There are five research projects located in Alaska that together will
employ ten undergraduate students.
Questions can be directed to Jonathan Henkelman, fnjh2 [at] uaf.edu.
Alaska Ecosystems Summer Research Program
TEN RESEARCH POSITIONS AVAILABLE IN ALASKA
May - August, 2000
Research projects in laboratories of Terry Chapin and Marilyn Walker
Intended for undergraduates
Applications due March 21, 2000
We are seeking ten enthusiastic undergraduates or recent graduates who are
interested in summer field research in Alaska. The overall objective of
the research program is to understand the ecosystem and global consequences
of potential future changes in arctic vegetation. There are five
separate research projects. In addition to participating in the overall
program research, students will be encouraged to develop their own
individual research project.
- Three positions are available to work at the Toolik Lake Research Station
on the North Slope of the Brooks Range in arctic Alaska and in the boreal
forest near Fairbanks, Alaska. Two positions go from approximately June 15
to August 31. The other position will go from approximately June 1 to August We will be working on two different projects: 1) an experiment to
examine species effects on community structure and ecosystem carbon and N
cycling in stable and changing tundra plant communities, and 2) an
experiment to see how species identity affects nitrogen retention in a
boreal forest community following fire. In the tundra experiment, we are
removing key species and functional groups of species in a factorial design
with nutrient addition, as past experiments have shown that fertilization
leads to dramatic changes in community structure and ecosystem productivity.
Students will assist in maintaining the experiment and in collecting litter
for a decomposition experiment to assess species effects on nutrient supply.
Toolik Field Station is the focal point for research by about 50 scientists
who work on a variety of aquatic and terrestrial projects (further
information available at http://mercury.bio.uaf.edu/~toolik.organizations/).
In the boreal forest experiment, we are setting up plots in a recently
burned area where we will seed in or remove different functional groups of
species to see how species identity affects nitrogen retention. The area was
treated with a 15N tracer last summer. Students will assist in setting up
the plots, building boardwalks, and analyzing soil cores for nitrogen
content. These projects offer the opportunity for students to do comparative
independent projects between arctic and boreal ecosystems. For more
information, contact Donie Bret-Harte (syndonia [at] lter.uaf.edu) and Michelle
Mack (mmack [at] lter.uaf.edu), the people who will be working most closely with
students on this project.Two positions are available to work at the Toolik Lake Field Research
Station on the North Slope of the Brooks Range in arctic Alaska from
approximately June 1 through August 31. We will be working on the Toolik
Snowfence Project (part of the International Tundra Experiment network)
which examines the long term effects of increased snow depth (shortened
growing season) and increased summer temperatures on the tundra vegetation,
to asses possible changes that may occur in tundra plant communities due to
global climate change. There are two snowfence experiment sites which have
been established since the summer of 1995; one in moist tussock tundra and
the other in dry heath tundra. There is also a new study site in a natural
snowbed community which will help explain some of the vegetation changes
that we are beginning to see at the snowfence sites. At each of these sites
data on plant phenology, growth, reproductive effort, thaw depth, soil
moisture, and nutrient cycling are collected, using a variety of techniques.
In addition, long-term plant community data will be collected at all of the
snowfence experiment plots in order to asses plant community shifts due to
the experimental manipulations. Toolik Field Station is the focal point for
research by about 50 scientists who work on a variety of aquatic and
terrestrial projects (further information available at
http://mercury.bio.uaf.edu/~toolik.organizations/). For more information
contact Andrew Borner (ftapb [at] uaf.edu), the person who will be working most
closely with students on this project.Three positions are available to work on the Seward Peninsula in western
Alaska. The duration of each position will be a maximum of 15 weeks
(May-July, June-August and July-September), with exact dates somewhat
flexible. The project will be conducted in Council, a small community about
70 miles from Nome. Students will be accommodated in a small field camp
consisting of between 7 and 12 members. The purpose of the research is to
determine how arctic ecosystems may influence the rate or patterns of
regional and global climate change. The work focuses on measurements of the
land surface in different arctic vegetation types close to the arctic
treeline. Students will participate fully in research activities including
the program of meteorological and ecophysiological sampling on regular
basis. One aspect of the program aims to use micrometerological equipment to
measure water, energy and trace gas exchanges over different ecosystem
types. Students engaged in this project will assist in the installation and
maintenance of eddy covariance systems; be responsible for data collection
from meteorological data loggers; assist in the calibration and use of
infrared gas analyzers in ecosystem CO2 flux measurements; and participate
in measurements using the NCAR Integrated Sounding System and tethersonde.
For this work, experience with meteorological instrumentation, computer
programming, and electronics would be an advantage. For more information
about this project contact Jason Beringer (beringer [at] lter.uaf.edu). A second
aspect of the program focuses on the role of plant functional types in the
ecosystem and its response to change. This fieldwork complements the
development of a dynamic vegetation model. Students will help conduct a
detailed vegetation analysis in a variety of surface types, including
seasonal measurements of leaf area, biomass, distribution and cover.
Catharine Copass (ftcdc [at] uaf.edu) is the contact for the vegetation
sampling work. In addition to the above projects, students will be expected
to complete individual research projects focused on a topic related to the
program and their own interests. Further information on this project can be
found at http://www.lter.uaf.edu/ATLAS/.One position is available from approximately mid-May to mid-August to
work on research examining feedbacks between fire regime, vegetation, and
climate in interior Alaska and Yukon Territory, Canada. This research will
involve establishing experiments in recently burned forest which examine the
effects of burn severity, summer temperature, and seed availability on tree
seedling establishment. We will also be conducting surveys of previously
burned forest stands of different ages to evaluate post-fire successional
changes and collect information on how differences in stand composition may
influence fire regime. Research sites will be located in Alaska and Yukon
Territory. The student will spend some time in Fairbanks, and will also do
extensive camping at road-accessible sites between Fairbanks and Whitehorse.
The student will require a valid passport and driver’s license. Please
contact Jill Johnstone (ftjfj [at] uaf.edu) for more information on this project.One position is available to work at the Bonanza Creek LTER site and the
boreal forests near Fairbanks from approximately June 1st through August
31st. This research will be examining boreal forest dynamics and black
spruce distribution, with focus on treeline vegetation distribution and the
similarities of these forests to tundra ecosystems floristically. The
student will help in establishing plots, identifying plant species,
collecting soil and climate data, and in data-base management of existing
plots and vegetation mapping at the Bonanza Creek site. The student will
live in Fairbanks, and will require a valid driver’s license. For more
information please contact Teresa Nettleton (fttkn [at] aurora.uaf.edu). Further
information about the sites available at
http://www.lter.uaf.edu/html/site_info.html
Each position pays $1500 per month (before taxes). Travel from your
university to and from the field site will be covered. Class background in
physiological ecology, ecosystem ecology, or meteorology/ climatology and
experience in field or laboratory are preferred. Students must be willing to
work long hours in the field, occasionally under adverse weather conditions.
Competent, careful, emotionally mature, and enthusiastic people desired! We
want the work to be fun as well as intellectually challenging and
aesthetically pleasing. We encourage applications from women and minorities.
More information is available online at
http://www.lter.uaf.edu/~beringer/AESRP.
To apply, please do the following:
1) send us a cover letter and a c.v. that includes the names, phone
numbers, and email addresses of two referees
2) have your referees send letters of recommendation separately. In your
cover letter, explain why you are interested in this program and how it
fits into your long-term education and career goals. Also describe your
background and include anything that you think would convince us that
you are the most appropriate person for one or more of these research
positions.
Please specify which project(s) you are most interested in.
Submit your application materials via email between March 7 and March 21 to
Jonathan Henkelman
fnjh2 [at] uaf.edu
or send them by mail to
Institute of Arctic Biology
ATTN Jonathan Henkelman
Irving I Building
room 311
University of Alaska
Fairbanks, AK 99775
If you send your application by mail, make sure that it is postmarked
between March 7 and March 21, and ensure that your letters of recommendation
are also postmarked during this period. For questions about the application
process, or to see whether your application is complete, you may contact
Jonathan Henkelman
907/474-6038 voice
907/474-6967 fax