Environmental Studies Newsletter

Bowdoin College

Environmental Studies Newsletter

Category Archives: Fellowships

Announcement: Farm Link Montana- free searchable database for opportunities in Montana (December 2018)

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The 2019 farm season will be here before you know it! Get your hands dirty learning the ins-and-outs of farming or ranching and get exposure to a variety of local and sustainable food systems amid the rugged, breathtakingly beautiful landscape of Montana!

Farm Link Montana is a free, searchable database of current listings for jobs, internships, and land opportunities in Montana. It features a searchable map of farms and ranches across the state hiring for the upcoming season. Learn about each operation and apply to multiple jobs at once with just one application. Opportunities range from organic veggies, wheat, and pulses to hops, dairy and more!

Now is the time to apply! Hiring for the season is underway so don’t miss out!

For more information and to apply, visit https://www.farmlinkmontana.org/

Dave Renn
Beginning Farmer & Rancher Program Manager
Community Food & Agriculture Coalition
www.farmlinkmontana.org
406-926-1004

 

Announcement: Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program (App Due: 2/8/19)

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Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program
Deadline to apply: February 8, 2019

Applications for the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program (conservationscholars.ucsc.edu) at the University of California Santa Cruz are now available. Each March we select 20 early-undergraduate Scholars from around the country to participate in a two-year conservation mentorship program centered on the summers between academic years. Our goal is to serve students from groups traditionally underrepresented in conservation, across disciplines, who can contribute to diversifying, redefining, and strengthening efforts to protect land, wildlife and water.  We focus our efforts on serving college freshmen, sophomores, and juniors with two years of college left at a stage when we can support their undergraduate careers and their choices as they graduate.  Students who attend or are transferring to any four-year institution in the US, its territories and Native nations are eligible.  US citizens, permanent residents, DACA and Dreamer students are eligible to apply. International students are not eligible for the program.

During the first year Scholars participate in an eight-week, intensive summer course integrating conservation design, leadership and research experiences while traveling with a close group of peers and mentors. During the second summer, Scholars pursue eight-week research and practice internships with nationally recognized conservation organizations and agencies.  A professional development retreat after the second summer brings together the Scholar cohort and prepares them to apply for jobs and graduate school. Throughout the two years and beyond, we work with home mentors at each Scholar’s campus to provide ongoing support. Scholars receive travel and lodging support and a $4,000 stipend each summer and become part of the national Doris Duke Conservation Scholars network for life.

Applications for the 2019 class of Scholars are available on the website and due February 8, 2019. 

For more information, visit conservationscholars.ucsc.edu or email the Program Director, Dr. Justin Cummings, [email protected].

Carolyn Anthon
Managing Director, Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences

[email protected] | www.aessonline.org | 202.503.4638

Fellowship Opportunity: Stewardship Fellow, Acadia National Park- Application Due by Oct 26

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Apply to become a Second Century Stewardship Research Fellow
Full application must be submitted by midnight October 26 to be considered.

Request for proposals is OPEN.
Visit www.scsparkscience.org. Click on APPLY and find an informational recorded webinar, and application.


Second Century Stewardship began in 2016 as a collaboration between Schoodic Institute, the U.S. National Park Service (NPS), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to advance science and inspire audiences of all ages by inviting visitors and others to view national parks through a “science lens” while providing authentic learning experiences.

On June 25, 2016, David Shaw, a trustee of the National Park Foundation, announced a $1 million gift to set in motion a vision of the next century’s legacy for America’s national parks. Today, partners Schoodic Institute, the U.S. National Park Service, and the David E. Shaw Charitable Trust further the effort.

Second Century Stewardship began at Acadia National Park and will grow to include national parks across the country, advancing science and engaging with audiences of all ages – not just those who visit national parks, but all people, each of whom has a share in protecting and preserving our nation’s natural places and maintaining the vital health of our air, soil and water.

Acadia National Park currently serves as the project pilot park. It is one of the nation’s most visited parks within the NPS. Acadia National Park leadership has a strong commitment to applying current research to its resource and visitor management decisions so as to protect those resources and assure the quality of visitor experiences and education.

Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park is a non-profit partner to the NPS and is dedicated to promoting scientific literacy and environmental stewardship through science research and learning for all ages. Located within Acadia National Park the Institute weaves education with research, supports priority science, provides professional learning opportunities, and builds understanding and appreciation for the natural world.

This project was made possible in part by a grant from the National Park Foundation through the generous donation of David Shaw.
Connect with SCSparkscience on Facebook!

Alumni Fellowships with The Nature Conservancy (Vermont), Apply by Oct 29, 2018

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The Vermont Field Office of The Nature Conservancy has just posted two fellowship positions. Deadline to apply: 11:59 PM Eastern Time on October 29, 2018

Restoration and Ecological Management Fellow: A two- year position designed to give the successful candidate critical skills and experience as an entry into a conservation career. In this spirit, the Fellow will be asked to engage in field monitoring work, which may require exposure to inclement summer weather and unpredictable terrain. This work will require in-state, multi-day travel. (position number 46928)

Science Communication Fellow:A two-year position designed to give the successful candidate critical skills and experience as an entry into a conservation career. Though the work will be primarily focused on communications efforts, it is our intent that the Fellow be exposed to the full breadth of TNC’s operations. In this spirit, the Fellow will be asked to engage in field monitoring work, which may require exposure to inclement summer weather and unpredictable terrain. This work will require in-state, multi-day travel. (position number46926)

One of the objectives of these positions is to create career opportunities for folks who come from backgrounds that don’t easily lend themselves to conservation careers.  We are really hoping to attract candidates who meet most of the following criteria:

  • Recent college graduate with a Bachelor’s degree
  • First-generation college graduate
  • Life experience such as racial or ethnic minority, urban upbringing, or economically disadvantaged.  We desire Fellows who can bring a perspective to our work that is different from what is represented by much of our staff.

The postings are open until October 29, and we will look to bring the fellows on board in the December/January time frame.

Restoration and Ecological Management Fellow  https://tinyurl.com/yap5szhk

Science Communication Fellow https://tinyurl.com/yb3kdl5z

Fellowship Opportunity: Obama Foundation Fellowship (2 yr., non-residential) Deadline to apply: Tues. 9/18 at 10AM

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The Obama Foundation Fellowship supports outstanding civic innovators – leaders who are working with their communities to create transformational change, addressing some of the world’s most pressing problems. The program selects 20 community-minded rising stars from around the world for a two-year, non-residential program, designed to amplify the impact of their work and inspire a wave of civic innovation.

Applications for the 2019 Obama Foundation Fellowship opened Tuesday, August 21, 2018 at 10am Central Time and will close on Tuesday, September 18, 2018 at 10am Central Time.

Click here to apply to be an Obama Foundation Fellow.

Already started an application? Click here to continue.

Summer Fellowship: Horizons Fellowship, Horizons School of Technology

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The summer is approaching and I thought I’d resend this information your way about the Horizons Fellowship.

The Horizons Fellowship is a summer opportunity that supports outstanding undergradute and graduate students (of any year) in their pursuit to combine technology into their existing course of study. The Horizons Fellowship gives students the ability to learn about real-world technology and build advanced software products.

Our world is becoming increasingly multidisciplinary in nature. Horizons is designed to provide access to a modern technology skill set for students like those in your department.

I would be thrilled and honored if you could forward out this opportunity to your students.

Interested candidates can start an application here!

Thank you,
Abhi Ramesh

Co-Founder, Horizons School of Technology
Class of 2014, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

The Horizons Fellowship

The Horizons Fellowship supports 200 outstanding university students in their pursuit to become multidisciplinary leaders using technology. Our fully-funded program provides real-world technology courses geared towards high-achieving college students.

Horizons students have gone onto work at a variety of amazing companies – Google, Facebook, Visa, The Stanford Research Institute, Slack, Yelp, Amazon, McKinsey, Bloomberg, J.P. Morgan, EA Games, and more.

Past Horizonites have come from a variety of schools and backgrounds. Students have hailed from Harvard, Princeton, Yale, UPenn/Wharton, Columbia, Northwestern, Brown, Michigan, state schools, community colleges and more. The world is becoming multidisciplinary in nature. We’ve had computer science majors, math majors, economics/business majors, biology majors, english majors, and art majors all take our program.

Interested students can start an application here!

Summer Fellowship: National Audubon- work on an island in Southern or Midcoast Maine

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National Audubon Fellowship

Application Deadline: Monday April 1, 2018.

Click here to apply for a National Audubon Fellowship

Location: Southern and mid-coast Maine at an island field camp
Housing: Housing and meals are provided (see details below) and provides a biweekly stipend of $525
For more info: National Audubon Maine Coast seabird nesting sanctuaries

Position Description: Audubon’s Seabird Restoration Program operates seven island field stations along the Maine coast as critical seabird nesting sanctuaries. Research Interns will work under the direction of the Island Supervisor, participating in all aspects of seabird research, monitoring, and management that take place at the field station. The majority of research projects focus on studying the nesting success and foods fed to seabird (tern and alcid) chicks, with most work focusing on terns.  Work includes, but is not limited to: conducting population censuses, monitoring productivity and chick growth; conducting seabird diet studies; banding and resighting birds; removing invasive vegetation; educating island visitors; and assisting with predator management.

Research Interns will live on island (a single island or group of islands) for the duration of the field season.  Interns assigned to inshore islands will have occasional trips to the mainland for logistics and resupplying the field camp, returning to the islands to work and sleep. On offshore islands, food, supplies, and mail are delivered approximately every 2 weeks. Research Interns will remain offshore for approximately eleven weeks. In a seabird colony, the birds are loud, and the terns defend their nests by dive-bombing anyone moving through the colony. Living conditions on the islands are primitive.  A cabin or wall tent serves as the base of field operations, and field team members sleep in their own tents (wooden tent platforms provided). Island field stations have limited electricity (solar panels power research needs), propane stoves, composting toilets, and no running water (rainwater is collected for washing; drinking water is brought from the mainland).  Communications with the mainland are via cell or VOIP phone, depending on location, with VHF radios available as a back-up mode of communication.  There is no Internet access.  Cooking, cleaning, and camp maintenance duties are shared by all island team members. Compensation is $262.50 per week. Food is provided.

Responsibilities:

  • Participate in seabird studies including, but not limited to: bird trapping, banding, and resighting; observations from blinds; conducting seabird diet studies; conducting nest censuses; monitoring productivity and growth of chicks; computer data entry; blood or specimen collection; vegetation management; predator monitoring and control;
  • Use binoculars and spotting scopes to aid in the collection of data as specified by the Island Supervisor;
  • Perform 3-hour-long observation stints in small, wooden observation blinds overlooking seabird nests;
  • Accurately and neatly record data on specified data sheets;
  • Enter and proof data in computer databases;
  • Educate occasional island visitors about seabird natural history and work on the island;
  • Protect the seabird colony from human disturbance;
  • Conduct predator management or control as necessary under the direction of the Island Supervisor;
  • Maintain field equipment and facilities as directed by the Island Supervisor;
  • Conduct trail maintenance and invasive plant removal;
  • Assist Island Supervisor with landing of equipment and new personnel on the island;
  • Operate power or row boats under guidance of Island Supervisor. Use of personal flotation devices is mandatory;
  • Maintain and properly care for NAS-issued equipment, including but not limited to: spotting scopes, cameras, GPS, cell phones, radios, and other research equipment;
  • Assist with inventory of all island equipment and closing of the field station at the end of the season;
  • When on the mainland: procure supplies; pack groceries, research supplies, and mail in waterproof island transport bags; clean and fill water jugs for supplying research stations; assist with cleaning and storing equipment at the end of the season; assist mainland-based staff as needed.

Qualifications: Applicants should be an upper level undergraduate working towards a B.S. in biology, conservation biology, or a related field.  Previous field experience, especially with birds, is preferred. Career goals should include a career in conservation biology. Applicants must be in excellent physical condition (capable of climbing over rugged terrain and slippery rocks and able to lift approximately 50 lbs.) and have wilderness camping experience. Must be willing to get dirty while working and living outside (showers are a luxury, not a daily occurrence) and be capable of working long hours outdoors in variable weather conditions.  Must be able to work independently and with others as part of a team, and get along with people of diverse backgrounds.  Adaptability to ever-changing circumstances is a must, as daily schedules are weather dependent.  Must be able to sit in a small blind for three hours and maintain focus on data collection; reading and listening to music while in the blind collecting data are not permitted. A sense of humor, willingness to learn, dedication to wildlife conservation, and interest in seabirds and isolated islands are basic requirements.  Previous experience with bird banding, rowing, and hunting/trapping are helpful, but not necessary.  Must provide own binoculars, tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, daypack, and water bottle. General camping equipment such as dishes, pots and pans is provided.

About the Organization: The National Audubon Society Seabird Restoration Program (SRP) has its beginnings in 1973 (known then as Project Puffin) with an effort to restore puffins to an historic nesting island, Eastern Egg Rock, in the Gulf of Maine. Through this successful effort, seabird restoration techniques were developed, including the use of decoys, mirrors, and sound recordings to attract birds to the islands. In Maine, Audubon used these techniques to restore terns and alcids to seven historic nesting islands. Today, these islands are staffed during the summer breeding season to study and protect the breeding birds. The restoration techniques developed in Maine are now used to restore seabirds to historic breeding grounds around the world.

Undergraduate field research research: amphibians and microbes in the Sierra Nevada, Mountains, CA, Apply by April 7

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Undergraduate field research: amphibians and microbes in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, CA. (DEADLINE EXTENDED) This position was posted previously. The application deadline has now been extended to April 7, 2018.

OVERVIEW

An NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) fellowship is open for an undergraduate student to participate in a project studying Sierra Nevada amphibians affected by a chytrid fungal pathogen, and the role of the skin microbiome in disease resistance. The aim of this research is to understand if symbiotic microbes on the skin of frogs explain why some frog populations are able to co-exist with the fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), while other frog populations suffer catastrophic declines. The successful candidate will work closely with a senior researcher to conduct surveys of frog population persistence, pathogen infection status, and symbiotic microbes.  This work entails strenuous long-distance hiking, back-packing, handling of sensitive amphibians, and collection of microbial skin swabs. The incumbent will receive experience and training in field ecology, disease ecology, and microbial ecology.

SUPPORT, DATES, LOCATION

This fellowship includes a stipend of $500/week. Housing is provided at the Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Lab (SNARL). Limited funds for travel are available. Dates of the field work are approximately July 15 through August 30. Exact dates to be determined.

QUALIFICATIONS AND ELIGIBILITY

To be considered for this position, you must have have extensive backpacking experience, including backpacking at high elevations (>10,000 feet). Must be able to safely carry a heavy pack long distances over rugged terrain, be comfortable spending days to weeks in the backcountry, working in remote areas often in uncomfortable conditions (e.g., inclement weather, mosquitoes, no access to phone, internet, running water while in the backcountry) and be in excellent physical condition. You must have a strong work ethic and a passion for field research, as well as the sensitivity and attention to detail required for handling fragile amphibians and microbial samples. Must have own backpacking equipment, including broken-in boots, tent, and pack. The ideal candidate will have a strong interest in microbial ecology or disease ecology.

You must be an undergraduate student (enrolled in a degree program in biology, ecology, or related field, part-time or full-time, leading to a baccalaureate or associate degree); students graduating in Spring 2018 generally are not eligible.  Must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or permanent resident. Students from underrepresented groups and institutions with limited research opportunities are especially encouraged to apply.

APPLICATIONS

Applications should include the following: current transcripts (unofficial OK), resume, 3 references (include reference’s name, position, affiliation, and context from which he/she knows you), and a statement of interest specifically describing (1) why you are interested in the position; (2) your qualifications, including field research and experience backpacking at high elevations and in remote areas (be specific about when, where, under what conditions you have experience); (3) your professional goals; (4) specify your dates of availability.

Note, there is no need to provide letters of recommendation, only the contact information for references and context in which they know you.

Where to send applications:

Send all application materials, PREFERABLY AS A SINGLE PDF FILE, to Andrea Jani (jania-at-hawaii.edu). Name the application file with the applicant’s name. For example: Doe_Jane.pdf.

ALL APPLICATION MATERIALS MUST BE RECEVED BY MARCH 23, 2018 APRIL 7, 2018.   Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Two year Fellowship: Island Fellows Program, for graduating seniors Deadline to apply: March 23)

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Island Institute Fellows Program
The Island Institute is presently hiring recent grads and graduating students for their Island Fellows Program.

The Island Institute’s Island Fellows support Maine’s island and coastal communities by (1) strengthening capacity for the local management of historical, cultural, natural, economic, and information resources and (2) assisting in local research, planning, education, and technology projects. Fellows receive two-year placements within these communities

Application Deadline: Friday March 23
More information: http://www.islandinstitute.org/program/community-development/island-fellows

Summer Fellowship: National Audubon, Seabird Restoration (Deadline extended)

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This just in…
The National Audubon Fellowship deadline to apply is now a rolling deadline, until further notice. The fellow in this position works with Audubon’s seabird restoration programs, which operate seven island field stations along the Maine Coast as critical seabird nesting sanctuaries. The fellow works under the direction of the Island Supervisor, participating in all aspects of seabird research, monitoring, and management that take place at the field station.