| bbcu_ms_advert.pdf |
MS Assistantship Black-billed Cuckoos Occupancy Modeling with Automated Acoustic Recording Units, in the Wildlife Biology Program at the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana.
Project Description
Yellow-billed and Black-billed Cuckoos are in trouble in Western North America. Both species are declining rapidly in the region because of the degradation and destruction of multi-age forests along the region’s largest rivers. Understanding where they live and how many there are from year-to-year are baseline requirements to facilitate conservation and decision making but getting that data for cuckoos is challenging. First, they inhabit areas that are frequently very difficult to access due to either private lands or remoteness. Second, once researchers are on-site, detecting the presence of cuckoos is difficult because they hide in dense cover and vocalize infrequently. To improve survey techniques for cuckoos, we are undertaking a project to evaluate the effectiveness of AudioMoth automated acoustic recording units (ARUs) and machine-learning identification of calls compared with normal in-person point count surveys. We are currently recruiting a MS student to lead the fieldwork, occupancy analysis, and publication portions of this project in collaboration with university, NGO, and state agency partners.
Successful Candidates
The successful candidate should be willing and excited to learn skills related to the deployment of AudioMoths in remote locations, management and analysis of acoustic data, communication of results to diverse stakeholders, and publication of manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals.
Funding
We are offering a teaching assistantship with summer research support. Support will come from 4-semester TA Assistantship (0.5 FTE not to exceed 20 hours a week during fall and winter semesters). This 12-month salary would be at $21,200-22,000 (pre-tax) and a 4-semester tuition waiver. The Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center will fund research-related expenses. The committee will also work with the accepted student to seek additional funding support as needed.
Advising and Degree
The MS student will be housed in the Wildlife Biology Program at UM, which is recognized as one of the country’s top wildlife biology research programs and the second oldest wildlife biology program. The student will be co-advised by Dr. Andy Boyce, an Ecologist at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center and Faculty Affiliate at UM and Dr. Erim Gómez, a UM Assistant Professor of Wildlife Biology at the University of Montana.
Application
1.Statement of interest: Include your interest in the project and willingness to learn needed skills, share related experiences, and career goals.
2.Diversity Statement: How do you encourage and/or exemplify diversity, equity, or inclusion in the past, present, or plan to in the future? What does diversity mean to you? What significant barriers, challenges, obstacles have you overcome? This may be used to seek additional funding support, such as a DEI fellowship or scholarship.
3.CV or detailed resume
4.List of 3 professional refences and contact information
5.Unofficial transcripts
Optional
Sample of Writing: This can include term paper, technical report, undergraduate thesis, or scientific publication.
Rolling review of applications will begin upon posting and end March 31, 2022.
Please send all documents in one PDF in the above order to Dr. Andy Boyce at boycea@si.edu.
Label PDF “BBCU First Name Last Name”
Applicants are also welcome to contact the co-advisor Dr. Erim Gómez at erim.gomez@umontana.edu
UM Graduate Entrance Requirements
Academic Home
While the MS student would have a primary academic home in the UM Wildlife Biology Program, the Gómez Lab and the UM Bird Ecology Lab, they would have two additional academic homes within the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. The student will be appointed as a Smithsonian Research Fellow and would be integrated into the Smithsonian Great Plains Science Program (GPSP) as well as the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center (SMBC). GPSP is composed of 3 research ecologists (Dr. Andy Boyce, Dr. Hila Shamon & Dr. Ellen Welti) and a program manager (Dr. Andrew Jakes). This group of PIs co-supervise approximately 10 graduate students at universities across the country including Montana State, University of Georgia, University of Wyoming, Northern Illinois University among others. This research group collaborates and interacts extensively during the field season in eastern Montana. The Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center is dedicated to understanding, conserving, and championing the grand phenomenon of bird migration. Founded in 1991, and located at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C., SMBC scientists seek to clarify why migratory bird populations are declining before the situation becomes desperate. Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center programs help raise awareness about migratory birds and the need to protect diverse habitats across the Western Hemisphere. The incoming student would join a group of approximately 25 PIs, graduate students and postdocs primarily based in Washington DC, with fieldwork around the world. Both groups have weekly lab meetings outside of the field season and the incoming student would have access (if they wish) to the resources and opportunities afforded any Smithsonian research fellow.
Lab Diversity Statement
As a first-generation American and POC, Dr. Gómez cares deeply about promoting human diversity in the conservation and academic profession. To that goal, the lab encourages and recruits people of diverse backgrounds to join the lab. The lab approaches issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion as a journey and not a destination. In this, we hope to improve continually. The lab acknowledges that UM is located on the aboriginal territories of the Salish and Kalispel people and will work to make connections and develop relationships with native peoples. We work to provide opportunities regardless of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, economic status, disability, or status as a disabled veteran or veteran.
Project Description
Yellow-billed and Black-billed Cuckoos are in trouble in Western North America. Both species are declining rapidly in the region because of the degradation and destruction of multi-age forests along the region’s largest rivers. Understanding where they live and how many there are from year-to-year are baseline requirements to facilitate conservation and decision making but getting that data for cuckoos is challenging. First, they inhabit areas that are frequently very difficult to access due to either private lands or remoteness. Second, once researchers are on-site, detecting the presence of cuckoos is difficult because they hide in dense cover and vocalize infrequently. To improve survey techniques for cuckoos, we are undertaking a project to evaluate the effectiveness of AudioMoth automated acoustic recording units (ARUs) and machine-learning identification of calls compared with normal in-person point count surveys. We are currently recruiting a MS student to lead the fieldwork, occupancy analysis, and publication portions of this project in collaboration with university, NGO, and state agency partners.
Successful Candidates
The successful candidate should be willing and excited to learn skills related to the deployment of AudioMoths in remote locations, management and analysis of acoustic data, communication of results to diverse stakeholders, and publication of manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals.
Funding
We are offering a teaching assistantship with summer research support. Support will come from 4-semester TA Assistantship (0.5 FTE not to exceed 20 hours a week during fall and winter semesters). This 12-month salary would be at $21,200-22,000 (pre-tax) and a 4-semester tuition waiver. The Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center will fund research-related expenses. The committee will also work with the accepted student to seek additional funding support as needed.
Advising and Degree
The MS student will be housed in the Wildlife Biology Program at UM, which is recognized as one of the country’s top wildlife biology research programs and the second oldest wildlife biology program. The student will be co-advised by Dr. Andy Boyce, an Ecologist at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center and Faculty Affiliate at UM and Dr. Erim Gómez, a UM Assistant Professor of Wildlife Biology at the University of Montana.
Application
1.Statement of interest: Include your interest in the project and willingness to learn needed skills, share related experiences, and career goals.
2.Diversity Statement: How do you encourage and/or exemplify diversity, equity, or inclusion in the past, present, or plan to in the future? What does diversity mean to you? What significant barriers, challenges, obstacles have you overcome? This may be used to seek additional funding support, such as a DEI fellowship or scholarship.
3.CV or detailed resume
4.List of 3 professional refences and contact information
5.Unofficial transcripts
Optional
Sample of Writing: This can include term paper, technical report, undergraduate thesis, or scientific publication.
Rolling review of applications will begin upon posting and end March 31, 2022.
Please send all documents in one PDF in the above order to Dr. Andy Boyce at boycea@si.edu.
Label PDF “BBCU First Name Last Name”
Applicants are also welcome to contact the co-advisor Dr. Erim Gómez at erim.gomez@umontana.edu
UM Graduate Entrance Requirements
- A bachelors degree related to wildlife biology. This could include but is not limited to wildlife ecology, ecology, biology, conservation, natural resources, or environmental science.
- An undergraduate GPA of 3.0 GPA or better.
- GRE scores are not required by UM but students are welcome to submit them if they wish. Note about the GRE, there has been substantial research that has determined GRE is not fair for all students nor highly predictive of student success. The Gómez Lab understands this. Prospective students will not be harmed by not submitting GRE scores.
Academic Home
While the MS student would have a primary academic home in the UM Wildlife Biology Program, the Gómez Lab and the UM Bird Ecology Lab, they would have two additional academic homes within the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. The student will be appointed as a Smithsonian Research Fellow and would be integrated into the Smithsonian Great Plains Science Program (GPSP) as well as the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center (SMBC). GPSP is composed of 3 research ecologists (Dr. Andy Boyce, Dr. Hila Shamon & Dr. Ellen Welti) and a program manager (Dr. Andrew Jakes). This group of PIs co-supervise approximately 10 graduate students at universities across the country including Montana State, University of Georgia, University of Wyoming, Northern Illinois University among others. This research group collaborates and interacts extensively during the field season in eastern Montana. The Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center is dedicated to understanding, conserving, and championing the grand phenomenon of bird migration. Founded in 1991, and located at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C., SMBC scientists seek to clarify why migratory bird populations are declining before the situation becomes desperate. Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center programs help raise awareness about migratory birds and the need to protect diverse habitats across the Western Hemisphere. The incoming student would join a group of approximately 25 PIs, graduate students and postdocs primarily based in Washington DC, with fieldwork around the world. Both groups have weekly lab meetings outside of the field season and the incoming student would have access (if they wish) to the resources and opportunities afforded any Smithsonian research fellow.
Lab Diversity Statement
As a first-generation American and POC, Dr. Gómez cares deeply about promoting human diversity in the conservation and academic profession. To that goal, the lab encourages and recruits people of diverse backgrounds to join the lab. The lab approaches issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion as a journey and not a destination. In this, we hope to improve continually. The lab acknowledges that UM is located on the aboriginal territories of the Salish and Kalispel people and will work to make connections and develop relationships with native peoples. We work to provide opportunities regardless of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, economic status, disability, or status as a disabled veteran or veteran.
