UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #1071

Submission information
Submission Number: 1071
Submission ID: 19951
Submission UUID: f69bee9c-2d71-4ab1-9036-6d533e35a529

Created: Thu, 07/31/2025 - 03:34 PM
Completed: Thu, 07/31/2025 - 03:34 PM
Changed: Tue, 09/16/2025 - 01:20 PM

Remote IP address: 146.201.212.130
Submitted by: Anonymous
Language: English

Is draft: No
Primary Research Mentor Name Shawn R. Smith
Research Mentor Preferred Pronouns
When potential research assistants are reaching out via email, what is your preferred honorific? Mr.
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated) srsmith@fsu.edu
Position Title Faculty
FSU College (if applicable) Arts and Sciences
FSU Department or Non-FSU Organization Affiliation Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies
Headshot (optional)
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from above) David Zierden
Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Pronouns
Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Honorific? Mr.
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated) dzierden@fsu.edu
Name of Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) (if applicable)
Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Pronouns
Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Honorific?
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated)
Title of the Project Analysis of Extreme Minimum Temperatures in Florida
Project Keywords Meteorology, Weather, Climate, Data Analysis, Statistics
Are you currently looking for research assistants? No
Number of Research Assistants Needed 1
Relevant Research Assistant Major(s) Meteorology, Environmental Science, Physical Geography, Computer Science, Scientific Computing, Engineering, Statistics
Project Location: Research Building A, 2000 Levy Avenue, Tallahassee, FL 32310
If the project location is off campus, does the research assistant(s) need to provide their own transportation? Tallahassee City Bus (Innovation Park, Engineering School)
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? 5-10
Roughly what time frame do you expect research assistant(s) to work? During business hours
Overall Research Project Description The summer of 2025 has brought extreme heat to many areas of the United States, including North Florida. Although daytime maximum temperatures have reached record levels, a lesser-known occurrence is record maximum nighttime low temperatures. Nighttime minimum temperatures are of great interest in the context of human health, invasive species, quantities of pests, and the production of several types of fruits (e.g., peaches). Are you curious about whether nighttime low temperatures are getting warmer? Are we getting few cold extremes? And if so, why is this occurring? Are you interested in statistics and data analysis? If you have an interest in the variations of the weather in Florida, data analysis, and/or computer programming, this UROP project is right for you. The project will include working with weather observations from several different sources, including stations run by the National Weather Service, WeatherSTEM, and the Florida Automated Weather Network.

Some goals of this UROP project will focus on analyzing and evaluating weather observations from multiple sources to
(1) Identify thresholds that define extreme maximum nighttime temperatures throughout the annual cycle
(2) Determine if there has been a change in the frequency of extreme maximum nighttime temperatures over the past several decades
(3) Consider the role that changes weather, ocean, or land surface conditions could have in the variations in extreme maximum nighttime air temperatures.
The student chosen for this project is encouraged to develop additional questions as they work with these weather data.

This research project will provide students with an introduction to weather observations, the challenges of making those observations in diverse land use locations, the opportunity to work with the scientific data formats used for weather observations, and experience in programming and data analysis necessary to process and evaluate weather data. The student may also engage with communities outside the weather realm (e.g., oceanographers, agricultural specialists, urban planners) to examine the associations and influences variations in nighttime low temperatures may have on these communities.
Research Tasks The student will learn about the methods and technology used in Florida to make weather observations, including gaining an understanding of the challenges of making measurements in diverse land use environments.
The student will learn how to work with “real” weather data and will be advised on how to assess the quality of the observations prior to application to a scientific question.
The student will apply statistical methods to identify extreme event thresholds and to identify variations in the occurrence frequency of such events.
The students will also gain skills in computer programming (e.g., Python), data analysis, and preparing scientific plots and graphs.

Students will be expected to report regularly to their scientific mentors during team research meetings. They will prepare graphs and tables to present their research results and will present their results via their UROP poster to their research mentors and at the FSU UROP Symposium. For Fall 2025, we anticipate the student will work in person at our lab in Innovation Park.
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Required: Basic computer skills (e.g., familiar with Mac or PC environment, web browsing, Microsoft office suite). A willingness to learn new techniques, be very detail oriented, and to participate as part of a team.

Recommended: Introductory knowledge of computer programming (e.g., any of C, C++, Python) and familiarity with the LINUX operating environment. We anticipate the student will be able to learn many concepts and coding techniques during the project.
Mentoring Philosophy Overall, I believe in providing an inquiry-based learning experience where mentors provide general guidance to the student, but let the student find their way to a solution to a research task or question. Trying something that does not work is both expected and encouraged. I promote a very interactive learning environment where the student can engage with other students, scientists, software developers, and technicians. I provide an informal lab experience and want the student to be comfortable to ask any questions to improve their understanding of the task at hand. I also expect the student to take ownership of their research and be willing to communicate their results and ask questions within a structured communications environment (e.g., weekly team meetings).
Please provide a link to your publications, a video clip, or a website for your research project (if applicable): https://www.coaps.fsu.edu/shawn-smith
Please add any additional information here (if applicable):
Are you interested in participating in the UROP Research Mentor Roundtable? No
Roundtable times and Zoom links
Mentor Handbook, FAQs, and Communication Yes
UROP Performance Evaluation Yes
Materials Grant Yes
UROP Poster Presentation Yes
Year 2025
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