Description:
Seed Collection Field Assistants will work with SUU faculty to learn Seeds of Success protocols and ultimately collect thousands of seeds from public lands in and around the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
Duties:
- Finding plant populations based on geographic coordinates
- Collecting high quality tissue samples for genetic analysis
- Using an iPad to take high quality photographs of plants and landscape features
- Collecting seeds for common garden experimental studies
- Identifying plants to species
- Collecting environmental data on an iPad with ArcGIS Survey123
- Performing quality assurance checks on field data
- Collecting and identifying native bees
- Labeling and sorting pinned insects
- Navigating Utah’s scenic public lands to look for plants
- Collecting and pressing plant specimens for herbarium vouchers to send to Federal partners
- Estimating seed numbers
- Cleaning and treating seeds to kill pests
- Following directions well
Job duties vary throughout the season, which begins on March 15th and ends on October 15, 2024. Semester work shifts tend to occur on weekends, while summer work shifts tend to follow a 4-10 pattern (4 days per week, 10 hours per day). Shifts can be flexible as long as prior arrangements are made with your faculty supervisor and the rest of the seed crew team. Work can involve laboratory activities, seed cleaning and counting, driving long distances on dirt roads, scouting for plants, data entry, and overnight camping trips. Training will be provided to students with ambition and a desire to do more than meet the bare minimum standards of the job.
Qualifications:
Qualified candidates will have a background in environmental science, and a deep interest in genetics, conservation biology, public lands management, natural resources, pollinators, taxonomy, native plants, invertebrate taxonomy, and/OR the intersection between technology and biology. Ideal candidates will have the at least some of the following experiences or an evident desire to learn:
- How to catch pollinators and pin insects
- How to identify plants, with preference for those who have prepared a plant voucher
- How to collect data with ArcGIS Survey123
- How to collect soil samples and perform color and texture analyses
- How to navigate to and survive in remote locations.
Candidates must be able to meet weekly with faculty mentors, but should also be able to carry out work independently and on weekends during the semester. Candidates must be professional, responsible, independent, and punctual. Must be comfortable interacting with professionals at the Bureau of Land Management, local law enforcement officers, private landowners, and members of the general public. First Aid, Wilderness First Aid, or Emergency Medical Responder training preferred. Knowledge of how to change a flat tire and cook in a camping situation is a plus. Some camping gear may be provided. Environmental Science majors and Environmental Studies minors preferred, but other majors will be considered.