Each summer my lab moves to the Queen's University Biological Station (QUBS) which is located in the country in eastern Ontario, north of Kingston. Our season lasts from mid-May until August 31 and while there we conduct a variety of experiments on the sensory ecology of insects (click here for more information about the lab's research programme). Each spring I accept up to two undergraduate students for summer employment as lab assistants for QUBS.  The job usually runs from June 01 until August 31 but may be 1 or 2 weeks longer depending upon the season.

This position is specifically directed towards undergraduate biology students who are interested in any of the following fields: ecology, animal behaviour, conservation biology, behavioural ecology.  It is funded by the federal agency, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) whose mandate is the support of university-based fundamental research in the biological sciences.

Assistants stay in dormitory-style accommodation and eat at the station's cafeteria for the summer. The job is based upon a normal 40-hour work week but since QUBS is located 5 hours away from the Toronto area, it is impossible to go home each afternoon.  Assistants stay at QUBS and accumulate their time off to use it as 2 - 3 week breaks when the work load is low or as days off throughout the summer. You are welcome to stay at QUBS during your time off and you can arrange to have friends and family visit you (you are responsible for their room and board costs). Check the web site for QUBS for more information regarding accommodation and meals for visitors.

What is the job about?

1. Assisting the research projects that are underway for the summer. This involves capturing insects during the day using nets and during the night using ultraviolet lamps. These insects are used for a number of studies (e.g., video-recording of daily flight activity patterns). The tapes from these studies are analyzed while at QUBS.

2. Caterpillar colony maintenance. Each summer we raise 400 - 600 tiger moth caterpillars from the eggs of wild-captured females. These caterpillars are grown on local plants (Dogbane, Milkweed) and require changing every day until mid-August. At this time they transform into pupae which are packaged into vials and stored in UTM cold rooms until they are used the following spring.

3. Data input. Many of the experiments conducted at QUBS result in large amounts of numerical or image data. These data are entered into spreadsheets (e.g., Excel) that are subsequently used in statistical analyses.

4. Tissue processing. Certain experiments involve the staining of neural pathways in insects. These stains are introduced into living tissue which is then processed through a variety of chemical steps in order to visualize the tracts. Resulting successful preparations are stored for future use in our home university lab.

5.  Helping move the lab.  We usually pack up the lab in late May for arrival at QUBS June 01.  The packing takes a couple of (long) days and we need as many people as possible.  In the last week of August, the procedure gets repeated.

What do I need to apply?

Since this is a field-oriented job there are some unique requirements that students should be aware of before applying.

IMPORTANT.  We work with live bats and while the chance of being bitten is extremely small, all personnel who might contact bats (including summer assistants) must be vaccinated against rabies.  These vaccinations are free and consist of three intramuscular injections given at 0, 7, and 21 days during the month of March.  We use a vaccine prepared from the Pitman-Moore strain of rabies virus grown on human diploid cell culture.  For more information on this vaccination, please consult the Human Rabies Prevention - United States, 1999 Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or click here. (NOT REQUIRED FOR 2010)

1. Good health. The job involves a fair bit of walking so applicants should be of reasonably good health and not suffer from any disability that could jeopardize their well-being. Major respiratory allergies can be be very uncomfortable during, hot, pollen-rich times of the summer. Nocturnal work can run late into the morning so having a flexible circadian rhythm also helps.

2. Driver's licence. The job requires driving a small automatic or standard pick-up truck to the collecting sites so you must have a valid car licence without any traffic violations that would prevent me from insuring you. (NOT REQUIRED FOR 2010)

3. A general understanding of computers. You will be trained in all of the programmes that we use during the summer but it is helpful if you are familiar with Windows-based programmes such as word-processing (e.g., Word, WordPerfect) and data spreadsheets (e.g,. Excel). Comfort with searching the internet also helps as QUBS is connected via the servers at Queen's University to a variety of libraries and journals around the world via the World Wide Web.  If you have knowledge of advanced computer programming (e.g., C++) please include this on your application.

4. An appreciation of the outdoors. This is definitely not a lab-confined job so you should be able to cope with occasional discomforts such as rain or biting insects. The increased oxygen intake that you will enjoy should compensate for these minor inconveniences.

5. A relaxed attitude. QUBS is a large facility that houses 30 - 50 researchers every summer so you should be able to get along with people of mixed interests.  Since the nearest town is 15 km away and there is no cable TV, off-work entertainment tends to be of a more self-directed nature (reading, card-games, etc.).

What is the pay?

The pay depends upon your level of experience and your seniority and ranges from $1200 to $1600 per month. In addition to this pay, I cover your room and board expenses at QUBS ($400/month). We receive a subsidized fee from Queen's university so you are expected to work 1- 2 hours a week for QUBS (e.g., lawn mowing, dish-washing). These hours are counted as part of your normal work day.

How do I apply?

From January 15 to February 15, e-mail me (james.fullard@utoronto.ca) with a short note requesting an electronic application form for a summer job. I will reply to you with a form that you fill out and return to me. Successful applicants will be notified before the end of February although this date may be as late as mid-April depending on when I am notified about my funding.

If you have any questions about the job please contact me anytime. I look forward to hearing from you.

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