UROP Project
Monitoring Apalachicola Bay Oyster Reproduction
oysters, FWC, temperature, salinity, microscopy
Research Mentor: Dr. Lauren Rice, She/Her
Department, College, Affiliation: Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: lnrice@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Department, College, Affiliation: Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: lnrice@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: Biology, Environmental Science
Project Location: 3618 Coastal Highway 98 St. Teresa, FL 32358-2702
Research Assistant Transportation Required: No, the project is remote Remote or In-person: Fully 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: 1
Relevant Majors: Biology, Environmental Science
Project Location: 3618 Coastal Highway 98 St. Teresa, FL 32358-2702
Research Assistant Transportation Required: No, the project is remote Remote or In-person: Fully 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: Thursday, September 3
Start Time: 1:00
End Time: 2:00
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/97992472841 - Day: Friday, September 4
Start Time: 1:00
End Time: 2:00
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/94250836966
Project Description
Wild oysters native to the Floridian coastline are known to reproduce throughout most of the year, although the reasons allowing populations to sustain this trend have never been looked at quantitatively. In Apalachicola Bay, the collapse of the oyster populations have led to continued and targeted efforts at restoration including the placement of material to try and rebuild the reefs. However, oysters are recovering in various rates across the bay, with some regions rebounding more strongly than others. My project seeks to monitor the health and reproductive investment of oysters from various bars within Apalachicola Bay, and determine the potential factors in the environment that might be impacting recovery (temperature, salinity, food availability, parasites, etc.). Additionally, I am trying to look at historical data collected by FWC to determine if patterns in oyster health have changed over time.Research Tasks: I am looking to have a UROP student who is willing to help with:
- viewing and imaging microscope slides
- collection of data by analyzing images
- data analysis and visualization
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: - Knowledge of Microsoft Excel (recommended)
- Organized notetaking (required)
- Microscopy (recommended; optional dependent on student availability/schedule)