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<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=Windows-1252"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 14px; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "><div>For info….</div><div>Jim</div><div><br></div><span id="OLK_SRC_BODY_SECTION"><div style="font-family:Calibri; font-size:11pt; text-align:left; color:black; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #b5c4df 1pt solid; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; PADDING-TOP: 3pt"><span style="font-weight:bold">From: </span> Joshua Plotnik <<a href="mailto:joshua.plotnik@gmail.com">joshua.plotnik@gmail.com</a>><br><span style="font-weight:bold">Date: </span> Wednesday, 6 March 2013 18:34<br><span style="font-weight:bold">To: </span> Joshua Plotnik <<a href="mailto:joshua.plotnik@gmail.com">joshua.plotnik@gmail.com</a>><br><span style="font-weight:bold">Subject: </span> Research Assistantship - Elephant Cognition and Behavior<br></div><div><br></div><div><div>
Dear all - would you mind passing on the below research assistantship announcement to anyone you think might be interested? My apologies to anyone receiving this in duplicate, and thank you for your help!
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Best, Josh Plotnik<br>
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Josh Plotnik, Ph.D.<br>
Founder and CEO, Think Elephants International, Inc., U.S.A.<br>
Researcher, Dept. of Psychology, University of Cambridge, England<br>
Head of Elephant Research, Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation, Thailand<br><a href="http://www.thinkelephants.org" target="_blank">http://www.thinkelephants.org</a><br><br><br><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center" align="center"><b><br></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center" align="center"><b>Research Assistantship – Elephant Cognition and Behavior</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span>Overview:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span>Think Elephants International, Inc. operates under the belief that research, education and conservation are not, and should not be mutually exclusive areas. We are looking for research assistants interested in these links and in working
with<span> </span>elephant researchers from several universities in northern Thailand. Our research program, operated from an elephant facility in northern Thailand (N=26 elephants), focuses on understanding the evolution of intelligence. Our research questions
specifically focus on convergent cognitive evolution and the expression of complex cognitive traits in the world’s largest land mammal. As a research assistant, you will be integrally involved in day-to-day research operations, largely focused on studies of
sensory perception, cooperation and problem-solving. You will have up-close-and-personal contact with elephants in a safe environment on a daily basis. We are looking only for full-time research assistants willing to commit to at least 1 year of living at
our field site in Thailand. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background:white"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background:white">Job description:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background:white">We are looking for motivated assistants with a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in psychology, animal behavior, evolutionary biology, or a related field. Those with Master’s degrees are especially encouraged
to apply. Research assistants will be responsible for running cognition experiments on a daily basis on a group of 26 captive elephants based in Chiang Rai, Thailand, and working out of our research office in the Golden Triangle. The research team also manages
several hotel programs that engage hotel guests in our elephant studies, and assistants are responsible for running these experiences several times a week. You would also be responsible for managing our Earthwatch program (</span><a href="http://www.earthwatch.org/exped/plotnik.html" target="_blank"><span style="background:white">www.earthwatch.org/exped/plotnik.html</span></a><span style="background:white">),
which runs 8 times per year. We are especially interested in assistants interested in science education, as Think Elephants International is largely focused on integrating animal behavior research with conservation education. Assistants interested in science
education will assist in all administrative aspects of our current programs, and contribute to the expansion of our education initiatives in the US and abroad.
</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background:white"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background:white">Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:</span></p><p style="margin-left:.25in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span>•<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span style="background:white">Live and work full-time in the Golden Triangle, Thailand as a member of the Think Elephants research team</span></p><p style="margin-left:.25in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span>•<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span style="background:white">Collect and input data, and be involved in data analysis and manuscript preparation</span></p><p style="margin-left:.25in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span>•<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span style="background:white">Be integrally involved in the design and implementation of cognition research studies.<br></span></p><p style="margin-left:.25in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span>•<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span style="background:white">Work at least 8 hours a day in hot and humid temperatures outside and often without air conditioning.
</span></p><p style="margin-left:.25in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span>•<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span style="background:white">Coordinate with the hotel staff on the scheduling and managing of research guest programs.</span></p><p style="margin-left:.25in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span>•<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span style="background:white">Supervise Earthwatch volunteers and guests in collaboration with the elephant facility staff and management.</span></p><p style="margin-left:.25in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span>•<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span style="background:white">Organize, design and implement education curricula in both U.S. and Thai schools, under the supervision of Think Elephants’ Head of Education.</span></p><p style="margin-left:.25in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span>•<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span style="background:white">Understand the mission of the organization to effectively communicate it to educators, scientists and other members of the public.
</span></p><p style="margin-left:.25in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span>•<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span style="background:white">Create informational documents for school administrators, teachers, students and parents</span></p><p style="margin-left:.25in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span>•<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span style="background:white">Organize data, research and education finances, protocols and curricula using online tools.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background:white"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background:white">Qualifications:</span></p><p style="margin-left:.25in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span>•<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span style="background:white">Excellent written and oral communication</span></p><p style="margin-left:.25in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span>•<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span style="background:white">A background in experimental or observational research is required</span></p><p style="margin-left:.25in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span>•<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span style="background:white">Previous experience working with large animals is desirable but not required</span></p><p style="margin-left:.25in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span>•<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span style="background:white">Previous experience living and/or working abroad is desirable but not required</span></p><p style="margin-left:.25in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span>•<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span style="background:white">An ability to work independently and in difficult environments</span></p><p style="margin-left:.25in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span>•<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span style="background:white">Ability to adapt to novel environments and work within different cultural constraints</span></p><p style="margin-left:.25in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span>•<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span style="background:white">Willingness to learn the Thai language</span></p><p style="margin-left:.25in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span>•<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span style="background:white">Knowledge of Spanish, Italian, French or other foreign languages a plus
</span></p><p style="margin-left:.25in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span>•<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span style="background:white">Strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills</span></p><p style="margin-left:.25in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span>•<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span style="background:white">Ability to stay organized, on task, and meet deadlines</span></p><p style="margin-left:.25in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span>•<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span style="background:white">Attention to detail</span></p><p style="margin-left:.25in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span>•<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span style="background:white">Self-motivated, but willing to ask questions when necessary</span></p><p style="margin-left:.25in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span>•<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span style="background:white">Strong computer knowledge </span></p><p style="margin-left:.25in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span>•<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span style="background:white">Friendly, dependable, flexible and able to work with a multi-national team of researchers and educators on a daily basis</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background:white"><br>
The Package:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background:white"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background:white">This is an unpaid, volunteer assistantship, but certain benefits are provided. Travel to and from the field site from your place of residence and insurance are your own responsibility. We will pay 50% of your
accommodation costs, and provide 3 meals a day in the staff canteen. Your accommodation will most likely consist of a single room with aircon, hot water shower, and wifi. We also provide modest stipends for running hotel guest programs and Earthwatch expeditions.
Assistants will have the opportunity, depending on their level of participation, to co-author publications that result from short and long-term research projects. Further details of the package will be discussed if candidates reach the interview stage.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background:white"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background:white">To apply for this position, please send a CV or resume, a cover letter describing your interest, experience and listing the names and contact details for three references to Dr. Joshua Plotnik,
</span><a href="mailto:josh@thinkelephants.org" target="_blank"><span style="background:white">josh@thinkelephants.org</span></a><span style="background:white">. Please also indicate in your cover letter whether or not you have any experience in primary or
secondary education and your overall interest in working closely with pre-college young adults or children. More information about our programs and our past research can be found at
</span><a href="http://www.thinkelephants.org" target="_blank"><span style="background:white">www.thinkelephants.org</span></a><span style="background:white">.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background:white"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background:white">Questions regarding the position may also be directed to Dr. Plotnik.</span></p><br clear="all"><br>
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