Plant Community Ecology Technician

Position Overview:

The Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve of the University of Minnesota has opportunities to work as plant community ecology technicians. These positions can start as early as mid-July up to early September and can run as late as the middle of November (weather dependent). The start date is flexible. As a research technician, you will contribute to ongoing field experiments and interact with professors, post-docs, and graduate students. If you are a recently graduated student with a background or interest in biology, ecology, environmental science, botany, soil science, or related field we encourage you to apply.

Pay is $15.50 per hour. Typical workdays are eight hours per day Monday through Friday. Most of the work you do will be out in the field, though a few jobs have indoor laboratory or computer components. On-site dormitory housing is available to rent.

Research Overview:

We have three large scale projects and several smaller scale LTER experiments that require most of our intern resources. BioCON is one of the large-scale experiments where we explore the ways in which plant communities respond to environmental changes such as increased nitrogen deposition, increased atmospheric CO2, decreased biodiversity, altered precipitation patterns, and increased temperatures. Another large-scale project is the Big Biodiversity experiment that studies how plant diversity affects the rates, dynamics, and stability of ecological processes at the population, community, and ecosystem levels. Other experiments nested within the Big Biodiversity look at factors such as irrigation and increased temperatures. The third large scale experiment, FAB, is looking at tree competition under different diversity levels. This experiment includes approximately 40,000 trees within a 30-acre field that will run for over 100 years. Throughout the fall we maintain and sample these experiments. 

Research site:

CCESR is an eight square mile tract of land 35 miles north of the Twin Cities. Cedar Creek is endowed with a diverse mosaic of prairie, savanna, sedge meadows, bogs, open water, forests, and even abandoned agricultural fields. Its large size, great natural biodiversity, and uniform soil substrate make it ideal for ecosystem studies. 

Qualifications:

• Ability to work outdoors.
• Effective analytical and communication skills.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Driver’s license is preferred but not required.