At The Garden — Internships

Employment at the Chicago Botanic Garden

TITLE: Chicago Botanic Garden: Research Assistant for Plants of Concern:
Regional Rare Plant Monitoring – FILLED

(Department of Plant Science and Conservation.)

DESCRIPTION: This 8-month, 40 hr/week position involves monitoring rare plants in the Chicago area through the Plants of Concern (POC) program, a widely recognized citizen science program since 2001. The office is based at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Duties include collecting field monitoring data, helping recruit and train volunteer monitors, entering/analyzing monitoring data, including GIS applications, and assisting with reports. The RA will have an opportunity to create presentations of work accomplished. (Pending additional funding, internship may be extended several months into 2012.)

RESPONSIBILITIES:
(position begins May 1, 2011)

May through September. Attend a POC training workshop. Engage in monitoring field work throughout the Chicago region. Train and provide support to volunteer monitors and organize field outings. Monitoring consists of collecting field data (population counts, population area, recording locations through GPS, threats, invasive species, and management activities). There is sampling and demographic monitoring of select species.

October through December. Collect and organize monitoring data forms from volunteers. Enter data and conduct statistical analysis for presentation at an advisory group meeting and in grant reports. Use GIS program to plot plant locations and other spatial data. Help finalize POC reports. Contribute to POC website maintenance. Assist with preparations for the 2012 monitoring season.

SALARY: $13.00/ hour, paid holidays and 2 personal days. Occasional weekend work.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS: B.S. in ecology, botany, biological sciences, or related background. Plant identification skills, including use of a dichotomous key. Field experience in plant monitoring or field research. Computer experience with all Microsoft Office functions, including Access database. Basic statistical and GIS software experience sought. Organizational and people skills. Ability to work well independently as well as on a team. Driver’s license and access to a personal vehicle, although a company vehicle is normally available. Housing with a host family may be available.

DEPARTMENT: Division of Plant Science and Conservation

REPORTS TO: Manager of Regional Floristics

COOPERATIVE RELATIONSHIPS: Midewin Research Assistant, Plant Science and other Garden staff; public and private land management agency staff, volunteers.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: March 15, 2011. No phone calls please. For application go to www.chicagobotanic.org. Follow the link to At the Garden at the top of the home page, then to Employment and Internship.