UROP Project
Comparing phosphorus content of coastal wetland soils in north, central, and south Florida
wetlands, soils, environmental chemistry
Research Mentor: Dr. Dr. Josh Breithaupt,
Department, College, Affiliation: FSU Coastal & Marine Laboratory, N/A
Contact Email: jbreithaupt@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Department, College, Affiliation: FSU Coastal & Marine Laboratory, N/A
Contact Email: jbreithaupt@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: 2
Relevant Majors: Environmental Science, Biology (Ecology emphasis), Geography, Chemistry (Environmental emphasis)
Project Location: 3618 US-98, St Teresa, FL 32358 (approximately a 1-hour drive south of campus)
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Yes Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 8-10 (not including drive time), During business hours
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
Not participating in the roundtable
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Environmental Science, Biology (Ecology emphasis), Geography, Chemistry (Environmental emphasis)
Project Location: 3618 US-98, St Teresa, FL 32358 (approximately a 1-hour drive south of campus)
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Yes Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 8-10 (not including drive time), During business hours
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
Not participating in the roundtable
Project Description
Phosphorus is an important limiting element that influences primary production in all ecosystems. In Florida, phosphorus limitation in coastal wetlands generally decreases from north to south with the increase in carbonate sediments in south Florida. For this project, I am looking for 1-2 research assistants to investigate phosphorus content of soil cores that have been collected from wetlands in Apalachicola Bay (north Florida), Tampa Bay (central Florida) and Naples bay (south Florida). The student(s) will have the opportunity to learn about Florida coastal wetlands including possible involvement in field work (depending on class schedules and availability).Research Tasks: Research tasks will primarily consist of laboratory analysis of total phosphorus content of soil samples. The work consists of four primary steps for which training will be provided. These steps include: 1) weighing and combustion of samples, 2) acid digestion, 3) reagent preparation and instrumental analysis, and 4) data analysis.
Because this work is time-consuming, candidates should only apply if they are able to be present at the Marine Lab for 1-2 large blocks of time each week, preferably at least 4+ hours. Work needs to be completed during regular business hours (8-5, M-F).
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: The research assistant should have a general knowledge of environmental science, marine science, ecology, or physical geography as demonstrated by completion of such coursework in high school or college. Applicants should have strong attention to detail, a positive attitude, a strong work ethic, and enthusiasm for contributing to a supportive and productive lab environment. The student will need reliable transportation to the FSU Coastal and Marine Laboratory (1 hour drive south of Tallahassee), though sometimes there are opportunities for carpooling.
Mentoring Philosophy
There are four key ideas I focus on in my mentoring approach. First, I’ve learned the importance of setting and maintaining high expectations. I expect you to work hard, do excellent work, and exceed your own expectations for what you are capable of. Second: mistakes happen and they provide great learning opportunities; we’ll acknowledge mistakes and talk about ways to avoid them, but we’ll also focus on the extraordinary and clever things you’re doing to advance the research. Third, I want to meet regularly and I want you to set the agenda and run the meeting rather depending on me. It’s important for your skills as a researcher to take time to develop and articulate your questions and ideas for which I can give guidance and feedback. Fourth, if you’re looking forward to a career in science you must become a good writer and the only way that will happen is with practice. We’ll work on writing in several ways throughout the course of the research project. Students who indicate a level of interest, effort, and aptitude may have the opportunity to participate as co-authors on scientific publications stemming from this research.Additional Information
The best way to communicate with me is via email. I will respond to all emails generally within a few hours, and expect students to respond within 24 hours.We will meet weekly at the FSU Coastal & Marine Lab and discuss progress and project schedules during weekly lab work.
I would like the student to update me weekly about upcoming deadlines and projects in the UROP classrooms. Specifically, I would like to be involved as early as possible in discussing UROP project tasks including development of hypothesis, methods, Abstracts, reference lists etc.