UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #1062

Research Mentor Information
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Primary Research Mentor Name: Jose Lopez
Research Mentor Preferred Pronouns: {Empty}
When potential research assistants are reaching out via email, what is your preferred honorific?: {Empty}
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated): jlopez4@fsu.edu
Position Title: Graduate Student
Faculty Advisor Name: John Hamman
Faculty Advisor's FSU Email: jhamman@fsu.edu
FSU College (if applicable): Social Sciences and Public Policy
FSU Department or Non-FSU Organization Affiliation: Economics
Headshot (optional): {Empty}

Additional Research Mentor(s)
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Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from above): {Empty}
Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Pronouns: {Empty}
Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Honorific?: {Empty}
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated): {Empty}
Name of Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) (if applicable): {Empty}
Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Pronouns: {Empty}
Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Honorific?: {Empty}
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated): {Empty}

Overall Project Details
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Title of the Project: Hedging in Ambiguity Experiments
Project Keywords: Economics, Math, Psychology, Experiment, Risk
Are you currently looking for research assistants?: No
Number of Research Assistants Needed : 2
Relevant Research Assistant Major(s):
Open to all majors.

Priority will be given to students majoring (or planning to major) in Economics, Math, Psychology, or any field related to these 3.


Project Location:: On FSU Main Campus
If the project location is off campus, does the research assistant(s) need to provide their own transportation?: {Empty}
Please select the choice that most accurately describes your expectations for the research assistant(s):: In-person
Approximately how many hours a week would the research assistant(s) need to work?: 10
Roughly what time frame do you expect research assistant(s) to work?: During business hours
Overall Research Project Description:
This is an economic experiment testing individual decision making under risk and ambiguity. (*Note that risk and ambiguity are distinct concepts in economics.)
Bag 1 has 100 balls. 50 are red and 50 are blue.
Bag 2 has 100 balls. Each ball is either red or blue, but you are not told how many are red/blue.

The experimenter is going to draw one ball from each bag. You win $10 if the experimenter draws a red ball from Bag 1, and you win $10 if the experimenter draws a red ball from Bag 2.

The relevant question: How much do you value each bet?

Bag 1 is the "Risky Bag" because you know your probability of winning. You have a 50% chance of winning $10.
Bag 2 is the "Ambiguous Bag" because you DON'T know your probability of winning. It is possible that you could have as high as a 100% chance of winning or as low as a 0% chance of winning.

*We will test behavior in a setting similar to this. There are different economic models that predict behavior in these kinds of settings. We will compare the results of our experiment to the behavior predicted by the different economic models.

Research Tasks:
Data collection, literature review, writing assistance, etc.

Skills that research assistant(s) may need::
Required: 
1. Reliable (you do what you say you are going to do)
2. Responsive (you promptly respond to messages)

Recommended:
1. You are not scared of math

Mentoring Philosophy:
As a research mentor, I want to encourage students to think critically and be open to defending their perspectives. My goal is to foster an environment where students feel comfortable being wrong and they feel confident that I will allow them to be right. (This just means that I will not try to twist things so that I am always right and you are always wrong.) I believe that this kind of environment is the best way to facilitate learning.

This fall, I am starting my 9th (and final) year of college. I say this to acknowledge that I have been studying economics for a very long time. BUT, I want to stress that this does not mean that I think I am smarter than you. All that this means is that I've had more years to accumulate knowledge. I value the perspectives of my students, and I really do believe that I can learn from them. With that said, I know that the only way that I can learn from them is if I foster an environment where they are willing to share their perspective, even when it is contradictory to mine. 

So, yes, my mentoring philosophy does benefit me, but I think it will benefit you as well. 

*You will, of course, learn a lot about economics as my mentee. I am interested in the intersection between economic theory and experiments. If either of those are interesting to you, then this project may be a good fit. 


Please provide a link to your publications, a video clip, or a website for your research project (if applicable):: {Empty}
Please add any additional information here (if applicable)::
When you apply, please provide any information that you think will make you stand out as a candidate. There are many students applying, and I will not be able to interview everyone. I can only speak for myself, but I promise that I will not view you as immodest. I want you to sell yourself to the best of your ability.

Information that may be relevant:
Prior research experience, career goals that make this project relevant, high GPA/test scores, relevant awards/certifications, etc.

Also, don't be afraid to include things that you are unsure if I will find relevant. If you believe it is relevant, I encourage you to include it.

Examples: 
Yes, I believe being the captain of your sports team is impressive and says something positive about you.
Yes, I believe starting a small business, even if not super profitable, is impressive and says something positive about you.

*These are just 2 examples, but I could easily think of many more. Everyone has things like this, so please do not sell yourself short. If you are worried that I won't immediately see the value, feel free to explain it. (*I will say that an explanation is probably unnecessary in most cases.)




Are you interested in participating in the UROP Research Mentor Roundtable?: Yes
Roundtable times and Zoom links:
Tuesday, September 2 at 12pm: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/91912565846
Wednesday, September 3 at 5pm: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/94596827434
Friday, September 5 at 1pm: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/93244441037

Roundtable Info:
- Day: Tuesday, September 2
  Start Time: 12:00
  End Time: 12:30
  Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/91912565846
- Day: Wednesday, September 3
  Start Time: 5:00
  End Time: 5:30
  Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/94596827434
- Day: Friday, September 5
  Start Time: 1:00
  End Time: 1:30
  Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/93244441037

UROP Program Elements
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Mentor Handbook, FAQs, and Communication: Yes
UROP Performance Evaluation: Yes
Materials Grant: Yes
UROP Poster Presentation: Yes
Faculty Advisor Confirmation: Yes

Are you interested in attending in a UROP Research Mentor Workshop Series?: Yes
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Year: 2025
update url: https://cre.fsu.edu/urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal?token=WeHYWMPkphbQCZLzLA4CpSgiyAgAKdWFf2mwHI_Y2Jg