M.S. Assistantship: Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics in Developing Bioenergy Agroforest Plantations
The School of Forest Resources, University of Arkansas, Monticello has a M.S. Assistantship available beginning in the summer or fall of 2009. The assistantship is half time and carries a stipend of $15,000 per year plus tuition.
Project:
The
assistantship will work on a project developing cottonwood/ switchgrass
agroforest systems for supplying cellulosic bioenergy feedstocks in the Lower
Mississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV). The intent of this project is to develop a
range of agroforest systems that can produce cellulosic feedstocks on marginal
land as well as ecosystems services such as wildlife habitat, carbon
sequestration, nutrient retention, and soil sustainability. Funding for this
project is through the Department of Energy and US Department of Agriculture and
is a coordinated effort between scientists in Arkansas and Louisiana. The MS
assistantship will focus on carbon and nitrogen dynamics in these developing
agroforests compared to that in traditional agriculture ecosystems that commonly
occur on marginal soils in the LMAV. More project details can be found at the
following site
http://www.afrc.uamont.edu/liechtyh/Bioenergy%20Agroforest.htm
Requirements: A 2.7 overall undergraduate GPA or 3.0 GPA in the last 60 semester hours of undergraduate courses and satisfactory GRE scores (verbal+quantitative ~1000). A B.S. degree in environmental science, biology, soils, forestry, agriculture or a related field is also required.
Research Facilities: The School of Forest Resources houses several laboratories that are utilized by graduate students. These include the water quality/soil laboratory, Spatial Analysis Laboratory (SAL), and wildlife management laboratory. All laboratories are well equipped and utilized for research and instructional activities on a daily basis by students and faculty alike. For additional information or to apply contact Dr. Hal O. Liechty School of Forest Resources, UAM, P.O. Box 3468, Monticello AR 71656. Phone:870-460-1452, E-Mail: Liechty@uamont.edu.
Graduate materials and information can be found at the following website:
http://www.afrc.uamont.edu/sfr/graduate_education.htm