The Florida Museum of Natural History and partners hosted the 30th Annual Meeting of the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC) from May 17-23, 2015, at the Hilton University of Florida Conference Center in Gainesville, Florida. The theme of the conference was “Making Natural History Collections
Accessible Through New and Innovative Approaches and Partnerships”.
Katherine Esau Director of the Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration
The University of California Santa Barbara is recruiting for a Director for the Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration (CCBER). CCBER fulfills the university's mission of education, research, and outreach through its preservation and management of natural history collections, outreach programs, and stewardship and restoration of campus lands.
The Katherine Esau Director of CCBER works under the general direction of the Chair of the CCBER Advisory Committee. Provides oversight of the acquisition and care of biological specimens used in teaching and research, preparation and implementation of planning documents and interaction with departmental officers and committees, and represents the CCBER in regards to institutional issues including the development of campus wide programs such as the natural areas program. Serves as the curator of one or more of the specimen collections, manages and maintains a database for the collections, and supervises numerous staff associated with CCBER's many programs including the natural history collections, ecological restoration, and education programs. Raises extramural funding through grants/contracts and works with the Office of Development on major fundraising programs for CCBER. Maintains a research program, supervises CCBER's activities in university level education, and public service including the leadership of an active academic preparation program for local K-12 schools, which supports the "broader impacts" requirement of NSF grants and engages the department's faculty and graduate students.
Job Title: Katherine Esau Director (Director) of CCBER
Department: CBER-Ctr for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration
Job Number: 20150252
Job Close Date: Primary consideration by 6/10/15; thereafter, open until filled.
https://jobs.ucsb.edu/
-- Jennifer Thorsch, PhD Katherine Esau Director Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration University of California Santa Barbara, CA 93106 Office 805.893.2401 FAX 805.893.4222
Welcome to Integrated Digitized Biocollections (iDigBio), the national coordinating center for the Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections (ADBC) program funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). iDigBio is enabling digitization of data and media for millions of biodiversity specimens from U.S. collections and is integrating those data to make them available online for the research community, government agencies, students, educators, citizen scientists, and the general public to promote understanding of biodiversity and societal consequences of environmental issues.
Georeferencing Procedure Outline - a guest blog by Michael Yost, Macrofungi Collection Consortium (MaCC) Project Assistant at the Denver Botanic Gardens
Greetings, fellow georeferencers!
Male on the left and female on the right. Zachary S. Randall / FLMNH
UF CAIRES (Center for Adaptive Innovation, Resilience, Ethics, and Science) sponsored a two-day Sustainability and Social Media Conference on Friday, April 17-18 2015, at the Levin School of Law. iDigBio graduate student Randy Singer was fortunate enough to be invited as a panelist for a session on Digitizing Nature.
The Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT; located in Fort Worth, Texas) has multiple employment openings. Please see the brief descriptions below and links to the full job announcements on the BRIT website (http://brit.org/about/employment).
Herbarium Research Botanist (http://www.brit.org/employment#herbarium_research_botanist)
The Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) seeks a full time Herbarium Research Botanist that will be a split appointment emphasizing the utilization, improvement, and growth of the BRIT herbarium collection. Equal time will be spent on (1) herbarium curation and management and (2) conducting original research focused on botanical and ecosystem exploration in Texas and elsewhere. Research projects must either utilize existing collections or result in the acquisition of additional collections to be deposited in the BRIT herbarium. Candidate must have experience in the herbarium and a record of successful grant-writing, project management, and publishing. The ideal candidate is self-motivated, demonstrates the ability to disseminate one’s scientific work effectively to various audiences, and has been trained to analyze biological data. Strong interpersonal skills, organizational and planning skills, and ability to communicate effectively are a must.
An advanced degree in Botany or a closely related discipline is required, with knowledge of regional/southwest flora preferred. The Herbarium Research Botanist must be able to work in varying conditions indoors as well as outside in the Texas climate. BRIT strives to maintain a positive work environment focused on growth and success of individuals working together in a collaborative, professional manner with communication a priority. To apply, please submit a cover letter with salary requirements and a resume to: Brithr@brit.org. Applications will be considered until the position is filled. Selection of applicants will be made through assessment of necessary skills, related experience, and applicable education/plant knowledge. BRIT is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Full Position Description: http://www.brit.org/webfm_send/1394
Herbarium Assistant (http://www.brit.org/employment#herbarium_assistant)
The Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) seeks a temporary, full time Herbarium Assistant to assist the Collections Manager in the processing, preparation, and filing of plant specimens and in maintaining the BRIT-SMU-VDB herbarium collections and associated databases. Strong interpersonal skills and ability to communicate effectively are required. The ideal candidate is self-motivated with attention to detail, has strong organization skills, and can work independently and take on supervisory and organizational responsibilities.
Candidate must have a degree in Botany, Biology, or a related field, with experience working with scientific collections. BRIT strives to maintain a positive work environment focused on growth and success of individuals working together in a collaborative, professional manner with communication a priority. To apply, please submit a cover letter with salary requirements and a resume to: Brithr@brit.org. Applications will be considered until the position is filled. BRIT is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Full Position Description: http://www.brit.org/webfm_send/1393
Director of Research (http://www.brit.org/employment#dir_research)
The Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) seeks a full time Director of Research. This position oversees the Research program at BRIT, which includes the library and herbarium collections, the press, biodiversity informatics, and research projects. The Director of Research conceptualizes a broad vision for the overall program, aligned with the Institute’s strategic goals, and leads the program in annual and long-range strategic planning. In this leadership position, the director will work collaboratively with cross-departmental teams on projects that build the organization’s standing in the field of botany and conservation. Candidate must have a minimum of 10 years experience to include a combination of conducting research and managing research programs, along with a strong record of successful grant-writing and project management.
A Ph.D. in botany, ecology, or conservation biology, with publications, is required. Strong oral and written communication skills are necessary and supervisory experience is preferred. BRIT strives to maintain a positive working environment focused on growth and success of individuals, working together in a collaborative, professional manner, with communication a priority. To apply, please submit a cover letter with salary requirements and a resume to: Brithr@brit.org. Applications will be considered until the position is filled. BRIT is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Full Position Description: http://www.brit.org/webfm_send/1392
Primary function: Responsible for the management and workflow associated with the digitization of microfungi specimens.
Position Description: Provide technical assistance by training staff on digitization protocols within the project. Provide management support for the NSF funded Microfungi Collections Consortium (MiCC) project, which aims to digitize information from specimens in fungal collections at 38 institutions across the United States by closely monitoring progress, and effectively communicating with lead Principal Investigator to inform and resolve any issues. Manage data produced through the project as well as digitization workflows at INHS to ensure continued progress amongst all collaborators. Coordinate with our national collaborators in making data available through the project's data portal (http://mycoportal.org) and the central hub at iDigBio (Florida) including functionality of website uploads from various collaborators. Edit data contributed to the project to ensure it conforms to the Darwin Core format, add collections as well as datasets to the portal, and develop/manage specimen-based resources for the MiCC data portal. Communicate with Principal Investigator and collaborators including (but not limited to): attending and participating in project related meetings in person (or via video-conferencing); being available to respond to questions on the phone or through email during normal business hours; attending seminars and conferences pertaining to projects; providing data for, and assisting with the preparation of, project reports. Oversee training, supervision, and scheduling of undergraduate student and hourly workers involved in digitizing fungal specimens at INHS and providing general training (in person or remotely) to project participants.
Education: Required: BA/BS with specialization in a biological science discipline including plant biology, biology, integrative biology, or environmental biology.
Experience Required: Work in a herbarium, museum, or biological collection/laboratory, or the equivalent combination of education and experience related to the job to total 4 years. Database management experience. Course work in mycology, museum studies, or related fields. Computer skills (e.g., Excel, Word, PowerPoint) including some experience with software for databasing (e.g., MySQL) and imaging (e.g. Photoshop, Lightroom). Experience training and supervising undergraduate students.
Knowledge Requirements: Basic knowledge of biological classification. Strong verbal and written communication skills. Strong organizational skills. Ability to multitask with experience prioritizing multiple projects.
Salary: Commensurate with experience and education; Benefits: Generous vacation and sick leave. State Universities Retirement System. Group health, dental, vision and life insurance. This is a regular, academic professional, full-time grant supported 12-month position, renewable annually based upon satisfactory progress in the position and continued funding. The estimated starting date is May 16, 2015 (negotiable). A valid driver's license is required for this position.
Applications must be received by May 17, 2015. To apply, all candidates must submit an online profile through https://jobs.illinois.edu by the close of the posting period. Qualified candidates must upload a cover letter detailing qualifications and skills, curriculum vitae or resume’, working e-mail address, and the names, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of three professional references. All requested information must be submitted for your application to be considered. Incomplete information will not be reviewed. Applications may be reviewed prior to closing.
For further information please contact Erica Hanson, Human Resources, Illinois Natural History Survey, 217-333-6897, elhanson@inhs.illinois.edu. For technical questions, please contact: Dr. Andrew Miller, Search Committee Member, at amiller7@illinois.edu.
Illinois is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, or status as a qualified individual with a disability. Illinois welcomes individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and ideas who embrace and value diversity and inclusivity (www.inclusiveillinois.illinois.edu).
Primary position function: Digitization of microfungi specimens for an online international collection database.
Position Description: Manage the workflow of tasks and staff of the digitization project, ensuring each step of the process is efficiently and effectively completed for successful outcome of final product. Supervision, establish taskings, and scheduling of undergraduate students and hourlies. Specimen selection and the photographing of labels, annotation slips and the specimens themselves. Responsible for the organization, backup and transfer of image files to the online portal and a central collection server. Digitize the specimen label information (the what, when, where and by whom collected) of approximately 1.2 million North American microfungi specimens representing well over 95% of all specimens collected in Canada, the United States and Mexico and held by over 38 US non-governmental institutions.
Education: Required: BA/BS with specialization in a biological science discipline including biology, integrative biology, environmental biology, or plant biology.
Experience Required: Experience in a herbarium, museum, or biological collection/laboratory, or the equivalent combination of education and experience related to the job to total 2 years.
Knowledge Requirements: Demonstrate a well-developed knowledge of systematics and taxonomy; demonstrate an ability to work independently, and also as a team member; demonstrate an ability to seek improved methods and techniques within the field of data collection; demonstrate an ability to think creatively and ensure the highest possible standards of quality, performance, and ethics; demonstrate an ability to communicate effectively, both written and orally.
This is a regular, academic professional, full-time grant supported 12-month position, renewable annually based upon satisfactory progress in the position and continued funding. Anticipated funding for two years. The estimated starting date is June 16, 2015 (negotiable). A valid driver's license is required for this position.
Salary: $31,000 - $32,000 per year
Benefits: Generous vacation and sick leave. State Universities Retirement System. Group health, dental, vision and life insurance.
Applications must be received by May 22, 2015. To apply, all candidates must submit an online profile through https://jobs.illinois.edu by the close of the posting period. Qualified candidates must upload a cover letter detailing qualifications and skills, curriculum vitae or resume’, working e-mail address, and the names, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of three professional references. All requested information must be submitted for your application to be considered. Incomplete information will not be reviewed. Applications may be reviewed prior to closing.
For further information please contact Erica Hanson, Human Resources, Illinois Natural History Survey, 217-333-6897, elhanson@inhs.illinois.edu. For technical questions, please contact: Dr. Andrew Miller, Search Committee Member, atamiller7@illinois.edu.
Illinois is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, or status as a qualified individual with a disability. Illinois welcomes individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and ideas who embrace and value diversity and inclusivity (www.inclusiveillinois.illinois.edu).
