[ES_JOBS_NET] MS Assistantships in Dendroecology at Humboldt State University

[Harold S. Zald]

Multiple MS Degree Assistantships available in Dendrochronology and Forest
Ecology within the Department of Forestry and Wildland Resources, Humboldt
State University



Dr. Harold Zald (http://www2.humboldt.edu/fwr/faculty/detail/harold_zald)
is seeking 2-3 highly-motivated students interested joining the recently
created Forest Measurements and Ecology Lab (http://zaldforestlab.weebly.com)
to pursue an MS degree in Forestry and Wildland Resources at Humboldt State
University (http://humboldt.edu/fwr/program/graduate_degrees).  Selected
students will use dendrochronology (tree-rings) to quantify forest
responses to drought stress in the Sierra Nevada and Klamath Ecoregions of
California.  Two projects in the Southern Sierra Nevada will take place at
Teakettle Experimental Forest (http://teakettle.ucdavis.edu/index.htm), a
long-term experiment studying how forest restoration treatments (thinning
and prescribed burning) influence forest composition, structure, and
function.  Projects at Teakettle will collect and analyze tree-ring data to
quantify how restoration treatments influence tree growth, determine if
treatments alter tree growth responses to drought stress, and characterize
growth patterns between trees that have lived and died during the current
California drought.  Additionally, one of the two projects at Teakettle
will use carbon stable isotopes to understand fundamental physiological
responses of trees to treatments and drought stress.  The student working
on tree-ring stable isotopes will be co-advised by Dr. Lucy Kerhoulas at
Humboldt State University (http://www2.humboldt.edu/fwr/
faculty/detail/lucy_kerhoulas).  The third project will occur in the
Klamath Ecoregion of Northern California, integrating tree-ring data
collected in old-growth forests with multi-temporal spectral information
from Landsat imagery to validate and map changes in forest productivity
over the past three decades.  For additional information regarding all
three projects, please see the current projects section of the Forest
Measurements and Ecology Lab website.



Minimum and Preferred Qualifications:

Strong candidates for admission to the HSU Department of Forestry and
Wildland Resources Graduate Program should have a grade point average of
3.0 or greater on a 4.0 scale for all college and university work, and GRE
scores in the top 50th percentile (>152 Verbal, >153 Quantitative, >4
Writing).  Minimum qualifications include a BS degree completed no later
than May 2017 in Forestry, Forest Ecology, Ecology, or related fields.
Candidates should have prior field experience in forestry and/or ecology,
be competent using Excel, and possess a valid driver’s license.  Preferred
candidates should have prior experience: identifying tree species of
California and/or the Pacific Northwest, collecting and processing tree
cores, using global positioning systems (GPS), geographic information
systems (GIS), and conducting statistical analyses using various software
(R, Python, SAS, etc.).  Selected students must be able to work
independently and in team settings, thrive in adverse field conditions, and
be willing to camp for extended periods of time during the field season.



Assistantship Benefits:

MS students will receive a stipend of $17,000 per year for 2-2.5 years.
Additional funding may be available to cover tuition, travel, and lodging
for 1-2 students to attend the summer 2017 dendro short course at the
University of Arizona Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research (
http://ltrr.arizona.edu/summerschool).



How to Apply:

Applicants are being considered to begin field work in June 2017 and enroll
in graduate school fall semester of 2017.  To apply, send the following (as
a single PDF or Word Document) to Dr. Harold Zald (hsz16 at humboldt.edu):

1.       A CV (including GPA, GRE scores, prior relevant work experience,
complete contact information).

2.       A letter of interest (clearly stating your research interests and
background).

3.       The names and contact information for three references


Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until 2-3
potential students have been selected for the positions.  After initial
screening, 2-3 students will be asked to submit formal applications through
CSUMentor (http://www.csumentor.edu/admissionapp/grad_apply.asp).  The
deadline for fall semester admission is February 1st.  Woman and applicants
from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds are especially encouraged to
apply.  Students who do not have a previous degree in forestry are eligible
for admission to the Department of Forestry and Wildland Resources graduate
program.  However, students who are admitted may be required to take
prerequisite undergraduate forestry courses (e.g. forest mensuration,
silviculture, etc.)
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