If you are interested in research in the
field of
plant community ecology, either in tropical or temperate forests or
grasslands, then
you
have come to the right site. At present, there are a number of
opportunities for graduate and undergraduate research. We have a
variety of
ongoing
projects, or we can design entirely new projects to match your
interests.
Please contact me via e-mail (Schnitze@uwm.edu)
for further information.
Undergraduate research
Motivated UWM undergraduates interested in
ecological
research can contact me via e-mail or stop by my office at 595 Lapham,
located on the fifth floor in the south wing of Lapham Hall.
Potential graduate students
Peruse the information
below, which will give you a better sense of my research
interests
as well as a feel for the Department of Biological Sciences at UWM and
life in Milwaukee in general. Before you apply to the program,
please contact me via e-mail with a letter detailing your research
interests
and experience, background, and GPA and GRE scores.
Applying to graduate school in the Department
of Biological
Sciences at UWM
* Much of the following information was provided by
my esteemed colleagues Peter
Dunn and Linda
Whittingham.
The minimum requirements for admission to the Biology Department include an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 and GRE scores (both verbal and quantitative) in the 50 percentile or better.
The official application forms can be requested
online
(http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/Biology/Docs/newreq.html)
or by e-mailing the UWM graduate school (gradschool@uwm.edu).
Graduate Student financial support
Most graduate students at UWM are supported financially by teaching assistantships (TA) and receive a stipend, full tuition waiver, and health insurance. TA appointments are usually made at the 50% level, which involves a teaching commitment of 20 hours per week. This leaves the remaining 80 hours per week for scholarly research! Support via TA positions are available to nearly all graduate students in good standing, depending on the program. MS students can expect TA support for up to 3 years and PhD students up to 5 years. You must apply by January 1 to be considered for a TA position.
There are also other opportunities for funding, such as University wide fellowships that are generally based on GRE and GPA, which are given to students after they have been enrolled at UWM for one year.
You can find more information from the Graduate
School website.
Living in Milwaukee
Milwaukee is a vibrant city that offers a variety
of entertainment,
especially
in the summer; with brew-pubs, cheese stores, and Friday night
fish-fries, Milwaukee offers something for everyone. There
are concerts,
theaters, dance perfomances, museums and art galleries, as well as professional and amatuer bike races and
professional and semi-professional sports teams. Milwaukee has
a great system of parks and the university is only five blocks from
Lake
Michigan (see photo below). Milwaukee is a relatively
affordable city and it is not particularly expensive to live close to
campus (see Off Campus Housing below). In general, Milwaukee is
a great place to live.
(photo taken from Schnitzer lab helicopter) |
As for the city and campus, below are some web sites that you may find useful.
Digital City - Milwaukee (links for things to do in Milwaukee)
UWM Welcome Site (look near bottom of the Welcome page for more links)
Off Campus Housing (for checking out housing costs etc.)
Area Guides and Attractions (UWM site)