GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF CLASS

The BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH TECHNICIAN 1 performs duties requiring specialized technical and manual skills in support of units involved in agriculture, forestry, or food science research. Work performed includes animal, poultry, and fish care; various farming operations; plant care; and routine building, ground, and equipment maintenance.

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES

This is the first level of a three-level series. The Biological Sciences Research Technician 1 is distinguished from the higher-level technician by receiving closer supervision from the Research Project leader and/or higher-level technician. Work assignments are of a more routine nature, such as cleaning stalls and pens; handling and transporting animals; cultivating; planting; irrigating; applying pesticides; and making minor repairs to equipment and are inspected regularly by a supervisor. There is an absence of responsibility for managing or coordinating the technical functions of the project but employees in this class are expected to perform duties which require specialized technical skills in support of the project.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Unit Operations. Typical tasks: performs technical and manual functions In support of units Involved In one or more of the following research project specialties:

a. Animal and Poultry Care. Typical tasks: cleans stalls and pens, equipment, incubators, and manure alleys; changes bedding and hauls wastes; bands and handles poultry; feeds animals; assists in maintaining specified breeding program; observes animals for abnormal behavior; weighs animals and records data; transports animals; culls birds; exercises animals; weighs, mixes, and delivers feed rations; keeps records and orders grain and feed inventories; collects, marks, and washes eggs.
b. Farm Operations. Typical tasks: cultivates, plants, fertilizes, irrigates, weeds, mows, harvests, and cleans seeds from experimental plots; prunes and thins orchards and berries; sprays pesticides and herbicides on experimental plots; assists in sampling plots, collecting, and recording data; protects orchards from freezing temperatures with irrigation and heating systems; sorts and grades crops; cleans and stores seed.
c. Fish Care. Typical tasks: prepares, weighs, and packages toxic and nontoxic fish diets; feeds fish; observes fish for abnormal behavior and records mortality; weighs and counts fish; collects water and fish samples; transfers and distributes fish; cleans tanks, laboratory -equipment, and buildings.
d. Greenhouse Operations. Typical tasks: applies pesticides; conducts insect surveys; performs routine and specialized hand watering; makes routine checks of heating-venting-cooling equipment; glazes glass surfaces to protect from sun; performs minor carpentry, painting, and plumbing duties; receives, plants, and prepares ground beds and seed pieces for potato planting.
e. Forestry Operations. Typical tasks: plants, irrigates, thins, prunes, cuts, marks, and applies pesticides to trees; clears brush, erects fences, surveys sites; lays out plots, and obtains samples; sorts and packages seed.

2. Building, Ground and Equipment Maintenance.. Typical tasks: repairs, constructs, and maintains facilities, Including buildings, fences, roads, lawns, and landscape; maintains and makes minor repairs to equipment (tractors, mowers, spray equipment, irrigation pumps, and motors).
3. Laboratory Work. Typical tasks: obtains laboratory samples from plots; prepares culture media for samples; weighs samples; isolates fungi; performs laboratory tests; rears and releases insect colonies.
4. Data Collection. Typical tasks: records observations, measurements, readings, animal mortalities, and technical research process conducted, as required by Research Project Leader; inputs data into computer; tabulates data.
5. Miscellaneous. Typical tasks: directs student and seasonal farm laborers; transports harvest and animals to market; assists in feed mill operation; purchases parts to service equipment.

RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS

Employees in this class have limited contact with others outside the unit. Employees have occasional (varies depending on the season) in-person and telephone contact with the researchers to receive clarification of work assignments, report observations, or make suggestions on technical operations and with equipment suppliers to obtain service parts and supplies.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED

Employees in this class receive close supervision from a researcher or higher-level technician. Work is periodically reviewed throughout the assignment for conformance to the project goals and standards. 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 also serve as guidelines.?

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• two years of college-level courses in (specific field of biological science); OR
• an equivalent combination of training and experience.