Webinar: Preparing NSF Graduate Research October 8th

 3:00 PM EDT, October 8, 2013

This session will be an overview of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GFRP) and the program updates for the FY2014 competition. Gisele Muller-Parker, GFRP Program Director, and Henning Schroeder, CGS/NSF Dean in Residence, will engage participants in a discussion about how they can help applicants to be competitive.
Register online.

The 4th UF Water Institute Symposium

The 4th UF Water Institute Symposium
February 11 - 12, 2014
J. Wayne Reitz Union, University of Florida Campus
Gainesville, Florida

We encourage you to participate in the 4th UF Water Institute Symposium focused on Complex Challenges and Integrated Solutions for Water Supply Planning in a Non-Stationary World. This symposium will bring together individuals from a variety of institutional affiliations, disciplines and perspectives to explore the science, technology, practices and policies needed for a secure water future.

Student poster authors are eligible to compete for "Best Poster" awards based on the quality of the abstract, poster and discussion. Three poster winners will receive prizes of $1000 each to be used as funding to support future participation at a national conference

Dates of Interest:
*Abstract Submission Opens August 19, 2013
*Abstract submission Deadline October 11, 2013
*On-Line Registration Opens November 5, 2013
*Early Registration Deadline January 17, 2014
 

For more information visit http://waterinstitute.ufl.edu/symposium2014/index.asp

Watershed Water Quality In-Service Training 10/29-10/30

On behalf of Watershed Water Quality IST development team and the Center of Excellence for Watershed Management, we invite you to the 8th Watershed Water Quality In-Service Training: TMDL and BMAP Development and Implementation, and the Implications of Numeric Nutrient Criteria in Florida.

The in-service will be held on October 29 & 30, 2013 in Gainesville, Florida at the Straughn IFAS Extension Professional Development Center. In-class participation is encouraged to interact with speakers and panelists and to benefit from the field trip for enhanced understanding of the concepts.

This IST will introduce the development and implementation of Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) rules for Florida, including basin management action plans (BMAPs). Special attention will be placed on numeric nutrient criteria (NNC) development, implementation, costs and regional implications. The IST will consist of 1.5 days, with first day being in-class (accessible for online participation) and the second ½ day being a field trip.

Course Developers and Instructors:

· Sanjay Shukla, Water Resources, Dept. of Ag and Bio Engineering - SWFL REC

· Mark Clark, Wetland Ecology, Soil and Water Science Dept. - Main Campus

· Chris Martinez, Water Resources, Dept. of Ag and Bio Engineering – Main Campus

· Tatiana Borisova, Water Economics/Policy, Food and Resources Economics Dept. - Main Campus

· Chris Wilson, Environmental Toxicology/Agroecology, Soil and Water Science Dept. – IR REC

· Kathleen McKee, Research Coordinator, UF Water Institute - Main Campus

This is a funded IST meaning the faculty will be reimbursed for their travel and meals. Please Register at: http://pdec.ifas.ufl.edu/inservice_training/

Doctoral Dissertation Advisor/Mentoring Award Nominations Sought

The foundation of graduate education at the advanced level is the mentoring relationship between faculty and their students. Help us again to recognize the ABE faculty who excel in this aspect of graduate education by participating in the 2013-2014 Doctoral Dissertation Advisor/Mentoring Award program.

Nominations of eligible graduate faculty from students, faculty and administrators are due to college offices by October 16, 2013.

 

Please let Robin or Shannon know if you plan to nominate someone. Procedures and deadlines can be found at: http://graduateschool.ufl.edu/academics/doctoral-mentoring-awards. Please note that the Graduate School will only accept electronic submissions of the application packets.

If you have questions about an individual’s eligibility you can check with Robin in 116.

SOIL MICROBIAL ECOLOGY AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES OPPORTUNITY

ADVANCED TRAINING IN TROPICAL MICROBIOLOGY FOR EARLY CAREER SCIENTISTS:
19 May – 13 June, 2014 – DAKAR, SENEGAL

Supporting Sponsor – US National Science Foundation

MicroTrop is a lecture- laboratory course taught in English focused on Tropical Microbial Soil Ecology for US and African PhD students and early career scientists. MicroTrop is an unique opportunity to network, establish international collaborations and be immersed in African culture Microtrop combines lecturers by leading scientists and practical training in microbiology, bioinformatics, metabolic, phylogenetic and genomic diversity methods. The information and technologies taught are those considered most cost effective and appropriate for tropical soils research in developing countries. As a central component, each participant designs, undertakes, and documents the results of an individualized microbial ecology research project. The course includes instruction in journal manuscript and proposal writing, research presentation, and excursions that provide first hand exposure to the local environments, agricultural challenges, culture, and city/village life in Senegal.

NSF funded full scholarships. NSF-funded scholarships are available for US participants. The scholarships will cover all travel and accommodation, participation fees and living expenses in Senegal. Scholarship awardees must be US nationals, advanced Ph.D. students or postdoctoral trainees who completed their Ph.D. no earlier than 2008.

Application process:

Complete an application form and provide a professional career statement

Obtain two letters of reference including one from your current research supervisor.

Submit these documents as PDF attachments by Nov. 1st 2013 to davey.22@osu.edu

Application forms and information can be obtained from: Amanda Davey, Tel: 614-292-3963; davey.22@osu.edu.

Boyd-Scott Graduate Research Award

The Boyd-Scott Graduate Research Award is to recognize excellence in the conduct and presentation of research to build the knowledge base needed by engineers who design equipment, facilities, and processes for the sustainable operation of a biological system.

Contestants are required to be a member of ASABE.

The Boyd-Scott Graduate Research Award consists of a written competition, and an oral competition held during the ASABE Annual International Meeting. Judges will select three (3) M.S. finalists and three (3) Ph.D. finalists from the written com-petition who will then be invited to present their research before judges at a scheduled technical session held during the ASABE Annual International Meeting.

Cash prizes will be presented to the M.S. and Ph.D. finalists during the Awards Recognition Program held during the ASABE Annual International Meeting.

Submission Deadline
Date for submission of a research paper to this competition is advertised by ASABE after consultation with Boyd-Scott Graduate Research Award committee (P-122). This date may change to meet an administrative objective. Any scheduling change must be announced by ASABE at least six months prior to the submission date. The 2014 competition deadline entry date is March 12.

Eligibility
The competition is open to all graduate students who are members of ASABE and enrolled in a Biological/Agricultural Engineering or related degree program for at least four months during the year March 12 - March 12 prior to the competition. For example, students submitting entries to the 2013 competition must have been enrolled in a degree program for at least four months during the period March 12, 2013 to March 12, 2014.

The award consists of two competitions, one for M.S. research and one for Ph.D. research.

Submitted research papers must report only the research done to complete the requirements for a graduate degree. It is understood that publication of this research will typically have co-authors (major professor, committee members). It is appropriate to recognize these co-authors in an acknowledgment, but they should not be listed as co-authors for the competition.

Simultaneous submission of the research paper as a manuscript for publication (at ASABE) and entry to the competition is encouraged.

For complete information visit http://www.asabe.org/awards-landmarks/student-awards,-competitions-scholarships/boyd-scott.aspx

ELANCO seeking Food/Companion Animal Health Intern

Elanco is a global research-based company that develops and delivers product and services to enhance animal health and production. Improving the health and performance of animals helps to ensure a growing supply of safe, affordable, abundant food for today and in the future. It also contributes to Elanco’s commitment to fight hunger worldwide. Elanco pledges to develop and deliver products safe for consumers, animals and the environment.

 

 Responsibilities:

 

• Interns will be responsible for a specific project to be completed within the 12 week timeframe
• Expected to network within the organization, manage your time effectively, have strong organizational skills and demonstrate leadership capabilities
• All interns are required to present their projects to a large group at the end of the 12 week period 

 

Research and Development (R&D)

 

R&D interns work on early-and late-stage product development activities. The projects are intended to provide experience in protocol design, model development, good experimental technique, documentation, data interpretation and presentation. Intern will be located at our Greenfield headquarters and may be in one of several research areas: Biology, ADME, Veterinary Safety, or Chemistry.

For more information visit Gator CareerLink (http://crc.ufl.edu/). Reg ID = 5591BR

Elanco will be present at the UF Career Showcase in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on Oct. 1 and representatives hope to conduct interviews on Oct. 2 and 3.

 

 

 

CSBE Joint Meeting with ASABE in Montréal, Canada, in July 2014

The Canadian Society for Bioengineering (CSBE) will host a joint Annual International Meeting (AIM) next year with the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE). The meeting is scheduled on July 13-16, 2014 in beautiful Montréal, Canada.

More than 1500 delegates are expected to share expert knowledge in all areas related to engineering applied to agriculture, food and the environment, including bioenergy. This is a great opportunity to meet international colleagues, present you most recent research results and learn about exciting innovations in bioengineering.

Montréal is a unique bilingual city with both French and British heritage. It is an excellent gateway from which you can visit other parts of Canada. Plan now to attend this exceptional meeting and extend your international network.

If you plan to present a paper at the meeting, the deadline is November 30, 2013. Abstracts are to be submitted on ASABE's Call for Papers site at the following address:

http://asabe2014.abstractcentral.com

If you want to have a taste of Montréal, visit the tourism site. Watch the two-minute video; it will convince you that Montréal is a place to visit in 2014.

http://www.tourisme-montreal.org

For further details, please contact the Local Organizing Committee by E-mail at philippe.savoie@fsaa.ulaval.ca

Participate in the Gator Global Initiative Conference

The UF Center for Leadership and Service is looking for graduate students to attend our Gator Global Initiative Conference and serve as small group facilitators. Gator Global Initiative (http://www.leadershipandservice.ufl.edu/programs/gator_global_initiative/), a social impact conference, inspires students to find their passion and create change locally, nationally, and globally. Students will interact with each other and speakers to develop into socially responsible leaders within their community. Gator Global Initiative strives to create a knowledge-sharing space for like-minded individuals to foster a collaborative atmosphere towards action.

Serving as a small group facilitator allows graduate students to attend the conference, and participate in the grad student track, but also to develop facilitating skills and work with undergraduates as a mentor. Should you be selected as a facilitator you will be required to attend a 2-hour training on facilitating and the logistics of the event. Facilitators will receive a discount for the conference (you will only pay $10 as opposed to $25).

Small group facilitators would be required to attend the training prior, as well as be present for the duration of the conference. Please see the attached schedule.

If you are interested in participating please contact Angela Garcia, angelag@leadershipandservice.ufl.edu. If you would like to attend but not be a facilitator, information and registration can be found here. Please help us spread the word of this great opportunity

Assistant Professor in Food and the Environment, University of Colorado-Boulder

 The University of Colorado seeks candidates for a position of assistant professor with expertise in sustainable food systems or related fields of food harvest or production and its environmental implications. The environmental consequences of human food needs are inherently interdisciplinary, in that they involve ecological processes, natural resource management, policies to address equity and security, public health, and human values and decisions. We seek candidates with research explicitly focused on the interactions between food systems and the supporting environment. Topical research foci for this position could include (but are not limited to): environmental effects of locally, organically-grown, and genetically-modified food, aquaculture, traditional and indigenous agricultural systems; sustainable fisheries; links between fuel and food production and environmental conservation; food justice; energy and water use in agriculture. Candidates should have experience in these or related fields and a clear research plan to continue or expand these efforts, congruent with the broad interdisciplinary orientation of the ENVS program at CU Boulder. Candidates from any relevant field of social or natural sciences or the humanities are encouraged to apply.

 The candidate will have a primary appointment in the Environmental Studies program (ENVS) at CU-Boulder. The ENVS program is a dynamic, internationally recognized program with over 25 faculty, 55 graduate students, and over 1000 undergraduate majors (http://envs.colorado.edu/about/). Applicants are encouraged to visit this site to learn more about ENVS's broad and interdisciplinary composition.

 Consideration of applications will begin on October 14, 2013 and will continue until the appointment is made. Please submit a cover letter indicating interest in the position, curriculum vitae, statements of research and teaching interests and complete contact information for at least three referees to https://www.jobsatcu.com, posting # 818573. A successful candidate should use these documents to demonstrate an innovative and interdisciplinary approach to research and education in environmental studies. A PhD or equivalent doctoral degree in disciplines related to environmental studies at the time of appointment, evidence of current scholarly activity as well as a commitment to excellence in undergraduate and graduate education are required.

Potential candidates seeking additional information, or those wishing to submit nominations, may contact the Search Committee Chair, Daniel Doak, at daniel.doak@colorado.edu<mailto:daniel.doak@colorado.edu>. The University of Colorado is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to building a diverse workforce. We encourage applications from women, racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities and veterans. Alternative formats of this ad can be provided upon request for individuals with disabilities by contacting the ADA Coordinator at (303) 492-1334.

ABE POSTER SYMPOSIUM - October 23rd

The Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department is hosting a poster symposium for ABE graduate and undergraduate students to showcase their research, complete with free poster printing, judging, and PRIZE MONEY! The posters will be displayed throughout the first floor of Frazier Rogers Hall, and refreshments will be served.

Additionally, this departmental event is taking place the week prior to the Graduate Student Research Day on October 29th (Submission deadline September 27th) to provide additional practice for the student presenters and encourage increased participation in this exciting campus-wide event.

Students do not have to participate in the Graduate Student Research Day to participate in the ABE Poster Symposium.

KEY DATES:

October 9th – Submit intent to participate to Shannon Noble (shannon.noble@ufl.edu) with the following information included in the email:

• Name
• Degree being pursued (BS/MS/ME/PhD)
• Faculty advisor
• POSTER TITLE

Upon receiving your intent to submit a poster, you will receive additional information on how to receive reimbursement for the cost needed to print your poster and where to hang your poster on the day of the symposium. Students will be reimbursed a maximum of $12 for poster printing. Information on campus printing is available at http://print.at.ufl.edu/printingquestions.shtml

October 23rd – ABE Poster Symposium, 4 to 6 PM

PRIZES:

A group of faculty members will be judging posters. Advisors will not be judging their own students. Winners will be notified via email after the symposium, and will be presented with their awards at the ABE Thanksgiving Luncheon. Winning posters will also be showcased at the Thanksgiving Luncheon.

• Graduate 1st - $300
• Graduate 2nd - $200
• Graduate 3rd - $100
• Graduate Honorable Mention - $50
• Undergraduate 1st - $75

Register now for 3.5-day GIS workshop in December at UF

Faculty with the UF School of Forest Resources and Conservation and Florida Sea Grant will hold a 3.5-days intensive workshop on ArcGIS 10.1, a powerful tool for managing natural resources and guiding growth and development processes. The workshop will be held at the UF-IFAS Computer Laboratory located in 3086 McCarty Hall (main campus, Gainesville) from Monday, December 16th through Thursday, December 19th, 2013.

Training Purpose: Introduce novices in the use of ArcGIS Desktop, the primary product used by professionals to compile, use, and manage geographic information.

This hands-on program will provide participants with ”real-world” exercises that will develop basic GIS knowledge and skills, increase awareness about GIS data sources, increase confidence using GIS, and explore GIS tools that can enhance the participants’ programs and/or research projects.

The training will consist of a series of short lectures, each to be followed by natural resource-based exercises that attendees will complete using ArcGIS 10.1. During the training, each participant will have access to a computer workstation and several trainers will be on-hand to provide assistance.

Who Should Attend: UF Faculty, staff, students, and agency professionals (i.e., non-UF) who could benefit from learning these new skills.

Registration Costs:

UF Faculty and Staff --------------- $450
UF Students -------------------------$250
Non-UF Professionals -------------- $450

Schedule:
Monday, December 16 - 9:00 am to 5 pm
Tuesday, December 17 - 8:30am to 5pm
Wednesday, December 18 - 8:30am to 5pm
Thursday, December 19 - 8:30am to 12pm

Topics:*

• What is GIS and what can it do?  
• Navigating the ArcGIS Desktop 
• Spatial scale, accuracy, and precision 
• Problem solving with GIS 
• Working with spatial coordinate systems 
• Acquiring GIS data layers and creating new spatial features 
• Making and designing map layouts 
• Geoprocessing with ArcGIS Tools and Extensions  
• Creating and using models
• Where to get help and data

*GPS and remote sensing topics are not covered during this training.

How to Register: Visit https://december2013gisworkshop.eventbrite.com for registration.
For additional information or questions about the workshop contact:
Corina Guevara (corina@ufl.edu; 352-392-6233) or Bob Swett (rswett@ufl.edu).

For more information about ArcGIS software availability consult: http://www.esri.com/products/index.html or http://www.geoplan.ufl.edu/licensed_software.shtml

Call for Abstracts for 2013 Graduate Student Research Day (October 29)

The I-Cubed Graduate Student Advisory Council and the Graduate School invite all graduate students and undergraduate students (participating in research activities) to present their posters at the 2013 Graduate Student Research Day. The conference will be held at the Reitz Union on Tuesday October 29, 2013.

This year's Graduate Student Research Day is themed around MENTORING & LEADERSHIP. The event will offer an array of workshops on three different tracks: Professional Development, Mentoring and 3-minute Thesis/Dissertation Presentation.

This interdisciplinary conference features a Poster Contest that provides students across all fields the opportunity to showcase their research in a collegiate environment and to network with other students/researchers on campus. The event is also open to faculty, postdoctoral fellows/associates, and staff. A team of faculty, staff, community members, and graduate students will judge the posters during the Poster Session, and monetary awards will be given to the highest-scoring posters. The deadline to register for the poster contest is September 27th.

For more information or to register for the conference and/or poster contest please visit http://i3.institutes.ufl.edu/2013-graduate-student-research-day/

All are encouraged to attend and participate!

Career Exploration Opportunity for Graduate Students and Postdocs

On December 9, 2013, the New York Academy of Sciences and PepsiCo will host a special Journey through Science Day at the Academy's headquarters in New York City. Fifty exceptional students and early career scientists (MS, PhD, postdoc) will be selected for this unique opportunity to interact with PepsiCo's R&D leadership, learn about their efforts to develop products rooted in science-based nutrition, and get an exclusive glimpse of how science has shaped their careers. Additionally, each participant will be asked to present a poster on their research to highlight and share their own activities and interests with PepsiCo. 

For more information about the agenda or for application information, please visit

www.nyas.org/PepsiCO

We are looking to invite individuals with experience in the following key areas:

• Life Sciences: Nutrition, Biochemistry, Toxicology, Biology, and Pharmacology

• Engineering: Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Plastics Engineering, Packaging Engineering

• Food Science: Food Science specialties, Agriculture and Analytical Chemistry

• Material Science: Material Science, Polymer Science

We invite graduate students and postdocs to apply by submitting an application form to sciencealliance@nyas.org. Early submissions are strongly encouraged.Applicants should label the subject line of their emails "December Career Day". Limited travel awards will be handled on a case-by-case basis in order to facilitate national and international participation. 

**Application Deadline: September 16, 2013** http://www.nyas.org/pepsicoapplication