NSF-RET, Ecology, Network Science, and Plant Ecophysiology

The Macrosystems Ecology Laboratory at the University of California Berkeley is seeking a K-12 teacher to join our team in summer 2021 as part of an ecology project supported by the National Science Foundation. This Research Experience for Teachers (RET) would support lab and fieldwork based at the University of California, Berkeley, and at the University of California Botanical Garden (15 minute walk from Berkeley main campus), and would support 2021-2022 interactions between the teacher’s K-12 classroom and our research team.

Program dates
Dates are flexible based on teacher needs, and can span anywhere from early May to late August 2021.

Location
Berkeley, CA

Compensation
The teacher will receive a $8000 stipend. Additionally, up to $2900 in travel and subsistence expenses will be reimbursed.  The teacher will also receive $500 after the conclusion of the summer research experience to purchase classroom materials and supplies for implementing lesson plans related to our research with their students.

How to apply
Fill out the web application at https://forms.gle/6dMKShXcdjMLa75Z8.

Application deadline
Sunday May 16, 2021 at 11:59PM (Pacific time zone). Late applications will be considered, but review will proceed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Decision date for applicants
Friday May 21, 2021

Overall project motivation
Many biological systems contain spatial networks that transport resources. Examples include the branches of trees and the circulatory systems of animals. These networks vary widely in their architecture – some only branch, while others form loops; some have multiple levels of hierarchy, while others do not. This variation may reflect evolved solutions for optimizing functionality and minimizing costs in different contexts. Key network functions include transport efficiency, damage resilience, damage resistance, or mechanical strength. There is currently limited theory or data for linking network form to these functions, or for predicting tradeoffs between these functions. Prior theory has mostly focused on single functions or costs. Moreover, very few networks have been fully quantified or had their functionality measured, due to the difficulty of collecting data and developing vocabulary for network architecture. Better understanding the rules underlying network architecture will provide insights into the evolution of diverse organismal forms and will also identify principles that could one day guide the engineering of artificial networks, e.g. solar cells or synthetic organs.

This project will use leaf venation networks as a model empirical system. Leaves are central to plant performance via their roles in carbon gain and water loss, processes mediated by resource transport through their venation networks. These networks have high diversity of form and function and are tractable to phenotyping and functional characterization. This project will 1) quantify network architecture in a phylogenetically broad set of 500 species from temperate forests, desert, and lowland/montane tropical forests, 2) determine how network architecture and functions/costs are linked, 3) develop and test theory for these functions/costs of networks based on multi-scale network statistics, and 4) identify macro-evolutionary drivers of network architecture. Network functionality will be measured in the field with ecophysiology methods. Network architecture will be measured using novel multi-scale statistics.

Teacher role
During summer 2021 our team will be working at the UC Botanical Garden to collect leaf samples in a range of diverse species, then will work at our laboratory at the university campus to analyze the venation networks of these samples. The teacher will embed with our team and carry out an independent research project within the project’s overall scope, e.g. related to leaf ecophysiology and plant ecological strategies. The teacher will gain experience with a range of instrumentation (e.g. evaporative flux systems for measuring hydraulic conductances, universal testing machines for measuring leaf mechanical properties, pressure chambers for measuring water potentials and xylem vulnerability curves), and will also learn best practices for data handling and analysis. They will also gain opportunities to work with histology and imaging methods in the wet lab, and with deep learning / image analysis methods via cloud computing. The teacher will interact with a diverse and international team of scientists, including several undergraduate students.

Eligibility
Applicants must be currently teaching at the K-12 level in the United States. Per our funder restrictions, they must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States or its possessions. Prior research experience is NOT necessary.

Expectations
The teacher will embed with our team for ~8 weeks, committing ~25 hours/week to the project (perhaps 3 days/week). More extensive commitments are also possible if the teacher is interested. The teacher will carry out an independent project with close mentoring support from project personnel. The teacher will have opportunities, if mutually agreed, to contribute to or lead a peer-reviewed publication based on their work.

We hope that in the year following the summer research experience, the teacher will develop at least 3 portable lesson plans that can be shared with other teachers, and/or will contribute to other K-12 education resources, e.g. through short articles in teacher-focused magazines (like the Arizona Science Teacher Association’s quarterly newsletter) or in more permanent resources (e.g. via the QUBES repository, or our own outreach-focused websites).

The teacher will conduct themselves in a positive, professional, and culturally inclusive manner. We require a harassment-free learning and working environment that is safe for all participants.

The teacher is expected to integrate the summer experience into their teaching practice in the following year, e.g. through development of new lesson plans, engagement between K-12 students and project members, or refinement of science-related teaching practice. We would work closely with the teacher to brainstorm ways to involve the teacher’s students/classrooms in this process, e.g. through ‘citizen science’ style data analyses. We would also make the research team available for regular video calls with the teacher’s classroom in support of ‘meet a scientist’ type activities as well as other lesson plans developed by the teacher (see later section on teacher selection; the teachers will be required to articulate how the opportunity will be leveraged in their classroom). We have a track record of working successfully with teachers, e.g. through a 2020 NSF RET, 2012 NSF GK-12 service, which led to a paper being published with 40+ middle school co-authors in the American Journal of Botany, and through ongoing work building and deploying teacher professional development programs at the University of Arizona’s Sky School.

Coronavirus safety
The teacher will be expected to comply with all University of California guidelines on coronavirus safety, which at present include either weekly (free) testing or proof of vaccination. Work at the university follows a university-approved safety plan including limits on maximum densities of people in each work space, mandatory mask-wearing, and regular cleaning of spaces. All of our research team is fully vaccinated.

Accessibility
Teachers who are interested in the opportunity but have health concerns related to in-person work (e.g. immunocompromisation) are welcome to apply. We are able to accommodate these situations, inclusive of fully remote summer research experiences.

All workspaces are ADA accessible. We will implement any necessary accommodations to make the teacher comfortable and included in the research progress if they are necessary. Applicants are encouraged to contact us to discuss their needs, either before or after acceptance.

Logistics
Applicants local to the Bay Area are encouraged to commute daily to UC Berkeley, e.g. by car, bus, or BART. Applicants further away could temporarily move to the region and use the travel reimbursement funds to pay for airfare, housing rentals, etc. We will provide assistance with securing housing if necessary.

Frequently asked questions
Q: Why is this opportunity being advertised so late in the spring?
A: We only received funding notification from the federal government in late April due to administrative delays. We are hoping to make a decision as soon as possible so people can plan their summers!

Q: Do I need prior research experience or advanced training to qualify?
A: No, we are open to working with all teachers at all grade levels and all levels of prior experience. The funding is intended to support professional development and promote positive long-term outcomes for teaching of K-12 students.

Q: How will you pick among the applicants?
A: We are looking for a teacher for whom this opportunity would make an impact on their teaching practice, their students, and their community. We are also looking for someone who is excited to spend their summer thinking about biology, ecology, and plants.

Q: Do I need to be local to the Bay Area to apply?
A: No.

Q: My partner/spouse/friend is also a teacher. Can we apply together?
A: Yes, but we will have to deduct $1000 from the stipend or travel allowance in order to pay an additional university onboarding fee for the second person.

Q: I have never done anything like this before. Will I be welcome?
A: Our team includes students and researchers from several countries, as well as from a range of ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds within the United States. We strive to provide a welcoming lab environment that allows everyone to bring their full selves to the community. We have regular social events and weekly lab meetings, as well as frequent discussions of equity and inclusion issues in science.

We ran a parallel opportunity in 2020 and supported an Arizona science teacher via a remote research opportunity. The outcomes were positive. The teacher wrote, “Thank you for providing a meaningful and rewarding virtual research experience with your lab this summer. It is evident that you and the other mentors put a lot of time and thought into revising the original research goals and creating a virtual internship to replace field and lab research. This is no easy feat, and you pulled it off like a pro!”.

Q: I have another question that was not answered.
A: Please email benjamin.blonder@berkeley.edu.