| Affiliations: | Aggie Research Mentoring Program |
| Project Leader: | Shishir Basant shishir.basant@tamu.edu Ecology and Conservation Biology |
| Faculty Mentor: | Bradford Wilcox, PhD |
| Meeting Times: | TBA (flexible) |
|
Team Size:
|
3 |
| Open Spots: | 0 |
|
Special Opportunities:
|
This is a part of a bigger project and we are working with multiple public and private lands. This will be a great opportunity for exposure to a big research project and different forms of management. You will also pick up several ecology and soil science related skills. There will also be opportunity to develop a thesis for yourself from the project. If you decide to pursue an undergraduate thesis, you will receive mentorship.
|
|
Team Needs:
|
Applicant must have a driving license with experience of driving as you will be expected to drive to field sites and on dirt roads in wildlife management areas. Awareness and regard for safety rules in work settings is a must. This includes safe/defensive driving. – Prior experience of working in a professional setting – Demonstrated that you can take responsibilities and commit to seeing through tasks – Comfortable with outdoor work settings: such as prescribed fire, vegetation, soil, wildlife work – Experience in laboratory settings These are preferred skill sets/experience, but I understand that many students may not have such experience at this stage. If you find the project appealing to you and aligns with your career goals, I encourage you to reach out to me. Students interested in pursuing a career related to hydrology/soil sciences are highly encouraged. If you have prior experience working in ecology/conservation, with parks/arboretum, etc., we encourage you to apply. Further note about this role: A lot of our work revolves around soil sampling and soil related measurements in the lab. Even though I have successfully trained students in soil augering, sampling, root measurements – please be aware that this can be physically strenuous. Given the nature of this work, we sometimes have to be able to work in inclement weather. To apply: Send a copy of your resume with a short note describing why you are interested in this project and how this will benefit you professionally. Send to : shishir.basant@tamu.edu |
| Description | Oak savannas are an important vegetation type in the Southern USA, making up more than 120,000 km2. Over the past 150 years, much of these landscapes have been radically transformed by cultivation and subsequent abandonment, altered fire regimes, urbanization, and fragmentation. The overarching goal of this project is to determine how these vegetation changes have affected groundwater recharge. This also includes measuring the effects of landscapes which have been restored to prairies or grasslands via prescribed burn or other methods. In the ongoing phase of our project, we will be focusing on the Post Oak Savanna ecosystem in Texas to characterize the soil moisture regimes under different vegetation cover. In addition, we will also be measuring and documenting the rooting depth and density across the diverse vegetation communities found in this ecosystem. Students participating for the upcoming months will be contributing by working on soil coring, frequent soil moisture measurements in the field and processing samples in the lab. Students will be working under the mentorship of a Postdoctoral research associate and will often be assisting one or two PhD students. |