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Call for Applications

CUNY Environmental Cross-Roads Initiative
and
Northeast Consortium for Hydrologic Synthesis

Third Annual Summer Synthesis Institute:

June 1 – July 16, 2010
City University of New York, New York.


We invite you to apply to the 2010 Summer Synthesis Institute funded by the National Science Foundation and the Consortium of Universities Allied for Hydrological Sciences (CUAHSI) and hosted by the CUNY Environmental Cross-Roads Initiative and the Northeast Consortium for Hydrologic Synthesis. The Synthesis Institute is a six-week intensive research collaborative that offers advanced graduate students the opportunity to conduct interdisciplinary research on the role of humans in shaping the character of hydrologic systems across the Northeast Corridor from 1600 to 2100. The two previous Institutes focused on the colonial era and 19th century.

In 2010, the Institute will address the relationship between human society and water systems in the 20th century and consider the following: What was the nature of hydro-systems across the Northeastern U.S. during the 20th century, how did hydrologic dynamics shape human decision-making and, in turn, how did human decision-making shape the hydrologic cycle during this timeframe? Summer Scholars participate in a suite of fast-paced synthesis and integration research activities, guided by faculty mentors. It is anticipated that the initial set of ideas and findings of the Institute will inspire further work by the Scholars at their home institutions, with the Consortium supporting follow-up communications and guidance to the group.

Participants will benefit from a unique opportunity to:

  • Engage in interdisciplinary, team-based research
  • Interact with nationally and internationally recognized leaders in the field
  • Gain important insights into generating hypotheses and asking integrative science questions
  • Formulate potential M.S., PhD, and post-doctoral research topics
  • Create a lasting network of professional relationships

We invite applications from qualified graduate students who have an interdisciplinary focus and research interests related to human-natural systems interactions. Most participants are expected to have experience in one or more quantitative methods (statistics, modeling, GIS, data analysis, etc.)

Graduate students in the following fields are invited to apply:

  • Hydrological sciences
  • Environmental sciences
  • Geosciences
  • Ecology o Geography
  • Humanities: History and Political Science
  • Ecological, environmental, natural resource economics
  • Urban planning and development

Scholars will be chosen through a competitive process. Successful applicants will be awarded a $2,500 stipend for the six-week period, in addition to housing in New York City, plus travel expenses to the 2009 Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco, where they will present their findings.

 

Application Process:


Complete applications must be received no later than February 15th, 2010. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Notifications will be made early-April 2010. To apply for the 2010 Institute, please submit the information listed below:

 

  1. Statement of research interests and experience. Include relevance of your educational background, research and practical experience to the theme of the 2010 Institute: The 20th Century: Relationships Linking Water and People. (500 words maximum)

  2. Short statement describing your views on what collaborative interdisciplinary research is in the context of natural and social science research (300 words maximum)

  3. Resume, including list of courses taken (graduate and relevant undergraduate), experience in quantitative methods (modeling, data analysis, statistics, etc.)

  4. Two letters of recommendation, one of them from your graduate advisor, sent directly to chermans@ccny.cuny.edu.


For further information please visit

http://hydrosynthesis.ccny.cuny.edu

Email completed application materials to:

chermans@ccny.cuny.edu

Deadline for applications is February 15th, 2010

 

CUAHSI is the Consortium of Universities Allied for Hydrological Sciences, Inc., representing more than 100 institutions. The Institute is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation under the aegis of CUAHSI.