[Biology-U-L] Student assiss needed for long-term study of how local streams influence the kelp forests

[Biology Undergraduate List]

  Student assistantships are available as part of long-term study of how 
  local streams influence the kelp forests fringing the Santa Barbara 
  Channel.  Since most of the runoff occurs during the rainy season from 
  November through April and because rain storms are intermittent, the time 
  spent processing samples are irregular.  Other tasks, such as preparing 
  sample bottles and analyzing samples are more regular.  The job will 
  phase in with less time in October and more time in November and beyond.
  
  The assistance needed is focused on processing of stream water samples. 
  Water samples brought to the lab must be filtered within a few hours for 
  dissolved nutrients and particulate matter.  This requires standing at a 
  lab bench and transferring water to filtering funnels then to bottles and 
  finally to tubes for analysis. For particulate matter,
  filters are collected and transferred to petri dishes for subsequent 
  analysis.  Some storms will require measurement of total suspended 
  solids, which involves filtration onto a preweighed filter, which after 
  oven drying, is weighed again on an analytical balance.  Other tasks 
  include bottle washing and labeling and data entry onto spreadsheets.  
  During rainy season, large numbers of samples are generated, hence the 
  work can be repetitive.
  

  Please email for responses to:
  
 
>Frank Setaro <setaro at lifesci.ucsb.edu  
>Department of Biological Sciences
>University of California
>Santa Barbara,  CA  93106
>(805) 893-4203