UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #1221

Research Mentor Information
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Primary Research Mentor Name: Michael Neal
Research Mentor Preferred Pronouns: he/him
When potential research assistants are reaching out via email, what is your preferred honorific?: Dr.
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated): mrneal@fsu.edu
Position Title: Faculty
FSU College (if applicable): Arts and Sciences
FSU Department or Non-FSU Organization Affiliation: English
Headshot (optional): https://cre.fsu.edu/system/files/webform/urop_project_proposal_portal/20701/Neal2025.jpg

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: FSU Postcard Archive
Project Keywords: digital archive, visual rhetoric, public memory, cultural studies
Are you currently looking for research assistants?: Yes
Number of Research Assistants Needed : 4
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):: Partially Remote
Approximately how many hours a week would the research assistant(s) need to work?: 5 hours
Roughly what time frame do you expect research assistant(s) to work?: Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Overall Research Project Description:
The FSU Card Archive offers undergraduate researchers an opportunity to curate a rich collection of over 6,000 historic postcards spanning multiple decades. This project sits at the intersection of history, technology, visual culture, and public scholarship, making it ideal for students in fields ranging from art history and communications to computer science, English, sociology, anthropology, museum studies, and more. Each postcard serves as a window into the past, revealing insights about cultural attitudes, technological development, social movements, tourism, politics, and daily life across different eras and locations. Through searchable metadata, researchers can explore connections across time periods, geographic regions, and themes. This UROP project is particularly suited to those who want to explore their own interests within the archive. Since the research is flexible in scope and topic, students have brought their own research interests to the project, curated exhibits on diverse topics including stereotypical representations of Native Americans, the history of Key West tourism, Puerto Rican culture in the early 1900s, environmental messaging about the Everglades, humor in popular culture, World War II propaganda, representations of gender and race, etc. The archive serves both as a preservation tool and as a site for current research where students’ work remains accessible to future scholars and the public.

Research Tasks:
Students working with the FSU Card Archive can engage in several types of scholarly work tailored to their interests and academic goals:
1.	Archival Curation & Metadata Creation: Learn archival practices using the OMEKA content management system while building technical skills.
2.	Visual Analysis & Content Development: Develop critical research skills by analyzing the visual rhetoric and cultural messaging embedded in historic postcards.
3.	Digital Humanities: Gain experience in digital archiving and publishing by entering new card and transferring exhibits onto our new platform (fsucardarchive.create.fsu.edu).
4.	Individualized Research Projects: Design and curate original exhibits by conducting research on specific themes, time periods, or geographic regions represented in the collection.
This project offers students the chance to contribute to meaningful scholarship around areas of interest to them while developing skills in research methodology, digital literacies, project management, and public communication—all while working with accessible primary source materials.


Skills that research assistant(s) may need::
Nothing in this project is so difficult that it can't be easily learned in the first few weeks of the semester. What I'm looking for are curious and creative students who can bring their interests into the archive and help shape the space for future researchers as well as public audiences.  

Mentoring Philosophy:
My mentoring philosophy emphasizes collaboration, engagement, and individualization. I recognize my positionalities as a white, male, tenured faculty member and acknowledge that my experiences may differ from those of my mentees. Rather than expecting students to mirror my trajectory, I help them develop their own scholarly identities and research projects.
My mentoring approach centers on three core principles:
Subjectivities: I help mentees identify and navigate their own subject positions, acknowledging that no research is neutral or objective. We explicitly examine the experiences and beliefs we bring to our work, understanding how they shape our research questions and approaches. By modeling this reflexivity, I encourage students to recognize their unique perspectives as valuable to creating knowledge.
Inquiry Processes: I guide students toward genuine, curiosity-driven inquiry in their areas of interest. Together we develop open-ended questions that allow for multiple possible outcomes, which I hope enables students to engage deeply with their research topics, enjoy the process, and discover unexpected insights.
Scaffolding: I provide early direct instruction and support that gradually decreases as students gain independence. I don’t assume students are unfamiliar with digital humanities methodologies, genres, technologies, and processes, I offer explicit guidance initially, then strategically withdraw structure for students to take agency of own their projects. This approach ensures they develop independent skills for future research contexts.
My mentorship goals consistent of helping students realize their potential within their own unique set of abilities, interests, and goals while fostering the curiosity and methodological skills that will enhance their academic experiences. 

Please provide a link to your publications, a video clip, or a website for your research project (if applicable):: https://fsucardarchive.create.fsu.edu/, https://kairos.technorhetoric.net/17.3/topoi/neal-et-al/index.html, https://michaelneal.wixsite.com/facultypage
Please add any additional information here (if applicable)::
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Are you interested in participating in the UROP Research Mentor Roundtable?: Yes
Roundtable times and Zoom links:
Wednesday, Sept. 3rd 3:00-3:30 (https://fsu.zoom.us/j/8818962394)
Thursday, Sept. 4th 1:30-2:00 (https://fsu.zoom.us/j/8818962394)

Roundtable Info:
- Day: Wednesday, September 3
  Start Time: 3:00
  End Time: 3:30
  Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/8818962394
- Day: Thursday, September 4
  Start Time: 1:30
  End Time: 2:00
  Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/8818962394

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

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Year: 2025
update url: https://cre.fsu.edu/urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal?element_parents=elements/research_mentor_information/headshot_optional_&ajax_form=1&_wrapper_format=drupal_ajax&token=xEb5-p5y8RN8rn0DuzWNCMbVSP4uDuK-Ve5YAXaw3H0