Field Technician I- Instrumentation (with Limnology preferred secondary
emphasis)
Location: Gainesville, FL US Worker Category :Regular Full-Time
COMPANY OVERVIEW
Battelle and its affiliate, Battelle Ecology, Inc. manages and operates
the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEONTM) project, which is
solely funded by the National Science Foundation. A 30+ year project
dedicated to understanding how changes in climate, land use and invasive
species impact ecology, the observatory’s scientists and engineers are
collecting a comprehensive range of ecological data on a continental
scale across 20 eco-climatic domains representing US ecosystems. Our
teams use cutting-edge technology, including an airborne observation
platform that captures images of regional landscapes and vegetation;
mobile, relocatable, and fixed data collection sites with automated
ground sensors to monitor soil and atmosphere; and trained field crews
who observe and sample populations of diverse organisms and collect soil
and water data. Once structures are completed, a leading edge
cyberinfrastructure will calibrate, store and publish this information.
The Observatory includes more than 500+ personnel and is the first of
its kind designed to detect and enable forecasting of ecological change
at continental scales.
JOB SUMMARY
The Field Technician reports to the Field Operations Manager and will be
hired as a Field Technician I level depending on skills, experience, and
education.
• Field Technician I – The Field Technician I is a biological
sampling lead performing seasonal and periodic sampling activities and
sample processing. Seasonal field sampling is conducted with the
assistance of temporary field crews under the guidance of the Field
Technician.
LOCATION
Domain 3 is headquartered in Gainesville, Florida, home of the
University of Florida. This is a nice medium sized college town with a
lot to do in off hours. The climate is hot and wet during the summer and
cool and dry in winter. Frequent thunderstorms occur from late spring
through the summer and sometimes into fall. This is also the hurricane
season.
We travel frequently since our remote sites are the Disney Wilderness
Preserve (about 2.5 hours south), and the JW Jones Ecological Research
Center in Georgia (about 4.5 hours north). The Disney site is a wetland
project so the ground is frequently wet. Sampling at these sites is
usually an overnight trip, sometimes all week. Lodging is provided and
expenses are reimbursed. The local site is the Ordway Swisher Biological
Field station (University of Florida) in nearby Melrose.
The terrain is generally flat with some rolling hills. The plant
communities vary by site and range from flatwoods matrix with wetlands
at Disney and varying degrees of sandhill at both Ordway Swisher (local)
and Jones (Georgia). There is a high degree of plant and animal
diversity. There are many stinging insects and plants that cause rashes.
Since this is the south, there are poisonous snakes, and alligators to
contend with, but if you’re careful they won’t be an
issue
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