UROP Project

meteorology, environment, atmosphere, air quality

Research Mentor: Dr. Christopher Holmes, he/him
Department, College, Affiliation: Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: cdholmes@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:

Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 1
Relevant Majors: Meteorology, Environmental Science, Engineering
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required:
Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 5-10,
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Not participating in the Roundtable

Project Description

My group builds 3-D atmospheric models and uses observations to understand the changing atmosphere and Earth. Our research studies air pollution, greenhouse gases, and their interactions with weather, climate, and the biosphere. I have several projects that a student could contribute to, depending on their interests and level of interest in computer programming. The description here is for just one of those projects, but please contact me if other areas of my group's research interest you. Prescribed fires are widely used in the eastern United States to reduce wildfire risk, manage habitats and ecosystems, and clear agricultural land, among other purposes. This project will use satellite data to examine where fires have burned over the last decade and for what purposes. We will take advantage of several new satellites that were launched over the last 10 years and improved our ability to detect and study fires from space. Research questions include the following: What fraction of fires are detected from these satellites? What are the types and purposes of those fires? Have the amount and types of fires changed over the last 10 years?

Research Tasks: The UROP student will plot and statistically analyze the fire detections in a satellite dataset that we will provide. The dataset classifies the types of fires (e.g. crop, wildland) and their locations. The student will create maps of these fires for each year, classified by fire type and look for patterns visually and using statistical methods. We typically use Python for data analysis and data visualization.

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Some experience in programming (e.g. Python, Matlab, GIS) or statistical methods (e.g. t-tests for comparison of means, ANOVA) is required.