Location: Northern Caribbean coast of Costa Rica (Caño Palma Biological Station)
Duration: July 6-20, 2012 (dates are somewhat flexible)
General description: Assist in study examining the cumulative effects of urbanization on aquatic biodiversity in Neotropical estuaries on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. Assistant will help collect and record physical, chemical, and biological aquatic data and help design and present environmental public education for the local community. Fieldwork will include a variety of methods to collect aquatic insects, measurement of chemical and physical parameters of estuaries, and characterization of the surrounding riparian habitats. Environmental education could include planning and presenting a lesson on water quality, aquatic ecology or insects to students in San Francisco or Tortuguero. Compensation will include in-country transportation to/from the research station and room and board at the station.
Preferred qualifications:
- Passport (required for international students)
- Advanced undergraduates or recent graduate in ecology, biology, or a related field
- Some prior fieldwork and international travel experience
- Some fluency in conversational Spanish – assistant will need to interact with Costa Rican students, researchers, national park workers, and volunteers that may only speak Spanish
- Canoe, kayak, and/or boat experience – most of our time will be on a river or estuary
- Some public outreach or education experience
- Flexible, outgoing, and capable of physically demanding work – we will be spending many hours a day in cold and rainy to hot and dry conditions; many consecutive days collecting field data early in the morning until mid-afternoon and some early evenings processing collected aquatic insect samples
Application deadline: June 15th, 2012 (or as soon as position is filled)
Application details: Please email your resume/CV with any relevant coursework and prior field experience, a 1-page statement of interest, and two letters of recommendation to Petra Kranzfelder. All candidates will be interviewed by phone or Skype.
Questions? Email Petra Kranzfelder with any questions.