| 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) |
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Team Size:
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3 |
| Open Spots: | 0 |
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Special Opportunities:
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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.
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Team Needs:
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We will be looking for multiple students. Since our scope of project is diverse, the students can expect to gain a wide range of research experience including laboratory work and field work. For laboratory work, students will be carrying out different tasks including : 1. Root-soil separation 2. Rooting depth and size analysis 3. Anion extractions For field work component, students may assist on tasks which include : 1. Instrumentation setup (for meteorological and hydrological measurements) 2. Soil coring and soil sampling 3. Geophysical surveys 4. Vegetation surveysThere are preferred skill sets/experience which help get to speed with our work, but I understand that many undergraduate students are just starting out and may not have such experience at this stage. However, I do expect students joining to be attentive to the tasks given and be committed towards their responsibilities. If you find the research topic and the related skills interesting, and even if you do not have any prior experience, we recommend reaching out to us I will first schedule a meeting to discuss your interests, skills and goals before you start to work with us. 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.eduStudents interested in pursuing a career related to hydrology/soil sciences are specially encouraged. |
| 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. |