Please note that only resumes submitted through the described process will be considered.

The posting closes May 31, 2011.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer

The post Adaptive Software Systems Research Laboratory seeking Post-Doctoral Fellow appeared first on Research & Innovation.

The finding marks the first time that fog has been directly observed on the neighbouring world, adding to evidence that modern Mars experiences a type of ongoing water cycle akin to Earth's.

"Because the atmosphere is so thin on Mars, there is nothing to keep in the heat overnight, so the ground cools off very quickly," said study co-author , a [n NSERC post doctoral fellow and] planetary scientist at 91亚色 [Faculty of Science & Engineering].

"Heat from the air is lost to the ground, so the air close to the ground gets colder, and as that pocket of (cold) air gets larger," more water vapour in the atmosphere condenses into ice crystals, and the fog gets thicker, Moores said.

"The fog starts closer to the ground and rises in height over time, so the cloud gets thicker and thicker and higher and higher as the night goes on," he added.

Eventually the icy haze begins to shower the ground with a light sprinkling of snow-like particles. The shower is not quite snowfall, the scientists say, but is perhaps more akin to the "diamond dust" that falls from the skies on some cold nights in Earth's Arctic regions.

"Because we have the fog," Moores said, "that means that there is a reservoir of water [in the atmosphere] to interact with subsurface water on a daily basis."

The Martian-fog study was published in the Feb. 25 issue of Geophysical Research Letters.

Moores is also a member of the (CRESS), which has had a significant role in the lander mission.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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Gibbs鈥� expansive study will help scientists track bee diversity, understand pollination biology and study the evolution of social behaviour in insects. It is also much anticipated by bee taxonomists who, like Gibbs, painstakingly examine the anatomy (morphology) of bees to distinguish one type of bee from another.

Bees are responsible for pollinating many wildflowers and a large proportion of agricultural crops. As much as one of every three bites of food that humans eat, including some meat products, depends on the pollination services of bees. Sweat bees are common visitors to a wide range of plants, including fruit and vegetable flowers in Toronto gardens.

Right: A new species of bee, Lasioglossum Ephialtum,聽discovered by Jason Gibbs. Photo by Jason Gibbs.

Sweat bees 鈭� named for their attraction to perspiration 鈭� can be smaller than four millimetres in length, often have metallic markings, and make up one-third to one-half of bees collected in biodiversity surveys in North America. Complete species descriptions of 84 metallic sweat bees in Canada are included in Gibbs鈥� monumental study, 鈥淩evision of the metallic species of Lasioglossum (Dialictus) in Canada.鈥� It was published today by the peer-reviewed journal as a single issue.

Despite their numbers and their importance as pollinators, sweat bees remain among the most challenging bees to identify to species, perhaps because they evolved so rapidly when they first appeared about 20-million years ago. Gibbs鈥� research significantly improves upon all other available tools for the identification of these bees.

Left: Jason Gibbs

鈥淭hese bees are morphologically monotonous. They are a nightmare to identify to species because their physical characteristics 鈥� their morphologies 鈥� are so similar among species. No one has been able to identify these bees until now even though they make up so many of the bees we collect,鈥� says Gibbs. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to identify these species, because if we don鈥檛 know what bees we have, we can鈥檛 know what bees we鈥檙e losing.鈥�

Gibbs examined tens of thousands of individual bees over about four years, from his own and others鈥� collections as well as historical collections housed in museums. To identify bees to species, he first sorted them using morphological study, then tested his assessments using DNA sequences generated at the at the , which assigns 鈥渂arcodes鈥� to species based on their DNA. Finally, he carefully re-examined the bees鈥� physical characteristics to draw even finer distinctions between the bees and identify them to species.

Among the 19 new species of sweat bee identified by Gibbs is one he collected on his commute from Toronto to 91亚色. When he arrived at his 91亚色 lab and examined it, he knew he had found a new species, never before identified by science but, as it turns out, quite common in Toronto and throughout eastern Canada and the United States. He also identified and described 18 other species from Canada that are new to science, including a cuckoo bee. Like a cuckoo bird, it doesn鈥檛 build a nest or collect food, but it has big mandibles for fighting. This cuckoo sweat bee is believed to invade the nest of another sweat bee species to lay its eggs on the pollen and nectar collected by its host.

Gibbs received the 2010 Dissertation Prize from 91亚色 for the manuscript that led to this published study. A postdoctoral researcher in 91亚色 Professor Laurence Packer鈥檚 bee lab, he will continue his research this fall at . He is working on similar bee studies for the Eastern United States and Mexico. For more information, visit Jason Gibbs鈥� Web page.

This research was supported through funding to the from , and other sponsors.

By Janice Walls, media relations coordinator. Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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SSHRC president Chad Gaffield addressed this process during a town hall meeting held with faculty and students during his May 4 visit to 91亚色鈥檚 Keele campus. 鈥淪ociety has increasing expectations of universities, professors and students,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hatever the issue of the day might be, there is a SSHRC researcher with something relevant to contribute to our shared concerns.鈥�

Left: Chad Gaffield

鈥淩enewing our program architecture allows us to support research in all fields using disciplinary, interdisciplinary and cross-sector approaches,鈥� said Gaffield. 鈥淚t will also enable new and emerging forms of research, partnerships, talent development and knowledge mobilization, which do not always fit easily into our current suite of programs.鈥�

After consultation with the research community, SSHRC鈥檚 governing council has approved the . SSHRC is streamlining the application process to three umbrella programs intended to support the work of individuals and teams, with additional programming to support institutionally based partnerships. The changes will take effect over the next three years.

What does this mean for researchers submitting grant applications this fall?

Here are four things you need to know:

1. No changes are currently expected to affect fellowship and scholarship applications from master鈥檚 and聽doctoral students and post-doctoral fellows in 2010. The process will be the same as 2009鈥檚 competition. There may be changes coming in 2011 and 2012, however, so be sure to check the Web site聽periodically.
2. The new architecture will not affect the 2010 Standard Research Grants competition. The deadline for this year鈥檚 competition remains Friday, Oct. 15.
3. Although Oct. 15 has historically been the due date for SSHRC鈥檚 Standard Research Grants, the deadline for 2011鈥檚 competitions may be changed. No firm date has been announced yet;聽check聽the Web site聽for updates.
4. Application calls for Partnership Grants and Partnership Development Grants will begin in fall 2010. Additional information will be posted on the Web site聽as it becomes available.

If you have questions about changes to SSHRC鈥檚 program architecture,聽visit the Web site or contact your Faculty-based research officer for more information.

Faculty members seeking to prepare large-scale, collaborative, institutional applications in the Institutional Partnerships category may also contact , senior research officer in the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation.

By聽Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer

The post Four things you need to know about SSHRC's streamlined program architecture appeared first on Research & Innovation.

wrote:

It鈥檚 not all love in the avian world, where divorce, child abandonment and marrying up are part of everyday life.

, to be published in Canada this week, dispels the lovebird myth that birds pair up for life, and paints a picture instead that includes adultery and the pursuit of comfort.

鈥淚n terms of top 10 myths about birds, the permanent pair bonds that we think about, that does occur for some birds, but for most of the little songbirds that we studied, no,鈥� said Stutchbury.

The book draws on 20 years of research from radio tracking and DNA testing and shows male Acadian flycatchers fertilizing females far away from their home nests, and female blue-headed vireos premeditating divorce by checking out new mates before they abandon their young.

Stutchbury, who has studied dozens of songbird species in Canada, the United States and Panama, said shorter summers may drive females to leave their nests before their young are fully fledged so they can quickly find new mates and lay more eggs. That leaves the males to feed the hungry chicks on their own.

Males can triple or quadruple their reproductive success by fertilizing neighbouring females, but only 鈥渕ates鈥� care for the young, and some are none the wiser. 鈥淭hey can鈥檛 tell when the egg hatches whether it鈥檚 theirs or not,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey have no way to know.鈥�

Divorce is surprisingly common among birds, and most live with one partner for only a few months or years. Divorce rates range from 99 per cent in the greater flamingo to zero in the wandering albatross.

The wrote:

Who knew birds could be so bad?

A new book from Bridget Stutchbury shows they cheat on each other, and their relationships often end in divorce. As well, some parent birds favour one offspring over another. 鈥淭here are a number of theories about why birds go their separate ways,鈥� Stutchbury said in a release about her book The Bird Detective.

鈥淥ne hypothesis is that birds that are genetically or behaviourally incompatible separate when both can benefit from finding a new partner.鈥� Another theory is birds, like humans, realize they can do better: One initiates divorce for selfish gain, leaving its former partner high and dry.

The 91亚色 biology professor 鈥� who was a 2007 Governor General鈥檚 Literary Award for Non-Fiction finalist for her book Silence of the Songbirds 鈥� and post-doctoral student Bonnie Wolfenden looked at how female Acadian flycatchers were being fertilized by neighbouring males who lived hundreds of metres away.

鈥淲e had the genetic evidence of their infidelity, but we never did catch a female sneaking away from its nest. It turned out to be the males making clandestine visits to the females,鈥� Stutchbury said.

Stutchbury, who is among 91亚色's Distinguished Research Professors, is a faculty member in the in 91亚色鈥檚 . She holds a .

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

The post 91亚色 prof's book on mating lives of birds attracts international media coverage appeared first on Research & Innovation.

In , Bridget Stutchbury roams forests and jungles studying the sexual antics and social lives of birds, and details the science behind their surprisingly sophisticated and often amusing behavior. The book, published by , hits shelves April 16.

Stutchbury, a and a professor in the Department of Biology in 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Science & Engineering, also explains how understanding birds鈥� behaviour will help to conserve increasingly-threatened species.

Using radio-tracking technology, Stutchbury and 91亚色 post-doctoral student Bonnie Wolfenden solved a mystery that had puzzled biologists: how were female Acadian flycatchers getting fertilized by neighbouring males who lived hundreds of metres away?

鈥淲e had the genetic evidence of their infidelity, but we never did catch a female sneaking away from its nest. It turned out to be the males making clandestine visits to the females,鈥� Stutchbury says.

Divorce is a regular part of life for almost all birds; most live with one partner for only a few months or years, depending on the species. Annual divorce rates range from 99 percent in the Greater Flamingo to zero in the Wandering Albatross.

鈥淭here are a number of theories about why birds go their separate ways,鈥� Stutchbury says. 鈥淥ne hypothesis is that birds that are genetically or behaviourally incompatible separate when both can benefit from finding a new partner.鈥� Another theory is that birds, like humans, realize they can do better: one pair member initiates divorce for selfish gain, leaving its former partner high and dry.

Left: Bridget Stutchbury

As in humans, divorce can take its toll on offspring, creating a situation where one partner is left to care for eggs or young. 鈥淚n the worst-case scenario, birds may abandon the breeding attempt and leave the offspring to die in favour of starting over with a new, better partner,鈥� Stutchbury says.

Birds are also known to exhibit favouritism when it comes to their young. They must invest more effort into raising sons, as males are larger and require more food.

鈥淲e see birds providing extra food and care to one gender of offspring over another, depending on environmental circumstances,鈥� says Stutchbury. In ye

ars where food is plentiful, some birds may raise male hatchlings exclusively.

In The Bird Detective, Stutchbury also gives a first-hand account of how she and her team became the first researchers in the world to track migratory songbirds from breeding to wintering grounds. Last winter, she published a paper in the journal showing the tiny birds鈥� astonishing speed in migration, finding that they fly three times faster than previously suspected.

Stutchbury emphasizes that these aspects of behaviour aren鈥檛 mere curiosities: they鈥檙e crucial puzzle pieces that will help researchers protect birds from threats like climate change, habitat destruction, and other environmental concerns.

鈥淭here鈥檚 truly a pressing need for behavioural research 鈥� otherwise there鈥檚 no way for us to know how to best protect species.鈥�

A book launch for The Bird Detective will take place Thursday April 29, at 7:30pm at .

Stutchury is also the author of , which was a finalist for the .

By Melissa Hughes, media relations officer, with photos courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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