona.edu/Faculty/Dornhaus/courses/ecol596h.html

 

What is a complex system? What does networks theory have to do with biology? Biologists have discovered that many biological systems, from embryos to ecosystems, can be considered "complex systems", in that many units interact without central control to form complicated patterns. How do such patterns arise? What can we learn from a 'holistic', system-wide approach?

 

We will discuss current and classic literature on complex systems research at multiple levels, including gene regulatory networks, neural net(work)s, ecological networks, and social networks. We will try to identify the commonalities of these systems and what is so exciting about 'systems biology'. We will also discuss what types of models are used to describe and study self-organization and networks in general.

Students will be allowed to pick some topics for the course that are most relevant to their interests - the schedule below is therefore preliminary and flexible.

 

Science Fair Judges Needed on January 28

 

Pusch Ridge Christian Academy is looking for volunteers to judge our school science fair, which will be held at Pusch Ridge Christian Academy on January 28, 2008 from 1-5 pm; lunch will be provided. Judges should have some science background.  If you are able to help us, please contact Elaine

MacKenzie: 797-0107 or elaine.mackenzie@prca-tucson.org

 

The University of Arizona Biosphere 2 Science and Society Fellows Program  

 

What is a Science and Society Fellow? 

Fellows are highly qualified University of Arizona (UA) graduate students, primarily in ecology, earth and environmental sciences with active research projects who are funded to develop skills, strategies and products that communicate their research to the public.  The goals of the program are to 1) increase the skills of the Fellow in communicating their research outside of an academic setting; and 2) advance the understanding of scientific information and the scientific process by members of the general public.   The Program uses the Biosphere 2 as a setting for training and outreach related to the Fellow’s own research program.

Who should apply?

Ideal candidates are full-time UA graduate students in ecology, evolution, natural resources, geosciences, geography, hydrology, plant sciences, and soils, water & environmental sciences who have completed at least one year of coursework and have started their research programs.  To be successful, graduate students should have a strong interest in honing their abilities to communicate science effectively to the public, including teachers, students, and community members.  Support from the Fellow’s faculty advisor is important for participation in the program.

What is the Fellow’s stipend?

The Fellow’s award is $3,000 for a 12-month tenure.  In addition, funds will be available to support materials, production costs, and travel to and from UA Biosphere 2.

What are my obligations as a Fellow?

Fellows are expected to spend approximately 10 hours per month in on-campus training seminars and in working with various experts to develop strategies and products (e.g., kiosks, animations, hands-on activities) that communicate core concepts and results of their research to many audiences. In addition, the Fellow is expected to devote three Saturdays during 2008 at Biosphere 2 working with visitors to interpret their own research.

How do I apply?

To apply, you must submit a letter of application, including a 1-page statement outlining your career goals, research question(s), and interest in connecting your research to the public.  Please also include a copy of your graduate coursework transcript and arrange for a letter of recommendation, from your major advisor.  Submit the applications via email to Candace Crossey (crossey@email.arizona.edu).  Applicants will be ranked on their qualifications, demonstrated commitment to public communication of science, relevance of their research to Biosphere 2 programs, and the level of commitment for this activity expressed by their major advisor.  The program is best suited for Ph.D. students, but highly qualified M.S. students are encouraged to apply.  We will begin reviewing application materials on January 18, 2008. We anticipate funding three to four Fellows in late Winter or Spring 2008.

For more information on The University of Arizona Biosphere 2 Science and Society Fellows Program, please contact Dr. Travis Huxman (huxman@email.arizona.edu; 626-4092), or visit www.b2science.org.

 

Maryland Sea Grant's Research Experience for Undergraduates Estuarine Science Program

 

We would like to invite your students to apply for Maryland Sea Grant's Research Experience for Undergraduates Estuarine Science Program.

~12 week program during summer 2008.  May 18 to August 10.

~$4200 stipend plus housing, travel to and from site http://www.mdsg.umd.edu/REU

Applications due: February 29, 2008

We invite applications from undergraduates in diverse disciplines, including engineering, biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, ecology and marine and environmental science.

Since 1989, NSF has supported this program that brings students to conduct individual research projects with a scientist-mentor at either Chesapeake Biological Lab or Horn Point Lab of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.

Details and application guidance at our web site:  http://www.mdsg.umd.edu/REU

A downloadable PDF flyer is available at:

http://www.mdsg.umd.edu/programs/research/reu/reu2008.pdf

 

While an advisory committee selects students from large and small institutions throughout the U.S., NSF is particularly interested in supporting talented students from institutions where access to marine science and to research projects is limited and who are from underrepresented groups in marine science.

 

Please help us to "spread the word" about the terrific NSF REU program and, in particular, about the Maryland Sea Grant REU program.  We would be grateful if you could forward this email on to your students and to colleagues at other academic institutions that might have qualified undergraduates.

If you have any questions please feel free to email or call Fredrika Moser (301-405-6373).

 

Educational Programs Paid Internship - Tumacacori National Historical Park

 

National Park Service in conjunction with the Friends of the Santa Cruz River (FOSCR) is seeking an intern to work with educational programs at Tumacacori National Historical Park.  The selected intern would work at the park with the Division of Interpretation and specifically with park-based Culture, History, and River education programs and activities.  The emphasis will be on helping to lead activities and developing programs while learning park based educational themes and concepts.

 

The intern would help with a variety of educational programs including historical-, cultural-, and river-themed activities.  The internship will begin in January and continue through late May, one to three days per week, normally Tuesday through Thursday.  There is no age restriction for applicants.  Although no experience is required, applicants must be able to work with very wiggly students for the duration of each scheduled program which will require walking, standing, and kneeling.  Interest or experience in working with kids is a must as is interest in the history, river and environment.  This a paid internship with a modest stipend or scholarship for time involved-based on days worked.  The intern will receive hands-on and formal training as well as learning about the workings of both FOSCR and the National Park Service.  The internship may be expanded to include working in the Visitors Center, research and computer work, depending on the applicant’s interests and skills.  Inters may also participate in other NPS education programs including costumed presentations, puppet shows and slide shows.

 

This internship is an excellent opportunity for students pursuing a career in education, environment, or history.  It is also a great avenue to gain experience and learn about careers with the National Park Service. 

 

For more information or questions, please contact:

 

Roy Simpson

520-398-2341x72

roy_simpson@nps.gov

 

Internship & Volunteering Opportunities – Madagascar
 
In 2008, Azafady is offering a limited number of unique internship opportunities for students to participate in humanitarian, environmental and conservation work while having the chance to see how a grassroots development NGO operates. Working closely with local communities, interns on our Pioneer Madagascar Program take part in a range of practical construction work, conservation research and educational activities, whilst our Lemur Venture scheme, new this year, provides the chance to focus on the conservation of endangered primate populations in the south-east of the island. Our internships could be beneficial to students in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and would particularly suit those who have a specific interest in working in the international sustainable development or conservation sector.
 
For additional information, please visit: http://www.madagascar.co.uk/mailers/mailer_121007_mailer_us.htm

 

CEDO Field Education Internship
        
CEDO, the Intercultural Study for the Studies of Deserts and Oceans, has an immediate opening in its Field Education Internship program at its facility in Puerto Peñasco, Sonora.
 
Interns support CEDO’s field education programs by receiving and orienting groups using the facility and providing field teaching services for student and tour groups (tide pool & estuary tours, slideshows, general CEDO talks).
 
Interns are provided housing in the CEDO facility and a monthly stipend. Applicants must be at least 21 years of age and have a college degree, preferably in science (marine biology or related field).  Some Spanish proficiency required. This internship runs until June 2008.
 
Contact Rick Boyer at 520-320-5473 or by email: rick@cedointercultural.org
Details available at: www.cedointercultural.org.

  ******************************************

Shanley Yates

Administrative Associate 

Office of Department Head, Dr. Michod

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

University of Arizona

BSW 306

Ph: 520-621-7509

Fax: 520-621-9190



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