News The Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources

The Rubenstein School
of Environment and Natural Resources
News
Vol. XXXII, No. 2, November 2010, The University of Vermont, http://www.uvm.edu/rsenr/
Twenty-Seventh Annual Rubenstein Graduate
Research Symposium a Success
The Rubenstein School News,
published monthly from October through May, is one of the
school’s primary vehicles for
keeping students, faculty, and
staff informed. We publish
news and highlight coming
events, student activities, and
natural resources employment
opportunities. Copies are
available in the first floor mail
room, 12 Hills Building.
http://www.uvm.edu/rsenr
Editor:
Pamela Johnston
[email protected]
Last month, the great work of second-year
Masters students was highlighted as part of the
annual Graduate Research Symposium. Topics
included wildlife and forest science, water
resource science, environmental planning, and
human dimensions of management. PhD students
Jon Katz, Anna Mika, Liz Mills and Nathan Reigner
acted as Moderators.
Presenter Mike Olson summed it up when he said,
―the Symposium was a great opportunity to prac- Ben Griffith presents “Distributional Patterns in
tice my scientific communication skills and to
Two Related Forest Songbirds”
share my work in a friendly setting. Plus, the food
was really good.‖
Amanda Egan presents “Forest Carbon Projects in
the Carpathian Mountain Region of Ukraine”
Academic Specialist Yolanda Jordan and
Symposium Coordinator Carolyn Goodwin
Kueffner celebrate as the reception begins
ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS:
 Fulbright student invited to
national event, p. 3
 Greening of Aiken update,
p. 5
 Focus on Grad Research:
Rebecca Tharp, p. 6
 Focus on Undergrad Internship: Helen Birk, p. 7
 Rubenstein Stewards
Program, p. 8
 Centennial Woods BioBlitz,
p. 10
Rebecca Gorney displays the
coveted chocolate mousse at the
reception.
Rubenstein students Jean
Lee, Tom Saelli and Ken
Brown compare notes
Good food, good company:
students & staff schmooze
at the event
Charlie Bettigole shares his work on
“Structured Decision Making and
Land Use Planning in Vermont”
2
The Rubenstein School News
THE RUBENSTEIN SCHOOL IN ACTION
PUBLICATIONS
Manning, R. and D. Krymkowski. 2010. Standards of
Quality for Parks and Protected Areas. International Journal of Sociology 40(3): 11-29.
Murdoch, J., and S. Buyandelger. 2010. An account of
badger diet in an arid steppe region of Mongolia. Journal
of Arid Environments 74:1348-1350.
PRESENTATIONS
Donna Parrish, Ellen Marsden, and graduate student
Seth Herbst recently attended the annual conference of
the American Fisheries Society in Pittsburgh, PA, Sept.
12-16. Seth presented part of his thesis work in a talk
entitled "The lake whitefish population in Lake Champlain:
past and present", co-authored with Ellen Marsden. Ellen
presented a talk on "The decline of fish populations and
fisheries in Lake Champlain: an historic review",
co-authored by Richard Langdon.
Stephanie Kaza presented at two conferences:
"Sustainability Studies: An Entreprenerial
Approach" at the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), Denver, Colorado, October 12, 2010; and "Healing Ecology: A Buddhist Eco-Philosophical Response" at the American Academy of Religion, Atlanta, Georgia, October 31, 2010.
Tom Hudspeth made several presentations this fall:
―From Environmental Education to Sustainability Education.‖ North American Association for Environmental
Education Conference, Buffalo, NY, 29 September2 October 2010.
T. Hudspeth, J. Cirillo, and C. McQuillen, ―Strategies for
Linking Schools with Communities for a Sustainable
Future.‖ North American Association for Environmental
Education Conference, Buffalo, NY, 29 September2 October 2010.
―Campus-Community Partnerships for a Sustainable
Future: Service-Learning Courses, with a Case Study of
Partnerships with the Intervale Center.‖ Association for
the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education
Conference, Denver, CO, 10-12 October 2010.
―Storytelling about Positive Role Models to Work toward
Sustainable Futures.‖ New England Environmental Education Alliance Conference, Fairlee, VT., 21-23 October
2010.
Diane Elliott Gayer. Oral presentation. "Masozera
House: Prototype for the environment and socio-political
context of Rwanda" and Poster "Tradition in Being Green:
Transforming Place through Community Engagement" at
16th CONGRESS of l'Union International des Femmes
Architectes (UIFA) in Seoul, Korea. October, 2010. Diane
Gayer is USA representative to UIFA.
AWARDS
Undergraduate students Joshua Carrera and Kellie McMahon (both class of 2012) were awarded prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarships. The Gilman is a nationally-competitive award given to accomplished students who wish to
study abroad. Joshua received the scholarship to study in Ecuador this semester; Kellie received the award to study in
Tanzania.
IN THE NEWS
Ellen Marsden was recently interviewed by Madeline Bodin for an article on sea lamprey that appeared
in the Sept. 26 edition of the Rutland Herald.
The whitefish research being conducted by graduate student Seth Herbst and faculty member Ellen Marsden was
highlighted in an article by Candace Page in the Burlington Free Press on Friday, Oct. 15.
The Rubenstein School News
3
Rubenstein Graduate Student Speaks with Bill and Melinda Gates
Hajra Atiq, Fulbright Fellow from Pakistan and second year Masters student, was selected by the U.S. State Department to be one of five participants to attend a ceremony honoring Bill and Melinda Gates. The Fulbright Association
presented the 2010 Fulbright Prize for International Understanding to the Gates‘ for their philanthropic work to address
challenges of health, education, scientific innovation and leadership. The prize was presented on October 15th at the
Library of Congress. Bill and Melinda Gates are the first Fulbright prize laureates with backgrounds in business and
philanthropy. They are also the first couple to receive the prize.
From left to right: Bill Gates, Melinda Gates, Hajra Atiq, Emmanuel Donkor, John Alexis Guerra Gómez,
Taile Leswifi, Mustafa Mashal. Photo by Carolina Osorio.
The prize ceremony was followed by a question and answer session in which five current Foreign Fulbright Fellows
posed a question to Mr. and Mrs. Gates about their work and aspirations. Hajra‘s question to the prize recipients
was about the devastating floods in Pakistan and how to deal with the numerous challenges of health, education and
resettlement that are ahead. Melinda Gates spoke for the Gates Foundation and talked about the initial relief efforts
made by their foundation and their plans to follow this humanitarian issue more closely in order to address the looming
polio issue in the flood stricken communities. She underscored the importance of preparing for natural disasters ahead
of time and also dealing with the upcoming challenges of livelihoods, vaccinations and education. The other Fulbright
Fellows who participated in the event represented the countries of Ghana, Colombia, South Africa and Afghanistan
and are pursuing their graduate studies in the United States. Their discussion with the Gates revolved around health
and sanitation issues, technology and social change, and peace and international understanding. Reflecting on the
experience, Hajra says, "I am moved by the belief of the Gates Foundation that 'All lives have equal value' and their
optimism as they work on some of the most challenging issues that the world faces today."
Hajra is pursuing her degree in Natural Resources focusing on Environment, Society and Public Affairs. The ceremony
was streamed over the internet, and Hajra‘s family was able to watch it live from Pakistan.
Read more about the event at:
http://www.fulbright.org/about-us/news/visiting-fulbright-fellows-participate-fulbright-prize-ceremony-honor-bill-andmelinda
4 The Rubenstein School News
News from the Park Studies Lab
Bob Manning Receives Award from Clemson University
Clemson University presented Bob Manning with the
Benton H. Box Award on Wednesday, September
29th. Benton Box was a long time and influential
Clemson Dean. The award is given ―for recognition
as a teacher who by precept and example inspires in
students the quest for knowledge and encourages
curriculum innovation to inculcate an ‗environmental
ethic‘ as the rule of conduct.‖ The award is presented
annually as part of the George B. Hartzog Environmental Awards Program. Hartzog was Director of the
National Park Service from 1964 through 1972. Four
former Directors of the National Park Service took part
in this year‘s award ceremony.
From left to right: Dean Emeritus Ben Box, Dean Larry Allen,
Bob Manning, Clemson President Jim Baker.
Special Issue of the International Journal of Sociology addresses Parks and Outdoor Recreation
Bob Manning and Dan Krymkowski of the UVM Department of Sociology guest-edited a special issue of the International Journal of Sociology. The issue was devoted to the topic of ―Social Science Applied to Parks and Outdoor
Recreation.‖ Among the social sciences supporting park and outdoor recreation, sociology is probably the most
prominent. A number of early papers on parks and outdoor recreation
were published in sociology journals, and such journals continue to
periodically publish papers in this applied field. However, the field of
parks and outdoor recreation has developed a number of its own journals and these publish many papers that draw on theory and methods
of sociology and the social sciences more broadly. Moreover, this
type of research has recently been extended beyond the U.S. and
Canada to other regions of the developed and developing world. The
special issue of the International Journal of Sociology was developed
to illustrate these trends and the ways in which sociology and the social sciences more broadly are contributing to our knowledge about
outdoor recreation and informing management of parks and outdoor
recreation areas. The issue includes six papers that are diverse in
their theoretical approach, empirical methods, and geographic focus.
Bob and Dan solicited contributions through a call for papers, conducted a review process, prepared an introduction to the special issue, and contributed a paper on the work of the Park Studies Lab addressing standards of quality in U.S. National Parks.
The Rubenstein School News
5
News from the Spatial Analysis Lab (SAL)
The SAL was awarded a grant by Sandia National Laboratories to
develop a comprehensive high-resolution land cover dataset for the
Washington DC—Baltimore corridor. This land cover dataset, once
complete, will be 900 times more detailed than those currently available. The data will be used for a broad range of
activities ranging from improving urban heat island models to examining the green infrastructure connectivity.
The SAL completed Urban Tree Canopy Assessments for the Town of Forest Heights in Maryland, the Abingtons
region in Pennsylvania, and the Peel region in Canada. All three communities are actively using the information from
the assessment to revise their urban forestry plans and identify locations for tree plantings.
GREENING OF AIKEN UPDATE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dean‘s office
Can you guess where in Aiken this photo was taken? Answer on page 12...
6 The Rubenstein School News
FOCUS ON GRADUATE RESEARCH:
REBECCA THARP
Global freshwater access is a growing concern as sources
are increasingly being depleted and polluted. For those
living in rural and lesser developed regions of the world,
the significance of simple and effective methods for the
treatment of drinking water at a small scale is paramount to
survival and good health. Water treatment methodologies
embraced by the industrialized world at the municipal scale
include techniques which can be both financially and ecologically costly. The use of chlorine as a systemic disinfectant of drinking water could reasonably be credited with the
drastic reduction in water borne disease throughout the
industrialized world. However, the high cost, foreign sourcing and potential production of harmful byproducts makes it
a technique not appropriate for all settings, in particular for
those living in conditions and areas where access to such
chemicals is limited.
Interestingly, many fungal and plant species excrete
enzymes and acids which have been identified as antibacterial and antimicrobial agents. Research on the role of
particular plants in constructed wetlands identified several
species that excrete antibiotics from the root zone. Additionally, experimental trials using mushroom species to
treat farm runoff found similar results with what may be
different mechanisms. My work aims to identify if two
species, the edible oyster mushroom and an aquatic mint
species, could be useful in a low-tech application for the
disinfection of drinking water. By pairing well known slow
sand filtration technology with these higher plant and fungal species, I hope to find increased efficacy of the overall
system in reducing pathogenic bacterial populations. The
implications of such a discovery have wide reaching public
Karin boy in a Thai-based refugee camp holding his
bounty from a mushroom foraging expedition. Integrating
traditional knowledge with the scientific process may
prove to be a powerful combination in the ecological
design of water treatment systems.
Photo credit: Josh Kearns
Biosand filter units in Northern Thailand being used to hold up a
market tent instead of filtering water. Insufficient training and
information sharing often results in this kind of misused
technology.
health potential when we consider that 1.8 million deaths
per year are caused by diarrheal diseases linked to poor
drinking water quality (UN, 2010).
My experimental setup includes control biosand filters
and biosand filters with added higher fungal and plant communities. The influent and effluent of each system will be
analyzed for E. coli and total coliforms, and the presence of
some select enzymes and acidic excretions. The results of
these tests will be analyzed for any correlation between the
bacterial quality of the effluent and the identification of exudates expected to have an impact on water quality.
International development is increasingly being identified as a field where good intentions are not often met with
good outcomes. Failed development
projects in the form of latrines that are
ill-understood by community members
and are therefore unused, or technologies that aim to solve a problem but
instead become additional solid waste,
litter lesser developed regions of the
world where the arm of international aid
has reached. In an attempt to not add
to the glut of unused, misunderstood
Mentha aquatic plant
and poorly placed technologies
throughout the world, this work aims to identify ancient and
recognizable methods in drinking water treatment, namely
sand filtration, and pair it with widely available and well
known ecologically powerful partners for treatment improvement. In this way, relief and development work can
recognize the influence of information sharing and collaboration rather than simple technology transfer. This kind of
partnership building has the potential to be more powerful
than any single product and has the potential to ultimately
enable sustainable change.
The Rubenstein School News
7
FOCUS ON UNDERGRADUATE INTERNSHIP:
HELEN BIRK
When I received the news in April that I had landed an
internship as an entomology assistant for the summer, you
could say I had mixed feelings. I had never taken an entomology course before and wasn't too keen on spending a
summer knee-deep in bugs either, but I took the job anyway and ended up having the time of my life.
This internship was an opportunity created by the
Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center to give junior and
senior college students the chance to work and interact in
Maine State government. Each year they give out 40 internship positions to students in various departments of
government and place each student based on their intended major. I myself am an environmental science major
so I was placed in the Department of Conservation and
Maine Forest Service sector with two other interns with
majors in chemistry and marine biology. As you see, none
of us had much experience with bugs or trees so we were
selected mainly on our GPAs, general majors, and our
demonstration of being hard workers and easy learners in
our submitted resumes.
I was a little nervous about working for State government because in the back of my mind I was thinking that I
would have to be on my best behavior 24/7 and wear
dress clothes to work. Unfortunately for other interns
whose majors placed them in other departments, like the
Department of Labor, that did prove to be the case, but for
me I was placed in the forest service and entomology lab
that was full of character and great people.
When I first pulled up to the 1920s building and saw
how old it was with its
green asbestos siding, I thought to myself, ―You've got to be
kidding me.‖ But as I
climbed out of my car
and met the laid back
characters inside, the
building and the job
started to grow on me.
From the get-go we
were given a full plate
of tasks to try and
complete before the
summer was over that
were interesting and
challenging. The first
of these tasks was to
Bug costumes interns wore to
encourage interest in invasive insects and help a forester survey
to prevent people from moving firewood.
beech trees across
Maine for Beech Bark
Disease to determine if there was any relation to the density of the disease to where it was in the state of Maine.
We assisted a leading entomologist in Cerceris fumipennis
research
which is a
nonstinging
wasp that
is being
used as a
biosurveilHelen surveying for Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
lance tool
in the field.
to help
stop the invasive insect, the Emerald Ash Borer. We also
surveyed hemlock trees along the coast of Maine to identify the areas in which the invasive insect Hemlock Woolly
Adelgid had spread.
The worst task was searching through the ―Bug Stew‖
which almost made me vomit the first time I did it. This
involves searching through a collection of dead bugs in
alcohol which have been collected from traps in lumber
mills across Maine to identify what bugs are in that area.
Lumber mills are heavily surveyed because 80% of the
way that insects travel is through wood, whether it‘s firewood, lumber, or wood crates which is a huge problem
and reason behind the dispersal of invasive insects across
the world.
Our final project was to educate the public about safe
practices to help stop the movement of invasive insects
into and around Maine and to help people identify the invasive insects, Asian Longhorn Beetle and Emerald Ash
Borer. This project was the most fun and challenging because we had to go to campgrounds across Maine and
speak with campers directly and in a way that made them
want to listen and to not move firewood. This assignment
had its perks because we got to visit state parks and often
times had to spend the night and camp out which was also
a nice treat. The only unfortunate thing was that sometimes we had to wear bug costumes to draw attention to
ourselves and make people want to come up and talk to
us about invasive insects and firewood. It was a slightly
awkward experience at times but it was very helpful in getting the word out about firewood and drawing attention.
Overall this experience was very memorable and I
learned some very important facts about invasive insects
and how to stop their dispersal. I also learned important
skills in public speaking and effective communication, how
to conduct certain field studies, and how State government works. I would recommend this internship to anyone
who wants to learn something new and have a great time
in the outdoors. For more information go to the Margaret
Chase Policy Center website at http://mcspolicycenter.
umaine.edu and click on Student Opportunities or contact
me for more information at [email protected].
8
The Rubenstein School News
Rubenstein School Stewards
Hello there Rubenstein Community!
If you read last month‘s October edition of the Rubenstein School‘s newsletter, you may have already met the
Rubenstein Stewards, but for those of you who are out of the loop, we‘d like to introduce ourselves.
The Rubenstein Stewards are a group made up of six students who get together once a week in Hills 126 to
talk about what‘s been happening here in the Rubenstein School community in addition to all the awesome
goings-on in the greater Burlington community. We come together with ideas and projects focused on sustainability, environmental health and access to higher education. Essentially, we work to make our dream events
into realities.
Last month, we were so fortunate to be able to kickoff the Rubenstein Stewards Fall 2010 era with 10/10/10!
On October 10, 2010 at 10 am, all around the world, 188 countries united in a global work party in an effort to
return carbon emissions in the atmosphere back to a sustainable level; to finally get to work! In true RSENR
Steward style, aiding in the efforts to form a strong community, the Burlington event at Battery Park proved
that through the efforts of many, the strengthening of community and uniting under a common goal, no project
is too big.
Organizing a clothing swap from donations collected on campus, we set up our table surrounded by Burlington
partners including the well-known Ski Rack, Vermont‘s Progressive Party campaign, teachers‘ coalitions, an
incredible sustainable freezer initiative, a hopping solar bus, the talented Gordon Stone Band and various local
foods from City Market, Skinny Pancake and a local samosa vendor. But by far the most outstanding partner
by which we were surrounded was the magnificent view of Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains,
glistening in fall‘s colors under the sun. With all the donations and money received, we hope to help the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program and nearby second-hand clothing centers provide warm fall and winter
clothes to many in need this season.
Now that you know a little bit more
about us, you have to come visit!
Our office is located in Hills 126
and our doors are always open
(when we‘re there). If you‘d like
help on an upcoming Rubenstein
community project or if you have
any outreach ideas/questions,
please shoot us an e-mail at
[email protected]!!
Looking ahead: We‘re already
working on getting a new project
underway for November 14th:
Harvest Soup Day with COTS
(Committee on Temporary Shelter)! Thanks for getting to know us
and we look forward to hearing
from you.
Casey Clark, Esteban Cruz, Bekah Gordon & Ian Altendorfer are honored to be a part
of the global workparty of 10/10/10!
Sincerely,
The RSENR Stewards of 2010!
The Rubenstein School News
An invitation from the Green Forestry Education Initiative...
9
10
The Rubenstein School News
First Annual Centennial Woods BioBlitz
Flavio Sutti
A flying shadow appeared from the darkness and landed
on the tree just above us. We whispered to each other
and decided that the new organism that we had attracted, which was making the complex layers of night
shadows even more mysterious, was an owl. Its silhouette was too big to be a saw-wet owl, whose call we
were broadcasting to verify the presence of owls in Centennial Woods. This was in fact a barred owl, a new
species to add to our list of birds seen or heard during
our 14 hours in the woods. We were participating in the
first Centennial Woods BioBlitz, a study of all living organism in a small area. Our tally was up to 62 bird species – a positive result for this time of year and in such a
relatively small area like Centennial Woods.
kept similar, is that they allow for a better understanding
of the biodiversity of an area.
Around 30 people, including undergraduate students,
graduate students, professionals and faculty members,
were involved in the organization and conduction of the
BioBlitz. The first organism included in our list was the
spring peeper, whose chorus was heard from the parking
lot at the bottom of Carrigan Drive where the event table
and meeting spot was set up. Focusing on the different
taxa, groups went out for 2-3 hour surveys, tallying
plants, fungi, mammals, birds, fish, invertbrates, reptiles
and amphibians. At the table a participant was in charge
of a radio used to send and receive communication from
the groups and to direct newcomers to the location of
What better way to end the long day of data collection - a their group of interest. Using color coded maps with different habitats identified by different colors, people
new species and such a remarkable one. The owl call
that came out of the feathered silhouette made us
even more intrigued. It was
the confirmation that our
identification was correct.
―Who cooks for you, who
cooks for you all‖, is what a
barred owl seems to say to
human ears. It is not the
hooting call that we normally attribute to owls in
general, but something very
different. It was possible to
have had a hooting species
such as the great horned
owl in Centennial Woods,
but for the BioBlitz night we
had to satisfy ourselves with
the more onomatopoeic
sound of the barred owl. A
great treat anyway.
The Wildlife and Fisheries
Club of the University of
Vermont organized the
―First Centennial Woods
BioBlitz‖ event. A BioBlitz is
2010 Centennial Woods BioBlitz Enthusiasts
a field study in which expert
biologists join passionate volunteers in counting and recording all living organisms
moved within the borders of Centennial Woods recording
present in a specified area, usually a park or preserve,
the presence of all living organisms. If organisms were
during a set period of time. Normally the BioBlitz is a 24- unidentifiable in the field using field guide and group
hour deal in which activities are fervent during light and
members‘ expertise, enough of the organism (one indidark hours of the day. We settled for a dawn to dark, 6
vidual or parts of plants and fungi) was collected for inAM to 9 PM, time frame for practical and organizational
lab identification.
reasons, but we are already planning a full 24-hour blitz
for next year. The advantage of conducting these types Different methodologies were used to identify and count
of studies, in which season, location and time length are organisms. Fish were stunned with electricity and tem-
The Rubenstein School News
11
- Continued from previous page -
counts are closed, we tallied: 62 Birds, 9 herps (8 amphibians and 1 reptile), 17 mammals, and 3 species of
fish. 193 different plants were identified, including trees
porarily moved into buckets where they woke up from
the electric shock. Once the collection was completed, (39), herbaceous species (125), ferns (8), and shrubs
and vines (21). We certainly did not collect and identify
the fish were identified and put back in the Centennial
Brook. Birds were counted on the basis of sound, sight all of the
and tracks such as feathers. Mammal track traps were many
set the day before the BioBlitz with a scent lure to attract species
as many species as possible. On the counting day, the of fungi
that are
leveled and cleared area around the scent lures bore
present
the prints of the visiting raccoons, possums, or foxes.
Plenty of gray and red squirrels were seen in the woods in Centennial
but some more cryptic animals, like bats and flying
Woods,
squirrels, were heard. Bat noises were caught on tape
but we
with a sound recorder, able to pick up the ultrasound
were able
emitted by bats, called a bat-detector. Besides sight,
to name
smell and taste helped in the identification of fungi and
some plants. Be advised though, taste mushrooms and 17 different varieplant parts only if you know them well! Centennial
Wood frog (Rana sylvatica). Photo by
Woods is home to deadly poisonous mushroom such as ties to
Pamela Johnston.
species
the beautiful ―destroying angel‖ which is certainly not
level.
advisable to taste even if done for identification. Pit
traps were also set up to collect invertebrates, allowing
The BioBlitz of Centennial Woods was an exciting and
us to discover that, along with the several species of
insects that fell into the traps, raccoons also enjoyed the rewarding experience. The Wildlife and Fisheries Club
tasty treats used as bait. A few people spent time walk- was able to involve a good group of people and experts.
We still have more to work on, especially in broadening
ing in the water of the brook and beaver pond edges
the participation of people and involving the UVM and
looking for amphibians, and gently turning rocks
and leaf litter over to look for snakes and salamanders. Burlington community to a greater degree. Our goal is
to repeat the experience next year, when we will have
A week from the exciting day of the BioBlitz we are final- one year of practice on our shoulders and we will make
the event even better than it was already. See you all in
izing the count of all species. So far we have counted
and identified 322 species of organisms, but the count is the fall of 2011 for the Second Centennial Woods
BioBlitz.
bound to go up due to the many invertebrates that we
still have to classify. For the vertebrates, for which the
Gund Institute for Ecological Economics announces
open position at UVM: Professor of Ecological
Economics, and Director of the Gund Institute
The Gund Institute for Ecological Economics is a transdisciplinary research
center at the University of Vermont, administered by the Rubenstein School
and structured to encourage campus‐wide collaborations that study and develop solutions to society's most pressing challenges. The Gund Professor is an
endowed, tenured, 9‐month position, and also serves as the Director of the
Institute. The Director provides intellectual leadership for the Institute and works
with faculty and students of all of UVM's colleges and schools, as well as state,
national, and international organizations to develop the fields of ecological economics and design through practical systems analysis and problem‐solving. Review of applications will begin on
December 1, 2010, with an anticipated start date of September 1, 2011. See the Gund Institute website
www.uvm.edu/giee/ for more information, or contact Managing Director Jon Erickson at [email protected] or
802-656-2906.
HELP WANTED
The following is a sampling of positions that can be viewed from the Rubenstein School website. To read more about these,
as well as many others, visit http://www.uvm.edu/rsenr/employment/WebLinks%202007.htm.
INTERNSHIPS
Environmental Public Outreach Intern,
Chicago, Illinois
Biodiversity Project (www.biodiversityproject.org)
is looking for a hard-working intern who‘s interested in gaining firsthand experience performing
education and outreach tasks in a wellestablished environmental non-profit. Strong writing, research and verbal communication skills are
necessary. Applicants must work well independently and be able to meet deadlines. Ideal candidates will be passionate about the environment
and interested in both project management and
outreach. Send cover letter and resume to Rebecca Dill, [email protected].
Ocean Policy Intern
Washington, DC
The Marine Conservation Biology Institute‘s Government Affairs office in Washington DC works on
policy research and advocacy on a variety of marine issues. Possible internship activities include:
conducting research on US marine policy, setting
lobbying appointments with congressional
staffers, accompanying MCBI staff on lobby visits,
staying abreast of and briefing Staff on marine
conservation news and hot topics, preparing edu-
cational materials, and providing administrative
support. Desired qualifications include: commitment to the preservation of marine life and biological diversity, excellent research, writing, and communication and organization skills, substantive
education, knowledge or professional experience
in marine or environmental science or policy.
Internship runs Jan-May, 2011. Email [email protected]. Applications due by Wednesday,
November 3rd.
Policy Intern
Boston, MA
Save the Harbor/Save the Bay has an ongoing
interest in interns who are enthusiastic and interested in working on a variety of projects focused
on improving the water quality of the Boston Harbor. Tasks include water quality testing, data
analysis, communication and policy research.
Contact Lindsay Welch at
[email protected] or call 617-451-2860
x6 for more information.
Sustainability & Wilderness Leadership
Apprentice, Cherry Valley, NY
The Hawk Circle Wilderness Education program
is for passionate students who want to learn real
skills of wilderness and earth living at our educa-
tion center in Cherry Valley over a span of four
months. Apprentices live at our farmhouse, cut
firewood, help with chores in the garden, the land,
our youth programs and making crafts. They provide their own food throughout their stay here, but
there is no other cost involved with the program.
As an apprentice, you are able to choose the
areas you want to focus and learn, and are guided
in your learning over the weeks to begin to master
your new skills. Positions are available each season. Contact Hawk Circle via their website,
www.hawkcircle.com.
PROFESSIONAL
Teaming with Wildlife Program Associate,
Washington, DC.
The Teaming with Wildlife Program Associate
supports state fish and wildlife agency efforts to
implement and revise State Wildlife Action Plans.
Responsibilities include assisting and facilitating
communication between State Wildlife Action Plan
coordinators, conducting outreach and developing
partnerships with federal agencies and private
conservation organizations to improve support for
State Wildlife Action Plans. Read more at http://
www.fishwildlife.org/, or contact Mark Humpert at
[email protected].
Answer to “Greening of Aiken” photo mystery: View from Dean's Office Suite into faculty/staff lounge.
The UNIVERSITY of VERMONT
THE RUBENSTEIN SCHOOL OF ENVIRONMENT
AND NATURAL RESOURCES
George D. Aiken Center
81 Carrigan Drive
Burlington, VT 05405-0088