The USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, is offering an internship based in Fort Collins, CO, to focus on the effects of disturbance and climate change on the water and carbon cycles of high-elevation forests in the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah. This position requires an individual who is enthusiastic to conduct fieldwork in harsh mountainous environments while skilled in computer programming and statistics to produce and analyze high-quality ecological datasets, with an emphasis on eddy covariance flux measurements. The target candidate would be a recent M.S. graduate.
This internship is provided by Greening Youth Foundation, in cooperation with the USFS. After the successful completion of the 24-week internship, the intern will be eligible for non-competitive direct-hire authority with the USFS, with the anticipated opportunity for a permanent GS-9/11 Ecologist position at RMRS in Fort Collins.
The job application can be found here:
https://www2.jobdiva.com/portal/?a=ldjdnwzhb3gn6r5aaohezef1uz2q470438g5bn2i6dtfsrgcmasd093311hdu2jl&compid=0#/jobs/17843204
Duties:
Operate a network of meteorological and micrometeorological towers with tasks including tower climbing and maintenance, instrument installation, sensor calibration, datalogger programming, running solar powered systems, and data downloading.
Collect stream water, precipitation, air quality samples for laboratory analysis.
Assist with a network of ozone air monitoring sites across Colorado and Utah.
Collect physiological, biological, and ancillary data using leaf gas exchange measurements, respiration chambers, sap flux sensors, vegetation surveys, and forest dendrometric measurements.
Work in environments that can have extreme terrain (high-elevation, rugged, forested, post-fire), weather (lightning, snow, blizzard, avalanche), and accessibility (4WD-driving, hiking, snowcats and snowmobiles, snowshoes/skis) while carrying backpacks and equipment
Produce high-quality ecological and meteorological datasets including eddy-covariance fluxes of energy, water vapor, and carbon; sap-flux measurements of transpiration; leaf gas exchange measurements of photosynthesis and fluorescence.
Contribute to scientific papers, composing metadata, and archiving data.
Qualifications:
Degree in biology, or a related field of science underlying ecological research that included at least 30 semester hours in basic and applied biological sciences. These hours must have included at least 9 semester hours in ecology, and 12 semester hours in physical and mathematical sciences.
2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master’s degree or master’s equivalent related to the work of the position.
Skilled in computer programming using R, Matlab, python, or similar programming language.
Skilled in statistical analysis (i.e., ANOVA, regression, AIC, Bayesian statistics).
Knowledge and comfort in working in the outdoors under various weather conditions.
Benefits:
$750/week
$1,000/month Housing Stipend
Up to $2,750 available for Forest Service work travel, orientation, trainings, professional development opportunities that align with RA role and goals
$50/month commuting
Direct Hire Authority Eligibility after completing a minimum of 960 hours, DHA status provides special non-competitive hiring status when applying for Forest Service positions
Option for health insurance coverage during full-term