Postdoctoral Researcher: Mountain Pine Beetle Transcriptomics
The mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae; MPB) is an emerging
model system for studying the effects of climate change. Research in this
system is occurring at the interface between applied ecology, evolutionary
genomics, and climate-change modeling. Utah State University has long
been a center for MPB-related field research, climate-based modeling
efforts, and quantitative genetic experiments. Utah State University has
recently developed collaboration with the University of Notre Dame to
assess transcriptional variance related to important temperature-dependent
fitness traits of MPB using next-generation sequencing technology
(Roche/454). These fitness traits vary with latitude and temperature, and
are critical components of MPB population outbreak dynamics.
We are seeking a creative and highly motivated postdoctoral researcher
with an interest in the interface between Applied Ecology and Genomics to
fill a unique position with involvement at two campuses: Utah State
University (USU) and the University of Notre Dame (ND). The researcher
will be based at USU (where tissues will be prepared), but will also spend
time at ND (where transcriptome sequencing will be performed). The
specific allocation of time and effort among campuses will be decided
jointly by the researcher and faculty at both campuses. Specific
responsibilities will include: 1) organizing and preparing tissues for
analysis in collaboration with USU faculty and the USDA Rocky Mountain
Research Station, 3) data processing and synthesis, and 4) publication of
results.
Candidates for this position must have earned a PhD in molecular biology,
evolutionary genetics, entomology (with a molecular or evolutionary
biology focus), or related field by the time of appointment. Candidates
must demonstrate organizational skills, independence, and communication
skills (written and verbal). Preference will be given to candidates with
experience in RNA extraction and the analysis of transcriptome data, and
ecological application of these data. The position is funded for up to
two years. The candidate will be encouraged to work collaboratively
through USU and/or ND on grant proposals extending the position. The
successful applicant will benefit from interactions with USU researchers
in the Ecology Center (http://www.usu.edu/ecology), the USDA Rocky
Mountain Research Station, the Center for Integrated BioSystems (
http://biosystems.usu.edu), and in the newly established Genomics and
Bioinformatics Core Facilities in the Eck Institute of Global Health at ND
(http://globalhealth.nd.edu).
Inquires should be directed to Karen Mock (karen.mock(a)usu.edu), Barbara
Bentz (bbentz(a)fs.fed.us) or Michael Pfrender at ND (
Michael.Pfrender.1(a)ND.edu). Applicants will be asked to submit a cover
letter detailing their interest and qualifications for this position,
contact information for three references, and up to 2 representative
publications.
Salary will range up to $45,000 year, plus benefits, depending upon
experience and qualifications. Utah State University is an Affirmative
Action/Equal Opportunity Employer, and seeks to attract and retain a
highly qualified and diverse faculty and staff.
Barbara J. Bentz
Research Entomologist
USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station
860 N. 1200 E. Logan, UT 84321
435-755-3577 (office)
435-890-3186 (mobile)
435-755-3563 (fax)
bbentz(a)fs.fed.us
www.usu.edu/beetle/
Greetings forest entomology colleagues!
Registration is now open for the upcoming IUFRO meeting, "Population
dynamics, biological control, and integrated management of forest
insects", in Eberswalde, Germany, 12-16 Sept., 2010. Please visit:
http://www.forestinsects.org/iufro/eberswalde
If you are planning to attend the meeting, you will need to:
1) click on "Registration" and follow the instructions to enter your name
and contact information, then follow the instructions to transfer funds to
cover your registration fee.
2) click on "Accommodations" and follow the instructions to reserve a room
3) optionally click on "Abstracts" and follow the instructions to submit
an abstract for either a poster or oral presentation
I'm quite excited about this meeting. It is the inaugural meeting of the
new IUFRO working party 7.03.13: "Biological control of forest insects and
pathogens" which is meeting jointly with working parties 7.03.06
"Integrated management of forest defoliating insects" and 7.03.07
"Population dynamics of forest insects". Secondly, the site of the
meeting, Eberswalde is a beautiful town near Berlin and has a rich history
related to the origins both forestry and IUFRO. Thirdly, the local
organizer, Andreas Linde, is preparing an incredible program including a
possible evening scenic boat trip along the historic Finow canal as well
as a fascinating all-day excursion to nearby forestry research field
locations. No doubt this will be another important gathering of the world
forest entomology community and we will continue our tradition of building
international cooperation and collaboration.
I hope to see you there...
-Sandy
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Andrew Liebhold 304-285-1512
Northern Research Station 304-285-1505 FAX
USDA Forest Service 724-317-8668 mobile
180 Canfield St. aliebhold(a)fs.fed.us
Morgantown, WV26505 USA http://sandyliebhold.com
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Hello All,
There are several assistantships available in my lab. Please forward
the attached announcement to those who may be interested. Sorry for any
duplicates you may receive.
Cheers,
--
John J. Riggins, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Forest Entomology
Box 9775
Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology
Mississippi State University
Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762-9775
Ph: (662)-325-2984
F: (662)-325-8837
jriggins(a)entomology.msstate.edu
6th Western Hazard Tree Workshop: June 15-17, 2010
First Announcement
To: All parties interested in hazard tree management
From: Pete Angwin, Plant Pathologist, USDA Forest Service, Redding, CA (
pangwin(a)fs.fed.us, or by phone at 530-226-2436)
Plan now for the next Western Hazard Tree Workshop, to be held in Medford,
Oregon, during the week of June 14, 2010! The meeting site will be at the
USDA Forest Service's J. Herbert Stone Nursery in Central Point. Lodging
is available in a variety of hotels in Medford. As with the previous five
workshops, the intended audience includes pest specialists,
arboriculturists and other professionals who have responsibilities for
providing training and guidance in hazard tree management, particularly in
forested settings.
There will be one and a half days of indoor discussions and presentations
and one and a half days in the field. Indoor topics include: Roadside
Danger Tree Policies and Assessment; Biology and Taxonomy of Wood Decay
Fungi; Oak Defects, Decays and Failures; Options For Not Removing Hazard
Trees; Effects of Pruning on Douglas-fir; Illusions and Consequences in
Tree-Risk Assessment- When Law and Arboriculture Collide; Powerlines,
Wildfires and Tree Failures: School Fire Case Study; and Decay From
Phellinus pini: Case Studies and Lessons Learned. An evening poster
session/social/decay fungus identification workshop/hazard tree photo
contest will also be featured.
The field portion of the workshop will include visits to sites in the
southern Oregon Cascades on the Rogue River-Siskiyou and Winema National
Forests, with one stop in the Rogue Valley at the J. Herbert Stone
Nursery. We'll see and discuss a number of hazard tree situations and
topics including: decline and failure in native oaks, indicators used in
the USDA Forest Service Region 6 roadside danger tree program, the danger
of laminated root rot in a recreation site, concerns with decline in
specimen legacy trees, and hazard potential in heavily-used developed
sites in older true fir stands.
Please check the workshop website for details:
www.fs.fed.us/foresthealth/technology/htwc/index.htm Right now, the web
site contains the workshop agenda, lodging and other general information.
Registration information will be posted on the site by March 15, and at
that time you will be able to register either by VISA or check.
Registration will be $225 through April 30th, and will be $255 after that
date. Guest field trip tickets will be available at a nominal price.
Please note: Due to meeting room and field trip capacity limitations, the
workshop will be limited to the first 88 paid registrants.
Also- If you would like to bring a poster to present at the evening poster
session/social/decay fungus identification workshop, please contact
Kristen Chadwick at klchadwick(a)fs.fed.us, or by phone at (503) 668-1474.
I look forward to seeing you all in June!!!
********************************************
Pete Angwin
Plant Pathologist
N. CA Shared Service Area
(530) 226-2436, FAX (530) 226-2485
e-mail: pangwin(a)fs.fed.us
********************************************
Dear colleagues,
Please find an attached announcement for a graduate school
opportunity (forest entomology/biological control) at Virginia Tech.
If you know of a strong candidate who might be interested, please
pass it on to them. Thank you.
Apologies if you get duplicate messages.
Scott
--
**************************************************************************
Scott M. Salom, Ph.D.
Professor of Forest Entomology
216 Price Hall
Dept. of Entomology phone: 540-231-2794
Virginia Tech fax: 540-231-9131
Blacksburg, VA 24061-0319
**************************************************************************
Professional Homepage:
http://web.ento.vt.edu/ento/personalPage.jsp?uuid=814879
Dept. Homepage: http://web.ento.vt.edu/ento
**************************************************************************
Dear colleagues,
A PhD position is available at the Department of Ecology, SLU, Uppsala. The project is aimed at investigating the interactions between ants and pine weevils. The full announcement can be found below, or via this link:
http://www.slu.se/?id=1123&Utbildningsplatser_id=488
I would be grateful if you could forward this information to potential candidates.
Cheers,
Niklas Björklund
Department of Ecology in Ultuna
1 PhD student in the research education subject: Biology
Interactions between ants and pine weevils: effects on forest regenerations
Swedish forests are generally managed by clearcutting followed by planting of conifer seedlings. A constant problem is that the seedlings are frequently killed by adult pine weevils feeding on the stem bark. This damage causes large economic losses for Swedish forestry. Therefore, considerable research efforts are made to find ways to counteract the damage. Part of this research is aiming to obtain better knowledge about factors causing the large variation in damage levels that are observed between and also within clearcuts. Recent observations show that the presence of ants can reduce the risk of damage to seedlings. This PhD study aims to investigate to what extent ants can prevent feeding by pine weevil on conifer seedlings and how the presence of ants affects movement patterns and spatial distributions of pine weevil in forest regenerations. The PhD student will investigate behavioral patterns and the effects of these in physical interactions between pine weevil individuals and different species of ants. How the presence of ants affect feeding and spatial distribution of pine weevils will be studied in field experiments. How the densities of ants varies in time and space and how vegetation and other site factors affect the abundance of ants will also be studied. The results of the study are expected to help us better understand the variation of damage levels and may therefore underpin future strategies for pine weevil pest management. The PhD study is part of the Swedish Hylobius Research Program, dealing with pest management of the pine weevil (Hylobius abietis). This research program is funded by the Swedish forestry sector 2010-2014 (see http://www2.ekol.slu.se/snytbagge). The PhD student will be offered to participate in the graduate school: Ecology – its basics and applications.
Qualifications
Applicants should have a Masters degree (or equivalent) in biology, forest science or similar subjects with emphasis on ecology. Advanced level knowledge in some the subjects behavioral ecology, population ecology, insect ecology, plant ecology and forest management are qualifying. Also, skills in planning and statistically analyzing experiments as well as experience of ecological field work and of GIS will be of merit. The applicant should have the ability to work both independently and in a team, and to communicate well in written and spoken English. Driving license is necessary.
Forms for funding or employment
Employment as PhD student 4 years
SLU is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
A person has basic eligibility for third level education if he or she has taken a second level qualification or has completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, including at least 60 higher education credits at second level.
Those who met the requirements for general eligibility before July 1st, 2007, i.e. had completed a programme of higher education for at least 180 Higher education credits or the equivalent, will continue to do so until the end of 2015."
Selection among applicants meeting the requirements is made with reference to written application including curriculum vitae, copies of degrees and transcripts of academic records, one copy of the dissertation for masters or undergraduate degree, a list of at least two references familiar with the applicant's qualifications, certified knowledge of the English language and an interview.
Read more about the PhD education in the Handbook for postgraduate students
Read about the PhD education at SLU at www.slu.se/PhD<http://www.slu.se/PhD>
Use this APPLICATION FORM
Further information: Professor Göran Nordlander, Goran.Nordlander(a)ekol.slu.se<mailto:Goran.Nordlander@ekol.slu.se>, +46 (0)18 67 23 65
Academic union representatives
SACO Lars Eriksson +46 (0)18 673 137
SEKO Peter Syrjänen +46 (0)18 67 10 57
ST Monica Östman +46 (0)18 671 536
PhD-student commissioner
Monika Appel, 018-67 15 60, doktorandombudsmannen(a)sluss.nu<mailto:doktorandombudsmannen@sluss.nu>
Applications, marked with ref no 251-346/10, must have arrived at the Registrar of SLU, P.O. Box 7070, S- 750 07 Uppsala or registrator(a)slu.se<mailto:registrator@slu.se> no later than 2010-03-01
¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤ø,
Niklas Björklund, Ph.D.
Dept of Ecology
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
P.O. Box 7044, S-750 07 Uppsala, SWEDEN Delivery address: Ullsväg 16
E-mail: Niklas.Bjorklund(a)ekol.slu.se
Phone: +46 18 672879
Cell phone: +46 70 5082879
http://www.ekol.slu.se/ShowPage.cfm?OrgenhetSida_ID=9110http://www2.ekol.slu.se/snytbagge/index.phphttp://www2.ekol.slu.se/granbarkborre/
Dear colleagues,
On behalf of two Ph.D. students I would like to ask you for assistance
of their Ph.D. projects!
For molecular / population studies on Mycosphaerella dearnessii
(anamorph Lecanosticta acicola), the causal agent of brown spot needle
blight of pine species (Pinus spp.), we would be interested to obtain
isolates / populations of isolates of this fungus and/or pine needles
infected by M. dearnessii (preferably with conidiomata and/or ascomata
pesent). In the latter case the isolations would be done by the Ph.D.
candidates themselves.
The work will be done as part of the Ph.D. theses of Marion Kessler
(marion.kessler(a)bfw.gv.at ) at the Institute of Forest Entomology,
Forest Pathology and Forest Protection (IFFF), University of Natural
Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), Austria (advisors:
Erhard Halmschlager, Thomas Cech & Christian Stauffer) and Josef
Janousek (janousek.jose(a)gmail.com) at the Faculty of Forestry and Wood
Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic (advisors: Libor
Jankovsky & Christian Stauffer).
Isolates and samples from all parts of the world would be very welcome!
Of particular high interest are isolates from North, Central and South
America. This is because the fungus is suspected to be native there and
for comparisons of putative native versus introduced fungal populations
American isolates would be essential. Brown spot is a common and
important disease of Pinus palustris and other Pinus spp. in the
south-east and central USA, so we hope that US colleagues will be
willing to help in providing isolates/samples.
But isolates/samples from other parts of the world, especially also
from Asia, would be also very valuable. So far Marion and Josef have a
good collection of isolates from several parts of Europe, but additional
European material would also be good and can only strengthen the planned
work.
The EPPO diagnostic protocol for Mycosphaerella dearnessii contains a
lot of useful information on diagnosing the disease and it also includes
a number of excellent photographs of the symptoms:
http://www.eppo.org/QUARANTINE/fungi/Mycosphaerella_dearnessii/pm7-46%281%2…
In addition, Josef Janusek prepared a page with a few photos of
symptoms of brown spot needle blight:
http://picasaweb.google.cz/pepino96/BrownSpotNeedleBlightOfPines#
If you are able and willing to help, please contact me. Marion Kessler
and Josef Janusek will then provide you with further information
(details for sampling, sending, import permit, etc.). Please do not
hesitate to contact me in the case you have any further questions.
Thank you very much in advance for your help! Your assistance will be
invaluable and very much appreciated!
With best regards,
Thomas Kirisits
____________________________________________________________
Dr. Thomas Kirisits
Institut für Forstentomologie, Forstpathologie und Forstschutz
Department für Wald- und Bodenwissenschaften
Universität für Bodenkultur (BOKU)
Hasenauerstraße 38
A-1190 Wien
Österreich
Tel.: (++43) (1) 368-24-33
Fax: (++43) (1) 368-24-33 oder (++43) (1) 368-63-52-97
e-mail: thomas.kirisits(a)boku.ac.at
Homepage: http://ifff.boku.ac.at/
Institute of Forest Entomology, Forest Pathology and Forest Protection
Department for Forest and Soil Sciences
BOKU - University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences
Hasenauerstrasse 38
A-1190 Vienna
Austria
Tel.: (++43) (1) 368-24-33
Fax: (++43) (1) 368-24-33 or (++43) (1) 368-63-52-97
e-mail: thomas.kirisits(a)boku.ac.at
Homepage: http://ifff.boku.ac.at/
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Please accept our invitation to attend the 72nd annual meeting of the
Northeastern Forest Pest Council. The meeting will be held at the beautiful
York Harbor Inn, York Harbor, Maine, 16-17 March 2010. This year, the
meeting will return to the traditional half day meeting on Tuesday and full
day meeting on Wednesday. The Executive Committee has prepared a
preliminary agenda, which is attached for your information. Changes in
titles and speakers will be reflected in the final agenda that will be
handed-out at the meeting. A limited number of easels for posters will be
provided. Information on lodging at the Inn, meeting registration, student
symposium, and field trips are included in the attachment to this email.
We hope to see you there,
Dave Mausel, NEFPC Secretary/Treasurer
(413) 577-2478
UMASS-Amherst
dmausel(a)psis.umass.edu
Please find attached flyers for a PhD scholarship AND a Post Doctoral
Fellowship to work on various aspects of pest management in pine
plantations in Australia.
The project has three main components: (i) field survey and insect
rearing work to investigate the severity of ips bark beetle damage and
the extent to which it is adversely affecting the current program of
nematode-based biological control of sirex wood wasp (ii) laboratory
studies of the interactions between ips bark beetle, sirex wood wasp and
the fungi and nematodes associated with each (iii) laboratory and field
experiments on possible pest management strategies to reduce the impact
of ips bark beetle. The split of components between the PhD and
postdoctoral fellow will be negotiated according to the background of
the preferred applicants.
Both positions are open to overseas applicants.
If you are interested I can forward you the grant application that was
submitted to win the funds for the project, or feel free to email me
with any queries.
I apologise if you receive this message multiple times due to the 3
mailing lists.
Regards
Angus
Dr Angus J Carnegie | Principal Research Scientist - Forest Health
Primary Industries, Biosecurity Research | Industry & Investment NSW |
Forest Science Centre
121-131 Oratava Ave West Pennant Hills NSW 2125 | PO Box 100 Beecroft
NSW 2119 | Australia
T: 02 9872 0131 | F: 02 9871 6941 | M: 0429 453859 | E:
angus.carnegie(a)industry.nsw.gov.au
W: www.industry.nsw.gov.au <http://www.industry.nsw.gov.au/> |
www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/research/forestry
<http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/research/forestry>
DISCLAIMER:
This Email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorised review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply Email and destroy all copies as well as the original message. All views expressed in this Email are those of the sender, except where specifically stated otherwise, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Forests NSW.
Folks,
As I believe, we can not separate the insects from the fungi they
facilitate (or vice versa), this pathologist has gone over to the dark
side and begun to study entomology. So this amateur entomologist has a
question for the professional entomologists: "What volatile fungicide can
I add to my relaxing chamber to prevent the growth of fungi ?"
Yours,
Dr. Martin MacKenzie, Forest Pathologist
Southern Sierra Shared Service Area
(209) 532 3671 ext 242
Stanislaus National Forest
19777 Greenley Road
Sonora, CA 95370
qui docet discit
