A number of educational opportunities are available throughout Climate Change Institute.

Information on current scholarships, internships and fellowships including a brief description of each program; application deadline; contact name, are posted below:

Date posted: November 5, 2012

Graduate Research Assistantships in Forest Soils/Biogeochemistry

Two Graduate Research Assistantships will be available in 2012 in the area of forest soils and ecosystem biogeochemistry in the laboratory of Ivan Fernandez at the University of Maine.  We are seeking highly motivated students interested in developing their research within the context of a larger multi-disciplinary team.  Students seeking a Ph.D. or highly qualified M.S. students may apply.  Applicants with research experience in forest soils, ecology, environmental science or biogeochemistry are preferred.  The assistantship includes a competitive stipend, tuition, and health insurance.  There are several degree program major options available to the students, depending on their background and professional interests, such as Forest Resources or Ecology and Environmental Sciences.

Both positions will include rigorous field research as well as detailed laboratory studies.  One position will focus on the use of biochar as a soil amendment to develop an advanced biofuel pathway for New England.  The research will be conducted as part of a multidisciplinary research project, and approaches for the use of biochar will include both mesocosm and field experiments.  The second position will focus on the biogeochemistry of soil response to long-term whole-watershed acidification, nitrogen enrichment, and recovery.  Specific emphasis will be on sulfate and base cation response mechanisms in soils. This project also is part of a larger, long-term, multi-disciplinary, and collaborative research team.  Other opportunities are also possible in the overall program in 2013.

The University of Maine is Maine’s Land Grant/Sea Grant flagship institution, conveniently located near Acadia National Park on the scenic Maine coast, and the mountains of the Mt. Katahdin and the Moosehead Lake regions.  For more information about The University of Maine visit http://www.umaine.edu/.

Interested applicants are encouraged to send a letter of interest (prior accomplishments, research experience and interests, future career goals), a CV, transcripts, and GRE scores.  Details about the graduate admissions process at The University of Maine can be found at The Graduate School web site (http://www.umaine.edu/graduate/).  Please contact:  Dr. Ivan J. Fernandez, University of Maine, School of Forest Resources and Climate Change Institute, 5722 Deering Hall – Room 1, Orono, ME 04469-5722. 207-581-2932. E-mail: ivanjf@maine.edu.

Date posted: October, 2012

IGERT – Adaptation to Abrupt Climate Change (A2C2)

A2C2 seeks highly qualified and motivated students who are interested in becoming experts in a core academic discipline, while simultaneously pushing beyond conventional disciplinary boundaries to create new and innovative ways to address the complex human dimensions, challenges, and opportunities associated with abrupt climate change.

A2C2 traineeships are highly competitive, with accepted students receiving an annual stipend of $30,000 per year in each of the first 2 years, plus tuition, fees, and health insurance coverage.  Students must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents to receive IGERT support, and must be seeking a Ph.D. degree.

To apply please consult the following web site:

http://a2c2igert.umaine.edu/application-admission

Date posted: October, 2012

Keck Laser Ice Facility laboratory welcomes applications for a PhD student research position, starting January 2013. The position is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation. Candidates should be self-motivated with a solid background in physics, mathematics, and chemistry and a working knowledge of equipment automation hardware and software, image processing methods and C, Java or Python programming languages. The ideal candidate would have a Master’s degree from a leading University by December 2012. 

The student will work on the development of a high resolution stable water isotope measuring module in the Climate Change Institute’s W. M. Keck Laser Ice Facility.

Please send a brief letter with your research interests, CV and three letters of references to Dr. Andrei V. Kurbatov and Dr. Paul A. Mayewski.

For additional information about UM graduate school requirements please consult the following web site:

http://www.umaine.edu/graduate/

Date posted: September 2012

A research assistantship starting Spring of 2013 is available to work on a National Science Foundation supported collaborative project. The goal of this multi-disciplinary, multi-institution research project is to develop a publicly available Antarctic tephra (AntT) database of volcanic products for improving correlation capability and capacity in a variety of palaeoclimate records. We are looking for a candidate with a strong background in analytical geochemistry, volcanology, and advanced computer and communication skills. Research will focus on the development of a new state-of-the-art methodology for capturing geochemical fingerprints of micron size tephra particles using arrays of instruments: CAMECA SX-100 electron microprobe, Tescan Vega II scanning electron microscope, Thermo Scientific ELEMENT 2 ICP-MS coupled with a laser ablation sample introduction system.  Please send a brief letter with your research interests, CV and references to Dr. Andrei V. Kurbatov

For additional information about UM graduate school requirements please consult the following web site:

http://www.umaine.edu/graduate/