Georgia Coastal Research Council: News Archives, Nov & Dec 2008

The Coastal Management Fellowship Program gives postgraduate students an opportunity for on-the-job education and training in coastal resource management and policy, and giving state coastal zone management programs assistance with specific projects. The two-year opportunity matches students interested in state coastal zone management programs with state programs that need their talents and skills, increasing the pool of qualified and trained future coastal zone managers in the process.
Once they are selected and placed, fellows receive a salary (currently $34,000 per year), a benefits package (health insurance and worker’s compensation), moving expenses of up to $2,000, and stipends of up to $3,500 for travel to professional development conferences and meetings. In the second year of the fellowship, a locality pay factor may be added to the salary, depending on the location of the fellowship.
For the 2009 fellowship, applicants must complete a master's, doctoral, or professional degree between January 1, 2008, and July 31, 2009, to be eligible. A broad range of degrees are applicable. Previous fellows have had degrees in environmental studies, natural resource management, marine affairs, marine science, geology, public affairs, and regional land management. The most important prerequisite is an interest in state-level coastal issues. Deadline: January 26, 2009. http://www.csc.noaa.gov/cms/fellows.html

- Call for Abstracts: Society of Wetland Scientists Annual Meeting

The North Central Chapter of the Society of Wetland Scientists is pleased to be hosting the Society's 30th annual meeting in Madison, WI with partners the Wisconsin Wetlands Association and the Wetland Biogeochemistry Symposium. The meeting will be held June 21-26, 2009 at the Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center. The 2009 conference theme is Wetlands Connections. Although wetlands cover only 5% of the earth's surface, they maintain essential links between land and water — in inland lakes and streams, arctic muskeg, and where the inland waters meet the ocean in estuaries, salt marshes, and mangroves. They provide essential services in storm water control, water purification, carbon storage, and wildlife habitat. Even "isolated" wetlands provide these functional connections. For all these reasons, wetlands are essential for building a sustainable global future, and for connecting scientists, policy makers, managers, farmers, politicians, judges and lawyers, and the general public. We encourage abstract submissions across this vast array of wetland-relevant topics. Abstracts are due February 27, 2009. http://www.sws.org/2009_meeting/.

- Fellowships Available: Science/Technology & Policy

The American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellowships are awarded to highly qualified individuals interested in learning about the science-policy interface while applying their scientific and technical knowledge and analytical skills to the federal policy realm. One of the six programmatic areas is Energy, Environment, Agriculture & Natural Resources. AAAS solicits candidates from a broad array of backgrounds and a diversity of geographic, disciplinary, gender and ethnic perspectives to participate in this program. Following selection, fellows come to Washington, DC in September of each year and participate in a comprehensive orientation program before beginning their fellowships in various sectors of government. The deadline for this program is December 15th, 2008. http://fellowships.aaas.org/

- Funding Opportunity: Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Environmental Technology (CICEET)

The University of New Hampshire/NOAA Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Environmental
Technology (CICEET) invites preliminary proposals to its pilot FY 2009 "Place-based Solutions to Land
Use and Climate Change Impacts Funding Opportunity". Approximately $500,000 will be available
to fund between two and eight projects of one to two years in length. To be eligible for funding, proposals
must name a National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) staff person as the project’s principal
investigator or co-investigator. Projects must address the dual impacts of land use and climate change on
coastal resources and communities, as they relate to specific needs that have been identified as priorities
by a NERR (or group of NERRS sites) and surrounding communities. Preliminary proposals are due on
November 17, 2009. Learn more: http://ciceet.unh.edu/stats/rfp_2009.html

- Conference: Southeastern Estuarine Research Society (SEERS)

- Fellowship Available: Aquatic Ecology, Population/Community Ecology

Jeb Byers at the University of Georgia, Odum School of Ecology is offering a postdoctoral research fellowship in aquatic ecology. The research focus for this position is purposefully broad so that applicants can propose their own ideas for collaborative projects. Several topics that would integrate well with the strengths and research foci of Dr. Byers and his students are: invasive species; ecosystem engineers; the spread and retention of species boundaries in coastal oceans; and the ecology of marine parasites. An integrated background in empirical and theoretical ecology, GIS expertise, and strong interpersonal skills are all important assets. Although Byers’ past research has focused on marine, estuarine, and salt marsh habitats, some current projects are branching into freshwater. Possible field sites include Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, Sapelo Island Marine Institute, Puerto Rico LTER, STRI (Panama), and the Gulf of Maine. More information about the Byers’ Lab research can be found at: http://blackbear.ecology.uga.edu/jebyers/byers
The position is funded for 18 months, with the possibility for extension, especially through new proposals generated. Potential applicants are encouraged to email (jebyers@uga.edu) a letter of introduction, CV, statement of research interests and ideas, and contact information for four references. Start date is negotiable, but ideal timing is early spring 2009. Review of applicants will begin Nov. 24. The University of Georgia is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution.

- Position Vacancy: Assistant /Associate Professor Marine Science/Aquarium Science (Savannah State University)

Savannah State University, a unit of the University System of Georgia, located in Savannah, Georgia, seeks a faculty member to serve as lead instructor for a new aquarium science certificate program. This position involves developing and teaching new courses (e.g. Aquaculture/ aquarium systems design and life support, Nutrition, Disease and Health Management, Water and Environmental Quality, Aquarium Science Internship), possible other relevant teaching assignments, developing recruitment materials and recruiting, coordinating student internships at partner aquaria, and contributing to implementation of a cooperative agreement between Savannah State University and The Georgia Aquarium. We seek an individual who can advise undergraduate and graduate students, and develop research programs. Marine Science degree programs, faculty, and other information are available at http://www.savstate.edu/scitech/scmath/html/marine/index.html. Review of applications began September 1, 2008. Position could begin as early as January, 2009. For applications procedures, please view the PDF.

- Fellowships: Various Natural History Grant Opportunities

The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) is a leader in the education and training of young scientists in the natural history disciplines. Their fellowship programs provide training in the fields of anthropology, invertebrate zoology, paleontology (paleo-zoology), physical sciences (astrophysics and earth and planetary sciences), and vertebrate zoology. For more information on specific programs (and deadlines), please visit their website: http://rggs.amnh.org/pages/academics_and_research/fellowship_opportunities

- Conference, Call for Abstracts: International Marine Conservation Congress

The International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC, organized by the Marine Section of the Society for Conservation Biology) will take place 20-24 May 2009 at George Mason University. This is an interdisciplinary meeting that will engage natural and social scientists, managers, policy-makers, and the public. The goal of the IMCC is to put conservation science into practice through public and media outreach and the development concrete products (e.g., policy briefs, blue ribbon position papers) that will be used to drive policy change and implementation. Major themes that will be addressed include: Global Climate Change, the Land-Sea Interface, Ecosystem-based Management, and Poverty and Globalization. Proposals for oral presentations, speed presentations, and posters will be accepted from September 1st through October 15th, 2008. Details for submittal can be found at the conference website, http://www.conbio.org/IMCC

- Conference, Call for Abstracts: 2009 Georgia Water Resources Conference

The Georgia Water Resources Conference has been held biennially since 1989, as a forum for discussing water quantity and quality issues in Georgia. The last conference (2007) was made possible by the efforts of over 60 session moderators, 250 speakers, 400 manuscript reviewers, and 40 students who helped with the sessions during the conference, as well as the conference steering committee and 20+ program committee members. The next conference will be held April 27-29, 2009 at the Center for Continuing Education, University of Athens, Georgia. Draft manuscripts are due November 22nd. Check out the website, and view the brochure.

- Funding Opportunity: Opportunities for Promoting Understanding through Synthesis, NSF

Three clusters within the Division of Environmental Biology (the Ecological Biology, Ecosystem Science, and the Population and Evolutionary Processes clusters) encourage the submission of proposals aimed at synthesizing a body of related research projects conducted by a single individual or group of investigators over an extended period. OPUS proposals will often be appropriately submitted in mid-to-late career, but will also be appropriate early enough in a career to produce unique, integrated insight useful both to the scientific community and to the development of the investigator's future work. In cases where multiple scientists have worked collaboratively, an OPUS award will provide support for collaboration on a synthesis. OPUS awards will facilitate critical synthesis, and do so in a way that will acknowledge the prestige of this important component of scientific scholarship. Deadline: Jan 9th, 2009. http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2008/nsf08559/nsf08559.htm?govDel=USNSF_25

News Archives

November, December 2008 Announcements

- Postgraduate Fellowships: Coastal Management, NOAA