USA: Graduate Assistantships x 4

Four Teaching Assistantships and one Graduate Fellowship will be available for the Fall 2013 semester for the Master of Science in Marine and Environmental Biology program at NichollsStateUniversity. Teaching Assistantships include tuition wavier and stipend of $4500 a semester. Graduate Fellowship includes tuition wavier and stipend of $15,000 a year.  For more information about the program visit http://www.nicholls.edu/biology_graduate/ .

Admission requirements include: B.S. degree in science curriculum, minimum GPA of 3.0, and combined GRE (verbal + quantitative) score of 1,000 (prior to Aug. 2011) or 300 (after Aug. 2011). Application procedure includes an online application and fee (http://www.nicholls.edu/apply/ ), and cover letter, CV, official GRE scores and academic transcripts, and departmental application package (http://www.nicholls.edu/biology_graduate/application-information/ ) including three letters of recommendation.

Deadline for applying is March 22, 2013. Application materials and questions regarding the program should be sent to Dr. Aaron Pierce, P.O. Box 2021, NichollsStateUniversity, Thibodaux, LA70310, 985-493-2628, aaron.pierce@nicholls.edu . See Graduate Faculty (http://www.nicholls.edu/biology-graduate/faculty/ ) for more information on faculty research interests. Some potential research projects associated with the positions are listed below:

Plant Ecology and Physiology Lab: (http://www.nicholls.edu/biol-jc/index.html )
Research project will assess the vulnerability of widespread wetland plant species to anthropogenic change. For this project, we will sample natural populations of two native Hibiscus species, grow them in common environments, and measure their traits and performance under different experimental conditions. Other potential research projects
may document how plant-animal interactions (pollination, herbivory, and seed predation) vary across plant species distributions and relate this to land-use patterns and environmental conditions. Experience in plant-related research and interest working outdoors is preferred. For more information contact Dr. Jane Carlson, Jane.Carlson@nicholls.edu

Bayousphere Research Lab: (http://www.nicholls.edu/bayousphere/ ).

We are seeking a graduate student to conduct an electrofishing survey of the fish community in the upper Barataria Estuary.  They would sample at least monthly for a year and around large rain events. For more information contact Dr. Quenton Fontenot, (quenton.fontenot@nicholls.edu ).

Environmental Toxicology Lab: (http://www.nicholls.edu/biol-ez/ ).

Dr. Zou’s research interest centers around crustacean physiology and aquatic invertebrate endocrine disruption with an emphasis on elucidating the mechanisms for disruption of

crustacean molting by environmental contaminants. Current research topics include hormonal control of crustacean exoskeleton metabolism and impacts of flame retardants on ecdysteroid signaling in crab epidermis. For more information contact Dr. Enmin Zou,

(em.zou@nicholls.edu ).

Tags: Plant Ecology , Toxicology