UROP Project
Programming Science Education Game Museum for Maize-10-Maze
computer programming, maize genetic, fun with mutants, social media
Research Mentor: Hank or Dr. Bass Hank Bass,
Department, College, Affiliation: Florida State University, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: bass@bio.fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor): Sohaila Askar
Research Assistant Supervisor Email: sea23@fsu.edu
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Department, College, Affiliation: Florida State University, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: bass@bio.fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor): Sohaila Askar
Research Assistant Supervisor Email: sea23@fsu.edu
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Any computer-related field or bio-computing, especially:
Computational Biology (biology or computer science),
Management Information,
Information Technology
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Yes Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 5-10, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Any computer-related field or bio-computing, especially:
Computational Biology (biology or computer science),
Management Information,
Information Technology
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Yes Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 5-10, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
- Day: Tuesday, September 1
Start Time: 12:30
End Time: 1:30
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/3502326572 - Day: Wednesday, September 2
Start Time: 2:00
End Time: 3:00
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/3502326572
Project Description
The Maize-10-Maze project is a public education outreach event at FSU in Tallahassee, FL, as part of our outreach educational project for more than 20 years. The goal of the outreach is to produce a fun and educational self-guided online museum, game, or educational resource for public field tour of the maize genome. We previously explored different online platforms that would be compatible with posting images and movies from past events. We emphasized user-guided exploration, such as Instagram (@maize10maze) and GlideApp. The online resources (images, placards, links to more info) are available for continued development, now entering the "build an online interactive museum" phase. Dr. Bass & the biology dept. has the hardware and servers needed. We are looking assistance with programming expertise, we have lots of content and 20 years of activitiens (see our https://linktr.ee/maize10maze for more info.Research Tasks: Meet with Dr. Bass, Sohaila Askar, and the team on a regular basis and work on the project also outside of those weekly meetings.
Present work and progress along the way. Have fun.
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Interest in public science communication is important. Ability to code or work with coders and IT staff in the dept. is recommended.
Students will be expected to learn the computational skills as needed or if needed, working with a team of people.
Mentoring Philosophy
As a Professor of Biological Science, my focus is on studying plant genetics, maize epigenomics, and genome architecture, utilizing 3D imaging, molecular genetics, genomics, and science outreach.My students are engaged, therefore, in our shared research goals.
My mentoring philosophy involves treating students as though they are already in the next stage of their professional development.
While the expectations are high, I make sure to acknowledge and support their efforts, training, and growth, irrespective of the outcome of their projects. By doing so, they experience the ups and downs of being a real scientist and receive meaningful guidance and skills to enhance and apply their education. To bring this philosophy to life, I help my students produce lasting contributions from their work in the form of presentations or peer-reviewed publications. This enables them to make a tangible impact and gain recognition for their work.
After working with student scholars at FSU for over 20 years, I created the E3 principle of student mentoring - Empowerment, Excellence, and Elevation.
EMPOWERMENT: Creating opportunities for additional career growth and putting students in charge of their projects for them to learn to own and enjoy their achievements.
EXCELLENCE: Hands-on training teaches excellence in scholarship, and how adhering to high standards in data quality and management can lead to success.
ELEVATION: Providing opportunities to excel beyond the traditional student experience, embedding them in conferences, scientific discussions, and collaborations. These activities elevate their performance, confidence, and competitiveness for their future careers.