UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #1129 | Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement

Submission information

Submission Number: 1129

Submission ID: 20241

Submission UUID: 53d5e4ef-154b-4cf2-ae7e-1b01c14a155c

Submission URI: /urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal

Submission Update: /urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal?token=Bx8cPsxHoWRWC0bgAlpJSlMSMEkCcmxQrWr0vPa2wgw

Created: Wed, 08/13/2025 - 02:00 PM

Completed: Wed, 08/13/2025 - 02:45 PM

Changed: Mon, 09/22/2025 - 09:46 PM

Remote IP address: 149.154.42.97

Submitted by: Anonymous

Language: English

Is draft: No

Webform: UROP Project Proposal Portal

Submitted to: UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal

Research Mentor Information

Primary Research Mentor Name Rob Duarte

Research Mentor Preferred Pronouns he/him

When potential research assistants are reaching out via email, what is your preferred honorific? Prof.

Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated) rduarte@fsu.edu

Position Title Faculty

FSU College (if applicable) Fine Arts

FSU Department or Non-FSU Organization Affiliation Art

Headshot (optional) Komodo_Dragon_(01).jpg

Additional Research Mentor(s)

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

Title of the Project Toys for Animals: Documenting and Assessing Animal Enrichment in Coordination with Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens

Project Keywords animals,enrichment,welfare,toys,jacksonville,zoo

Are you currently looking for research assistants? No

Number of Research Assistants Needed 1

Relevant Research Assistant Major(s) Open to all majors.

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? 5

Roughly what time frame do you expect research assistant(s) to work? During business hours

Overall Research Project Description Toys for Animals is a long-running project of Handshouse Studio in Norwell, Massachusetts. I am a long-time collaborator with this organization that focuses on hands-on experiential research and learning. In the Fall of 2025, I am beginning a collaboration with the Jacksonville Zoo to develop animal enrichment objects to contribute to research being conducted at the zoo. A Fall course in the Department of Art will have students from a variety of majors work to conduct research, develop ideas for enrichment objects, present those ideas to the zoo, and construct the finished products. While part of the course will involve documenting and assessing the success of the enrichment objects, this part of the process is one that will require continued work beyond the Fall semester. The UROP student researcher assigned to this project will be able to contribute to the collaborative project in the Fall and continue to document and assess its success, in coordination with researchers at the zoo, in the Spring semester.

Research Tasks Collaborate with student researchers on the development/construction of enrichment objects and document the design process; Remotely observe animals' usage of the enrichment objects; Communicate with zoo researchers to collect data; Organize and store data for future research; Visiting the zoo to observe animals or communicate in-person with researchers may be possible.

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Interest in the welfare of animals under human care (required); Ability to communicate with subject matter experts in email and in-person (required); Organizational, note-taking, and basic computer skills (required); Interest in participating in the hands-on, collaborative work of designing and constructing the animal enrichment objects (recommended)

Mentoring Philosophy My main interest in mentoring student researchers is to provide them with opportunities to do important, real-world, hands-on work on a project that they are excited about. I am an artist who is interested contributing to the research that incorporates universal design / design for all. As such, I am excited about research in which I work directly with subject matter experts. This often puts me and the students that I mentor in the position of sharing the experience of learning in real-time and finding the places where we can become important contributors using our own developing skills and experiences. These goals mirror the kinds of unique, meaningful learning opportunities that I was afforded in my time as a student and my goal is to create those same types of opportunities for students that I work with. Finally, it is very important to me that students are recognized and credited for their work, so they can use the research they've done to help propel them forward to even bigger and more meaningful work in future.

Please provide a link to your publications, a video clip, or a website for your research project (if applicable): https://www.handshouse.org/work#/toys-for-animals/

Please add any additional information here (if applicable): Students are encouraged, but not required, to attend some of the meetings of the ART3920C Interspecies Sculpture Studio: Toys for Animals course this Fall. They are also welcome to join our trip to the Zoo near the end of the Fall semester.

Are you interested in participating in the UROP Research Mentor Roundtable? No

Roundtable times and Zoom links {Empty}

UROP Program Elements

Mentor Handbook, FAQs, and Communication Yes

UROP Performance Evaluation Yes

Materials Grant Yes

UROP Poster Presentation Yes

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Year 2025

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