Wednesday, March 16, 2016

STEPPE Summer 2016 fellowships

The STEPPE Coordinating Office (steppe.org) champions support for research and education and facilitates the  development of integrated, collaborative projects for sedimentary geologists, stratigraphers, paleontologists, geochronologists, geochemists, and modelers who make up the community of researchers on the sedimentary crust.

All fellowship positions are for ten weeks during the summer and based at the Geological Society of America headquarters in Boulder, CO. Start and end dates are negotiable. Fellows must make their own travel and housing arrangements. Compensation is in the form of a grant in the amount of $10,000.

Application Deadline: April 25, 2016. To apply, send the following materials to Danielle Serratos (dserratos@steppe.org), please state which position you are applying for in the subject line of your email:
1) Cover letter identifying which position you are interested in and stating your interest in the position and what you can contribute to the program
2) Resume/CV
3) A short (<1000 word) writing sample
4) Contact information for three references
5) Official copies of college transcripts, mailed separately and postmarked by the deadline

Positions:
Science Communications
STEPPE seeks a graduate student with strong writing skills and an interest in communicating science to both the scientific community and the public. The science communication fellow will create and disseminate content for STEPPE and consortium member’s (AAPG, AGI, GSA, GSL, PS and SEPM) websites/blogs, social media channels and other venues. The fellow will research, write and edit research articles related to deep-time sedimentary geology news and research. Ideally, this person will extend topics of articles into social media posts and STEPPE forum topics. The fellow will have the opportunity to participate in the upcoming GSA Annual Meeting and Congressional Visits Day. Strong research, writing and editing skills required.
Background/training/education in journalism and/or science writing a plus. Geoscience experience preferred. Strong knowledge of social media desired.

Education and Outreach
STEPPE seeks a graduate student with a strong interest in the development of collaborative projects focused on education, outreach and workforce development. The fellow will work closely with the STEPPE team, consortium members, and collaborators to further develop education and outreach programs and materials focused on early career professionals, K-16 students and teachers. In addition, the fellow will work to further develop the STEPPE online education and outreach group and will have the opportunity to participate in the upcoming GSA Annual Meeting and Congressional Visits Day.
Geoscience background and strong interpersonal and organizational skills required. Background/training/education in informal or formal education, and/or pedagogy is highly sought after and should be outlined in the cover letter.

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Paleontology Summer Internships AMNH

The Division of Paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History is offering a small number of full-time, 8-week internships for graduate or undergraduate students in geology, invertebrate paleontology, life sciences, museum studies, or related fields (June 27, 2016 start). The interns will participate in an IMLS-funded project to curate the Mapes collection in the Invertebrate Paleontology department at AMNH.

The interns will work with collection management staff to rehouse, conserve, catalog and database specimens. A stipend will be provided as support over the internship period. Applicants should be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree course, or about to apply to a graduate course in invertebrate paleontology, life sciences, museum studies, or related fields. Ability to work with paleontological research collections, ability to perform tasks requiring physical strength and high manual dexterity, proficiency in the use of Mac and PC based software, good organizational, excellent interpersonal skills, and ability to work independently. Experience working in museum collections a plus.

Applications must be received no later than April 1, 2016. Interested parties should apply online:
careers.amnh.org/applicants/Central?quickFind=51978

Due to the high volume of applications, we cannot respond to email inquiries about application status. Applicants will only receive notification if they qualify for an interview.


A description of the Mapes collection at the AMNH can be found here:
http://www.amnh.org/our-research/paleontology/collections/fossil-invertebrates/royal-mapes-collection
A summary of the IMLS-funded project to curate the Mapes collection can be found here:


Friday, March 4, 2016

Associate Professorship of Palaeobiology: Oxford, UK

The University of Oxford seeks to appoint an Associate Professor in Palaeobiology from 1 September 2016 or as soon as possible thereafter. The successful candidate will work at the Department of Earth Sciences and will hold a Tutorial Fellowship at St Hugh’s College. The appointment will be initially for 5 years at which point, upon completion of a successful review, the postholder will be eligible for reappointment to the retiring age.
We welcome applications from scientists working in the broad area of palaeobiology whose research expertise complements existing strengths in the department and within departments and museums elsewhere in the University of Oxford. The successful candidate will be carrying out research within the broad range of disciplines related to palaeobiology and the fossil record, including research using modern biological approaches to study of the past. The successful candidate will have a doctorate in the field of palaeobiology, palaeontology, or a related subject, and evidence of substantial research accomplishment and potential in the field of palaeobiology or related areas. The main duties of the post are to carry out research at an international level, to secure research funding, to teach, supervise and examine undergraduate and postgraduate students, and to participate in and contribute to the administration of the department. The appointee will be a Fellow of St Hugh’s College and will have responsibility for the teaching of earth sciences within the college, including relevant administrative work and undergraduate admissions.
For further information,  can be found hereApplications should be addressed to the Department HR Manager, Emma Smith (emma.smith@earth.ox.ac.uk). Enquiries about the post should be addressed to the Head of Department, Professor Gideon Henderson (email: gideon.henderson@earth.ox.ac.uk or tel: 01865 282123).
The closing date for applications is 12.00 midday on Monday 4 April 2016. Interviews will be held on 26 April 2016 in Oxford.

2 week summer fellowship - Indiana University Paleontology Collection

A competitive fellowship to support two weeks of summer research in the Indiana University Paleontology Collection is available through the IU Institute for Advanced Study. The IU Paleontology Collection contains 1.3 million fossils with specialities in mid Paleozoic macroinvertebrates (http://www.indiana.edu/~palcoll/).  

Applications are due by March 21, 2016. For application materials and additional information, please visit our website at http://ias.indiana.edu/fellows/summer-research-fellowship/ 

More Info
The Indiana University Institute for Advanced Study is now accepting applications for its 2016 Summer Repository Research Fellowship. In partnership with repositories on the IU Bloomington campus and supported by the Office of the Vice Provost for Research, the program funds a short-term fellowship for a faculty member or community scholar to conduct in-depth research in the collections of one or more of our partner repositories. Applicants from Minority Serving Institutions, community colleges, and source communities are welcome. Preference will be given to applicants who are collaborating with Indiana University Bloomington faculty members.

An online inventory of the Indiana University collection is available at http://www.indiana.edu/~palcoll/ .  Follow the link to "Holdings" and then to "Collection Inventory".

The strength of the collection is Paleozoic marine of North America, especially Devonian through Carboniferous.  We also have a reasonable amount of Mesozoic material from around the world, and a little bit of Cenozoic terrestrial (notably a small collection of early Wasatchian from Bighorn Basin and some Pleistocene).


This initiative is intended to support research in the rich collections of the IU Bloomington campus and to build partnerships between scholars at and beyond IUB. The fellowship provides funding for travel costs, accommodation, per diem, and a two-week stipend.  Please note: This fellowship is intended to support research in IU Bloomington's unique collections; the application should focus on materials that cannot be accessed elsewhere.


Summer 2016 partner repositories include the Archives of African American Music and Culture, the Archives of Traditional Music, the Black Film Center/Archive, the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology, The IU Art Museum, the IU Herbarium, the IU Libraries, the IU Paleontology Collection, the Jerome Hall Law Library, the Mathers Museum of World Cultures, and the Sinor Research Institute for Inner Asian Studies Central Asian Archives. 

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

NHM Invertebrate Paleontology Collections Study Grant

Postdocs and Students: check out this brand new funding opportunity to undertake collections-based research. Introducing the NHM Invertebrate Paleontology Collections Study Grant

The deadline is April 1st!

The details, dates, and application instructions are found in this attachment. For information about the collection you may peruse the locality and specimen databases [http://www.nhm.org/site/research-collections/invertebrate-paleontology], or make inquiries directly to Austin Hendy.

PURPOSE
The Collection Study Grant provides financial assistance for graduate students and post-doctoral researchers to study the scientific collections in the Invertebrate Paleontology Department of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHM). These collections are among the largest in North America, and encompass more than 7 million specimens with strengths in the Cambrian, Cretaceous, the Cenozoic of the Eastern Pacific, particularly California, Nevada, and Baja California, and mollusc, echinoderm, and crustacean fossils.

FUNDING AND DURATION
The amount of the award will be up to $1000, and will support travel and accommodation costs incurred by students while visiting the Museum. Collection visits of three days or longer are encouraged, and the grant is open to candidates outside of the United States; funding will be not be available to researchers within daily commuting distance of the NHM.The award committee will consist of NHM-affiliated paleontologists and will be judged on the merit, feasibility, and communication of the proposed research, and strength of recommendation letter by faculty advisor. 

DEADLINES
Proposals are due April 1st, with notification of successful candidates by April 15th. Funds are available for use until April 1st the next year.

INSTRUCTIONS

Proposals are to be sent electronically to: Austin Hendy at ahendy@nhm.org
Subject line: NHM IP Collections Study Grant
The application is intended to be short (limited to two pages). The application must include: title of research project; name, address, and phone number of applicant; current college status (where enrolled, major, degree program, anticipated graduation date). Proposals must also include a description of the planned research (approx. one-page), expected deliverables and their timeline (e.g., publications), likely outreach opportunities (e.g., public presentations), anticipated visit dates (and length), and a budget justification. Proposals should demonstrate the critical role of NHM’s collection and how a collections visit might enhance identification, curation, digitization, or generation of new data. Please attach proposal in PDF format. We also require a letter of support from a faculty advisor.