Voluntariado: Florida!

Field Assistant Opportunity: 2 field assistants are needed for fieldwork for a PhD student's dissertation from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in dolphin feeding behavior.

The field season will run for approximately 6 months, from July through mid December. Research will take place in Cedar Key, Florida, 3 hours north of Tampa and 60 miles west of Gainesville.

Assistants will be expected to work on a boat 6 to 7 days per week, for up to 10 hours at a time. Typical weather conditions in summer include 95d egree heat, very high humidity, and no breezes. Fall and winter are cooler.

Prior experience working on dolphins and habitats, as well as acoustics, is preferred but not required. Those with no experience should demonstrate their willingness to learn. This is not a paid position. Assistants will have the option to obtain their own housing and food in Cedar Key, however, if they choose to stay with the PI, food will be paid for and housing will run approximately $150 per month per assistant.

Opportunities for part-time work in tourist-related positions in Cedar Key may be available to assistants, however it is their responsibility to obtain those jobs and assistants must make the field work a priority. Priority will be given to applicants who can stay for the duration, however in the case that adequate assistants can be found for the entire fall, it may be possible to accept applicants who can only participate in part of the field season.

A minimum commitment of one month is required. Please send an email of inquiry to stefanie.gazda@gmail.com with the subjectline as "Field assistants for 2008". Be specific about how much time you can commit to. A more in depth description of the position and its requirements will be emailed out, at that time candidates who are still interested should email their CV and informative cover letter to the above email address.
Stefanie Gazda