Graduate Student Research Assistantships Available for an NSF Funded Research Project on Fire in Africa

We have 2 positions available for two years of funding for our Masters program in Geography at CSU, Long Beach.
Spring Admission Deadline: October 31st

Position 1. Remote Sensing: The ideal candidate will have experience with remote sensing/ image processing software such as ERDAS or ENVI or e-cognition software. The research will involve mapping savanna vegetation cover and fire scars.

Position 2. GIS spatial analysis: The ideal candidate will have experience with environmental GIS applications using ESRI spatial analyst software. The research will involve mapping savanna vegetation and fire scar patterns and changes.

For more information contact: 


Dr. Paul Laris
Chair of Geography
California State University , 
Long Beach 
plaris@csulb.edu

A three-year Ph.D. Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) position is available at U.C. Berkeley for a USGS-led, NASA-funded project on remote sensing of wetland carbon sequestration: “Advanced remote sensing to quantify temperate peatland capacity for belowground carbon capture.” 


In collaboration with USGS and Berkeley scientists, the overall goal   of this research is to develop practical and reproducible methods to quantify and map belowground net primary productivity (BNPP) of marsh vegetation from remotely sensed measurements of aboveground plant characteristics and aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) under several controlled experiments.


The applicant should have a BS or MS in environmental science/ecology, or equivalent, and some experience in plant science and geospatial technologies (GIS/Remote Sensing).


The GSR will work with Kristin Byrd (USGS) and Maggi Kelly, Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management at U.C. Berkeley (see http://kellylab.berkeley.edu/kellylab-job-openings/  for more information). 


Graduate student salary and in-state tuition is available for three years. Expected enrollment date is fall 2011, but research may begin summer 2011. 


Please contact Maggi Kelly with your interest ( maggi@berkeley.edu ) and Cc: Kristin Byrd ( kbyrd@usgs.gov ). For more information about the department and to apply, see http://espm.berkeley.edu//gradprograms/index.php .


Application deadline is December 1. 

Opportunities for Graduate Study

Department of Geography
Ohio University, Athens, OH


Two two-year research assistantships at the M.A. level are available through a new project on local knowledge and climate change adaptation in Tanzania supported by the National Science Foundation's Geography and Spatial Science (GSS) Program. The project -  Linking Local Knowledge and Local Institutions for
the Study of Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change: Participatory GIS in Northern Tanzania - investigates the myriad ways in which human, social, and institutional capital enable households and communities to draw on local knowledge and outside specialist knowledge to moderate the negative effects of greater climatic instability on rural livelihoods.

In addition to completing required courses for the MA program over two academic years (2010-2011 and 2011-2012), the successful candidates will contribute to an international interdisciplinary research project.  We expect applicants to
develop a thesis project that contributes to the project's research objectives.

One graduate research assistant will work on the development of online multimedia applications derived from a participatory GIS. Background or interest in cartography and web-based mapping is desirable.

A second research assistant will work with the research team on the implementation of the project's participatory field methodology and contribute to data analysis.  The student's interests should be focused on environment- development interactions (e.g., the dynamics of resource access, political, environmental or cultural-linguistic dimensions of local knowledge systems, gendered aspects of climate change adaptation). Proficiency in Kiswahili or
interest in learning Kiswahili at Ohio University is a plus.

The assistantships include two academic years of tuition waiver and stipend for students enrolled in the Geography M.A. program.  Additional support is available for student field research activities in Tanzania.

Eligible students may also apply for a Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship from OU's Center for African Studies:
http://www.internationalstudies.ohio.edu/app-info/flas.html

The Ohio University Department of Geography is a dynamic department with 150undergraduate majors and a graduate program that has expanded to 25. Faculty in the department offer coursework and conduct research on topics that bring
together the Earth's human and physical components and focus on issues from local to global scales. Graduate students also benefit from the resources of
Ohio University's Center for African Studies, a National Resource Center (NRC) for Africa, which creates additional opportunity for the interdisciplinary study of African languages, societies, and environments.

The application deadline is February 15 for Fall 2010 admission.

For more information regarding the application procedure, consult the department and Graduate College websites: http://www.ohio.edu/geography & http://www.ohio.edu/graduate/).

For more information about the assistantships, contact Tom Smucker  smucker@ohio.edu.

A series of representatives will be coming to PCC Rock Creek Campus to present specific information about their institutions.  This is not just a recruitment speech, but a chance to prepare and ask questions about what to expect from the University and what happens when you arrive to study. 

Below are the dates/schools planned for this term:

Time: 4-4:50
Rock Creek Campus Bldg 2, Rm 124

10/7 Linfield
10/14 PSU
10/21 George Fox
10/28 Pacific U
11/4 U of O
11/25 WOU