John Holdren Talk on Campus

Dr. John Holdren served as President Obama's Science Advisor and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) from January 2009-17. Today he is the Teresa and John Heinz Professor of Environmental Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government!

The talk is next Tuesday, February 13, 2018 from 12:00 to 1:00 PM at the Prince George’s Room in the Stamp Student Union. Come join us for the wonderful opportunity, and RSVP Here!

UW-Madison, SILVIS Lab: PhD Positions Available

UW-Madison, SILVIS Lab

PhD positions are available for two NASA funded projects. Both projects focus on land use change, and will makes extensive use of satellite data.

One project will focus on land use change, especially long-term degradation of forests and grasslands in the Caucasus Mountains, analyze large amounts of satellite data, and link the observed changes to socioeconomic factors. The second project will focus on the development of methods to map agricultural abandonment, fallow fields and grasslands based on both Landsat and Sentinel-2 data. Test sites will be in Eastern Europe and across the globe.

We are seeking to hire several PhD students to contribute to these two projects. The projects are a collaboration between UW-Madison (V. Radeloff), and partners from other universities in the U.S., Europe, and the Caucasus region.

We are offering the PhD graduate assistantships for three years. The appointments will be as a research assistant with a stipend of $22,427 per year plus health benefits and tuition remission. We anticipate the PhD student to start September 1st 2018, but an earlier start date is negotiable.

The university has a long history of excellence in ecology, conservation biology, remote sensing and geography. All positions will be based in the SILVIS lab (http://silvis.forest.wisc.edu/) and supervised by V. Radeloff. The SILVIS lab is part of the Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. PhD students will be enrolled in the Forestry Program, the no.-1 ranked forestry PhD graduate program in the U.S.!

UW-Madison ranks consistently among the top research universities in the United States. Total student enrollment is 43,000 of which approximately 12,000 are graduate and professional students, and there are over 2000 faculty. UW-Madison is an exciting place to learn and conduct research! The city of Madison ranks as one of the most attractive places in the U.S. to live and work. For information about campus and city, please see http://www.wisc.edu/about/

Qualifications: For all positions, we seek candidates who work well in a collaborative setting and have excellent communication skills in English. Additional language skills are a plus.

We welcome applications from candidates with a background in geography, ecology, environmental science, forestry, computer science, or other related disciplines. Demonstrated skills in the processing and handling of satellite imagery, large datasets, statistical modeling, and GIS are essential and expected. Knowledge of land use science, landscape ecology, and Eastern Europe/the Caucasus region is a plus, but is not required.

Applicants for the PhD student positions must have a completed a BS by the time of appointment, and a completed MS degree is desirable, but candidates with equivalent experience will be considered. Prior publications are not required for PhD student applicants, but desirable.

To apply: Please submit your application here: https://uwmadison.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bd8uKWzgkvzqGTH

Please note that submitting an application includes filling out a small survey, and takes approximately 15 minutes. It also requires contact information for three references and to upload (in PDF format):

- a 2-page cover letter summarizing research interests and experiences
- a Curriculum Vitae
- unofficial transcripts (both undergraduate and graduate, compiled into one file)
After reviewing all applicants, we will ask for reference letters and official transcripts for shortlisted candidates.

The positions are open to both U.S. citizens, and international candidates. UW-Madison will assist with visa applications as necessary once offers are made.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. We promote excellence through diversity and encourage all qualified individuals to apply.

Review of applicants will begin immediately, but the positions will remain open until suitable candidates are found. Applications received by February 28th 2018 are guaranteed consideration.

Registration for ASA DC Datafest

Registration is now open for this event:

ASA DC DataFest™ 2018 | JPSM l Joint Program in Survey Methodology l University of Maryland

https://jpsm.umd.edu/event/asa-dc-datafest-2018

This event brings together teams of undergraduate students from several Washington, DC area universities and colleges to compete in a data-analysis event for prizes and the attention of potential employers.

DataFest was founded at UCLA in 2011, when 30 students gathered for 48 intense hours to analyze five years of arrest records provided by Lt. Thomas Zak of the Los Angeles Police Department. ASA DataFest is now sponsored by the American Statistical Association and hosted by several of the most prestigious colleges and universities in the country. More than 2000 students take part from schools such as UCLA, Pomona College, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, UC Riverside, University of Southern California, Purdue University, Duke, the University of North Carolina, North Carolina State, Emory, Princeton, Dartmouth, Smith, Hampshire, Amherst, Mt. Holyoke, and the University of Massachusetts.

A key feature of ASA DataFest is that it brings together the data science community. Undergraduate students do the work, but they are assisted by roving consultants who are graduate students, faculty, and industry professionals. Many professionals find ASA DataFest to be a great recruiting opportunity–they get to watch talented undergraduate students work under pressure in a team and examine their thinking processes.

Planet Forward Event

Planet Forward, a project of the Center for Innovative Media at the George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs, uses storytelling, media, and educational events to empower new voices and lead a global conversation on the planet's future.

Our team is always looking to forge new connections and work with more students from local universities. Coming up, we have two exciting and educational opportunities.

First, our 4th annual student storytelling competition, Storyfest 2018, is open now through March 2! Six grand prize winners will travel to Alaska courtesy of Alaska Airlines to board the National Geographic Sea Lion for an 8-day storytelling trip exploring Alaska’s coast between Sitka and Juneau. Learn more and enter at planetforward.org/storyfest 2018.

Second, we invite all students to attend our 2018 Planet Forward Summit on April 5-6 at The George Washington University - registration is open now! The event is a two-day national conference on sustainability storytelling. Read more or sign up at planetforwardsummit.org.

Any students interested in volunteering as event staff on April 5 or 6 please fill out this form. 

If you have any questions about Planet Forward, the Summit, or Storyfest please let me know how I can help! Reach me at jack@planetforward.org.

Education Abroad Welcoming Event

You're Invited!

Study Abroad 101 Sessions

For students, academic advisors and campus colleagues - all are welcome to Study Abroad 101! ter.ps/sa101

Summer Study Abroad Tool

Are you dreaming of studying abroad, but you don't know what program is best for you?

Check out this to find the best option for you!

Summer Study Abroad Options for Students EA is proud to offer a robust portfolio of summer faculty-led programs representing 9 academic colleges. In addition to reviewing all of our summer offerings using EA's search tool, we invite you to also use our Maryland Short-term Programs Sorting Tool for Academic Advisors to help you identify options for your students.                                       AGNR                                       ENGR                                       ARHU                                      JOUR                                       BMGT                                      SPHL                                       BSOS                                      UGST                                       EDUC                                      General Education Gilman Eligible