Welcome!
Understanding how and why some forests are fragmented, degraded, and losing species, while other forests are in good condition and even regrowing and expanding, is a puzzle to any thoughtful observer of the environment.
In a world which is experiencing unprecedented degrees of environmental change and degradation at a global scale, one sees evidence of restoration, suggesting that under certain conditions, people can self-organize and stem the steady loss of the ecological systems that sustain us.
At the Center for the Study of Institutions, Population, and Environmental Change (CIPEC) we are dedicated to understanding these processes and sharing this knowledge with the scientific community and the public.
What's New at CIPEC
Ph.D. Graduate Research Assistantship opportunities in Geography: Full research support for PhD positions at Indiana University are available starting Fall 2012 associated with multiple NSF funded projects focused on land change science. Research assistantships are available with the following projects: 1) food security and climate change in Zambia, and 2) climate change, irrigation and water governance in Kenya and Western United States. Research activities will include field work and data analysis, including opportunities for Summer 2012.
Students will have the opportunity to work with students and faculty associated with several research centers on campus focused on multi-disciplinary approaches to the study of Coupled-Natural Systems including the Center for the Study of Institutions, Population and Environmental Change (CIPEC) and the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis.
We seek students with proficiency in one or more of the following areas: GIS, remote sensing, statistical analysis of household-level survey data, and spatial modeling (especially agent-based modeling).
Interested students should contact Dr. Tom Evans, evans (at) indiana.edu, with a CV and brief research statement. Application materials should be submitted by February 1, 2012 for full consideration.
