Job Description:
Time: 8-week part-time, July and August 2018, three days per week
Job Title: Plant and soil field assistant.
Compensation: $15/hr, $3000/8 weeks
Location: Field sites in Middlesex, Monmouth, Mercer Counties.
Contact: Kate Douthat, kate.douthat@rutgers.edu, (802) 224-6038
Send attached form and resume along with a brief statement of interest to Kate at kate.douthat@rutgers.edu
A PhD student is seeking a field assistant for ecological sampling in central New Jersey. We will work closely together in the field. Sites are stormwater detention basins. Field work and lab work will be three days per week. Depending on the site, the, PhD student and assistant will meet at Rutgers and travel to field sites together, and the assistant will need transportation for other sites. Work will include recording data during sampling plant communities, pressing samples, identifying plant species, and data entry. Soil sampling will include exploratory field techniques and lab measurements. We will also do some public education and host tours of sites. The assistant will be responsible for creating educational materials and speaking with the public. Sites will often be wet and muddy, and conditions hot. A typical day will be 7am to 12pm in the field, and 1pm to 3pm in lab, with rainy days spent in the lab.
Research Abstract
When it rains, stormwater runs across roads, parking lots, and lawns, picking up pollutants and debris. In order to prevent flooding in areas where the soil is not absorbent because it is compacted or covered by pavement or buildings, this stormwater runoff is temporarily stored in detention basins until it drains to streams. Some detention basins are lined with native plants instead of mown grass, which reduces mowing and saves time and money. When detention basins are lined with native plants, the thicker vegetation can trap contaminants and prevent them from running into streams and drinking water. This type of detention basin can also provide islands of refuge for songbirds and pollinators in urban landscapes. The plants in these environments must survive difficult conditions, and the species that are planted when basins are built often give way to other species after a few years. Which plants thrive in stormwater basins, and the exact role they play in removing pollutants or providing habitat, is not yet well understood. This project will document the groups of plant in stormwater basins in New Jersey and compare them to soil types and landscape factors, such as proximity to roads or residential areas. By understanding the plant communities that are living in in stormwater basins and how they are shaped by factors in the environment, we can improve basin design, improving water quality and the beauty of the landscape.
Time: 8-week part-time, July and August 2018, three days per week
Job Title: Plant and soil field assistant.
Compensation: $15/hr, $3000/8 weeks
Location: Field sites in Middlesex, Monmouth, Mercer Counties.
Contact: Kate Douthat, kate.douthat@rutgers.edu, (802) 224-6038
Send attached form and resume along with a brief statement of interest to Kate at kate.douthat@rutgers.edu
A PhD student is seeking a field assistant for ecological sampling in central New Jersey. We will work closely together in the field. Sites are stormwater detention basins. Field work and lab work will be three days per week. Depending on the site, the, PhD student and assistant will meet at Rutgers and travel to field sites together, and the assistant will need transportation for other sites. Work will include recording data during sampling plant communities, pressing samples, identifying plant species, and data entry. Soil sampling will include exploratory field techniques and lab measurements. We will also do some public education and host tours of sites. The assistant will be responsible for creating educational materials and speaking with the public. Sites will often be wet and muddy, and conditions hot. A typical day will be 7am to 12pm in the field, and 1pm to 3pm in lab, with rainy days spent in the lab.
Research Abstract
When it rains, stormwater runs across roads, parking lots, and lawns, picking up pollutants and debris. In order to prevent flooding in areas where the soil is not absorbent because it is compacted or covered by pavement or buildings, this stormwater runoff is temporarily stored in detention basins until it drains to streams. Some detention basins are lined with native plants instead of mown grass, which reduces mowing and saves time and money. When detention basins are lined with native plants, the thicker vegetation can trap contaminants and prevent them from running into streams and drinking water. This type of detention basin can also provide islands of refuge for songbirds and pollinators in urban landscapes. The plants in these environments must survive difficult conditions, and the species that are planted when basins are built often give way to other species after a few years. Which plants thrive in stormwater basins, and the exact role they play in removing pollutants or providing habitat, is not yet well understood. This project will document the groups of plant in stormwater basins in New Jersey and compare them to soil types and landscape factors, such as proximity to roads or residential areas. By understanding the plant communities that are living in in stormwater basins and how they are shaped by factors in the environment, we can improve basin design, improving water quality and the beauty of the landscape.
No comments:
Post a Comment