A Summer Research Experience at Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest:

Investigating and Communicating Change in Ecosystems

 

Eight undergraduates will live and work at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in the White Mountains of New Hampshire for a 10-week program emphasizing both research and public outreach on topics concerning Northern Hardwood Forest ecosystems.

 

Research and Outreach areas include: 

·        Animal ecology

·        Biogeochemistry

·        Hydrology and soils

·        Forest vegetation and carbon dynamics

 

Research projects will be conducted under the supervision of two research mentors active in research at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest/LTER site.

 

Outreach projects will be conducted in partnership with a regional non-profit, local government, or other group involved in the communication of scientific results to broad audiences. 

 

Students will:

·        Design and conduct a research project in their area of interest under the guidance of a team of research mentors.

·        Partner with an outside organization to create a science communication product meeting the real needs of the organization.

o       The organization and product will be consistent with the research interests of the student.

·        Participate in a Science Communication Workshop examining successful science translation products and providing a framework for developing the students’ projects.

·        Be fully integrated into the large community of undergraduates, graduate students, technicians, and research scientists active at the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study.

The program is designed to appeal to students interested in careers in ecosystem science, as well as those interested in science-related fields, such as teaching or resource management, where interpretation of the processes and results of ecosystem science to a broad audience is central.

 

Dates:  June 2 through August 8, 2008 (10 weeks)

 

Eligibility: Undergraduate freshmen, sophomores, juniors, or first semester seniors.  Must be citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. or its possessions.

 

Stipend:  $4,500, plus meal-plan allowance and free housing.

 

Other support:  Research expenses and some assistance for travel to and from the site.

 

Projects:

• Animal Ecology
  • The role of climate in mediating interspecific competition for bird prey species.
  • Interannual food web changes: mast-mitigated competition in small mammals.
• Biogeochemistry
  • Acid rain effects and recovery in northeastern streams.
  • The influence of climate on the fate of nitrogen in forest soils.
• Hydrology and Soils
  • Patterns of groundwater and surface water exchange through summer drought.
  • Hydrologic controls on soil weathering.
• Forest Vegetation and Carbon Cycling
  • Forest land-use history and carbon sequestration.
  • Respiration and ecosystem carbon budgets.

 

To apply:   Visit our website at:  www.hubbardbrookreu.org .  Instructions and online applications will be available shortly. 

 

For more information, contact:

            Geoff Wilson

            25 Dobson Hill Road

            Thornton, NH 03285

            (603) 726-8911

            Email:  gwilson@hbresearchfoundation.org