Date: Fri, 15 Oct 1999 15:11:36 -0400 From: Lauchlan FraserSubject: grad student support in wetland ecology FULLY-SUPPORTED GRAD STUDENT POSITIONS IN WETLAND ECOLOGY Approximately 90% of the original wetlands in Ohio have been lost over the last two hundred years, mainly as a direct consequence of human use. There is an urgent need to protect and restore the remaining wetlands because wetlands serve a very important role in our environment. Wetlands have been described as =91the kidneys of the landscape=92 and =91biological supermarkets=92. They play major roles in= the landscape by providing unique habitats for a wide variety of flora and fauna. Full tuition and stipends are available for M.Sc. students to participate in wetland ecology and restoration studies in the Fraser lab at the University of Akron. Our research combines greenhouse, growth chamber, and field studies to investigate plant traits, and how they relate to plant community/ecosystem processes towards the restoration and conservation of wetlands. Students are guaranteed full financial support throughout their graduate studies, and have access to first-rate facilities: greenhouse, growth chambers, equipment for field research, and a new 404-acre field station, The Bath Nature Preserve. The Preserve includes an excellent cross section of the habitats of Northeast Ohio, including wetlands, ponds, streams, grasslands, and mid- to old-growth forests =96 a wonderful environment for research. The Ecology and Evolution group in the Department of Biology at the University of Akron is dynamic and strong, with 7 recent hires: Wetland Ecology (Lauchlan Fraser), Plant Systematics (Joel Duff), Invertebrate Zoology (Steve Weeks), Plant Ecology (Randy Mitchell), Vertebrate Zoology (Peter Niewiarowski), Cellular Physiology (Rich Londraville), and Environmental Microbiology (Peter Lavrentyev). We meet twice weekly for seminars and discussion groups. Have a look at our website at www.uakron.edu/biology/ If you are interested please contact Dr. Lauchlan Fraser for more information at lfraser@uakron.edu For admissions information see www.uakron.edu/gradsch/