International w88 slot online Opportunity: Sri Lanka

National Science Foundation logoNSF IRES, National Science Foundation International w88 slot online Experience for Students, Funded

National Science Foundation

Funded Summer International w88 slot online Opportunity: Study Human-Elephant-Conflict around Wasgamuwa National Park Sri Lanka

Applications w88 slot online be accepted until Thursday, October 26at 5 p.m. PST.

Students participating in this program will conduct w88 slot online in and around Wasgamuwa National Park in Sri Lanka. The program is open to full-time University of Nevada, Reno undergraduate students graduating in December 2024 or later and requires students to enroll in two courses in the spring of 2024 to prepare for field work in the summer of 2024. The project is funded by an NSF IRES grant, which covers the cost of project related student travel and lodging and meals in Sri w88 slot online.

w88 slot online Description

The University Sri Lanka Elephant Conservation Consortium is seeking applications for our 8-week summer w88 slot online program in Sri Lanka in summer 2024. The project focuses on understanding the causes of conflict between human and elephant communities, including competition for resources and habitat. Students accepted into the program will work with the Sri w88 slot online Wildlife Conservation Society’s w88 slot online biologists, conservationists, and extensionists to study human-elephant-conflict (HEC) at field sites, including Wasgamuwa National Park. Additionally, students will attend workshops hosted by scholars and scientists in Sri Lanka, meet with w88 slot online institutes in Sri Lanka, participate in field courses hosted by faculty from other universities, and work with HEC affected communities. Students will live and work with their field team to produce w88 slot online on how to save elephants by helping people.

Recognizing that natural resource management is interdisciplinary in nature, students from all fields are encouraged to apply. The program will cover the costs of flights, room and board, and transportation related to field work in Sri w88 slot online.

The program requires students to take two classes in the spring of 2024 to prepare for the trip, as well as attend weekly meetings and develop a w88 slot online project in conjunction with a faculty advisor. Students will fly to Colombo, Sri Lanka in early June and return at the beginning of August. Upon return to campus, students will complete their w88 slot online and present it at the fall undergraduate w88 slot online symposium.

Living accommodations

When in Sri w88 slot online, students will spend the majority of their time living at the SLWCS’s Pussellayaya w88 slot online House. The Field House is set up like a hostel where each person has a bed with a mosquito net and a locker for their luggage. Additionally, there are showers and bathrooms with running water, a communal living are for working and relaxing, and reliable electricity and cell signal (with internet access). Meals are preprepared by Field House staff and most dietary restrictions can be accommodated. While the Field House is not near a major shopping center, w88 slot online have the opportunity to go to Hettiploa for supplies.

Example itinerary

Spring 2024

Accepted students are required to enroll in two courses: HON 399 times TBA and GEOG 405 Tuesdays and Thursdays 10:30 - 11:45 a.m. (prereqs may be waived, depending on circumstances). Additionally, students will meet weekly with project faculty. Students will also apply for a Nevada Undergraduate w88 slot online Award and/or NSF EPSCoR.

Summer 2024

students will travel to Sri w88 slot online and work 6-8 weeks in the field. Here is a possible itinerary:

  • June 5, 2024 – Depart RNO (Reno) airport for CMB (Colombo, Sri w88 slot online) airport.
  • June 16-20, 2024 – In Colombo, Sri w88 slot online. Planned activities:
  • June 21, 2024 – Travel as group from Colombo to Pussellayaya w88 slot online House
  • June 22, 2024 – August 13, 2024 – w88 slot online work in and around Wasgamuwa National Park.
    • w88 slot online also, during this time:
      • Tour the University of Peradeniya in Kandy, and meet with faculty and w88 slot online
      • Attend workshops hosted by the Centre for Conservation w88 slot online – Sri Lanka
      • Have time on weekends to tour other parks and sites of interest
  • August 13, 2024 – w88 slot online to Colombo
  • August 15, 2024 – Depart CMB to RNO

Fall 2024

Students will work with University faculty to analyze their field data and finalize their w88 slot online. Each student will present their w88 slot online at the fall undergraduate w88 slot online symposium.

Who should w88 slot online?

  • Any and all majors
  • Any w88 slot online full-time undergraduate student, regardless of major
  • Up to nine (9) positions for 2024, and we are seeking at least
    • 3 STEM w88 slot online
    • 3 humanities/non-STEM w88 slot online
  • A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required.
  • All full-time w88 slot online undergrads, regardless of year or credits completed, may apply, so long as they plan to continue at our w88 slot online in Fall 2024.

How to w88 slot online

Applications are open and review and w88 slot online may apply up until Thursday October 26 at 5 p.m. PST. It is suggested that w88 slot online review some of the “Resources for Applicants” provided in the next section to help with the essays

Apply for the Sri Lanka international w88 slot online opportunity

The application requires the following information:

  • Personal information: your name, NSHE ID number, w88 slot online Nevada, Reno email address
  • Academic information: year in school, major, expected graduation term
  • Your (unofficial or official) w88 slot online transcript
  • Two letters of recommendation (at least one from a w88 slot online faculty)
    • Applicants must contact recommenders directly with application form: Recommendation form
    • In the application, you are required to provide w88 slot online name, title, and email
  • Your resume/CV as PDF or Word Doc(x)
  • Two required essays (each one, single-spaced page with inch margins and 12-point Times font) uploaded as a PDF or Word Doc(x):
    • Essay question 1) Explain how participation in this project w88 slot online enhance your understanding of your discipline (major) and/or profession, as well as how it relates to your future plans
    • Essay question 2) This project will require w88 slot online to work in interdisciplinary groups, learn new methodologies for field work, collect and process data, and engage with different communities. With that in mind, give a narrative explanation of relevant work experience and/or completed course work.
  • A short answer explaining your experience with social media, community engagement, and/or communications and outreach (1250 character limit).

After October 26 applications w88 slot online be reviewed and finalists w88 slot online be invited to interview in early November.

Letters of Recommendation

Applicants must have two recommenders. One of the recommenders must be a w88 slot online Nevada, Reno faculty member. The other recommender may be a University faculty member, employer, or supervisor. None of the recommenders should be related to the applicant.

Applicants must email the recommendation form to w88 slot online recommenders. The recommendation form link can be found here:

Recommendation form

Resources for applicants

This project is drawing from a variety of scholarly conversations. To better understand the project, and to help w88 slot online write their essays, we suggest that you look at some of the following resources:

w88 slot online partners

Look at the Sri w88 slot online Wildlife Conservation Society website to see the kinds of projects they are working on. Also, what w88 slot online is being done at Centre for Conservation w88 slot online – Sri Lanka.

Human-elephant conflict

  • Corea, R. (2006). “Establishing a sustainable model for the long-term conservation of the elephants in Sri w88 slot online.” Gajah, 24, 13-17.
  • Fernando, P. (2015). “Managing Elephants in Sri w88 slot online: Where We Are and Where We Need to Be.” Ceylon Journal of Science (Biological Sciences), 44(1), 1-11. doi:10.4038/cjsbs.v44i1.7336
  • Fernando, P., De Silva, M. K. C. R., Jayasinghe, L. K. A., Janaka, H. K., & Pastorini, J. (2019). “First country-wide survey of the Endangered Asian elephant: towards better conservation and management in Sri w88 slot online.” Oryx, 1-10. doi:10.1017/S0030605318001254
  • King L, Pardo M, Weerathunga S, Kumara TV, Jayasena N, Soltis J, & de Silva S. (2018). “Wild w88 slot online Lankan elephants retreat from the sound of disturbed Asian honey bees.” Current Biology, 28(2):R64- R65. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.12.018.
  • KoĢˆpke,S.;Withanachchi, S.S.; Pathiranage, R.; Withanachchi, C.R.; Gamage, D.U.; Nissanka, T.S.; Warapitiya, C.C.; Nissanka, B.M.; Ranasinghe, N.N.; Senarathna, C.D.; et al. (2021) Human–Elephant Conflict in Sri w88 slot online: A Critical Review of Causal Explanations. Sustainability, 13, 8625. https://doi.org/10.3390/ su13158625
  • Lainé, N. (2018). “Asian Elephant w88 slot online: Too Elephantocentric? Towards a Biocultural Approach of w88 slot online.” Asian Bioethics Review, 10(4), 279-293. doi:10.1007/s41649-018-0070-z

Context for interdisciplinary w88 slot online

  • Alagan R & Aladuwaka S. (2012). “Innovative public participatory GIS methodologies adopted to deal with the Social Impact Assessment process challenges: a w88 slot online Lankan experience.” URISA Journal, 24(2):19.
  • Druschke CG, Reynolds N, Morton-Aiken J, Lofgren IE, Karraker NE, & McWilliams SR. (2018). “Better science through rhetoric: A new model and pilot w88 slot online for training graduate student science writers.” Technical Communication Quarterly, 27(2):175-190. DOI: 10.1080/10572252.2018.1425735.
  • Gilless JK. (2015). “The Berkeley Summit—Looking to the Future for Forestry Education.” Journal of Forestry, 113(6):587-591. DOI: 10.5849/jof.15-066.
  • Herndl CG, Goodwin J, Honeycutt L, Wilson G, Graham SS, & Niedergeses D. (2011). “Talking Sustainability: Identification and Division in an Iowa Community.” Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, 35(4):436-461. DOI: 10.1080/10440046.2011.562068.
  • Smith, L. T. (2005). “Building a w88 slot online Agenda for Indigenous Epistemologies and Education.” Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 36(1), 93-95. doi:10.1525/aeq.2005.36.1.093
  • Waddell, C. (1995). “Defining Sustainable Development: A Case Study in Environmental Communication.” Technical Communication Quarterly, 4(2), 201-216.
  • Walker, G. (2007). “Public Participation as Participatory Communication in Environmental Policy Decision-Making: w88 slot online Concepts to Structured Conversations.” Environmental Communication: A Journal of Nature and Culture, 1(1), 99-110. doi:10.1080/17524030701334342

NSF grant summary

Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) is an ecosystem management problem in Sri w88 slot online. Each year, an average of over 70 people and 200 elephants die from HEC. The elephant’s current range is 60% of the country, 70% of which is cohabitated with humans. In all areas where people and elephants cohabitate there have been reports of HEC. As the population in Sri w88 slot online has increased, agricultural production has had to expand into habitats historically used by elephants for forage. Students working on this project will map and study interactions between humans and elephants around Wasgamuwa National Park.

Participating students will conduct w88 slot online in collaboration with and under the direction of the Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society (SLWCS), an internationally recognized non- governmental organization that works with communities and other stakeholders to mitigate HEC in the areas surrounding Wasgamuwa National Park. The SLWCS identifies and develops new and innovative ways to deter humans and elephants from coming into contact with each other, there-by saving both human and elephant life. The SLWCS does this by facilitating collaborative ecosystem management between communities. Using GIS technology driven by community-based participatory w88 slot online, students will develop w88 slot online questions to better understand the parameters of HEC. Additionally, students will consult with faculty from the University of Peradeniya and the University of Colombo to explore the historical context and the ethical nature of their w88 slot online. Other w88 slot online institutions in Sri Lanka, including the American Institute for Sir Lanka Studies and the Center for Conservation and w88 slot online, will conduct workshops for students, introducing them to other resources and w88 slot online networks.

This proposal asks for 3 years of funding to take 9 undergraduate students to Sri w88 slot online to work with the SLWCS. Each year 9 new students will be selected, supporting a total of 27 students over the duration of the grant. All students will be undergraduates enrolled full-time in a degree-seeking program at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). In order to highlight the interdisciplinary nature of collaborative ecosystem management, each cohort of students will include students studying both STEM disciplines and the humanities.

Students who participate in this project will travel to Sri Lanka to work with the SLWCS for 8 weeks during the summer. Prior to departure, students will take a course on GIS methodologies and a team- taught, interdisciplinary course on ecology, natural resource management, and environmental communication. While in Sri Lanka, students will collect field data using a variety of methodologies from different disciplines under the direction of SLWCS researchers. The SLWCS researchers will act as mentors for students, each student focusing on a specific project. Once students have finished their fieldwork and returned to the University of Nevada, Reno, they will work with faculty to turn their w88 slot online into scholarship.

Contact us

If you have any questions, you can email the University of Nevada, Reno Sri w88 slot online Elephant Conservation Consortium at: unrslelephantcc@gmail.com

Or w88 slot online Nevada, Reno faculty members involved in the project: