Summer Tree-Ring Studies at the University of Arizona LTRR

The Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research (LTRR) is offering a short summer course in dendroecology. Classes will convene May 17 – May 27th, 2012 on the campus of the University of Arizona in Tucson and at the Valles Caldera Science & Education Center in Jemez Springs, New Mexico.

Dendrochronology is the study of natural and human processes that are recorded in the tree-ring record. This record is retained over time due to the remarkable preservation qualities of wood, and across the wide geographical distribution of trees. Through the science of dendrochronology, a broad range of ecological, climatic, geological, and cultural variables can be reconstructed and analyzed with high spatial and temporal resolution.

This two-week intensive course will introduce students to general dendrochronological theory, laboratory and field techniques, and current research in the subfield of dendroecology. Courses will be based at the LTRR (http://www.ltrr.arizona.edu/) with field trips to sites around the Valles Caldera near Jemez Springs, New Mexico. Lectures will be presented by course instructors and other leading scientists. Course readings are drawn primarily from the published literature. The class is designed for graduate students as well as faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and working professionals with suitable backgrounds. (Undergraduates need to be advanced in dendroarcheology and dendroecology in order to register; contact the course instructor below for information on the prerequisites).

Registration and logistics: Courses can be taken for university credit by registering with the University of Arizona Summer School (http://summer-winter.arizona.edu/); course numbers are 497k/597k. Online registration will open in March 2012.

Prospective students should contact the instructor of the course of interest ASAP to obtain permission to register.

Tuition will be payable to the University of Arizona upon acceptance into the course by the instructors and submission of application materials. Off-campus housing is available and must be arranged separately. All international students or those requiring special arrangements to participate should contact one of the instructors as soon as possible, prior to registration. The total cost is still to be decided, but will be around $1,500 to $2,000, including UA registration fees, and course costs (which will cover transportation costs from Tucson to Jemez Springs and back to Tucson, and accommodations in Jemez Springs, and other instruction expenses). Transportation costs from your residence to Tucson and return, and accommodations while in Tucson for the first week will be additional costs paid by the student.

If you are potentially interested in attending, please send — by February 15, 2012 — a message to Lourdes Perkins (lperkins@email.arizona.edu) at the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, with the subject line “Dendroecology Summer Course”, and include:

A brief description of your background, i.e., undergraduate or graduate degrees; current program of study, work, or research
A brief statement of how you are using, or may use dendrochronology in the future, and reasons for your interest in this course
Indicate if a scholarship or partial scholarship covering all or part of the fees or other expenses will be essential or not for your participation (there is a possibility that we can cover a small number of such scholarships).

Please note that this course immediately precedes the 22^nd North American Dendroecology Fieldweek (NADEF), which runs from May 28 to June 5, 2012, and the NADEF will be held in the same location at the Valles Caldera National Preserve Science & Education Center in Jemez Springs, NM. Hence, interested students may enroll in both the UA-LTRR Dendroecology summer course AND the NADEF for a full 3 week immersion in dendrochronology! Further, the NADEF organizers have indicated they may be able to provide a small discount for participants who will sign up for both courses. For more information about the NADEF, contact Dr. Jim Speer at: jim.speer@indstate.edu and visit the website at: http://dendrolab.indstate.edu/nadef/ Applications for NADEF are due no later than March 30, 2012, and are to be sent to Chris gentry at gentryc@apsu.edu. If you do apply to both the UA-LTRR and NADEF courses, please indicate this in both of your applications.