REU Opportunity in Terrestrial Ecosystem Ecology University of Georgia

The Wurzburger Lab is seeking an undergraduate with a strong interest in terrestrial ecosystem ecology for a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) position this summer. This is a 10-week program where a student would work on a project in forests of the southern Appalachian mountains studying the nitrogen cycle and disturbance (more details on the project below). The REU position is full time (40 hrs/week) and pays $7000 for the summer. The position will be based in Athens, GA but several 1-day and overnight field trips to the Coweeta Hydrologic Lab and neighboring forests will be required.

Interested students can apply by sending Dr. Nina Wurzburger (ninawurz@uga.edu) the following documents by March 20th, 2020:
1) A cover letter stating their interest and qualifications
2) A CV or resume with contact information of 2 references

Project Description:
The REU student will assist with an ongoing project focused on disturbance recovery in forest ecosystems. Specifically, we are interested in the role of nitrogen fixed by Robinina pseudoacacia (black locust) and how it shapes recovery patterns in nutrient cycles and forest composition. The primary goal of the REU student will be to assist with greenhouse experiments and field studies designed to quantify rates of nitrogen fixation, and determine how fixed nitrogen affects competitive dynamics of tree species. The student will also be encouraged to develop an independent research project that fits within our broader project goals of understanding nitrogen fixation, including: soil microbial activities, N isotopes in soils and vegetation and relationships with mycorrhizal symbioses. For more information on lab research interests, see wurzburger-lab.org.

Student Activities:
1) Training in field and greenhouse-based research including setting up research plots, measuring and identifying tree species, quantifying nitrogen fixation using multiple approaches.
2) Training in lab-based research including cleaning and drying nodule tissues, measuring mass, grinding tissues and preparing tin capsules for isotopic analysis and quantifying ethylene concentrations with a gas chromatograph.
3) Learning data analysis and interpretation with R, reading relevant literature, participating in lab group discussions and organizing a research presentation that summarizes the findings from this work.
4) Presenting research at REU symposium at Coweeta at the end of the summer.