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The Drift

December 7, 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
College of Science Commencement Ceremony

Mail Service During Holiday Closure

The EEB website - check your web sites, addresses and bookmarks

Toys For Tots

Monday Seminar Series
Tuesday “Noon” Seminar Series

Seminars from Other Areas
Special Recruitment Physiology Seminar         

Student Grant Announcements

Biodiversity travel grants

Spring 2008 Course Announcements

New Symbiosis Course in Spring 2008

New ECOL 495/596H Course In Spring 2008

Ways to Volunteer

EITC Program is looking for Volunteer Tax Preparers

Fellowship/Employment Opportunities 
Educational Programs Paid Internship - Tumacacori National Historical Park

Internship & Volunteering Opportunities – Madagascar
CEDO Field Education Internship

       

College of Science Commencement Ceremony

You are cordially invited to attend the College of Science Commencement Ceremony
 
Friday, December 14th, Centennial Hall @ 10:30 a.m. reception to follow. If you could arrive at 10:15 a.m., that will ease the process.
For more information please call Christina Dentel, 626-1092 or cdentel@email.arizona.edu

 

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

 

The EEB website - check your web sites, addresses and bookmarks

Please note the current EEB website and FTP addresses below:

 

EEB Website: http://www.eebweb.arizona.edu EEB FTP host: ftp.eebweb.arizona.edu

 

These addresses have been active for some time, and I believe most people are already using them.  However, there have still been some users filtering in using the old address, so please check your links to be sure.

Thanks,

Barry McCabe

mccabeb@email.arizona.edu

 

Toys For Tots

EEB is accepting new, unwrapped toys that can be dropped off at the Front Office of BSW 310.  The national Toys for Tots program collects toys for children for the holidays.

The program, run by the Marine Corps Reserve since 1947, has become a mainstay throughout communities around the country. When the Marine Corps Reserves was called on to take a large role in national security during the 1970s, officials decided to accept only new, unwrapped toys to speed up the distribution process. In 1991 the Toys for Tots Foundation was created with the sole purpose of collecting new toys for children.

 

Monday Seminar Series
 

No seminars for the remainder of the semester.

Tuesday “Noon” Seminar Series

No seminars for the remainder of the semester.

 

Special Recruitment Physiology Seminar
 

Date:            Monday, December 10, 2007
Time:            11:00 am
Location:      
Arizona Health Sciences Center (AHSC) Room 5403

 

Dr. Anthony Donato

Research Associate

Department of Integrative Physiology, Univ. of Colorado, Boulder

Host: Steve Wright 626-4253 shwright@u.arizona.edu

 

“Vascular aging: Roadblock to the fountain of youth”

Also available online at http://www.physiology.arizona.edu/seminars

 

Student Grant Announcements

 

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).

 

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.

 

EITC Program is looking for Volunteer Tax Preparers

 

The EITC Program, led by the United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona, is entering its 5th year of free tax preparation specifically serving low-income workers.  During tax year 2006, 137 volunteers helped prepare over 3,400 tax returns that generated over $6 million dollars in refunds for Pima County’s families.  By helping families claim every tax benefit available to them, the volunteers can boost the incomes of working poor families up to 35%.

ü       No prior tax experience is required, free tax training provided

ü       Volunteers are supervised at all times by tax professionals!

ü       Sign up today and gain the immediate satisfaction of giving back to others!

 

If you would like to volunteer to help put money back into the pockets of thousands of Pima County residents, please contact Steven Meyeroff at SMeyeroff@unitedwaytucson.org or call at (520) 903-9000x718

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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