Subject: Training Program

From: [email-masked] (Neil Shubin)
Date: 6 Dec 1996 19:19:38 GMT

The Department of Biology of the University of Pennsylvania invites
applications for training in ecology and evolutionary biology.  We
currently  have an NSF-sponsored training grant available to support
doctoral students* beginning in Fall 1997.  The new 5-year training
initiative will provide students with a solid background in basic science
while giving them the tools to become effective problem solvers in areas
that affect both the natural biological world and social systems.  The
curriculum includes instruction in environmental law, public policy, and
science writing.  Students interested in a wide variety of ecological,
evolutionary, and paleontological problems are encouraged to apply.

   The core faculty are members of the Biology Department at Penn and
adjunct faculty at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, the
nearby Stroud Water Research Center, and the Conservation Research Center
in Front Royal, Va.  A policy seminar will be taught by Dan Janzen, a
world expert in biological and political issues related to the
conservation of biodiversity.  Additional courses will involve members of
the Philadelphia legal community and professional journalists.

   The faculty are well-equipped to supervise a wide variety of
dissertation research topics.  Their field sites are distributed
world-wide, and many are involved in the collection of long-term data
sets.  Examples of research interests include behavioral ecology (Dorothy
Cheney, John Smith), freshwater and marine community ecology (Clyde
Goulden, David Hart, Peter Petraitis), physiological ecology/population
biology of plants and animals (Brenda Casper, Art Dunham), biodiversity
and animal-plant interactions (Dan Janzen), and evolution and systematics
(Dominique Didier, Neil Shubin).  Paul Sniegowski, who studies the
evolution of natural mutation rates, joins the Biology Department in
January.  Students will be encouraged to take advantage of campus-wide
programs in computational biology, paleobiology, and environmental
sciences.

   A number of natural habitats are easily accessible from the Penn
campus--coastal and freshwater marshes, the pinelands of New Jersey,
hardwood forests, and serpentine barrens.  The Academy of Natural Sciences
houses one of the best natural history libraries in the country and
several major collections, including mollucs, diatoms, fishes and birds. 
Students commonly use resources at the American Museum of Natural History
(N.Y.C.) and the Smithsonian (Washington, D.C.).  The Morris Arboretum and
the Tyler Arboretum are within an hour¹s drive.  Some students conduct
their field research overseas.

   We encourage applications from women and minorities.  The deadline for
applications is January 15 of each year, for the following fall.  For more
information concerning this training grant contact:

Dr. Brenda Casper
E-Mail address:  [email-masked]
or
Dr. Neil Shubin
E-Mail address:  [email-masked]

or if a Graduate Division School of Arts and Sciences application packet
is needed, contact:

Allan M. Aiken
E-Mail address:  [email-masked]

*This NSF-sponsored training grant is limited to the support of United
States citizens and landed residents only.