UROP Project
Measuring Sediment Accumulation of Apalachicola Bay Marshes
wetlands, marshes, sediment
Research Mentor: 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, Ecology, Geography, Marine Science
Project Location: FSU Coastal & Marine Lab, 3618 US-98, St Teresa, FL 32358
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Yes Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 8-10, During business hours
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
Not participating in the roundtable
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Environmental Science, Ecology, Geography, Marine Science
Project Location: FSU Coastal & Marine Lab, 3618 US-98, St Teresa, FL 32358
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Yes Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 8-10, During business hours
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
Not participating in the roundtable
Project Description
Coastal marshes adjust to rising sea level by increasing their elevation through the accumulation of surface sediments and increased root production. For this project you will assist ongoing work by Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the US Geological Survey measuring change in rates and processes occurring in marshes surrounding Apalachicola Bay. Your specific role will be focused on deploying and retrieving Net Sedimentation Tiles at field sites following by analyzing the sediment in the lab. The research question you will be investigating is whether surface sediment composition and accumulation rates vary by location around the Bay.Research Tasks: Your research tasks will consist of three phases. In the First Phase, field work will be done in October 2026. Field work will consist of travel with our state and federal research partners to the marsh sites, either by truck or boat. At each site you will collect previously deployed tiles and deploy new ones. The Second Phase of your research will focus on analyzing the sediments at the FSU Coastal & Marine Lab. Lab analyses will consist of measurements for dry bulk density, organic matter content, and Carbon, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus content. The Third Phase will consist of data analysis.
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).
Mentoring Philosophy
There are three key ideas I focus on in my mentoring approach for new undergraduate researchers. 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.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.