Database Analyst - Oklahoma State University

The Department of Plant Biology, Ecology, and Evolution at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater (http://plantbio.okstate.edu) seeks a full-time Database Analyst to begin January 2022 with an annual renewal contingent on satisfactory performance through August 2023. The Data Analyst will serve as Data Manager for the NSF-funded herbarium digitization project “American Crossroads: Digitizing the Vascular Flora of the South-Central United States” (https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1902085). This manager will maintain the project’s centralized database, oversee data synchronization with project portals and repositories, provide overall quality control of images and crowdsourced data, ensure that workflows and data management protocols meet project standards for data preservation and data quality, work with contracted technical developers, and conduct training workshops on data management. The manager will work closely with the project’s Technological Innovator and Project Manager (at the lead institution, Botanical Research Institute of Texas) on data-related tasks and will report to Dr. Mark Fishbein at Oklahoma State University. The project is an inter-institutional collaboration (TORCH: Texas Oklahoma Regional Consortium of Herbaria) among Oklahoma State University, Botanical Research Institute of Texas, University of Texas at Austin, University of Oklahoma, and Texas A&M University. The position is currently classified as based in Stillwater, Oklahoma, though it is possible that it could be converted to a remote position to accommodate the constraints of a very strong applicant.

Specific responsibilities include: 1) manage user accounts; 2) assist the Project Manager in creating workflow documentation; 3) monitor and ensure data and image quality; 4) provide workflow training (online and in person) to project participants; 5) provide technical support to project participants; 6) assist with importing existing specimen data and images into the TORCH web portal; 7) integrate data and images with external aggregators (e.g., iDigBio, GBIF, JSTOR); 8) assist the Project Manager in generating reports; 9) travel to participating herbaria for training sessions and to periodic meetings of senior project personnel.

Required competencies: written and oral communication, problem solving, organization, working on teams with different skill levels and learning curves, working with team members from diverse backgrounds and social groups, knowledge of data management procedures including familiarity with SQL.

Desired skills: data cleaning (OpenRefine, etc); scripting (e.g., Python, PHP); Linux; Darwin Core and related data standards; cross-walking data between different standards; image processing software (e.g., Adobe Lightroom); familiar with tools for syncing files (e.g., rsync, Dropbox); georeferencing. 

Minimum Qualifications: B.S. in Computer Science, Museum Science, or related field. 

Desired qualifications: M.S. in Computer Science, Museum Science, or related field; one year of experience in data management for natural history collections.

All applications should be submitted online at jobs.okstate.edu referencing reqID req10546. Include 1) cover letter, 2) résumé or curriculum vitae, 3) names and contact information for three references, 4) transcripts. Candidates from groups underrepresented in science and academia are especially encouraged to apply. Review of applications will begin December 17, 2021 and continue until position is filled. Contact information: Mark Fishbein, mark.fishbein@okstate.edu, 405-744-2544. Position is contingent upon available funding.

Oklahoma State University, as an equal opportunity employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding non-discrimination and affirmative action. Oklahoma State University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all individuals and does not discriminate based on race, religion, age, sex, color, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, or veteran status with regard to employment, educational programs and activities, and/or admissions. For more information, visit https:///eeo.okstate.edu.

Biological Field Technician and Lead Biological Field Technician

NatureServe is a 501(C)3 organization that supports biodiversity conservation at the local, national and international levels through our network of member programs and other institutional alliances. NatureServe is recruiting seasonal biological field technicians to collect data in support of vegetation community sampling in dry sagebrush and woodland habitats in northeastern California and northwestern Nevada. The project involves field data collection of terrestrial Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) information on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands in the Redding, Applegate and Eagle Lake districts in northern California and adjacent Nevada, with supplemental data collection in support of ongoing fire rehabilitation monitoring.

NatureServe is seeking to fill up to four full-time, seasonal field biological technicians and up to four lead field biological technicians to conduct field sampling. The field season is expected to occur from late March to early August. The work will include following established vegetation and soil sampling methods on new or existing ecological monitoring sites, including plot and line-based sampling, identification of plants to the species level, digging soil pits, and analyzing soils. Knowledge of native plants, the flora of northeastern California and northwestern Nevada, ecological field monitoring methods, field sampling and project management needed. Availability for participation in a BLM Terrestrial AIM training near Susanville, CA the first week of April is strongly preferred.

Lead Technician position includes responsibility for supporting crew safety in the field, coordinating sampling logistics and scheduling, and organization and quality control of paper and electronic field data.

Must be able to work 10-hour days for 8 days at a time (followed by 6 days off), while working and camping in remote locations.

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