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REP Project

April 12, 2018

Undergraduate research experience placement on the impact of ozone pollution on the growth and yield of tropical crops at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (Bangor)

Paid summer placement opportunity

A funded opportunity is available for an undergraduate student (subject to eligibility, see below) to be part of CEH research during the summer 2018. The opportunity will focus on assessing the threat to the staple African food crops ‘cowpea’ and ‘bean’ from potential uptake of ozone pollution using the ozone exposure facility (http://www.ceh.ac.uk/our-science/research-facility/solardomes-and-ozone-field-release-system) at CEH Bangor. This project will:

  • Expose plants of tropical subsistence agriculture crops (cowpea and bean) to three concentrations of ozone using the heated solardome facility at CEH Bangor
  • Parameterise an existing stomatal ozone flux model (DO3SE, https://www.sei-international.org/do3se) by making measurements of stomatal conductance using a porometer, then using this data collected to parameterise the model for meteorological conditions including temperature, soil moisture and daylight using excel.
  • Use these parameterizations to calculate the total stomatal uptake of ozone by the crops over the growing season.
  • Determine the impact of ozone on photosynthetic performance by making measurements during the course of the ozone exposure periods using a portable gas exchange analyser.
  • Determine the impact of ozone on crop yield
  • Relate these two processes (stomatal ozone uptake and photosynthetic capacity) to yield loss of these crops.

The work will run from the last week in July until the end of September (flexible), and will be supported by a student stipend of £200 per week supported by the NERC – Envision DTP Research Experience Placement scheme. Training will be provided for all of the plant physiological techniques required.

If you want to gain insight and experience in working in a research environment, learn some new techniques and develop your CV, all whilst earning some money, please send a short (less than one A4 page) letter of motivation to Felicity Hayes (fhay@ceh.ac.uk) by 25th May. If you need further details, or to discuss the opportunity, please contact me.

 

Dr Felicity Hayes

Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

 

Please note the following eligibility criteria. Applicants should:

  • be studying for an undergraduate degree in a quantitative discipline outside of NERC’s scientific remit (g. mathematics, statistics, computing, engineering, physics)
  • be applying for a placement in a different department to their undergraduate degree,
  • be undertaking their first undergraduate degree studies (or integrated Masters),
  • be expected to obtain a first or upper second class UK honours degree,
  • be eligible for subsequent NERC PhD funding (i.e. UK, EU or right to remain in the UK.