Hiring Experimenter for UMaine Experimental economics research

Posted on January 31, 2013 by Tim Waring

The Experimental Economics Laboratory at UMaine is hiring undergraduate experimenters to help launch the experimental economics program, test ans set up the software and hardware, and work with Dr. Waring and graduate students to conduct the first experiments in the spring of 2013.  This is a one-semester paid research position.  For more information, and an online application, click here: http://bit.ly/U2zlmG, or read below:

Research:

During this semester we will be testing, debugging, and launching a behavioral experiment on the social determinants of environmental sustainability. The student researcher will help will all parts of that process, becoming certified for research on human subjects, organizing experimental sessions, and conducting them her/him-self. The student will work with graduate students and Dr. Waring to coordinate a schedule for the experiments and will help to maintain the relevant paperwork, records and files. The research promises to be a new and exciting experience for anyone interested in cutting edge social, economic or environmental research.

Skills and Expectations:

Student should be hardworking, in good academic standing and have an interest in conducting computer-based social experiments. The student should be good at working with others, and have strong social and personal skills, be punctual and able to keep a complex schedule without being late or causing a delay in the research. Computer technical skills are also required. Web design, web programming, and WordPress experience are all useful.

Major Responsibilities:

(1) Test and Configure Experimental Hardware & Software – student will work with graduate students and team to install, configure, test, debug, and alter experimental conditions. Post interactive models online. Edit the experimental economics lab website.

(2) Manage Participants – student will work with graduate student leader and team to recruit, train, contact, and manage research participants. Learn, configure and use the participant management software.

(3) Conduct Experiments – student will work with team to schedule, setup, manage, and take down the hardware/software components of the experimental lab.

Apply here: Online Application

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Zotero: the last, best ref manager!

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Tim Waring

With Connotea closing, Mendeley gobbled up by Elsevier, it seems that Zotero may be the last, best, free (as in freedom) reference manager.  Many people have noted that Mendeley’s business model may well have been to be bought up by a larger company.  In contrast, because of the way Zotero is run as a non-profit, it is likely to survive.  It’s also free (as in no money)!

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Human (Genetic) Evolution

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Tim Waring

A recent large-scale project on human genetic evolution has found, not surprisingly, that most human genetic variation is recent (last 200 generations).  This is not surprising because we spread over the globe in the last 200 generations.

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature11690.html

The article suggests that humanity has been able to gain a lot of variation through demographic processes in these last 200 years, but that selection has not had time to catch up, and cull that variation.  This sort of evidence is useful in the ongoing discussion in the United States about the veracity of evolution.  But I am interested in how these genetic results compare with cultural variation and selection over the same time period.
We have many reasons to believe that during this recent human expansion in the last 200 generations, the dominant mode of evolution has been cultural.  Human culture has diversified, and been selected to fit countless environments, giving local human populations highly adapted, and very successful behavioral suites for each local environment.  Thus cultural selection has not lagged behind during this expansion.  It would be nice to see a comparison (although difficult to accomplish) between the genetic and cultural histories during the same time.  Similar comparative research has been done, however:

Culture rather than genes provides greater scope for the evolution of large-scale human prosociality

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Adaptation to Abrupt Climate Change Graduate Program! (A2C2 – IGERT)

Posted on November 2, 2012 by Tim Waring

I’m excited to be a part of a new PhD research scholarship at UMaine; the Adaptation to Abrupt Climate Change Graduate Program! (A2C2 – IGERT).   I will be looking for students interested in social and cultural adaptation as part of this IGERT graduate program starting next year!  See below for more details:

University of Maine has launched a new National Science Foundation sponsored Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) on Adaptation to Abrupt Climate Change.  The (A2C2) IGERT is a doctoral training program for students in earth sciences, ecology, anthropology, archaeology, international affairs, and economics.  I highlight those three fields because those are programs under which I can accept students.  A2C2 is designed to train the next generation of natural and social scientists to meet the critical societal challenge of human adaptation to abrupt climate change (ACC).

Specifically, A2C2 IGERT trainees will

  • become experts and leaders on the issue of ACC in their disciplinary field
  • understand the dynamics of coupled natural and human systems in response to ACC
  • conduct collaborative, interdisciplinary research across natural and social sciences
  • develop innovative policy and management solutions from their research to foster resilience and adaptation under ACC
  • develop an international perspective on adaptation to abrupt climate change, with opportunities for international experiences
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Research Team – fall 2012 EPSCoR poster

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Tim Waring

Our team is submitting 3 posters for the Fall 2012 ME EPSCoR conference. Here is the summary poster of our various projects, each in progress.

The SES Synergy Poster 2012 can be downloaded as a pdf. Our team has also prepared two additional posters on the literature review and agent-based model.

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