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Caren Cooper
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Citizen Science to understand the interdependence of nature and humanity

​Photos by Lauren Nichols of the awesome people in my lab in the summer 2017

Graduate Student Opportunities

Visit my NCSU website for Student Opportunities

​OLD
Coming soon (Spring 2018 and Fall 2018): 
1 MS and 2 PhD opportunities to study citizen scientists 


FILLED
2+ Immediate opportunities to start in Spring or Fall 2017! 
Coupled natural human systems
&
Human dimensions of citizen science


Graduate Assistantships – Coupled natural-human systems
1 MS and 1 PhD position at NC State University, Starting January or Fall 2017 (flexible)
Graduate opportunities in Fish and Wildlife Conservation with the Department of Forestry & Environmental Resources for self-motivated and hardworking students interested in the social and ecological dimensions of avian stewardship on residential lands. The graduate students will conduct research that leverages citizen science projects associated with the Cooper lab, which includes Sparrow Swap (http://scistarter.com/sparrowswap/), Sound Around Town (launching this winter in collaboration with the National Park Service’s Dark Skies and Natural Sounds division), and the Raleigh site for the Smithsonian’s Neighborhood Nestwatch. Possible research directions include, but are not limited to, management of invasive house sparrows, mapping environmental contaminants based on their levels of bioaccumulation in house sparrow eggs, and the influence of soundscapes and lightscapes on avian and human wellbeing. Students will be expected to engage with the activities of the university-wide cluster on Leadership in Public Science (https://facultyclusters.ncsu.edu/clusters/leadership-in-public-science/) which offers unique intellectual focus and professional development in the realm of citizen science, open science, and science communication. The students will spend time in the Biodiversity Research lab at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (http://naturalsciences.org/research-collections/biodiversity-lab) where they will have opportunities to develop their science communication skills.
Minimum qualifications: 
BS (MS for PhD opening) degree in ecology, wildlife, natural resources, conservation or related discipline with coursework in social sciences, or in human dimensions with coursework in ecology and behavior
GPA of 3.4 or higher 
GRE scores near or above 160 in verbal and quantitative areas 
Demonstrated research experience (data collection, analysis, and writing) 
Background in natural resource management, conservation, or urban ecology 
Interest in interdisciplinary (social and biological) research 
Commitment to public science 
Excellent verbal and written communication skills 
Preferred qualifications: 
Experience with citizen science
Experience in science communication
Advanced geospatial and quantitative skills
To apply, submit a pre-application to Dr. Cooper at [email protected] by Nov 7, 2016.  
Submit pre-application as a single PDF file attached to an email introducing yourself with “Coupled Human Natural Systems graduate application” in the email subject line.: 
1) cover letter summarizing interest in the position, qualifications, and experience, as well as research and career goals 
2) Curriculum Vitae 
3) academic transcripts (can be unofficial) 
4) GRE scores (can be unofficial) 
5) Names and contact information for three professional references 
Selected applicants will also need to apply to the Dept of Forestry & Environmental Resources at North Carolina State University before acceptance.

Graduate Assistantship – Human dimensions of citizen science
Starting January or Fall 2017 (flexible)
1 MS or 1 PhD position at NC State University
Graduate opportunities in Fish and Wildlife Conservation within the Department of Forestry & Environmental Resources for self-motivated and hardworking student interested in the human dimensions of citizen science. The graduate student will conduct research via resources and tools available in collaboration with SciStarter.com, the largest repository of citizen science projects in the world and a comprehensive database detailing project design features and outcomes. Thanks to a NSF-AISL Pathways award, SciStarter will soon offer each member a dashboard to manage and display their citizen science activities, track their progress in projects, network with others, and consent to have their online behavior tracked across citizen science projects.
Possible research directions include, but are not limited to:
  • linkages between pathway of initial recruitment and subsequent retention in citizen science
  • explore practices for the co-management of citizen scientists with awareness of their enrollment in multiple projects
  • linkages between citizen science project design and scientific, learning, and conservation outcomes
  • linkages between participation dynamics within and among projects and scientific, learning, and conservation outcomes
  • design of recommender systems to enhance participant agency in navigating an ecosystem of highly varied projects
  • project owner perceptions about project aggregation, competition, and collaboration.
Students will be expected to engage with the activities of the cluster on Leadership in Public Science which offers unique intellectual focus and professional development in the realm of citizen science, open science, and science communication. The students will spend time in the Biodiversity Research lab at the North Carolina Museum of Natural sciences where they will have ample opportunities to develop their science communication skills.
Minimum qualifications: 
BS (MS for PhD opening) degree in social sciences, information sciences, human dimensions or similar with some coursework in ecology
GPA of 3.4 or higher 
GRE scores near or above 160 in verbal and quantitative areas 
Demonstrated research experience (data collection, analysis, and writing) 
Interest in interdisciplinary (social and biological) research 
Commitment to public science 
Excellent verbal and written communication skills 
Preferred qualifications: 
Experience with citizen science
Experience with quantitative research and survey development
Experience with Google Analytics
Quantitative analysis skills
To apply, submit a pre-application to Dr. Cooper at [email protected] by Nov 7, 2016.  
Submit pre-application as a single PDF file attached to an email introducing yourself with “Human dimensions of citizen science graduate application” in the email subject line.: 
1) cover letter summarizing interest in the position, qualifications, and experience, as well as research and career goals 
2) Curriculum Vitae 
3) academic transcripts (can be unofficial) 
4) GRE scores (can be unofficial) 
5) Names, contact information, and short description of relationship for three professional references 

Selected applicants will also need to apply to the Dept of Forestry & Environmental Resources at North Carolina State University before acceptance.
 
​
Internships - check out current opportunities
Every semester there are opportunities in my lab for students to gain research experiences in ecology and social sciences, as well as science communication experiences. 
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