Community Announcements

Tell the iDigBio community about your upcoming events, projects or other items pertinent to biodiversity and biological collections.

Anyone with an iDigBio account may create a community announcement. Once logged in, you can create a new community announcement here: New Community Announcement

NSF Innovation in Graduate Education Challenge

 

From the GRFP Program Office - please share with your colleagues!

Calling Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Graduate Students:

Have you ever thought of ways to improve STEM graduate education? Do you have a creative idea regarding graduate training? If so, NSF wants to hear from you!

The National Science Foundation Innovation in Graduate Education Challenge is calling for entries from currently enrolled STEM graduate students and teams. They are invited to submit innovative ideas to prepare today’s graduate students for tomorrow’s opportunities and challenges. Entries are solicited for ideas with the potential to improve graduate education and professional development. Ideas can be directed toward students, faculty, departments, institutions, professional societies, and/or federal agencies. Winning ideas will be shared widely and winners will receive prizes between $1000 and $3000.

For more information and to enter the challenge, go to www.nsf.gov/gradchallenge/

Entry deadline is April 15th! Make your voice heard on STEM graduate education!

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @GradEdChallenge

Send questions to gradchallenge@nsf.gov

 

NSF Seeks Division Director, Division of Environmental Biology (DEB)

The United States National Science Foundation (NSF) is seeking a Division Director for the Division of Environmental Biology (DEB) in the Directorate for Biological Sciences.  For more information andinstructions for how to apply, please visit https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/337479700?org=NSF.  The last day to apply is March 8, 2013.  Please circulate this announcement widely.

Assistant Director for Scientific Research Collections

 

Overview:
The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON, Inc.) is a nonprofit science corporation dedicated to understanding how changes in climate, land use and invasive species impact continental scale ecology. Currently in construction is the NEON project - an observatory comprising more than 60 environmental and biological monitoring locations distributed throughout twenty domains across the United States, Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico. We anticipate the need to archive and share a sizable collection of samples and specimens acquired through NEON’s extensive field activities.

Location:
Boulder, Colorado

Summary:
The AD for Scientific Research Collections will be responsible for planning, implementing and overseeing the archiving of biological, physical and chemical samples, tissues, and specimens collected as part of the field-based research of the NEON Observatory. This person will actively collaborate with NEON scientists to determine, document and establish archiving requirements and spearhead outsourcing of archiving to existing facilities. This person will actively network with museums, collection and archive facilities and related science institutions for the purpose of establishing long-term relationships for archiving NEON Observatory collections, and will pursue appropriate contracting arrangements to support collections requirements.

Learn more

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Biodiversity Informatician, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University (position announcement)

The School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University invites applications for a Biodiversity Informatician. This is an academic, non-tenure track faculty research associate appointment.

Arizona State University is a dynamic, progressive university dedicated to interdisciplinary collaborations, to rethinking university education, and to integrating excellence in both research and teaching. The School of Life Sciences (SOLS) at Arizona State University's Tempe campus is committed to strengthening its impact in the fields of biodiversity informatics research and virtual collections management. SOLS maintains organismal collections totalling more than 1.5 million preserved specimens, and has played an instrumental role in creating the Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet) which serves more than 2 million records and 100,000 images on-line.

The successful candidate will work in close collaboration with SOLS curators, collection managers, affiliated researchers and students to advise, develop, and implement database-driven web applications aimed at the electronic dissemination of biological specimen and observation records. Focal areas include the future development of SEINet and its underlying software platform Symbiota, amalgamation and synthesis of all SOLS virtual collections into a unified web portal, participation in novel biodiversity informatics research projects, and integration with other initiatives and services in this dynamic field (e.g. CAP-LTER, Complexity of Life, Global Names, GBIF, iDigBio). The selected candidate will assume co-leadership in developing successful externally funded informatics projects and will serve as liaison between ASU collections researchers and students, network administrators and other ASU information technology support staff. Additional responsibilities may include participation in the creation and implementation of a new teaching curriculum in the field of biodiversity informatics.

Candidates must have an advanced degree (M.Sc. or higher) in Biology or Computer Science, minimally three years of experience in biodiversity informatics research and software development, and a strong familiarity with biocollections data management (e.g. DarwinCore) and contemporary nomenclatural and taxonomic practices and standards (e.g. TDWG). Desired qualifications include participation in recent federally funded research projects in this field (NSF-ADBC program, iDigBio, GBIF, etc.), extensive experience with programming languages and database-driven web application development, and specifically, skills in database design and management such as AJAX, CMS (e.g. Drupal), HTML 5, CSS, SQL, XML, network and server administration and scripting languages (Java, JavaScript, Perl, PHP, Python, Ruby), familiarity with Web 2.0 programming technologies, high adaptability to meet new challenges, and evidence of strong verbal and written communication skills, including grantspersonship.

Salary will be negotiable, depending on qualifications. To apply, send a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and up to three other items of choice that represent the ability to work as biodiversity informatician to Anna Fields, attn: Biodiversity Informatician Search Committee, School of Life Sciences, PO Box 874501, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501, with electronic applications sent as PDF files to solsfacultysearch3@asu.edu preferred (mailto:solsfacultysearch3@asu.edu). The initial closing date for receipt of complete applications is October 14, 2012. For additional information, please feel free to contact Nico Franz (nico.franz@asu.edu) or Les Landrum (les.landrum@asu.edu). A background check is required for employment at Arizona State University, an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer committed to excellence through diversity. We especially encourage women and minorities to apply (see https://www.asu.edu/titleIX/). For additional information on the School of Life Sciences, please visit http://sols.asu.edu.

This announcement is also available as a PDF at http://sols.asu.edu/employment/pdfs/f12_bio_info_research_associate.pdf

Submitted by Nico Franz. http://franz.lab.asu.edu/

Workshop on Digitization of Small Herbarium Collections

In an effort to consolidate resources and facilitate digitization efforts for small collections in Michigan and across the Great Lakes, we are planning a workshop on Saturday, October 20th, from 9-4 at Central Michigan University. This workshop is sponsored by iDigBio, the Hanes Foundation and the Michigan Consortium of Botanists.

This meeting is focused on bringing small collections in the Great Lakes Region “up to speed”. The workshop is intended to provide curators of small herbaria with the basic knowledge necessary to enable them to begin the digitization process for their collections.  The workshop will include discussions, hands-on demonstrations and guest speakers to address the following questions:

Why is it important to digitize our small/regional collection?
What does it mean to digitize or database our collections?
What are some ways to get our home institutions to support this initiative?
What can we do with digitized data in our research and in the classroom?
How do we get our small/unfunded/unstaffed collections ready for the digitization process?
What are the “need to know” basic mechanics and practical knowledge required to get our specimens online and make them globally available?

Please consider attending and bringing a student. Attendance is limited to 40 attendees. We will provide meals and facilities at no cost to attendees. If you are interested in participating or would like more information, please contact Anna Monfils (monfi1ak@cmich.edu) or Tim Evans (evanstim@gvsu.edu). We would like to have a list of participants by September 21st. Feel free to forward this invitation to other interested parties.
 

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