Opportunities to Work

MS Assistantship at Utah State University

Incorporating Geographic Variabilty Into a Mountain Pine Beetle Phenology Model

Utah State University (USU) and the US Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS) in Logan, UT seek a motivated student to join our group examining the influence of climate change on mountain pine beetle dynamics.

More than 140,000 square miles of pine forests have been affected by this insect in the past 15 years. Climate warming is believed to play a role, and changing temperatures will influence future mountain pine beetle outbreaks. Genetic variability among mountain pine beetle populations, however, restricts the use of existing phenology (life-cycle timing) models to the geographic region where they were originally parameterized. The student selected for this assistantship will have the opportunity to help collect field and lab data and use these data to construct mechanistic phenology models for mountain pine beetle populations in southwestern and northwestern forests of the United States. The student will be an active participant in a research project aimed at forecasting mountain pine beetle population success in a changing climate.

Applications from students with interests in mathematical biology, entomology and/or forest ecology are encouraged to apply. The candidate student would pursue a degree in either biology, wildland resources, mathematics, or statistics depending on background and career goals; multi-disciplinary coursework and mentoring is envisioned. The student will receive a competitive 12-month stipend and travel support; full tuition waiver is available for students completing a Masters thesis. Interested applicants should send an email to Dr. Barbara Bentz (bbentz@fs.fed.us) and Dr. James Powell (jim.powell@usu.edu) including: