UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #521 | Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement

Submission information

Submission Number: 521

Submission ID: 8876

Submission UUID: 26592673-6f0d-4862-9f64-8134b13e955b

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

Submission Update: /urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal?token=GMUyYx5CZBsC5xACjl1v-tlU2j7tuOQbvRJ7YCZnzNM

Created: Mon, 08/21/2023 - 08:45 AM

Completed: Mon, 08/21/2023 - 08:55 AM

Changed: Thu, 09/28/2023 - 08:01 PM

Remote IP address: 199.185.175.62

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 Allie Blanchette

Research Mentor Preferred Pronouns she/her/hers

When potential research assistants are reaching out via email, what is your preferred honorific? {Empty}

Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated) ablanchette@bio.fsu.edu

Position Title Graduate Student

Faculty Advisor Name {Empty}

Faculty Advisor's FSU Email {Empty}

FSU College (if applicable) Arts and Sciences

FSU Department or Non-FSU Organization Affiliation Biological Sciences

Headshot (optional) Allie Blanchette_EE_PhD track 1 (2).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) Andrew Rassweiler

Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Pronouns he/him/his

Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Honorific? Dr.

Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated) rassweiler@bio.fsu.edu

Overall Project Details

Title of the Project Assessing coral cover and mortality in relation to farming damselfish

Project Keywords Coral reef, marine biology, CoralNet, photo annotation, farming damselfish

Are you currently looking for research assistants? No

Number of Research Assistants Needed 1

Relevant Research Assistant Major(s) Biology, Environmental Science

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? 7-10

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 I am studying how corals vary in benthic cover and mortality based on various factors, including variation among genotypes and species, and the effects of farming damselfishes. The coral species that I am studying are Acropora cervicornis and Orbicella spp. in Bonaire (Dutch Caribbean) and Acropora pulchra in Moorea (French Polynesia). In order to measure coral cover and mortality, our lab takes hundreds of photos of the corals on SCUBA and snorkel (approx. 1 meter above the coral), then we assess those photos for percent cover of live coral, dead coral, and other important organisms and substrates on the reef. In order to measure how farming damselfishes affect corals, I placed GoPro cameras in front of damselfish territories to record their behavior. The UROP student(s) will have 2 major roles in this project: 1) to help train an algorithm in the open source machine learning software CoralNet (https://coralnet.ucsd.edu/) by identifying the organisms/substrates in the photos, and 2) to record rates of different behaviors that the damselfish exhibit in GoPro videos.

Research Tasks The first research task of the UROP student will be photo annotation in CoralNet (i.e., data collection and processing). CoralNet randomly places a set number of points on each photo, and the student will be responsible for identifying the organism or substrate that each point lands on, which will help train the algorithm. The second research task will be video annotation in the software BORIS (i.e., data collection and processing). The student will record occurrences of different damselfish behaviors in 15-30 minute videos, such as chasing other fish, hiding, and biting at coral or algae. I will help train the student with the required software programs, species and substrate identification, and basic coral reef ecology. However, an interest in marine biology is preferred. At the end of the position, the student will be involved in data analysis and address their own research questions using this dataset.

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: No skills are required, but an interest in marine biology is preferred.

Mentoring Philosophy I plan to work closely with the student at the beginning to teach methods and to answer any questions. As the student’s confidence increases, I can slowly become more hands-off if the student desires. In order to mentor the student as a scientist, and not just a photo annotator in CoralNet, we will also practice finding and discussing scientific papers, generating research questions, analyzing data in R, and scientific writing. Our lab is committed to creating a supportive and inclusive environment and we encourage students typically underrepresented in STEM to apply. Students that are eligible for federal work-study should note that they can earn their work-study funds through UROP. Our lab is very collaborative in nature, and the student will be able to learn from and work alongside other undergraduates in the lab that are also working with CoralNet for other projects. My goal for the end of the school year is for the student to feel like they are a part of our research team and to be prepared to further pursue their interests in biology and research.

Please provide a link to your publications, a video clip, or a website for your research project (if applicable): https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=i4N7RqgAAAAJ&hl=en

Please add any additional information here (if applicable): {Empty}

Roundtable times and Zoom links Zoom link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/92104938504
Tuesday 2:00-2:30
Thursday 2:00-2:30
Friday 2:00-2:30

UROP Program Elements

Mentor Handbook, FAQs, and Communication Yes

UROP Performance Evaluation Yes

Materials Grant Yes

UROP Poster Presentation Yes

Faculty Advisor Confirmation {Empty}

Are you interested in attending in a UROP Research Mentor Workshop Series? Yes

{Empty}

Year 2023

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