Come back to learn about Summer 2020 positions – info will be posted in the new year!

Opportunities for Summer 2019

To apply, please visit this link: https://go.wisc.edu/318m8e

The Gratton Lab in the Entomology Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is now accepting applications for full-time seasonal field assistant positions to begin around June 3, 2019 and continue for 12 to 16 weeks. Our lab studies the links between insects, landscapes, and their conservation in support of healthy ecosystems and human well being.  Specific projects are listed below, though assistants may work across multiple projects.

LTE Technicians

Position: Citizen Science Research and Outreach Specialist
Pay rate: $15/hour

Start date/duration: Full time seasonal position lasting 6 months starting in ~April, with possibility to extend
Responsibilities: The specialist will help develop bee sampling protocols, train growers on implementation of the protocol, including the use  of a mobile app, conduct on-farm training, develop educational materials, and work with the web developers to improve features and functionality.  The specialist will be required to work with collected data to create summaries and reports for scientists and growers.  This position will be based on Madison, WI with frequent travel around southern Wisconsin

Requirements:

• Valid US driver’s license and ability to obtain driver authorization from UW Risk Management”. (http://www.bussvc.wisc.edu/risk_mgt/drivetable.html)
• BS/BA degree in entomology, agroecology, horticulture, ecology, or related
• Coursework in ecology, biology, entomology, or related fields
• Effective communicator on the phone, email, and in person
• Ability to work independently
• Strong attention to detail
• Experience handling and processing insect specimens
• Field research experience related to pollinators and/or agricultural systems

Preferred:

• MS degree in entomology, agroecology, horticulture, ecology, or related field
• Proficiency in pollinator identification
• Experience with citizen science projects or science outreach
• Experience with creating outreach presentations (powerpoints, posters)
• Experience with spreadsheets and basic data analysis

Full posting: https://jobs.wisc.edu/research-internships

To apply, please send a cover letter, resume and contact info for 3 references to hgaines@wisc.edu. Please put “citizen science position” in the subject line.

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Position: Lead Field Technician
Pay rate: $14.18/hour
Start date/duration: Full time seasonal position lasting 15 weeks, starting in May/June
Responsibilities: The lead field technician will assist with site selection, collect data including timed pollinator observations, pollen limitation and fruit yield, process data, and oversee the maintenance of data entry and organization.  The lead field technician will work with the staff scientist to coordinate data collection on commercial farms with an undergraduate field crew.  This position will be based on Madison, WI with frequent travel around southern Wisconsin.

Requirements:

• Valid US driver’s license and ability to obtain driver authorization from UW Risk Management”. (http://www.bussvc.wisc.edu/risk_mgt/drivetable.html)
• BS/BA degree in entomology, agroecology, horticulture, ecology, or related
• Coursework in ecology, biology, entomology, or related fields
• Previous field research experience related to pollinators
• Experience handling and processing insect specimens
• Ability to work independently or in a group
• Reliable, dependable, accountable, motivated, strong sense of integrity
• Ability and willingness to work outdoors in hot, sunny conditions
• Strong attention to detail

Preferred:

• MS degree in entomology, agroecology, horticulture, ecology, or related field

To apply, please follow this link: http://jobs.hr.wisc.edu/cw/en-us/job/500630/lead-field-technician

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Undergraduate Technicians

Position: Undergraduate summer assistants (multiple available).
Pay rate: $10/hour

Start date/duration: Full-time seasonal position for ~12 weeks between June and August

Position: Field technician (bachelor’s degree required, multiple available).
Pay rate: $14/hr

Start date/duration: Full-time seasonal position for ~12-16 weeks between May and September

Job responsibilities: Field technicians will work with graduate students and staff scientists to conduct field work, collect and process data, and maintain equipment.  Some projects may require long hours or weekend work. Based in Madison, WI, with frequent travel around southern and central Wisconsin.

Requirements:

• Valid US driver’s license and ability to obtain driver authorization from UW Risk Management. (http://www.bussvc.wisc.edu/risk_mgt/drivetable.html)
• Attention to detail and ability to stay focused on tedious or repetitive tasks
• Coursework or interest in ecology, biology, entomology, or related fields
• Ability to work independently and with others
• Experience with or willingness to learn insect handling and processing techniques
• Enjoy being outside, comfortable working in hot/humid conditions.

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.  Our lab aims to make science and ecology more inclusive of people of all identities, and we strongly encourage people of color, and people of all genders, sexual orientations, and cultural backgrounds to apply.  See our full equity and inclusion statement on our website:  https://russell-gratton.webhosting.cals.wisc.edu/equity-inclusion-statement/

Reviews of applications will begin on March 11, 2019 on a rolling basis.  All positions will be based out of Madison, WI, with frequent travel around southern Wisconsin.  

To apply, please visit this link: https://go.wisc.edu/318m8e

If you have any questions or have trouble submitting using the form, please contact Jeremy Hemberger (hemberger@wisc.edu).

Overview of projects: For more information visit gratton.entomology.wisc.edu/summer-2019

• Monarch landscape ecology – How do local and landscape-level characteristics influence monarch use of a patch of milkweed? Daily surveys of 1-2 prairie/grassland sites per day for monarchs, milkweed, and blooming plants.
• Pollinator conservation (NRCS) – Evaluating the effects of prairie restoration variability and their location in a landscape on bumble bee abundance and diversity.
• Urban bumble bees – We will capture and identify bumble bees across a range of landscape types to understand how urbanization impacts their populations. Our team will survey prairies, suburban neighborhoods, and city blocks as well as discuss related scientific papers, prepare field equipment, and begin preliminary data analysis.
• Pollinator habitat value (DATCP) – Investigating the value of pollinator habitat to crop pollination and yield on small, mixed vegetable farms.  We will do pollinator observations and collect fruit for seed counts and yield measurements.
• Effectiveness of pollinator plantings – We will survey wild bees in cucumber fields and field-edge flower plantings to understand how planting effectiveness varies in different landscapes. Duties will include: observational pollinator surveys, flower surveys, and pollen deposition experiments. Living in a rural cabin for several weeks will be necessary.
• Honey bee landscape ecology – Studying how habitat in the surrounding landscape influences the health and survival of commercial honey bee hives.  We will visit commercial bee yards across southwest Wisconsin to extract data from in-hive sensors and take measurements of hive health.  Beekeeping experience preferred but not required.
• Lady beetle (“ladybug”) landscape ecology – Researching how resource continuity in the landscape affect lady beetle abundance, health, and biocontrol potential. We will conduct surveys on farms and in natural sites across southern Wisconsin.
• Citizen science specialist – Working with farmers of pollinator-dependent crops to establish a citizen-science program using a Smartphone app to measure wild pollinator communities (bachelor’s degree required).

We regularly hire and mentor undergraduate students interested in research projects going on in the lab.  We regularly seek students for summer paid work opportunities.  If they are available, they will be listed below.  We typically start our recruiting in February for summer positions, but feel free to contact us at any time.  Students will be exposed to a diversity of exciting projects related to the landscape ecology of insects and arthropods in agricultural landscapes.

We’re especially interested in recruiting students who are early in their college career and may be interested in working with us for several summers or conducting independent research in the lab in the future.  This is a great opportunity to gain research experience and interact with graduate students.

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