GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF CLASS

The BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH TECHNICIAN 2 provides technical support in the management and coordination of experiments for units involved in agriculture, forestry, and food science research. Work performed may include technical research management relating to animals, poultry, fish, plants, and forests and the maintenance of buildings, grounds, and equipment.

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES

This is the second level of a three-level series. Employees in this class are distinguished from the lower- level by the requirement to apply more extensive knowledge of the research project goals and objectives; by more involvement with establishing research project procedures; by the coordination of the activities of a small research facility; and by more extensive technical management skills, such as maintaining the animal and poultry health management program, treating minor animal injuries and illnesses, administering vaccines, performing animal hygiene procedures, and assisting with breeding, birthing, and hatching programs, slaughtering and processing animals, propagating plants, treating, storing, and labeling seed and market products, and performing extensive equipment repairs. Employees in this class are distinguished from the higher level by the absence of responsibility for independent decision making, in conducting and reporting research trials. Employees in this class have assignments that do not require a high degree of technical knowledge of the research projects and are not responsible for instructing students in technical research procedures.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Unit Operation. Typical tasks: performs technical and manual functions, coordinates the activities of a small research facility (i.e. poultry farm, horse center, swine center), observes and makes suggestions for improvement and overall effectiveness of facilities, equipment, or technical procedures in support of units involved in one or more of the following research project specialties:

a. Animal and Poultry Research. Typical tasks: cares, feeds, handles, and transports animals; observes animals and records findings; weighs animals and/or milk; conducts pre- established breeding program, including artificial insemination; handles or restrains animals; maintains health management program by treating minor animal injuries and illnesses, administering vaccines and/or requesting veterinarian assistance; performs various animal hygiene procedures such as dehorning, shearing, hoof trimming, clipping, beak trimming, and parasite control; assists in birthing and castration procedures; takes blood or tissue samples; cares for young as necessary; collects, marks, records, and processes eggs; prepares multiple experimental diets (weighs, grinds, and mixes); cleans cages, pens, and stalls; removes and spreads manure; plants, irrigates, sprays for pests and weeds, and harvests pastures; insures that proper supplies are on hand (feed, bedding, medical supplies); slaughters and processes animals (cuts and processes meat, prepares pelts, culls birds); operates vacuum milking machine; mixes feed; harvests forage; markets animals or processed meat; monitors temperature in coolers and incubators.

b. Plant Research. Typical tasks: prepares plots (cultivate ground, mix soils for containers); pots plants and/or seeds plots; propagates plant materials (i.e. budding and grafting); irrigates; observes plants for pest, weed and disease problems; applies pesticides and fertilizers as necessary; prunes and thins; harvests and packages; treats, stores, and labels seed and marketing products; maps and labels plots; monitors greenhouse climate and adjusts heat control, ventilation, lighting, and shading; applies weather protection to plants housed outside greenhouses (i.e. lath house and cold frames).

c. Forestry Research. Typical tasks: plants, irrigates, thins, prunes, cuts, marks, and applies pesticides to trees; clears brush, erects fences, surveys sites, and diagrams charts; performs technical tree breeding duties, such as grafting, collecting pollen, seeding, preserving pollen, and sampling wood for strength tests; evaluates condition of seedlings and schedules shipments of seedlings to nurseries and ranger districts; performs technical duties for the nursery technology program, such as sorting, grading, and measuring seedlings according to project standards; estimates height, diameter, and terminal bud lengths, weight of needles, shoots, and roots; makes branch counts and leaf area measurements; grinds materials for chemical analysis; lays out plots, classifies trees; obtains and prepares samples; performs technical reforestation duties, such as evaluating the physiological condition of out-planting stock; cares for the stock by sorting and packaging seedlings and evaluating problems with sample stocks.

d. Food Science (Fish) Research. Typical tasks: orders fish diet ingredients and supplies; prepares, packages, and weighs diets; maintains records on identification of ingredients, changes, and/or discrepancies in each diet; observes fish for abnormal behavior and records mortality; weighs and counts fish; coordinates fish distribution and transfers; collects samples; grades fish; maintains proper stocking levels; collects spawners, spawns fish, and records spawning results; culls poor spawns; cares for eggs and alevins; cleans and maintains fish tanks, laboratory equipment, and buildings.

e. Seed Certification. Typical tasks: performs various technical duties in support of seed certification and foundation seed programs; processes and codes applications for field inspections; determines eligibility of seed lots for planting; prepares information for seed shipments; establishes and maintains seed lot maps; inspects fields, harvesting equipment, warehouse, and seed cleaning equipment and record keeping of growers; operates seed conditioning and treatment equipment.

2. Buildings Ground, and Equipment Maintenance. Typical tasks: repairs, maintains, and constructs facilities such as roads, fences, buildings, and pens; repairs and maintains equipment, such as farm machinery, irrigation and spray equipment, motors, pumps, growth chambers, and grow lamps in greenhouses; cleans, repairs, and sanitizes milking equipment and facilities; constructs special equipment required for research projects such as benches, fish tanks, and pumps.

3. Data Collection. Typical tasks: records and summarizes observations, measurements, and processes performed during research as required by research project leader (e.g., tree measurements, animal growth or production data, feed records, breeding and birthing records); ensures all data is collected as prescribed and may input data into a computer.

4. Miscellaneous. Typical tasks: directs and assigns work to student workers and seasonal employees; prepares orders for procurement of supplies and minor equipment; assists instructors in demonstrating technical management skills during laboratory classes; keeps records and stores inventories (e.g., plant materials and supplies, laboratory supplies, animal, poultry and fish diet ingredients, building and equipment maintenance supplies) and prepares orders for procurement; leads tours and answers questions from the public; performs laboratory tests.

RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS

Employees in this class have weekly in-person and telephone contact with research project leader(s) or senior technicians to receive direction as to weekly research objectives and duties to be performed, and to discuss any observations or problems of project. There is weekly in-person and telephone contact with students to assist them in setting up experiments, with industry representatives and government officials to coordinate and discuss research projects, and with nursery and Ranger District personnel to schedule seedling shipments and answer questions regarding test results.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED

Employees in this class receive general supervision from a research project leader(s) for direction as to research project goals, objectives, and work priorities. The research project leader(s) reviews work on a weekly basis for conformance to established research project procedures and priorities. State and Federal laws and regulations governing pesticide use and animal research and welfare are used as guidelines by employees in this class. Decontamination procedures governing toxic diet preparation may be used as guidelines.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• two years of college-level courses in (specific field of biological science) and one year of experience related to the area of assignment at the Biological Research Technician 1 level; OR
• an equivalent combination of training and experience.