M.S. Assistantship: Exploring tree diversity effects on microbial ecology in urban areas

The Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries, University of Tennessee, Knoxville has a M.S. Assistantship available beginning in the fall of 2011. The assistantship is full time and carries a stipend of $12,500 per year. The assistantship comes with a tuition waiver, fee waiver, and health benefits for academic years 2011-2013.

Project: The assistantship will serve as baseline data for the city of Knoxville, one of ten metropolitan cities in the State of Tennessee. There are few studies that address how tree diversity “positively” or “negatively” influences microbial ecology in urban forests. Current research will be used to gain insight on how modifying land use and land cover in urban areas can transform ecosystems and directly affect the above and below ground biota.

Requirements: A 3.0 overall undergraduate GPA (4.0 scale) and GRE scores (verbal + quantitative ~ 1000) is required. A B.S. degree in forestry, environmental science, biology, soil, agriculture, or a related field, is also required. Good computer, data management, and writing skills are required. A US driver’s license is required for this assistantship. This position requires the graduate student assist in teaching one course per year.

Field and Research Areas: East Tennessee and surrounding Southern Appalachians offer an abundance of forest, park, and aquatic resources for teaching and research. Several national forest, national parks, wildlife areas, Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) lakes, state parks, and forest industries are within a one-to-two hour drive from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville campus.

Application & Additional Information: For additional information contact Dr. Sharon Jean-Philippe, Department ofForestry, Wildlife and Fisheries; Phone: 865-974-2946; jeanphil@utk.edu. Graduate material and applications for FWF department and Graduate School can be found at the following website: http://fwf.ag.utk.edu/Academics/academics.htm.

Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries

University of Tennessee

274 Ellington Plant Science

Knoxville, TN 37996

(865) 974-2946