Forestry, Climate Change, and Society
2-year Graduate Student Research Assistant Position for MS or PhD student, starting Fall 2012
Position available for Master’s or PhD student starting Fall 2012:
Forests provide important economic, social, and ecological benefits. While much attention has focused on the effects of climate change on trees and forest ecology, this position will examine how climate change may affect forestry operations, and the relationship between forestry and local communities in the upper Midwest. Snow and frozen ground conditions affect access to forest stands, local road closures and weight limits, timing of forest harvest, and environmental impacts of harvest. Local governments make decisions about road closures that can have important implications for forestry operations. Yet, climate change is one of many factors and stressors affecting the forest industry and its role in local communities. The student in this position will work on two aspects of this issue: 1) analysis of historic weather conditions, roads, and harvest records, and 2) interviews with loggers, mills, foresters, policymakers, and local community representatives to provide context for the impact of weather on harvest operations, finances, and land management decision processes.
Desired Qualifications:
• Social science or environmental research experience
• Undergraduate degree in forestry, environmental studies, geography, sociology, political science, regional planning, or relevant degree
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Depending on student aptitude and interest, the position could focus on quantitative statistical analysis or qualitative interview data, or both. Please indicate your primary area of interest.
--A quantitative focus requires interest in or experience with advanced quantitative modeling (e.g., mixed-effects models, Bayesian models), management of large datasets, and software programs for data analysis, such as R.
--A qualitative focus requires interest in or experience with in-depth interviews and participant observation, and hierarchical coding of interview transcripts.
To apply: This position is available for an incoming Master’s student or a currently enrolled MS or PhD student. It provides a two-year research assistantship with tuition remission. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis starting in June, 2012. Please send a cover letter, CV, and contact information for 3 references in a single PDF document, along with an unofficial undergraduate transcript, to:
Dr. Adena Rissman
Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology
University of Wisconsin - Madison
arrissman@wisc.edu
http://fwe.wisc.edu/facstaff/rissman
Deadline: Tuesday, July 31, 2012
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