UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #1129

Submission information
Submission Number: 1129
Submission ID: 20241
Submission UUID: 53d5e4ef-154b-4cf2-ae7e-1b01c14a155c

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
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
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from above)
Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Pronouns
Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Honorific?
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated)
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 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?
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
Mentor Handbook, FAQs, and Communication Yes
UROP Performance Evaluation Yes
Materials Grant Yes
UROP Poster Presentation Yes
Year 2025
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