The Masters in Public Administration (MPA) program in Environmental Science and Policy at Columbia University is looking to hire teaching assistants (TAs) for its summer 2018 courses. The following positions are available:
- Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology/Risk Assessment (2 TA positions)
- Climatology & Hydrology (2 TA positions)
- Principles of Ecology and Urban Ecology (2 TA positions)
Position Descriptions:
Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology/Risk
- This course takes place over a 12-week session from May 31 to August 17, with the first six weeks dedicated to Environmental Chemistry, and the second six weeks dedicated to Risk Assessment and Toxicology. Both the class and associated lab sections meet one day per week for the 12-week session. Graduate level student applicants are preferred. Applicants with experience teaching science to non-science students or undergraduates are also preferred.
- Desired qualifications for the environmental chemistry/risk assessment course include: undergraduate level courses in environmental chemistry/geochemistry, and/or environmental toxicology.
- TAs should have experience conducting hands-on lab experiments in basic chemistry and should also be proficient in basic statistics and Excel graphing.
- This course takes place over a 12-week session from May 31 to August 17, with the first six weeks dedicated to Climatology, and the second six weeks dedicated to Hydrology. Both the class and associated lab sections meet one day per week for the 12-week session. Graduate-level student applicants are preferred. Applicants with experience teaching science to non-science students or undergraduates are also preferred.
- Desired qualifications for the climatology/hydrology course include: undergraduate level courses in basic earth science, climatology, and/or hydrology.
- TAs should have experience in basic climatology and also be proficient in basic statistics and Excel graphing.
Principles of Ecology and Urban Ecology
- These courses run over a 12-week session from June 1 to August 17, with the first six weeks dedicated to Principles of Ecology, and the second six weeks dedicated to Urban Ecology. Both the class and associated lab sections meet one day per week for the 12-week session. Graduate-level student applicants are preferred. Applicants with experience teaching science to non-science students or undergraduates are also preferred.
- Desired qualifications for the ecology courses include: academic background in
ecology and/or conservation biology. - TAs should have experience conducting research in ecology and also be proficient in basic statistics and Excel.
Time Commitment & Responsibilities:
The total semester-long time commitment expected for these positions will be equivalent to approximately 130 hours. The time commitment generally consists of a three-hour morning lecture which TAs will attend, followed by two afternoon lab sections (each two hours in length) that the TAs lead, once a week (i.e. one full day a week from 9am to 6pm). TAs are also responsible for meeting with the professor to review the following week’s material, preparing material for laboratory exercises, and will assist during field trips when these are part of the course. TAs are expected to grade lab reports and course assignments. The pay level is $5,500 for the summer.
Application Process:
For more information on the MPA program and for more information about the summer courses, please consult the program’s website. To apply for these positions, please send a cover letter stating your interest, your resume, and contact information by email to George Sarrinikolaou at gsarrinikolaou@ei.columbia.edu. Applicants enrolled full-time in a graduate program at Columbia University during the spring 2018 semester are eligible for this position. Students graduating in May 2018 are not eligible.
