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Available Assistantships
The School of Forest Resources offers programs leading to the Master of Forestry, Master of Science in Forestry, M.S. in Resource Utilization, Ph.D. in Forest Resources. Research and Teaching Assistantships, awarded on a competitive basis, also include tuition waivers.
Graduate research opportunities are reflected in current faculty research interests, including:
- Forest Economics, finance and taxation, regional economic analysis, forest policy analysis;
- Strategic, tactical, and operational forest planning, forest ecosystem management, integrated small woodland management;
- Timber harvesting, forest operations, forest workplace safety;
- Remote sensing, global positioning systems, geographics information systems, spatial analysis of forest resources;
- Forest measurements, growth and yield modeling;
- Effects of intensive timber management on wood properties, engineering wood composites, timber mechanics, wood deterioration and biotechnology, wood drying, wood property/age relationships, non-destructive testing of wood, forest products marketing; and
- Natural-resource-based recreation.
Contact:
Dr. Steve Sader
Graduate Coordinator
School of Forest Resources
5755 Nutting Hall
University of Maine
Orono, ME 04469-5755
Research Assistant in Environmental Life Cycle Assessment
Research Assistantship available for a student of any academic
background (e.g. natural science, forestry, agriculture or chemical or
environmental engineering or economics) who is interested to pursue
graduate research in the area of environmental life cycle assessment (LCA)
and industrial ecology related to production of forest bio-products (e.g.
bio-materials, bio-fuels, bio-chemicals)? A background in LCA or industrial ecology is not required, but applicant should be willing to
learn the fundamental concepts/principles. Applicant should have good
analytical training, database skills and knowledge of basic
statistics and probability and willing to learn new software packages.
It is also desirable that he/she has taken a course in systems
modeling and simulation.
Research Assistantship in Remote Sensing and Spatial Analysis of Northern Forest Environments
Full Assistantships available starting September 1, 2008 or January, 2009.
Click here for more details.
Invasive Plants Project
A highly qualified student is ought for a cooperative University of Maine – USDA Forest Service research project funded by the Northeastern States Research Cooperative. Click here for more details.
Wood Science andTechnology/Chemistry-Biochemistry
Research relates to biotechnological processing and wood products protection. Applicants should have an interest in chemistry or biochemistry. The research focus is the fungal biodegradation of wood and the mechansims that fungi employ to break down wood and woody biomass. Although the research is basic in nature it has practical implications in that it may lead to the development of better methods to protect wood products from decay (a multi billion dollar problem in the US alone), and also may lead to new methods for the bioprocessing of woody materials to produce biofuels or for improved methods for biopulping in the pulp and paper field. At the basic level the work may be oriented to improve our basic understanding of cycling of carbon and nutrients in the environment as the wood decay fungi are the primary carbon cyclers in coniferous forests.
Contact Professor Barry Goodell
Goodell@umit.maine.edu
http://inferno.asap.um.maine.edu/faculty/goodell/index.html
Forest Operations Graduate Research Assistantship Available
The Forest Operations Science (FSC) program at the University of Maine has an open 12-month M.S. or Ph.D. graduate research assistantship.
Click here for more details.
Spatial Analysis of Lakeshore Development and Recreation in Maine Graduate Research Assistantship Available
The University of Maine has an M.S. graduate research assistantship available starting Summer 2007. The successful candidate will conduct research related to lakeshore development in Maine and its impacts on outdoor recreation. A student with spatial analysis skills (GIS, remote-sensing), gained through coursework or previous employment, is preferred. The student will contribute to an EPA funded research project, with opportunities for two summers of field work on Maine’s developed and remote lakes as part of an interdisciplinary graduate student team. Click here for more details.
Ph.D. assistantship for a study of conifer carbon source-sink relationships in trees
Annual trends in the carbon physiology of red spruce in relation to age-related growth decline. We are seeking a motivated individual to fill a PhD-level graduate assistantship for a study of conifer carbon source-sink relationships in trees ranging from juvenile to old-growth. Research will focus on the relative contribution of supply-side (source) and demand-side (sink) processes in controlling shoot growth. Although large age-related declines in productivity have been documented in many conifers including red spruce, several decades of research have failed to provide an adequate physiological explanation for this phenomenon. Preliminary data suggests that the interaction of photosynthesis and meristematic growth sinks may play an important role, but our current state of knowledge of conifer source-sink dynamics is inadequate to provide a definitive assessment. This project will require monitoring of photosynthetic attributes and carbon sink status of age classes from juvenile to old-growth, as well as manipulative experiments to quantify the interaction of source and sinks. Work will be performed on both greenhouse and forest populations. Field measurements will require accessing the canopy (25-30m high) with aerial lifts under year-round conditions. Interested candidates should contact Mike Day (day@umenfa.maine.edu; 207.581.2889) or Mike Greenwood (mike_greenwood@umit.maine.edu; 207.581.2838), University of Maine School of Forest Resources, Nutting Hall, Orono, ME 04469-5755.
Forest Modeling M.S. or Ph.D. Assistantships Available
Two fully-funded graduate assistantships for individuals seeking either a
M.S. or Ph.D. are currently available. Potential projects include: (1)
development of individual tree empirical growth and mortality equations;
(2) modeling the influence of pre- and commercial thinning on tree growth;
(3) refinement of tree taper, volume, and product potential equations; (4)
assessing regional variation in stand maximum productivity; and (5)
calibration of existing process-based models to mixed species stands.
Tuition, health insurance, and a competitive stipend will be provided. For
further information, please contact Aaron Weiskittel
(aaron.weiskittel@umit.maine.edu, 207.581.2857).
Post-Doctoral Position in Forest Biometrics and Modeling
