UROP Project
Developing Museum Exhibits
museum, exhibit, anthropology, culture, design
Research Mentor: Dr. Amy Kowal, she/her/hers
Department, College, Affiliation: Anthropology, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: akowal@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Department, College, Affiliation: Anthropology, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: akowal@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Looking for Research Assistants: No
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Open to all majors
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: 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: Wed. 9/6/23 at 12:00pm - https://fsu.zoom.us/j/92876704023
Wed. 9/6/23 at 2:00pm - https://fsu.zoom.us/j/96866056330
Wed. 9/6/23 at 7:00pm - https://fsu.zoom.us/j/98051910507
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Open to all majors
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: 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: Wed. 9/6/23 at 12:00pm - https://fsu.zoom.us/j/92876704023
Wed. 9/6/23 at 2:00pm - https://fsu.zoom.us/j/96866056330
Wed. 9/6/23 at 7:00pm - https://fsu.zoom.us/j/98051910507
Project Description
Assistants will conduct research of future exhibits for the Museum Anthropology course that are located in display cases in the Anthropology Department, Carraway Building. Topics to be considered for exhibits are to be within the scope of the anthropological subfields: cultural and applied anthropology, archaeology, biocultural and biological anthropology, and linguistics. However, students are encouraged to research exhibit ideas that are tailored to the student’s own interests and major. At the conclusion of the project, student’s will create a plan for a museum exhibit that will be implemented in the department in a future semester.Research Tasks: literature review, exhibit planning and design, collections research
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: some experience with library research skills (recommended)
Mentoring Philosophy
As a first time in college student myself attending a large university, college is intimidating, and I found my career interest in anthropology after speaking with a professor of one of my courses. My relationships with various mentors are based on mutual respect and over the years allowed me to expand my interests to include studying diverse peoples, their communities and cultural heritage. Museum studies provides me the mechanism to mentor students and teach them how to conduct research, work independently and in groups, learn from others, and build on each other’s strengths. I encourage students to run with their interests and figure out how to implement their ideas in a multi-component, interactive, professional final product.Additional Information
Video link to Roundtable Session: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://fsu.zoom.us/rec/share/V9b-dKTfP91lPDW3ze008-knAoZURRYsixudjaAfN_Hx6rCu_s6y_cAcTDvDJLfc.do1FFRg_87v-6awA__;!!PhOWcWs!zeiEjtfkJzz-XzSAtnpNw5_BA0WRFI23pguCE1VbcnYa4QL1HlBZnnK7C5H1ooWTJldWRbF73ZSLd9OG$Link to Publications
https://anthro.fsu.edu/museum-anthropologyCausal Inference in human microbiome data
human microbiome, causal inference, mediation analysis. statistical regression model
Research Mentor: Dr. Chao Huang,
Department, College, Affiliation: Statistics, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: chuang7@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Department, College, Affiliation: Statistics, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: chuang7@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Looking for Research Assistants: No
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Statistics, CS, College of Medicine, Math, biomedical sciences
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 6, During business hours
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Tuesday, September 5, 2:30-3 pm (https://fsu.zoom.us/j/2586055653)
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Statistics, CS, College of Medicine, Math, biomedical sciences
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 6, During business hours
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Tuesday, September 5, 2:30-3 pm (https://fsu.zoom.us/j/2586055653)
Project Description
The mediation analysis methodology of the cause-and-effect relationship through mediators has been increasingly popular over the past decades. The human microbiome can contribute to the pathogenesis of many complex diseases by mediating disease-leading causal pathways. However, standard mediation analysis is not adequate for microbiome data due to the excessive number of zero values and the over-dispersion in the sequencing reads, which arise for both biological and sampling reasons. In this project, we will download & preprocess the human microbiome data and develop novel mediation analysis algorithms to detect important biological causal pathwaysResearch Tasks: literature review; download datasets, preprocess data; statistical data analysis
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: required: one programming language, e.g., Matlab, R, python
recommended: domain knowledge in human microbiome data; statistical causal inference.
Mentoring Philosophy
1. Preparation makes a difference. To engage my students, it is critical to maintain effective communication with students to ensure that they are on the same page with me. To achieve such, well preparation is the first thing on my mind.2. Give them tools. To inspire growth in my students, I aim to give them tools to take into their future studies and into their life. These tools are a sense of curiosity, open-mindedness, and critical thinking. I would like my students to observe, compare and criticize the motivations and effectivenesses of different statistical approaches.
Additional Information
Link to Publications
https://sites.google.com/view/chao-huang/Partisan Negotiation in Congress
Congress; Negotiation; Policymaking; Political Parties
Research Mentor: Dr. or Prof. Andrew Ballard, he/him
Department, College, Affiliation: Political Science, Social Sciences and Public Policy
Contact Email: aob23b@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Department, College, Affiliation: Political Science, Social Sciences and Public Policy
Contact Email: aob23b@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Looking for Research Assistants: No
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Political Science
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: 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: Not participating in the Roundtable
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Political Science
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: 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: Not participating in the Roundtable
Project Description
Negotiation is an integral part of all policymaking processes, yet scholars of Congress do not have an adequate understanding of the mechanisms that drive negotiations between individual members of Congress and between political parties. Part of the reason for this gap in our knowledge is that we do not have systematic data detailing the negotiation process, from when groups of members put out proposals to when policies are enacted into law and in between. In this project, we are helping to fill this gap by building a dataset of two-party policy negotiations from the 1980s to the present. We are in the process of identifying which policymaking efforts meet the criteria of being fully fledge efforts to negotiate policy on the parts of both parties and detailing each of those processes one by one. The result will be qualitative and quantitative datasets outlining the details of proposals made by both parties, which deals were made, and the outcomes. From this, we will be able to systematically analyze when parties and members get more or less of what they want in policy negotiations.Research Tasks: We are in the process of identifying all of the instances of two-party negotiations, using existing two existing datasets provided by other researchers. Students would aid in finishing this process, which involves looking at academic records and news reports of congressional policymaking back to the 1980s. Then, students would also help with the second part of the project, detailing the negotiations process for each of the instances we identify. This would also involve combing through archival data to determine the steps along the process of each negotiation.
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel, Word) required. Strong attention to detail required.
Mentoring Philosophy
Each relationship between a mentor and mentee is different. As a mentor, I first identify mentees' goals for working together and evaluate their existing knowledge. These steps allow me to design tasks that build on existing strengths and develop weaknesses, so that mentees can get as much out of the process as possible. As research projects are often large and multifaceted, knowing more about mentees' goals and skills helps me more easily find tasks that will be interesting and meaningful for mentees, which in turn helps mentees feel more ownership of the project.Whenever possible, I provide mentees with hands-on experience in doing research, because the best way to learn is by doing. This is modeled after my own experiences as a student being brought onto research projects with faculty, being given the chance to learn and grow by learning and carrying out the process of a research project. Failure is inherent in this process. In learning, we will fail from time to time. The important part is to work through failure and learn from mistakes. My mentees are encouraged to try and fail, and I provide compassionate and constructive feedback to help them learn.
Additional Information
Link to Publications
andrewoballard.comExamining the Priorities of the Smithsonian Institution's Giving Pledge Letters
Philanthropy; Communication Campaigns; Content Analysis; Nonprofit Sector
Research Mentor: Dr. but really prefer first name Richard Waters,
Department, College, Affiliation: School of Communication, Communication and Information
Contact Email: rdw22@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Department, College, Affiliation: School of Communication, Communication and Information
Contact Email: rdw22@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: Open to all majors
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: No, the project is remote 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: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/93786138126 on Sep 6, 2023, 05:00 PM Eastern Time
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Open to all majors
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: No, the project is remote 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: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/93786138126 on Sep 6, 2023, 05:00 PM Eastern Time
Project Description
This project involves reading the 75 Giving Pledge letters from the Smithsonian Institution critically to examine what the major philanthropic donors from around the world have as their nonprofit priorities. The project will require the students to work together with the professor to create the questions that will be used to analyze the letters. Questions, such as nonprofit missions stated, personal background of the donors and their pledge amounts, are likely to be ones that will me developed and entered into Qualtrics so they can be analyzed remotely. The students will ideally work on collecting the data in the Fall semester and putting together a research paper in the Spring semester for submission to an academic journal.The student will mostly help with the literature review and data collection. I'll work with the student to develop research questions to analyze the Giving Pledge letters and devise a content analysis codebook to use in the analysis of the 2010-2023 letters. We will work on achieving interceder reliability by coding several letters together. When that is achieved students will work independently and remotely. An internet connection is needed to access the Giving Pledge Letters website and Qualtrics to analyze data. No special library training is required. I want students to work on the project in the areas that they wish to, as well. Data collection via coding the letters is a must, but if students want to help analyze data, I'm glad to help them learn those skills. I would
like to see the data collected by the end of January 2024 to allow us to write up results by mid-April.
Research Tasks: Literature Review, Data collection (content analysis), Data analysis if the student wants to learn basic statistics
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: The main thing that is needed is an interest in exploring what global philanthropists are focused on with their donations. This can be due to advancing personal career interests by better understanding technology company's social responsibility efforts, better understanding the nonprofit sector domestically and globally, or simply wanting to get a better visino of what the future of global philanthropy looks like.
Mentoring Philosophy
I like working with undergrads who are interested in learning about research methods, especially content analysis. We will meet in-person or via Zoom depending on our schedules so that we stay on track to meet the April, 2024, deadline. This is not my project. It is our project. I want the students to take ownership of the project and be proud of their work. I want to challenge the students to write a research article that we can publish in a nonprofit-focused research journal.Additional Information
Link to Publications
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=2B9WhRcAAAAJ&hl=enIntegrating genomics and behavior to understand the evolution of new species
speciation, genomics, behavioral evolution, neurobiology, computational biology
Research Mentor: Dr. Emily Lemmon,
Department, College, Affiliation: Biological Science, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: chorusfrog@bio.fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators: Dr. Alan Lemmon
Faculty Collaborators Email: alemmon@fsu.edu
Department, College, Affiliation: Biological Science, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: chorusfrog@bio.fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators: Dr. Alan Lemmon
Faculty Collaborators Email: alemmon@fsu.edu
Looking for Research Assistants: No
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Open to all majors.
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Remote or In-person: In-person
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: Not participating in the Roundtable
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Open to all majors.
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Remote or In-person: In-person
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: Not participating in the Roundtable
Project Description
The student will join a collaboration to map candidate speciation genes onto a genome in frogs. We have been studying the chorus frog system for ~20 years to understand how reproductive behaviors (male acoustic signals and female preferences for these signals) diverge and evolve as new species form. We are just gaining insight into the genes that underlie these changes. Using our draft chorus frog genome, the student will use computational tools to map candidate genes involved in behaviors onto our new draft genome. The student will also have the opportunity to join ongoing fieldwork (winter and spring), behavioral studies, and neuroscience studies on this system if interested.Research Tasks: Mapping genes on a draft genome, annotating genes, literature review. If interested, the student could participate in winter/early spring fieldwork on our frog study system.
The student would contribute to a multi-lab/institution collaboration to study the genomic basis of reproductive behaviors involved in the divergence of new species.
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Required: interest and enthusiasm for scientific research; motivation to work hard and persevere through challenges; positive attitude; determination to learn; ability to work individually and as part of a team.
Recommended but not required (just helpful): experience in computer programming and/or statistics.
Mentoring Philosophy
My approach toward mentoring is to welcome into my laboratory anyone with a passion for science, a willingness to work hard, and the ability to persevere. I have trained and mentored 76 undergraduates from all backgrounds during my 14 years as a faculty member in Biological Science at FSU. Most have gone onto professional programs—graduate, medical, or veterinary school—and to careers in academia, industry, and medicine.When new undergraduate researchers join my lab, I meet with them individually to determine their backgrounds, experiences, aspirations, and career goals. Then we begin to lay out their pathways to attain these career goals. We discuss the key steps along their paths—how to make the right moves—to become a strong candidate for these future positions. We discuss the timing needed for each step and create multi-year plans with goals for each semester of their undergraduate careers. When students join my group, I immediately engage them in our diverse ongoing research projects. These activities span multiple branches of biology and include fieldwork , behavioral experiments, genetics labwork, computational bioinformatics bootcamp, and neuroscience experiments. My goal is to expose our undergraduate researchers to multiple branches of biology through our lab’s current projects, so that they can gain direct experience with the possible directions they could pursue in their future scientific careers in biology.
Additional Information
Dr. Emily Lemmon was awarded the FSU Undergraduate Honors Thesis Mentor Award for 2023 (sole-recipient).Link to Publications
https://www.bio.fsu.edu/chorusfrog/ ; https://www.bio.fsu.edu/faculty.php?faculty-id=emlemmon ; https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=wNmwYS4AAAAJCosa Excavation Coins Inventory Project
archaeology, numismatics, coins, history, museum studies, classics
Research Mentor: Prof. Melissa Ludke, she/her/hers
Department, College, Affiliation: Classics, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: mludke@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Department, College, Affiliation: Classics, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: mludke@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Looking for Research Assistants: No
Number of Research Assistants: 1
Relevant Majors: Open to all majors - preferred: Classics, History, Art History, Anthropology
Project Location: Remote
Research Assistant Transportation Required: No, the project is remote Remote or In-person: Fully Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 5-10, or less, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Not participating in the Roundtable
Number of Research Assistants: 1
Relevant Majors: Open to all majors - preferred: Classics, History, Art History, Anthropology
Project Location: Remote
Research Assistant Transportation Required: No, the project is remote Remote or In-person: Fully Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 5-10, or less, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Not participating in the Roundtable
Project Description
The project involves the study of and inventorying of approximately 913 coins from the archaeological excavations at Cosa (Italy). These coins were discovered during excavations of the city between 1948 and 1972, and 1991 and 1997. Due to the "haphazard" storage of the legacy material from the earlier excavations in the site museum's storerooms, these coins were "missing" until 2022 when they were rediscovered in a small metal filing cabinet. A majority of the physical inventory (photographing, notation and copying of sleeve information, and entering into an excel spreadsheet) has already been conducted, but there could be opportunities to travel to Italy as a part of Cosa Excavations in the summer of 2024 to assist in a potential rehousing project, as the coins do need to be reorganized in their physical location and placed back into order according to excavation year. Upon completion of the project, the inventory information is sent to the supervisor of the region in Italy, and there are opportunities to develop a personal project based on interests in individual coins, or periods of history, such as Roman Republican, Imperial, Late Imperial, and Late Antique to Medieval. Eventually, there may be a transfer of the information in the Excel spreadsheet into another, more searchable system, such as Airtable, which will be a development project and making the legacy data more readily available for researchers.Research Tasks: Research tasks largely include editing and inserting photographs of the sleeve in which the coin was located, the obverse and reverse of each coin, as well as correlating the sleeve information with two publications on the coin material from Cosa, which need to be entered into the master Excel spreadsheet. A majority of the work will be cross-checking the information on the sleeves that were entered into the Excel spreadsheet with the information provided about each coin in the two publications. Once this task is completed, further research on each coin that is missing certain information (a few of the coins do not have an obverse type listed in the publication) will be conducted.
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Required: knowledge of Microsoft Excel and Word.
Required: a willingness to learn about coins (numismatics).
Recommended: an interest in research and seeking out answers to problems or questions.
Helpful (recommended, but really not necessary): interest in or knowledge of Latin, Classics, History, Archaeological practices, and other related skill-sets.
Mentoring Philosophy
My mentoring philosophy is one which ideally involves a partnership between the mentor and mentee within which the two work as a team whereby the mentor assists in teaching the mentee necessary research skill-sets and the mentee feels comfortable to ask any and all questions related to the material and the process. In developing a personal interest project tangentially related to the overall core project, the mentee should be able to communicate their personal research interests with the mentor in order to work on developing a relatable project more suited to the mentee's interests. I hope to share my own experiences with the mentee related to the material being studied, as well as the processes of researching in order to foster an environment within which the mentee can learn through inquiry.Additional Information
We would be conducting all meetings through Zoom, but according to the availability of both parties (either once a week or every other week/as needed).Link to Publications
Neutrino emission during the supernova of a massive star: determining the observable signal in terrestrial detectors
physics astronomy supernova particle neutrino
Research Mentor: Dan Pershey, he/him/his
Department, College, Affiliation: Physics, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: dpershey@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Department, College, Affiliation: Physics, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: dpershey@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: Computational science
Physical science
Physics
Secondary science and/or mathematics teaching
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 6-8, During business hours
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Tuesday, Sep 5, 4-4:30 pm: https://fsu.zoom.us/my/pershey
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Computational science
Physical science
Physics
Secondary science and/or mathematics teaching
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 6-8, During business hours
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Tuesday, Sep 5, 4-4:30 pm: https://fsu.zoom.us/my/pershey
Project Description
When we picture a telescope, we might first think of looking through a lens to witness light reflected off the surface of the moon or a planet. But, not all telescopes collect light. Some telescopes look for neutrinos, very light subatomic particles found abundantly throughout the universe. Neutrinos interact with matter very rarely, so that neutrinos, unlike light, produced deep inside dense objects like stars can escape and be detected on Earth. In this project, we will study the neutrino signal observable in a future particle detector that was produced inside a dying star's core during a supernova.The 100 billion stars in the Milky Way shine steadily throughout their roughly billion-year lifespan by fusing light nuclei within their cores into heavier elements. But, a couple times a century, one of the most massive stars in the galaxy exhausts its fusible fuel supply, and the star's life will end in a matter of seconds in a supernova: a violent collapse of the star's core into a neutron star or a black hole. Light produced during this collapse is trapped by the outer envelop of the star, but a huge number of neutrinos are produced which can be detected on Earth. Understanding the dynamics of the stellar collapse using the observed neutrino pulse from this exotic phenomenon is on the boundary of particle and astrophysics.
Through this project, we will investigate the potential to observe neutrinos from a supernova within our galaxy with future neutrino detectors built by the COHERENT experiment at Oak Ridge National Lab in Tennessee. We will use computer programs to estimate what neutrino signals we can expect for the next supernova in our galaxy. This will explore how the signal changes with different stellar masses and what information about the dynamics of the collapse we can glean from the neutrino signal. We will also develop visualization tools to convey our results and share findings with collaborators.
Research Tasks: Literature review
Learning the basics of data analysis in high-energy physics
Coding in python or c++
Clearly communicating and presenting technical results
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Some coding experience is recommended but can be developed
Mentoring Philosophy
Like any other interaction, mentoring is only worthwhile when both sides feel the experience is positive and rewarding. Both the student and mentor need to be treated as humans deserving respect and be able to communicate expectations and boundaries freely before starting a project. When beginning a new project with a student, I cover expectations on technical aspects, communication, and workload which I adapt to each student. These are not static, but adaptable throughout the duration of the project.Additionally, making a student research project that is thematically connected and introduces the student to new skills plays a vital role. I design projects that both develop skills required across many careers and invoke a curiosity and desire to ask compelling questions about how the natural world works. When charting out a research project, I maintain significant flexibility to make the work adaptable so a student has freedom to reach a specific goal or to pursue a particular aspects of the science they may find intriguing. Each interaction with the student is an opportunity to course-correct in a direction that student would find more fulfilling.
Additional Information
Link to Publications
Investigation of Guided Pathways Implementation in the California Community College System
Guided Pathways Implementation Investigation Qualitative
Research Mentor: Mrs. Robyn Tornay,
Department, College, Affiliation: Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Education
Contact Email: rt21d@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Department, College, Affiliation: Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Education
Contact Email: rt21d@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: Would prefer to have someone with some research background who knows about qualitative data, NVivo, who understands how to transcribe data, knows APA and references are all correctly there.
Project Location: remote. It would be all online and virtual via Zoom
Research Assistant Transportation Required: No, the project is remote Remote or In-person: Fully Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: I don't see it taking them any more than 5-7 hours a week but may not be more than 5., Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Not participating in the Roundtable
Number of Research Assistants: 1
Relevant Majors: Would prefer to have someone with some research background who knows about qualitative data, NVivo, who understands how to transcribe data, knows APA and references are all correctly there.
Project Location: remote. It would be all online and virtual via Zoom
Research Assistant Transportation Required: No, the project is remote Remote or In-person: Fully Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: I don't see it taking them any more than 5-7 hours a week but may not be more than 5., Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Not participating in the Roundtable
Project Description
I am heading to California to collect data and will need someone to help transcribe focus groups, and comb through data to include reports from the college. It would require the individual to assist with being very detail oriented, diligent and accurate in their findings. Additionally, I will need assistance with references and ensuring they are correct throughout the dissertation document and all appendices are aligned with the data and findings.Research Tasks: Data analysis, transcription, finding codes, themes, and helping with references.
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Recommended knowledge on how to review data.
Recommended to understand qualitative data and higher education.
Recommended to be able to dissect information to understand the meaning behind conversations with focus group members.
Knowledgable in APA 7th edition.
Willing to assist.
Mentoring Philosophy
As a mentor, it is important to help students learn and grow in their academic field. Honing their skills to expand the knowledge they have while having transparent communication and open dialogue about the research that is being conducted. My philosophy is to instill integrity for research while also helping students succeed in understanding more about themselves within the field of education.Additional Information
Working on data collection and focus group information primarily in the months between September-December. Looking for someone who will be able to jump onboard and be ready to go.Link to Publications
N/ASport and Culture Research
sports, games, anthropology, culture, media
Research Mentor: Dr. Amy Kowal, she/her/hers
Department, College, Affiliation: Anthropology, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: akowal@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Department, College, Affiliation: Anthropology, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: akowal@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Looking for Research Assistants: No
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Open to all majors.
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: 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: Thurs. 9/7/23 at 4:30pm - https://fsu.zoom.us/j/98417122043
Thurs. 9/7/23 at 5:00pm – https://fsu.zoom.us/j/92688878821
Thurs. 9/7/23 at 5:30pm - https://fsu.zoom.us/j/91506214099
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Open to all majors.
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: 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: Thurs. 9/7/23 at 4:30pm - https://fsu.zoom.us/j/98417122043
Thurs. 9/7/23 at 5:00pm – https://fsu.zoom.us/j/92688878821
Thurs. 9/7/23 at 5:30pm - https://fsu.zoom.us/j/91506214099
Project Description
Assistants will conduct research of sports and theirintersection with a variety of topics including culture, health, race and ethnicity, education,
politics, economics, and evolution and change. Students are encouraged to research sports and
topics that are tailored to the student’s own interests and major. Research will include
literature review, research of films and documentaries, social media, and websites. At the
conclusion of the project, student’s research may be included in a potential publication, and
used in the Anthropology of Sport course.
Research Tasks: literature review, multimedia research
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: some experience with library research skills
(recommended), familiarity with sport in various forms of media (recommended)
Mentoring Philosophy
As a first time in college student myself attending a large university, college is intimidating, andI found my career interest in anthropology after speaking with a professor of one of my
courses. My relationships with various mentors are based on mutual respect and over the years
allowed me to expand my interests to include studying diverse peoples, their communities and
cultural heritage. I have been a sports fan my whole life and am very passionate about my
teams. I want to help students utilize their passions and study topics such as sports in a
scientific manner. Anthropology provides me the mechanism to mentor students and teach
them how to conduct research, work independently and in groups, learn from others, and build
on each other’s strengths. I encourage students to run with their interests and figure out how to
implement their ideas in a multi-component, interactive, professional final product.
Additional Information
Link to Publications
Video of Roundtable Session: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://fsu.zoom.us/rec/share/hF9sj1J0_lqv0ZUBQZOLbdz4h6AhsKbzEyF6_4Bu0GORuCtU4cFljs9-nScY3Ssd.PKLOKRrwIGoliXET__;!!PhOWcWs!3j5F6WCJt3CIhUjsy06i2-IJHOewyBMRmIjjc5caZeVhM7lkEhOKCiDLcH5SbmS_bVKUpt-HCc***Intonation of Spanish spoken in Colombia. La entonación del español hablado en Colombia.
Spanish, phonetics, acoustic analysis, computer skills, linguistics
Research Mentor: Mrs. Yeimy Roberto, She, her, hers
Department, College, Affiliation: Modern Languages and Linguistics, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: yroberto@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor): Dr. Carolina González She, her, hers
Research Assistant Supervisor Email: cgonzalez3@fsu.edu
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email: cgonzalez3@fsu.edu
Department, College, Affiliation: Modern Languages and Linguistics, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: yroberto@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor): Dr. Carolina González She, her, hers
Research Assistant Supervisor Email: cgonzalez3@fsu.edu
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email: cgonzalez3@fsu.edu
Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Open to all majors
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 10 hours a week. , Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Tuesday, Sept 5, from 3 to 3:30 pm at https://fsu.zoom.us/j/92600054121
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Open to all majors
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 10 hours a week. , Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Tuesday, Sept 5, from 3 to 3:30 pm at https://fsu.zoom.us/j/92600054121
Project Description
The research aims to explore the intonation of spoken Spanish in Pasto, Colombia, to identify unique acoustic traits and understand the relationship between Quechua-influenced varieties and Andean Spanish. This involves analyzing speech patterns, comparing them with other Andean Spanish dialects, and contributing to the understanding of Colombia's linguistic diversity. Specific goals include expanding the inventory of intonation patterns in declarative statements, examining prosodic strategies for emphasis and information clarification, and comparing findings with other Hispanic communities. The research also seeks to highlight the importance of Pasto's linguistic diversity and promote its appreciation as a cultural resource and academic value on the Spanish language landscape in Colombia.Research Tasks: This project will immerse the student into Experimental Phonetics. The project is currently in the Acoustic Analysis phase. The student will be trained to organize, prepare text grids, transcribe words, and analyze intonation patterns. Research requires the ability to listen and align tags in audio recordings, and to document results and discoveries for publication and communication. No previous knowledge in linguistics or data analysis is required. However, a good understanding of Spanish is immensely helpful.
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Advanced/native knowledge of Spanish language recommended.
Computational skills (code, protocol following) recommended.
Mentoring Philosophy
Being an honest communicator and an exceptional organizer are the essential qualities of a mentor. Honesty, eagerness to learn, and time management are the key values that will guide my interactions with the mentees. My main motivation as a mentor is to serve others in their personal growth and professional goals. I believe that success is possible by self-assessment through time. This assessment needs to be constructive, specific, and aimed at improvement. This will drive growth. My job is to provide a safe and trusting space where mentees can demonstrate their personal and professional value. I am confident that in such a place, mentees can freely, and sincerely, share their thoughts, concerns, and goals. To start growing, it is fundamental to acknowledge our strengths, shortcomings, background, perspectives, and identity to build from our unique traits and skills.My hope is that by working together, I also enrich my experience as a mentor and together we support our own journey of continuous learning and growth. I plan to demonstrate the values and principles of my mentoring philosophy by performing self assesment of this project as well. The biweekly tasks may be adjusted depending on how we work during the previous weeks, and these adjustments must reflect my commitment to self-improvement. It is expected by the end of our reflections to be able to look back and appreciate our learning process.
Doing research is challenging, but I am certain that the outcome is going to positively enrich our personal and professional experiences.