Undergraduate Research Opportunities
Marine Ecology and Conservation • Climate Change Modeling • MBL • REU •Harvard Forest
Dr. Jim Tang at MBL is seeking a full-time Research Assistant in soil biogeochemical cycles under the context of climate change at Harvard Forest and a nearby crop land in Massachusetts.
The candidate will primarily work in the field to use new techniques (including the infrared gas analyzer, automated chambers, eddy covariance technique, and tunable diode laser analyzer) to understand soil biogeochemical cycles and processes. The candidate is expected to maintain the trace-gas flux measurement system and potentially develop his/her own ideas to improve the system. Laboratory work includes chemistry analyses, data analyses, and writing of reports. The candidate will have opportunities to interact with a group of leading scientists in biogeochemistry at MBL (http://ecosystems.mbl.edu/) and Brown University.
A BA/BS in ecology, environmental sciences or environmental engineer is required. An MA in above fields is desired. Strong experience in field instrumentation, particularly of electric wiring, infrared gas analyzers, dataloggers, and climatic sensors, is essential. The successful candidate should be able to work independently and willing to learn to use and explore new field-based instruments.
Applicants should be in good health, capable of rigorous physical activity in temperate forests throughout the year.
Applications including Cover Letter, Resume/CV, names of references, unofficial transcripts should be sent to Dr. Jim Tang at jtang@mbl.edu
Marine Ecology & Conservation Science
Professor Heather Leslie is seeking undergraduate collaborators with strong interests in ecology and environmental science to contribute to projects in Fall 2010 and beyond.
Possible topics include:
- Field and laboratory studies of multiple stressors on New England rocky shores
- Mapping the changing ecology and human uses of New England’s ocean, and
- Social and ecological indicators of marine management success
For more information on the Leslie Lab’s research, http://blogs.brown.edu/leslie-lab/.
Interested? Please send a brief email (no attachments) to Professor Leslie describing your interests and relevant experience.
Climate Change Modeling
Professor Marston has an opening for an undergraduate to work on a climate modeling project. The idea is to access directly the statistics of simplified models of the Earth's atmosphere by using ideas from statistical physics, and to compare the statistics so obtained to those found by the traditional approach of calculating long-time averages. See the paper: Statistics of an Unstable Barotropic Jet from a Cumulant Expansion in the J. Atmos. Sci. (in press) for more details.
Familiarity with basic physics and the ability to program computers is required. PHYS1600, offered Spring 2008, would provide the necessary background. Preference will be given to students interested in carrying out a senior thesis project.
Contact Professor Marston to learn more.
The Ecosystems Center/Marine Biological Laboratory
The Ecosystems Center at the Marine Biological Laboratory often has opportunities for summer research assistants and research experience for undergraduate (REU) positions. Occasionally these projects involve field work in Alaska, Brazil, or other remote locations. When they become available, they are posted on the MBL employment web site under summer or research positions. Summer positions usually become available in about March.
Research Experience for Undergraduates
The NSF funds a large number of research opportunities for undergraduate students through its REU Sites program. Over the next few months, many REU sites across the country will be looking for promising undergraduate students to participate in summer reserach. An REU Site consists of a group of ten or so undergraduates who work in the research programs of the host institution. Each student is associated with a specific research project, where he/she works closely with the faculty and other researchers. Students are granted stipends and, in many cases, assistance with housing and travel.
NSF maintains a listing of all REU sites by research category. Interested students should contact the sites directly - deadlines may vary.
A few sites that may be of particular interest to Brown students pursuing environmental research:
- The Calder Center Summer Undergraduate Research Program in Ecology and Field Biolog
- Harvard Forest Program in Forest Ecology: Multi-Scale Investigations of a Forested Ecosystem in a Changing World
- Ecology in Context: Research Strategies and Applications for Undergraduates
- REU Site in Ecology, Environmental Science, and Conservation Biology in Ghana
- REU Site: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology of a Temperate Grassland
- REU Site: Biological Engineering Research Experience for Undergraduates
- Interdisciplinary Science for the Environment: Research Experiences for Undergraduates at New Mexico Tech
- REU Site at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
- NSF REU Summer Fellowships in Climate and Biogeochemistry Department of Earth System Science Irvine, CA
- REU Site: Effects of Energy Technologies on Environmental Systems
- REU Site: Biosphere-Atmosphere Studies in a Changing Global Environment
University of Michigan - Environmental Molecular Science Institute: Center for Environmental Kinetics Analysis (CEKA)
- Human-Environment Regional Observatory (HERO) REU Site
- The Svalbard REU - Holocene and Modern Climate Change in the High Arctic