UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #1378

Submission information
Submission Number: 1378
Submission ID: 22350
Submission UUID: aa540178-f99b-4ec2-a152-661d555b9f3e

Created: Fri, 04/24/2026 - 05:27 PM
Completed: Fri, 04/24/2026 - 06:07 PM
Changed: Fri, 04/24/2026 - 06:07 PM

Remote IP address: 46.110.208.205
Submitted by: Anonymous
Language: English

Is draft: No
Primary Research Mentor Name James Strickland
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) jms25s@fsu.edu
Position Title Faculty
Are you and FSU employee? Yes
Will you be employed at FSU for the entirety of Fall and Spring semesters? Yes
FSU College (if applicable) Social Sciences and Public Policy
FSU Department or Non-FSU Organization Affiliation Political Science
Headshot (optional) 2025-08-29-James-Strickland-Headshot-scaled-e1756841011169-1536x1536.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 Legislative Information in the American States
Project Keywords lobbying; state government; legislatures; staff; information
Are you currently looking for research assistants? Yes
Number of Research Assistants Needed 4
Relevant Research Assistant Major(s) Political science; economics; public policy; history; public administration; library science; data science; and related fields.
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): Partially Remote
Approximately how many hours a week would the research assistant(s) need to work? 8
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 This project seeks to identify the individuals who provide information to state legislators around the country over time. For legislators, informative people include staff persons and lobbyists. This project is part of two long-term projects involving databases of state legislative staff and lobbyists. The two projects seek to establish large, online databases on a single website where the public (including researchers) may look up names of staff and lobbyists active in each state for various years. The data are expected to be of widespread use in the social sciences (especially political science, public administration, and economics) and humanities (especially history). The data may be used to determine how staff and lobbyists influence policy, among many other questions. Between the two projects, data-collection began for lobbyists in 2015 and continues to the present day. Data collection for staff began in 2025.
Research Tasks The assistant(s) will be provided with lists of staff or lobbyists and asked to use artificial technology (AI) to transcribe the lists into Excel spreadsheets, or to transcribe the lists manually if artificial technology (AI) does not work well. The assistant(s) will be free to choose the AI program and subscriptions to AI programs will be paid for by Prof. Strickland or by using a UROP grant, as needed. The assistant(s) may also be asked to locate staffer or lobbyist lists using library and online searches. The transcription, including by AI or manually by hand, can be performed from any location where the assistant(s) has a reliable internet connection. The assistant(s) will be asked to meet with Prof. Strickland at least once every two weeks, and to commit at least eight hours of transcription or searches per week.
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Required: 1) familiarity with Excel or Google Sheets, 2) ability to type at least 45 words (mostly names) per minute, 3) attention to detail, 4) ability to focus on a single task for extended periods, 5) familiarity with Adobe and/or .pdf files, 6) familiarity with ChatGPT and/or other AI tools, and 7) ability to use online library resources to locate records.

Recommended: 1) a strong interest in lobbying and lawmaking, and 2) an understanding of how political science research is conducted.
Mentoring Philosophy I cannot product research without great assistants. I always incorporate students, as assistants or coauthors, into my research. Since 2015, I have worked with more than 50 undergraduate research assistants and have coauthored three articles with students, including one with an undergraduate student. When working with mentees, I meet with them regularly. I provide as much choice to my mentees as possible regarding their work assignments. I inform my mentees about opportunities that may interest them, such as networking events and guest lectures.

My desire to mentor students is related to my background. I grew up in a small town in South Carolina and was the first person in my family to attend college. When I first entered college, I did not know that I could major in political science. I am a professor now due in large part to my faculty mentors.
Please provide a link to your publications, a video clip, or a website for your research project (if applicable): https://cosspp.fsu.edu/polisci/faculty/james-strickland/
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 2026