Ecological Monitoring Program Director - Great Basin Inst.

The Great Basin Institute is recruiting an Ecological Assessment, Inventory and Monitoring (AIM) Program Director for AIM and allied projects located in multiple western states. The overall objective of the AIM program is to provide professional development opportunities and quality land management assistance by producing consistent, landscape-scale monitoring data in support of the BLM national strategy for standardized resource monitoring. Sampling sites are predominantly located in sage grouse habitat, on public rangelands, and in riparian systems within designated priority areas. Field crews collect biotic, hydrologic, and soil qualitative indicators in conjunction with quantitative data to inform conservation planning and adaptive management decisions.

Please follow this link for a video that highlights the BLM’s national strategy for landscape-scale data capture across the western states using AIM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LciTBPG2-Ss

The GBI AIM Program comprises over 75 seasonal and program staff. In 2022, we plan to deploy 25 field crews across three western states. We seek a committed AIM Program Director to coordinate with AIM program staff to oversee and support communication, safety assurance, scheduling, field deployment and implementation, data procurement and management, reporting, and budgeting. The AIM Program Director will work closely with project managers and GBI administrative staff in accomplishing this work.

Specific duties include:
• Proactively maintain regular communication with agency partners to coordinate and promote adaptive management, development and budgeting, and compliance with agreement and contract terms;
• Act as liaison to Bureau of Land Management (BLM) staff and other program/project affiliates to plan and coordinate current and future projects;
• Oversee coordination of six project managers responsible for managing 26 field crews;
• Oversee data management and delivery, which includes executing quality-assurance measures, performing quality-control data checks periodically throughout the field season, and using GIS to provide spatial analysis for reports and other mapping products;
• Promote a culture and best practices for maintaining field safety;
• Travel to perform site visits, particularly during the field and shoulder seasons, to BLM districts/offices and field sites in designated western states;
• Collaborate with other GBI staff to ensure compliance with contract and agreement terms and conditions, including: budget management, financial reporting, payroll and invoice review and processing, and compliance with rules and regulations;
• Engage in proactive and responsive personnel management;
• Participate in GBI or partner-sponsored training opportunities, and/or facilitate GBI training/workshops for AIM Program employees; and
• Complete AIM program administrative support tasks including ensuring GBI and BLM policy compliance, maintaining personnel files, reviewing safety reports, and completing payroll bi-weekly.

Requirements:
• Academic degree and equivalent experience in the natural sciences or allied discipline;
• 5 years minimum in a leadership and supervisory position, with project management experience, including technical, personnel and budgetary management;
• Experience working with federal land management agencies, members of the public, and/or non-profit organizations;
• Understanding of principles related to a combination of the fields of botany, soil science, wildlife biology, geology, hydrology, and/or spatial analysis;
• Relevant or related field experience – knowledge of and/or experience in high desert and Great Basin ecology preferred;
• Strong background in plant community ecology and plant systematics preferred; those with familiarity with AIM implementation will be given preference (AIM experience alone will not be considered as a substitute for other qualifications);
• Ability to oversee and manage simultaneously running projects across multiple western states for collection of field data according to protocol guidelines and a detailed QA/QC process;
• Familiarity with best practices for performing field work in a backcountry setting, with proactively maintaining field safety, and with low impact principles for conducting field work;
• Ability to communicate effectively, both written and orally, with a diverse audience, including members of the public, agency resource staff and management, and GBI program and administrative staff;
• Experience writing and editing technical reports;
• Willingness and ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic office environment, and to consistently enact high performance standards and a strong work and team ethic in support of the goals and objectives of the AIM program and the mission of GBI; and
• Possess a clean, valid, state-issued driver’s license and the ability to operate a 4WD vehicle on and off paved roads.

International Workshop Series: How does sharing genetic sequence data impact biodiversity science and conservation?

With support from the National Science Foundation, the American Institute of Biological Sciences and the USA Nagoya Protocol Action Group are organizing an online workshop series to explore how the international scientific community can study biodiversity in the changing landscape of international policy. ASPT encourages our members to get engaged in these important international discussions. Registration is currently open for the session scheduled for November 15, 2021. Stay tuned for information about additional sessions in this series.

More than Potatoes: Collaboration for Collecting and Building the Tree of Life

Leandro and Sandy have collaborated for over a decade to understand the evolution and diversity of the nightshade family (Solanaceae). Join them in a conversation about what it takes to make collections and phylogenetic studies have the greatest societal impacts.

Date: November 15, 2021

Time: 9:00 - 11:00 AM EST or 2:00 - 4:00 PM UTC (This program will be recorded)

Location: Online via Zoom

Hosted by: American Society of Plant Taxonomists & Botanical Society of America

Registration will close on November 10, 2021. Learn more and register at: https://www.aibs.org/news/2021/211020-nagoya-workshop-three.html

Assistant Professor of Biology - Botany

The Department of Biology at Angelo State University in San Angelo, TX seeks applicants for the tenure-track position of Assistant Professor of Biology with a specialization in Botany or a related field. Teaching, research, and service are the primary responsibilities. Candidates are required to possess the teaching skills and experience in botanical methods to engage in research with undergraduate and master’s level graduate students. Candidates with a strong interest or experience in college level teaching and research supervision will be preferred. The successful applicant is also expected to attend departmental events and perform other departmental duties as assigned. The position is a nine-month, on-campus appointment with the possibility of teaching summer classes.

Typical Duties/Job Duties
The successful applicant will be expected to develop and teach undergraduate and graduate level courses and labs with a special emphasis on plant biology (e.g., general botany, plant taxonomy, plant ecology, etc.) and other departmental service courses as assigned. The candidate should be willing to teach online courses as needed. The successful applicant is expected to develop an active research program and conduct research with undergraduate and graduate (master’s level) students. The applicant will also be expected to participate in departmental, college, and university level service and events, advise students, and oversee the direction of the ASU greenhouse and herbarium. Teaching load is equivalent to 12 contact hours/week.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
The successful applicant should possess: Knowledge of botany and related fields sufficient to teach and assess academically rigorous undergraduate and graduate level courses and develop an undergraduate and master’s level research program, herbaria curation, and greenhouse management; Skill in teaching and research with a strong commitment to high professional standards, organization, interpersonal communication, and collaboration; Ability to develop innovative learning experiences, engage in community service, and participate in professional organizations.

Minimum Qualifications
Earned Ph.D. in Biology or related field from an accredited institution with emphasis on botany or related discipline. ABD applicants will be considered but the doctorate must be completed by the end of the first semester of employment.

Preferred Qualifications
Potential for excellence in teaching, research, and mentoring students. Demonstrated ability to procure external funding. Experience in or knowledge of greenhouse operations and curation of herbaria.

Physical Requirements
The successful applicant must be able to perform light work in an office setting and to frequently stand, walk, sit, lift and carry light objects (up to 20 pounds) and perform similar actions throughout the workday.

EEO Statement
Angelo State University is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to promoting and ensuring equal employment opportunity for all individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, or veteran status. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Angelo State University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to ensure equal access to employment opportunities for qualified individuals with disabilities. We are committed to ensuring that a qualified individual with a disability has the same rights and privileges in employment as non-disabled employees. If an accommodation is requested for the job application process, please contact our office at (325) 942-2168 or email us at hr@angelo.edu.

Obituary: Dr. Alan Graham

From: www.alangrahambotanist.com

Alan Graham, PhD. (1934–2021)

Alan was a native of Houston, Texas, who moved north to the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, after receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Botany at the University of Texas, supported by a full athletic tennis scholarship. At the University of Michigan, he met and married his wife of over 60 years, Shirley.  Following completion of their PhDs, they spent a post-doctoral year at Harvard University, then moving then to Kent State University, where he held a joint faculty appointment in Botany and Geology for nearly 40 years. He is survived by his wife, son Andrew Graham and daughter-in-law Julia, daughter Alison Graham, son Bruce Graham and granddaughter Kenzie Graham.
 

Alan leaves an exceptional record of success as a teacher and Professor of Botany and Geology at Kent State University, and as a scholar through his internationally recognized research on fossil plants and vegetational history. He published over 200 research papers and authored seven books. Among many awards for his work were: Distinguished Scholar Award, Kent State University; Outstanding Teacher Award from the College of Arts and Sciences Student Advisory Council at Kent State; The Smithsonian Institution Cuatrecasas Medal for Excellence in Tropical Botany; the Asa Gray Medal; the highest award of the American Society of Plant Taxonomy; the Natural History Museum (London)/Marsh Trust Award for Best Earth Sciences Book of the Year, Land Bridges, 2018; and Distinguished Fellow and Merit Award, Botanical Society of America.
 

Alan also leaves a personal legacy to all he knew. He was a loving and generous teacher and father, a mentor to his many students, including over 350 whom he guided through 12 summers of “Biological Field Studies in Mexico and the American West”, a scholar, world traveler, and one who touched lives over many decades with his friendship and erudite humor.

ASPT Botany 2021 Virtual! free poster

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2021 ASPT Election Results

Dear ASPT members,

On behalf of the American Society of Plant Taxonomists, I want to thank all of the members who agreed to run for office this year, and for their willingness to serve ASPT. It is wonderful to have such dedicated members! For the new office holders, we look forward to your ideas, leadership, and teamwork. I also want to thank the Nominations Committee for their work in providing an excellent slate of candidates. Finally, thanks to all the members who voted.

Eric H. Roalson was elected President-Elect

Janelle Burke and Andrew Hipp were elected Council Members-at-Large

•  Total ballots returned: 356

• Total number of eligible voters: 884

• Percent of ballot return: 40.27%

Sincerely,
Wendy Clement
ASPT Secretary