[DIALOGnews] DIALOG and DISCCRS News 11/04/05
Susan Weiler
weilercs at whitman.edu
Mon Nov 14 16:09:52 CST 2005
My apologies for a late posting on this -- !
DIALOG and DISCCRS News
11/04/2005
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
SCIENCE NEWS
New climate change institute to be established in Australia
(See Below)
Effects of seasonal climate forecasts and participatory workshops
among subsistence farmers in Zimbabwe (2005).
(See Below)
NSF Awards 17 Grants for Research on Biocomplexity in the Environment
http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=pr05189
Climate Study Warns Of Warming And Losses Of Arctic Tundra
http://tinyurl.com/8567n
FORUM
SUMMER PROGRAMS, COURSES, INTERNSHIPS, MEETINGS
Complex Physical, Biological And Social Systems-- Intensive Study of
Complex Systems Concepts & Methods
(See Below)
The Ethical Dimensions of Climate Change -- a side event to the
United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 11 and COP/MOP 1) at
the Palais des Congrès de Montréal (8 November to 9 December 2005)
will be held on Monday, December 5th at 6:00 pm in Room 2.
http://rockethics.psu.edu/climate/index.htm
JOBS
Assistant Professor of Society and Ecosystem Management, University
of California at Berkeley College of Natural Resources
(See Below)
Climate Change Program Specialist Grade: GS-13/14 - Office of
Environment and Science Policy of the USAID/Bureau for Economic
Growth, Agriculture and Trade (EGAT/ESP/GCC)
(See Below)
Tenure-Track Faculty Position, Environmental Systems/Policy at Johns
Hopkins University
(See Below)
Social-Science Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Center for
Technology in Government, SUNY at Albany
(See Below)
Two (2) Faculty Positions in Chemistry, Old Dominion University
(See Below)
Faculty Position, Marine Ecotoxicology, San Diego State University
http://www.bio.sdsu.edu/jobs
8 post-doc fellowships at Harvard University's Center for the
Environment Application deadline January 15, 2006
http://www.environment.harvard.edu/navigation2/funding.htm
Assistant Professor in Environmental Studies at Rowan University
http://www.rowan.edu/elan/jobs/07ENVIRONMENTSTUDIES.htm
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Resources
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Science News
Check out this section both for news tidbits, and for
examples of how to communicate science to a non-scientist audience.
New climate change institute to be established in Australia
A $10 million grant from an Australian philanthropic group will
fund a bold five-year publicity campaign to persuade Australians of
the dangers of climate change and the need for governments to take
urgent action.
The funds will be used to establish a new organisation, the
Climate Institute (Australia) Ltd. The Climate Institute will develop
a five-year action agenda to alert the public to the threats posed by
global warming and the economic opportunities of shifting to a low-
carbon future.
Speaking at the announcement of the initiative in Sydney, the
Chair of the new Institute Dr Clive Hamilton said:
“Climate change is the most serious problem facing humanity. This
exceptional donation will enable the formation of a body dedicated to
shifting the debate to ensure the crisis is addressed and dealt with.”
“This issue can no longer be left to the evasions and window-
dressing that currently characterise Australia’s greenhouse policy,
nor the pick-and-choose approach of the Federal Government’s Asia-
Pacific Partnership”.
“As the nation with the industrialised world’s highest per capita
greenhouse gas emissions Australia has an obligation to show the way.
We should be world leaders rather than laggards. This initiative is a
huge boost to efforts to create a compelling electoral imperative so
that governments can no longer continue to avoid their responsibility
to introduce policies to cut greenhouse gas emissions.”
The funding of A$10 million (US$7.5 million) comes through Eve
Kantor and Mark Wootton of the Poola Charitable Foundation. The
Climate Institute will establish a campaign office in Sydney.
Former NSW Premier the Hon. Bob Carr has accepted an invitation
to chair the Institute’s Advisory Council.
Contact: Clive Hamilton (61) (2) 6125 1270 0413 993 223
exec at tai.org.au
Web: www.tai.org.au
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Effects of seasonal climate forecasts and participatory workshops
among subsistence farmers in Zimbabwe (2005).
Anthony Patt, Pablo Suarez, and Chiedza Gwata. Proc. Natl. Acad.
Sci. 102 (article not available online)
Abstract: Improvements in the ability to model El Niño and other
large-scale interannual climate variations have allowed for the
development of seasonal climate forecasts, predicting rainfall and
temperature anomalies for many places around the world. These
forecasts have allowed developing countries to predict shortfalls in
grain yields, with benefits for food security. Several countries
communicate the forecasts to subsistence farmers, which could allow
them to mitigate the effects of drought on their harvests by adapting
their cropping decisions accordingly. However, it has not been
demonstrated that subsistence farmers benefit from having access to
the forecasts. Here we present evidence of subsistence farmers using
the forecasts over multiple years to make different decisions and
significantly improving their harvests when they do so. In a
controlled study, farmers in Zimbabwe who reported adapting their
farming methods to seasonal climate forecasts significantly improved
their harvests over baseline amounts. Moreover, farmers who had
attended a brief workshop and learned more about the forecasts were
significantly more likely to use the forecasts than were farmers who
learned of the forecasts through nonparticipatory channels.
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Summer Programs, Courses, Internships, Meetings
Complex Physical, Biological And Social Systems-- Intensive Study of
Complex Systems Concepts & Methods
SPEAKER: Prof. Yaneer Bar-Yam, President, NECSI
DATES: December 5-9, 2005
LOCATION: U of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
This course offers an introduction to the essential concepts of
complex systems and related mathematical methods and simulation
strategies with application to physical, biological and social
systems. Concepts to be discussed include: emergence, complexity,
networks, self-organization, pattern formation, evolution,
adaptation, fractals, chaos, cooperation, competition, attractors,
interdependence, scaling, dynamic response, information and function.
Methods to be discussed include: statistical methods, cellular
automata, agent-based modeling, pattern recognition, system
representation and informatics.
This program is intended for faculty, post-doctoral fellows,
graduate students and others who would like to gain an understanding
of the fundamentals of complex systems, and learn methodological
tools for conducting research in their respective fields.
This is a one semester course that is taught in a one week
format. There are lectures and discussion during the day, and in the
evenings participants work on group projects that they present at the
end of the week. Arrangements for credit at a home institution should
be made in advance by contacting programs at necsi.org.
For more information and registration: http://necsi.org/education/
oneweek/australia05.html
Debra Gorfine
Program Director
New England Complex Systems Institute http://necsi.org
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Jobs
Planktonnet: Great listserv for aquatic-science jobs
To subscribe to the list, send an empty email to:
planktonnet-subscribe at yahoogroups.com
Or, visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/planktonnet/ and click on
'Join this group'
Assistant Professor of Society and Ecosystem Management, University
of California at Berkeley College of Natural Resources
This is a tenure-track, nine-month career position in the
Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, Division
of Society and Environment, and the Agricultural Experiment Station
at the University of California at Berkeley, available July 1, 2006.
The successful candidate will have field or management experience
and an earned doctoral degree in a relevant field such as (but not
limited to) the social sciences, environmental studies, or public
policy studies. An emphasis on forested ecosystems or watershed
management is preferred but not required.
The successful candidate will be expected to develop a nationally-
recognized research program on society and ecosystem management. We
are interested in someone whose research is relevant but not limited
to California ecosystems. We hope to find someone who can analyze
California integrated resource management issues in relation to US
and global management networks and processes. Potential research
topics include: adaptive management; the relationships between
management regimes and stratification of access by ethnicity, class,
or race; relations between science and governance; comparisons of the
social and ecological sustainability of different management regimes
or of integrated resource regimes under varying social, political, or
environmental contexts.
The successful candidate will teach an undergraduate course on
Society and Ecosystem Management, a graduate course in his/her area
of specialization, and share in teaching departmental lower and upper
division undergraduate courses.
The incumbent will work to strengthen the campus-wide group of
faculty at UC Berkeley focusing on integrated natural resource
management, and will engage public communities who are seeking to
improve the equity, adaptability, and effectiveness of ecological
management regimes. Applications must be postmarked by 1 December, 2005.
Please submit a cover letter (including a statement of how you
view the relationship between society and ecological management), a
curriculum vitae, a writing sample or representative publication, a
statement of current and future research interests, a statement of
teaching experience and/or goals, and three letters of reference to:
Chair, Society and Ecosystem Management Search Committee
Department of ESPM, Division of Society & Environment
137 Mulford Hall
University of California, Berkeley, CA. 94720-3114
Refer potential reviewers to the UC Berkeley Statement of
Confidentiality found at: http://apo.chance.berkeley.edu/evalltr.html
Applications submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.
The University of California is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative
Action Employer.
********************
Climate Change Program Specialist Grade: GS-13/14 - Office of
Environment and Science Policy of the USAID/Bureau for Economic
Growth, Agriculture and Trade (EGAT/ESP/GCC)
The position will be located in and work directly with the Global
Climate Change Team of the Office of Environment and Science Policy
of the USAID/Bureau for Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade (EGAT/
ESP/GCC), of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), but
is administratively assigned to the RSSA Management Center of the
Development Resources Division, International Cooperation and
Development, Foreign Agricultural Service, of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA/FAS/ICD/RMC). The successful candidate will be
responsible for forging strong professional partnerships with Federal
Agencies in developing and implementing inter-agency efforts to
address climate change impacts and increase resiliency to climate
sensitivity in cooperation with developing nations. S/he will provide
technical support and advice to USAID field missions and bureaus in
the development and implementation of USAID-sponsored climate change
program activities, particularly those related to local and national
climate change adaptation planning in developing countries. S/he
also will develop and maintain strong programmatic links between
USAID missions and inter-agency programs by providing regular updates
on issues and activities to the field, and involving missions in the
broader development efforts and implementation of USG climate programs.
There is only one opening to be filled at either the GS-13 or
GS-14 level, depending upon the qualifications and experience of
applicant. The applicant must clearly indicate to which grade level
s/he is applying. This is not a career ladder position.
To apply, please send a) a cover letter that directly addresses
each of the Required Skills listed below; and b) your current resume
of experience and qualifications to the Program Officer listed below.
Successful applicant must be able to travel overseas to USAID-
assisted countries and within the U.S. You must be a U.S. citizen to
apply for this position.
NOTE: Due to a slowdown in mail delivery it is strongly
recommended that applications be sent by email or fax. Do not rely
solely on delivery by mail.
Required Skills:
Master’s degree or higher preferred, with emphasis in physical
sciences, environmental sciences, economics, or international
development preferred.
Comprehensive knowledge and work experience in technical,
scientific, socioeconomic, and cultural aspects of climate change
policy, especially as it relates to climate change impacts and
adaptation in developing nations.
Knowledge and experience in human and institutional capacity
building programs for improving the delivery of climate-related
services to developing country populations.
Proven ability to evaluate program performance, analyze issues,
design workable solutions and improve program impact as it relates to
climate change issues.
Proven ability to clearly and concisely, in writing and orally,
convey technical concepts, technical information and policy positions
regarding climate change.
Contact Information:
Program Officer: Robin Comfort
Mailing Address: USDA/FAS/ICD/DRD/RMC, 14th & Independence Ave.
S.W.,
Room 3218-S, STOP 1087, Washington, D.C. 20250-1087
Telephone: (202) 690-1930
FAX: (202) 690-1953
Internet Mail Address: comfort at fas.usda.gov
*NOTE* You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
This notice expires on the close of business November 25, 2005.
********************
Tenure-Track Faculty Position, Environmental Systems/Policy at Johns
Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University Department of Geography &
Environmental Engineering invites applications for a tenure-track
position in systems analysis/operations research/mathematics with
application to environmental science, engineering and policy. The
department is concerned with understanding the nature and dynamics of
ecosystems, engineered systems, and societies, and the design of
strategies and technologies to address pressing environmental
problems. The successful candidate would participate in the
department's undergraduate program in Environmental Engineering and
its interdisciplinary graduate programs, especially the program in
Systems Analysis & Economics for Public Decision Making. The systems
area is one of several areas in which the department plans additional
appointments.
Candidates should have a doctorate in engineering, operations
research, applied mathematics, quantitative policy analysis, or other
appropriate discipline. The successful candidate will be able to
teach courses in the theory and use of systems analysis, and is
expected to develop a strong, internationally recognized research
program in their area of interest. Systems methods can include
optimization, scientific computation, simulation, control, decision
analysis, and statistics. The Department is multidisciplinary, and
especially encourages applicants who appreciate the necessity of
collaborative research to solve environmental problems. Candidates
who have experience in multidisciplinary teams, especially on
engineering efforts, are preferred.
Preference will be given to appointments at the assistant
professor level, although outstanding candidates of other ranks are
encouraged to apply. Send a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, a
one to two-page summary of research and teaching interests, relevant
papers and publications, and names of three references in a single
pdf file to dogee at jhu.edu. For full consideration, applications
should be submitted before January 15, 2006. The Whiting School of
Engineering is committed to building a diverse educational
environment; women and minorities are strongly encouraged to apply.
The Johns Hopkins University is an EEO/AA employer.
********************
Social-Science Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Center for
Technology in Government, SUNY at Albany
The Center for Technology in Government is seeking candidates for
a Post-Doctoral Research Associate position. The successful candidate
will be a member of one or more research teams. Responsibilities
include participating in the design and execution of field research !
and coordination of project activities with other Center work.
Assignments will include evaluation of research design alternatives,
literature reviews, data collection and analysis, and presentation
and reporting of results, plus research management tasks including
supervising research assistants, maintaining the integrity of data
resources, and liaison with research sponsors and participating
agencies.
Qualifications:
* A doctorate in a social science or management discipline
related to public administration, information science, or
organizational studies.
* Demonstrated knowledge of quantitative social science research
methods.
* Demonstrated knowledge of qualitative social science research
methods.
* Experience in field research, preferably in government settings
and/or involving information technology use.
* Excellent oral and written communication skills.
* A peer-reviewed research publication record is desirable.
* Experience in management of funded projects is desirable.
Individuals interested in the above position should submit a
letter of application, resume and three names and contact information
of references to: Dr. Theresa A. Pardo, Center for Technology in
Government, University at Albany/SUNY, 1535 Western Avenue, Albany,
NY 12203. This post-doctoral research associate position will be a
one-year appointment with possible renewal; it is contingent upon
funding.
The University at Albany is an EO/AA/IRCA/ADA employer.
********************
Two (2) Faculty Positions in Chemistry, Old Dominion University
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Old Dominion University invites applications from scientists with
research interests in all areas of chemistry, biochemistry and
biogeochemistry. Required qualifications include: a Ph.D. in
Biochemistry, Chemistry, Biogeochemistry or a related field from an
accredited university; a record of productivity chemistry; the
ability to conduct a strong, externally funded research program and
to supervise graduate and undergraduate student research; and a
commitment to teaching at the graduate and undergraduate levels.
Previous teaching experience and post-doctoral experience are
preferred. The positions are envisioned as tenure-track but
outstanding applications from more senior candidates will be considered.
Send curriculum vitae, statement addressing the required and
preferred qualifications listed above, statements describing teaching
and research interests and experience, and a list of three references
(including regular and e-mail addresses and phone numbers) to
Chairman, Biochemistry Search Committee, Department of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia 23529.
Review of applicant files will begin November 1, 2005 and will
continue until the positions are filled. The positions are available
25 July 2006. Old Dominion University is an Equal Opportunity/
Affirmative Action Institution and requires compliance with the
Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.
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This newsletter has been developed by C. Susan Weiler to distribute
information of potential interest to recent PhDs engaged in
interdisciplinary aquatic science or climate-change research, and to
build an international sense of community among recent grads. It
provides an international forum for the exchange of information and
opinions regarding research, professional and social issues. The
views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the
funding agencies or sponsoring societies. Dr. Weiler reserves the
right to edit or reject material submitted to the list.
Please submit announcements of interest to recent PhDs to
phd at whitman.edu. Send a short message in the body of an e-mail
message, and link to any appropriate websites. Do not send attachments.
Moving? Send address changes to dialog at whitman.edu or
disccrs at whitman.edu
**********
C. Susan Weiler, Ph.D.
Office for Earth System Studies Tel: 509-527-5948
Whitman College Fax: 509-527-5961
Walla Walla, WA 99362
weiler at whitman.edu
Programs for Recent PhDs http://aslo.org/phd.html
http://marcus.whitman.edu/~weilercs/biocomplexity/
DIALOG poster http://www.aslo.org/phd/dialogposter.pdf
DISCCRS poster http://www.aslo.org/phd/disccrsposter.pdf
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