Stable Isotope Short Courses

[Melanie Colón]

Please pass this announcement along to any interested individuals. Thanks.
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There will be two different Stable Isotope Short Courses at the University
of Utah in 2016:
Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry and Ecology, June 13-24, 2016
Isotopes in Spatial Ecology and Biogeochemistry, June 13-24, 2016
https://itce.utah.edu/courses.html
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We are pleased to open the application period for the 2016 Stable Isotope
Short Courses at the University of Utah. In addition to the 21st annual
offering of the Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry and Ecology Course (aka
“Iso-Camp”), emphasizing fundamental environmental and biological theory
underlying isotope fractionation processes and a broad spectrum of
ecological and environmental applications, we are excited about the 4th
offering of the companion course, Isotopes in Spatial Ecology and
Biogeochemistry (aka “The SPATIAL Short Course”), focused on large datasets,
spatial analysis and modeling, and scaling with isotopic data.

Both classes will be limited-enrollment, multi-instructor lecture (morning)
and laboratory (afternoon) short courses. The courses are targeted to
graduate students and postdoctoral investigators interested in learning more
about the applications of stable isotopes at natural abundance levels to
environmental, biogeochemical, marine, and ecological studies. A limited
number of lecture-only slots will be reserved for postdocs and faculty
looking to gain exposure to scientific and technical course content without
the full immersion experience offered by the full lecture+lab sequence. The
courses will:
1) be offered at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City
2) be limited to 25-27 participants in order to maximize interaction and
access to laboratory resources; an additional 5 openings for the
lecture-only course will be made available for postdocs and faculty
3) consist of a morning lecture/discussion and an afternoon laboratory;
each course will feature ~17 instructors, experts selected from across the
country for their breadth of experience and for their interest in teaching
and interacting with students
4) include a hands-on laboratory experience each day.

For Iso-Camp the laboratory experiences will include full access and use of
ThermoElectron isotope ratio mass spectrometers and Picarro cavity-ring down
spectrometers. The IRMS is equipped with elemental analyzers, continuous
flow capacities, GC, TCEA, pre-con, laser, common-acid-bath. Available also
are vacuum preparation lines for organic and inorganic compounds of
biological and environmental interest.

For the SPATIAL short course students will work with Picarro CRDS analyzers
and a range of geospatial data management and modeling environments,
including MySQL, ArcGIS, IsoMAP, R, and various research software packages
developed and used by the instructors, their students, and collaborators.
Many of the evenings in both courses will be set aside for discussions of
current research interests, group dinners and additional talks. There will
also be opportunities for social events in the nearby Wasatch Mountains.

Typically our applicants have come from all across the United States as well
as from many different foreign countries. We select students with a
diversity of academic interests, geographical diversity, and research
experiences in mind. We seek students who are interested in learning broadly
about stable isotope applications and in interacting with other students and
faculty. We encourage applications from members of underrepresented groups.
Past participants have had backgrounds in disciplines including animal and
plant physiology, ecology and ecosystem science, biogeochemistry,
anthropology, atmospheric science, marine science, oceanography,
paleontology, forensic science, industry, and geology.

Applications will be accepted until February 5, 2016. Application forms for
both courses can be reached through the webpage
https://itce.utah.edu/apply.html. We will notify applicants by the last
week of February 2016 regarding acceptance into the course and how to begin
planning for lodging arrangements, tuition payments, reading materials, etc.
We will be offering a limited number of participant support awards to offset
expenses related to participation in the courses. If you are interested in
being considered for one of the awards, additional information beyond the
initial application is required. Details are posted on the application
website. We will announce recipients by the last week of February 2016, as well.
On behalf of the other instructors who participate in these courses from our
campus as well as from across (and beyond!) the United States, let us say
that we look forward to your application and encourage you to explore the
program information on our website.

Warm regards,
Gabe Bowen, Thure Cerling, and Jim Ehleringer