UROP Project

Assessing nutrient enrichment on coral reefs in the southern Caribbean using marine algae as bioindicators

Coral reef, ecology, bioindicators, macroalgae, nutrient enrichment, stable isotopes, sample processing

Research Mentor: Laurel Field, she/her/hers
Department, College, Affiliation: Biology, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: lcf22a@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, Geography, EOAS, open to all majors
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required:
Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 8, 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

Coral reefs in the southern Caribbean are experiencing long-term declines in coral coverage along with an increasing dominance of algae, which is partially driven by elevated nutrient inputs from both natural and human sources. This abundance of nutrients promotes algae growth and intensifies coral stress through bleaching and disease, heavily contributing to reef degradation. Identifying where these nutrients originate and how they vary across space and seasons is essential for effective reef management, yet current water quality monitoring is both labor-intensive and may miss short-term nutrient pulses.

This research project evaluates whether the common macroalgae genera (Lobophora spp. and Dictyota spp.) can serve as bioindicators of nutrient enrichment around Bonaire, an island in the southern Caribbean. Since these macroalgae absorb nutrients over time, their total nitrogen tissue content and stable nitrogen isotope (δ¹⁵N) values can reflect both the magnitude and sources of nutrient inputs into the ocean. The goal is to identify possible nutrient hotspots around Bonaire which can be used to inform efforts to manage land-based nutrient pollution and support coral conservation.

Research Tasks: Sample processing (e.g., freeze-drying, homogenizing, packing into tins using a microbalance) and organizing will be main tasks. There is an opportunity to work at the FSUCML marine laboratory to do some steps of sample processing. Project will also involve analyzing sample data using the coding program R.

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Interest in learning to process samples for nutrient and isotope analyses, attention to detail, and good time management (required). Familiarity with Excel, Word (recommended)

Neighborhood STEM Fair Project - connecting low-income community with free STEM enrichment programs

Education, Community Outreach, STEM education, Stem Education for All, Summer Camps

Research Mentor: Ilya Litvak,
Department, College, Affiliation: Magnet Lab, N/A
Contact Email: litvak@magnet.fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators: Malathy Elumalai
Faculty Collaborators Email: melumalai@magnet.fsu.edu

Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Open to all majors. Majors form the following programs are especially encouraged to apply:
1. Physical sciences and Engineering
Biochemistry, Biological Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, Biomedical Sciences, Chemical Engineering, Chemical Science, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computational Biology, Computational Science, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Science, Geography, Geology, Industrial Engineering, Information Technology, Interdisciplinary Design, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Meteorology, Neuroscience, Physical Science, Physics, Statistics
2. Education and Social Sciences:
Elementary Education, Environment and Society, Exercise Physiology, Food and Nutrition, Human Development and Family Science, Interdiscplinary Social Science, Psychology, Public Health, Social Science Education, Sociology, Special Education, STEM Teaching
3. Business and marketing:
Business Administration, Communication and Digital Media Studies, Entrepreneurship, Hospitality Management, Marketing, Professional Communication

Project Location: 1800 E. Paul Dirac Dr.
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Dogwood, Live Oak; Innovation
Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 8-10, During business hours
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:

• Day: Tuesday, September 1
  Start Time: 4:30
  End Time: 5:00
  Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/95821391652
• Day: Wednesday, September 2
  Start Time: 1:30
  End Time: 2:00
  Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/92270367991

Project Description

The Neigborhood Camp Fair project aims to connect K-12 population from low-income areas of Tallahassee with free STEM education opportunities. Launched in 2018, the project has seen over 500 K-12 students attend our annual community events where public can find free or subsidized summer camp programs. 60-70% of attendees come from local Title I schools.
Our role is to match existing resources with existing needs – which involves the serach for both. The most challenging – and interesting – part is to develop understanding of the gap between availability and accessibility of what we can offer. We continue expanding our outreach capabilities.
The intern will join our small team which organizes Neighborhood Camp Fair events, STEM Nights, and other coordinates other STEM outreach activities. This project is operated in collaboration with the Tallahassee Scientific Society.


Research Tasks: 1. Propose, implement, and evaluate strategies to engage with target community
2. Develop strategy for collecting and analyzing feedback
3. Publicize the project and its benefits to local residents through social media, flyers, direct engagement, and other means
4. Publicize the project and its benefits to STEM program providers
5. Study the impact of the camp fairs on STEM awareness among K-12 students

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: 1. Organizational skills
2. Presentation skills
3. Written and oral communication skills including writing articles, emails, making phone calls, etc.
It may significantly benefit the project if the applicant had exposure to challenges faced by target communities through their work- or volunteer-related, or personal experience.

Improvements of the field quality for resistive and resistive-superconductive hybrid magnets

NMR, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Field Homogeneity, Passive shims, Instrumentation

Research Mentor: Ilya Litvak,
Department, College, Affiliation: Magnet Lab, N/A
Contact Email: litvak@magnet.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: Biochemistry, Biological Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, Biomedical Sciences, Chemical Engineering, Chemical Science, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computational Biology, Computational Science, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Science, Industrial Engineering, Information Technology, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Physical Science, Physics
Project Location: 1800 E. Paul Dirac Dr.
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Dogwood, Live Oak; Innovation
Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 8-10, During business hours
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:

• Day: Tuesday, September 1
  Start Time: 1:30
  End Time: 2:00
  Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/91746064158
• Day: Wednesday, September 2
  Start Time: 4:30
  End Time: 5:00
  Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/93334090655

Project Description

National High Magnetic Field Laboratory houses seven world-record magnets at its Tallahassee location. Some applications, such as NMR and MRI require high uniformity of the magnetic field across the sample, in addition to high field.
Our group has developed a low-tech but very powerful procedure for improving field uniformity which is based on analyzing field maps and designing shim patterns made of of steel foil.
A student with a strong interest in scientific instrumentation and/or computer coding will work on improvements to data processing to streamilne the data acquisition, analysis, and shim design. The project may involve using specialized equipment and techniques to map and correct the field of the magnet. Part of the work will be performed around strong magnetic fields.

Research Tasks: The student will update, port, or rewrite portions of the scripts for processing magnetic field map data. The project may involve using specialized equipment and techniques to map and correct the field of the magnet. The project may also involve performing calculations of magnetic field for different patterns. Part of the work may be performed around strong magnetic fields.

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Required: Adherence to safety
Recommended: comfortable with Excel, math background. Experience in coding (Python, Visual Basic) is a plus.

Accelerating Foundational Reading Skills Through Targeted UFLI Foundations and I-Ready Magnetics Instruction

reading proficiency; small group intervention; case study

Research Mentor: Dr., Prof. Veronica White,
Department, College, Affiliation: Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering
Contact Email: vwhite@eng.famu.fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators: Nicole Simmons
Faculty Collaborators Email:

Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Open to all Majors; Preference in K-8 education related majors
Project Location: Engineering Building B, ideally in-person during designated hours, option to work remote if agreed upon
Research Assistant Transportation Required: innovation loop bus
Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 7-10, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:

• Day: Monday, August 31
  Start Time: 1:00
  End Time: 1:30
  Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/96130520019
• Day: Wednesday, September 2
  Start Time: 12:30
  End Time: 1:00
  Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/91877217162

Project Description

This project, conducted in partnership with the FAMU Developmental Research School, aims to accelerate foundational word-reading skills through targeted, small-group instruction using UFLI Foundations. We have collected pilot data from five second-grade students and will expand the project to include an additional 10–15 students over the next year. Over the next year we will be conducting UFLI Foundaitons and I-Ready Manetics on 10-15 4th grade students. Our immediate goal is to develop and publish a case study examining student growth, implementation, and the potential of UFLI Foundations and I-Ready Manetics to strengthen early reading proficiency.

Research Tasks: - Literature review of UFLI and I-Ready Magnetics case studies for 2nd to 4th grade readers
- Data Analysis of preformance impact on 2nd and 4th graders reading scores given UFLI and I-Ready Magnertics intervention schedule.
- Writing of short paper (introduction, methods, results, conclusion) to appropriate teaching case study journal.

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: recommended : Excel, Zotero, Word, Microsoft Teams

Predicting hurricane strength in the gulf of Mexico using gulf of Mexico (Americas) sea surface temperatures historical/current data

data science, data fitting, Artificial Intelligence

Research Mentor: Mark Sussman,
Department, College, Affiliation: Mathematics, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: msussman@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: Open to all majors
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required:
Remote or In-person: Fully Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 7.5, 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

The strength and path of Gulf of Mexico (Americas) hurricane depends on many factors. But, can one get a reliable idea of the maximum hurricane strength based on gulf of Americas sea surface temperatures (using both historical and current data)? NOAA keeps online data of this information in one form or another going back to 2005. Maybe even earlier than that. I am interested in predicting maximum hurricane strength in Tallahassee, given strategic data from the Gulf of Americas (since I live in Tallahassee), but I am open to a similar study for any at risk coastal city that is of interest to the student.


Research Tasks: 1. literature review; has this been tried before? What was done?
2.write a program (or have AI write the program) that automatically collects historical/current sea surface temperature data from the NOAA website(s). "clean" the data so that the data can be readily analyzed.
3. Use some kind of data fitting method in order to make predictions of hurricane strength based on historical/current sea surface temperature data. The data fitting technique can be linear least squares or nonlinear neural network (for example).
4. Verify and Validate your analysis by splitting your data into two parts: (a) training data and (b) test data.

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: required: the desire to learn how to computer program (if you do not already know how)
recommended: computer programming skills

Discovery and Characterization of Experimental Antiparasitic Compounds

Antiparasitic drug discovery; Plasmodium; Naegleria fowleri; drug screening; cell culture; microscopy; mechanism of action; genomics; proteomics; infectious disease

Research Mentor: Dr. Anthony Ruberto,
Department, College, Affiliation: Biomedical Sciences, Medicine
Contact Email: anthony.ruberto@med.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: Biology, Chemistry & Biochemistry
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required:
Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 8, During business hours
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:

• Day: Thursday, September 3
  Start Time: 4:00
  End Time: 4:30
  Zoom Link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/289502819658832?p=gLksq9STTkuxSvKNFc
• Day: Friday, September 4
  Start Time: 4:00
  End Time: 4:30
  Zoom Link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/237773997386213?p=TUZYinFb29WF3DHE0V

Project Description

Infectious diseases caused by unicellular parasites impose a substantial burden on human health. The Ruberto Laboratory, established in May 2026 within the Department of Biomedical Sciences, investigates the biology of two medically important parasites: *Plasmodium* species, the causative agents of malaria, and *Naegleria fowleri*, commonly known as the “brain-eating amoeba,” which causes primary amebic meningoencephalitis. The overarching goal of the laboratory is to define the cellular and molecular biology of these pathogens and use this knowledge to support the development of new therapies for parasitic diseases.

UROP trainees will contribute to a project focused on evaluating experimental antiparasitic compounds using in vitro models. Working closely with Dr. Ruberto, a postdoctoral researcher, and graduate students, trainees will learn how to maintain parasite cultures, prepare compounds, perform drug-screening assays, and quantify parasite growth and drug susceptibility. Students may also assist with follow-up experiments designed to validate promising compounds and characterize their effects on parasite viability, morphology, development, and cellular function.

Because many of the compounds evaluated in the laboratory have unknown mechanisms of action, trainees will also have opportunities to contribute to cellular and molecular studies investigating how these compounds affect parasite biology. Depending on project needs and student interests, this work may involve microscopy, molecular assays, sample preparation for next-generation sequencing or proteomic analyses, and the analysis and visualization of experimental data.

The Ruberto Laboratory operates within an interdisciplinary research environment and regularly collaborates with medicinal chemists and other investigators involved in antiparasitic drug discovery. UROP trainees will have opportunities to participate in collaborative meetings in which biological screening results, compound properties, structure–activity relationships, and experimental priorities are discussed. This exposure will help students understand how expertise in parasitology, cell biology, chemistry, genomics, proteomics, and data analysis is integrated to advance potential therapies from initial screening through mechanistic investigation.

Through these activities, trainees will gain hands-on experience in experimental design, quantitative data analysis, scientific communication, teamwork, and the responsible conduct of biomedical research. They will also contribute directly to the laboratory’s efforts to identify and characterize new antiparasitic strategies and will present their work and contributions at the annual undergraduate research symposium.


Research Tasks: UROP research assistants may participate in the following activities, depending on project needs, their interests, and their level of training:

* Conduct literature reviews on parasite biology, antiparasitic drug discovery, drug resistance, and mechanisms of action.
* Complete laboratory safety, responsible conduct of research, and project-specific technical training.
* Assist with the maintenance of *Plasmodium* and/or *Naegleria fowleri* cultures under appropriate supervision.
* Prepare media, reagents, compound dilutions, and experimental materials.
* Perform in vitro antiparasitic drug-screening and dose-response assays.
* Collect quantitative measurements of parasite growth, viability, morphology, and drug susceptibility using microscopy, plate-based assays, and other laboratory methods.
* Organize, document, and quality-check experimental data and laboratory records.
* Analyze and visualize experimental results using spreadsheet, statistical, and bioinformatic tools.
* Assist with follow-up experiments designed to validate active compounds and investigate their effects on parasite cellular or molecular processes.
* Contribute to sample preparation and, when appropriate, analysis of next-generation sequencing or proteomic datasets.
* Participate in laboratory meetings and interdisciplinary project meetings with medicinal chemists and other collaborators, where students will discuss screening results, compound properties, structure–activity relationships, and experimental priorities.
* Communicate research progress through brief presentations, figures, written summaries, and discussions with the research team.
* Prepare a research poster and present their project, findings, and individual contributions at the annual undergraduate research symposium.

Students will initially work alongside experienced laboratory members and will assume increasing responsibility as they demonstrate proficiency. Each student will be assigned a defined component of the broader research project so that their contributions are identifiable, intellectually meaningful, and appropriate for presentation at the undergraduate research symposium.


Skills that research assistant(s) may need: **Required**

* Respect for fellow students, mentors, laboratory personnel, collaborators, and the shared research environment.
* Ability to work effectively as a team member, communicate professionally, accept constructive feedback, and contribute positively to a collaborative laboratory culture.
* Reliability, accountability, attention to detail, and willingness to follow written and verbal instructions.
* Genuine interest in biomedical research, infectious diseases, parasitology, drug discovery, or related fields.
* Willingness to learn new laboratory and data-analysis methods and to ask questions when clarification is needed.
* Commitment to maintaining accurate laboratory records and following established safety, biosafety, research-integrity, and confidentiality practices.
* Availability to participate consistently throughout the year-long UROP appointment.

Prior cell-culture or laboratory research experience is not required. Dr. Ruberto has extensive experience mentoring undergraduate researchers at the University of Georgia, including students who entered the laboratory with little or no prior cell-culture experience. Students will receive structured, hands-on training and will initially work closely with Dr. Ruberto and other laboratory members. As they demonstrate proficiency, reliability, and sound laboratory practices, students will assume increasing responsibility and independence in their research activities.

**Recommended**

* Completion of, or enrollment in, coursework in biology, microbiology, cell biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, chemistry, genetics, or a related discipline.
* Previous experience with basic laboratory techniques, microscopy, cell culture, quantitative data analysis, or scientific literature review.
* Familiarity with spreadsheet software, graphing programs, statistics, or introductory programming.
* Interest in learning mammalian or parasite cell culture, drug-screening methods, next-generation sequencing, proteomics, or bioinformatic analysis.
* Interest in interdisciplinary research and in communicating with researchers from fields such as parasitology, cell biology, medicinal chemistry, genomics, and proteomics.

Recommended skills are not prerequisites. Students will be selected primarily on the basis of their respect for others, ability to work as part of a team, curiosity, dependability, willingness to learn, and potential to contribute positively to an inclusive and collaborative research environment.

Internal Religious Struggle and Suicide-Related Outcomes in Young Adults

suicide, young adults, sexual identity, religiosity

Research Mentor: Athena Thai, she/her
Department, College, Affiliation: Psychology, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: thai@psy.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: Psychology
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required:
Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 9, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:

• Day: Monday, August 31
  Start Time: 4:00
  End Time: 4:30
  Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/7848498610?pwd=AWM2BsqSSwkGt9QTABrUvGdWIViL9d.1&omn=93585625439

Project Description

Sexual minority young adults are at increased risk of suicide as a result of identity-based rejection and discrimination during a critical developmental period. While religiosity is often protective against suicide among heterosexual young adults, it has been associated with greater suicide risk among religious sexual minority young adults. Given that many major religious traditions include doctrinal teachings that conflict with sexual minority identities, religiosity may function as a uniquely salient risk factor that amplifies internal conflict and distress within this group. However, prior research has not clearly identified temporal pathways linking internal religious struggle to suicide-related outcomes, nor examined how these pathways align with established suicide theories. The proposed longitudinal study will examine (1) the relationship between internal religious struggle and suicide-related outcomes, including suicide ideation and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI); (2) whether attending religious activities prospectively predicts future suicide-related outcomes; and (3) the moderating role of proximal interpersonal suicide risk factors in the association between religious struggle and suicide-related outcomes among religious sexual minority and heterosexual young adults. A nationwide sample of N = 150 young adults will be recruited through ResearchMatch and FSU SONA. Participants will complete a baseline survey and two weekly follow-up surveys assessing religious struggle, recent religious activities, suicide ideation, NSSI, and interpersonal suicide risk factors (i.e., thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and capability for suicide).

Research Tasks: Research tasks will include participant-facing tasks, such as contacting eligible participants and assisting with participant recruitment, conducting suicide risk assessments, and reminding participants of upcoming study tasks. Research tasks will also include participant tracking, data management, and data analysis. Independent projects will require literature reviews and data analysis.

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Coding in R- recommended
Experience with Microsoft Excel- recommended
Clinical experience- recommended
Experience reading and understanding research articles- required

Impact of Pre-sleep Alpha-Lactalbumin Supplementation on Sleep in Postmenopausal Females

Sleep, female, supplement, exercise, postmenopause

Research Mentor: Laynie Thompson, she/her
Department, College, Affiliation: Health, Nutrition, and Food Sciences, Education, Health, and Human Sciences
Contact Email: ajt24a@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor): Millicent: maf23i@fsu.edu, Jordan: jrk24@fsu.edu, Ava: aak23h@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:

Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Preferred majors include Exercise Physiology and STEM majors but open to adjacent majors as well.
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Yes
Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 5-8 hours, 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

We are evaluating whether consuming milk enriched with alpha-lactalbumin, a dairy protein high in the melatonin precursor tryptophan, improves sleep in postmenopausal women, a population prone to sleep dysregulation. In a 6-week randomized, double-blind crossover study, 35 postmenopausal women will complete three 7-day treatment periods testing alpha-lactalbumin enriched milk, plain skim milk, and a placebo. Using various measures like OURA Rings, sleep diaries, and continuous glucose monitors, the study measures objective and subjective sleep quality, blood tryptophan ratios, and 24-hour blood sugar.
*When emailing me, please CC my Research Assistants as well. See emails above.

Research Tasks: Research tasks will involve primarily data collection and data analysis.

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Required skills include general people skills, organization, and a general understanding of how to use Excel.

Analysis of Ocean Surface Weather via Satellite Remote Sensing

scientific, research, computing, weather, data

Research Mentor: David Moroni,
Department, College, Affiliation: Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Science, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: dmoroni@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators: Mark Bourassa; Amanda Lovett
Faculty Collaborators Email: bourassa@coaps.fsu.edu

Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 1
Relevant Majors: Meteorology, Physical Oceanography, Computer Science
Project Location: 2000 Levy Avenue Building A, Suite 292 Tallahassee, FL 32306-2741
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Yes
Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 10, During business hours
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:

• Day: Wednesday, September 2
  Start Time: 2:30
  End Time: 3:00
  Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/99928875333
• Day: Thursday, September 3
  Start Time: 2:30
  End Time: 3:00
  Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/99928875333

Project Description

The Marine Data Center at the Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies (COAPS), an off campus laboratory operated by Florida State University, produces global scale meteorological and surface oceanographic datasets supporting scientific research across NASA, NOAA, NSF, and cross-institutional academia. A recently developed multi-decadal series of ocean surface wind vector datasets have been produced using radar scatterometer instruments aboard space-based orbital platforms, providing high resolution global and coastal coverage. Ongoing research with these datasets covers a variety of topics, including but not limited to: air-sea interaction, marine weather forecasting, and ocean circulation.

We are looking for a student who is passionate about weather, learning real-world computer science techniques, and learning to work with datasets that are used to answer key questions about weather impacts near the ocean surface. If you care about how weather over the ocean contributes to the weather over the land and would like to understand the data and techniques commonly used in answering these types of questions, then this project is a perfect opportunity for you to learn and develop real-world experience. You will also gain the ability to understand and communicate complex insights on ocean surface winds and weather. For example, you will gain an understanding of how a high wind speed event over the ocean many miles away from your local beach may lead to a variety of changing local weather conditions, such as dangerous boating conditions, hazardous swimming conditions, and the development of storms that can make landfall in your area. You will also learn how phenomena can develop and be transported under the ocean surface as a result of particular wind events, such as seaweed, harmful algal blooms, and biological productivity for fisheries.

This project proposes to involve a highly motivated undergraduate student to learn how to generate value-added datasets, from the source data previously described, to study weather-related diagnostics calculated from near the ocean surface data. With guidance from highly experienced mentors, the student researcher will develop one or more specified research topics from a set of higher level research topics and use cases, including but not limited to: coastal upwelling/downwelling, extreme wind events, tropical/mid-latitude cyclones, ocean mixing, air-sea interaction, and lower atmospheric boundary layer weather.

The student selected for this project will receive an introduction to satellite remote sensing and air-sea interaction. Additional mentorship and training will address the following: scientific software engineering principles, programmatic access of data from application programming interfaces (APIs), data management, interoperable data & metadata structures, understanding the limitations of the data, validation & uncertainty assessment of the data, global-scale data analysis & processing, open-source scientific computing, scientific literature review, critical scientific inquiry, technical writing, and developing new data & tools to support further research. This student will work in a collaborative research laboratory environment alongside other students and researchers, with an opportunity to engage with diverse colleagues studying disciplines across computer science, data science, applied mathematics, meteorology, and physical oceanography.

The high level goals of this project are as follows:
1. Learn how to calculate ocean surface weather diagnosticse transformed into datasets spanning a multi-decadal time scale.
2. From scientific literature review within a high-level topic of interest, develop a specified research topic that answers one or more critical scientific questions.
3. Receive peer-review feedback from community members via oral presentations during various stages of the research.
4. Publish open-source software associated with the research.
5. Write and present a technical poster summarizing the data, research methods, analysis and results.

Research Tasks: The student will learn about the methods and technology used in the context of global-scale satellite remote sensing research applied to air-sea interaction, marine boundary layer weather, and associated physical oceanographic processes. Embedded within these tasks, the student is expected to gain a higher level understanding of scientific computer programming, limitations & challenges of specific remote sensing datasets, how to troubleshoot & problem-solve within complex scientific computing workflows, and develop project-task management skills.

Specifically, the student will be tasked with the following:
+ Develop software to ingest “real” satellite remote sensing data and process that data into a derived data product, along with corresponding metadata. Much of this task will take advantage of existing code.
+ Develop additional software for graphical data visualization, statistical analysis, validation, and uncertainty quantification.
+ Develop a research topic with a set of science questions. This is done to ensure the topic is motivating to the student, and with the help of the mentors.
+ Publish final set of software and data products in an open-source repository.
+ Present research findings in group meetings.
+ Develop and deliver a poster presentation for the FSU UROP Symposium.

As an embedded research assistant, the selected student is expected to report regularly (at least weekly) to their scientific mentor(s) for face-to-face meetings. The student will be expected to conduct their work in person at our lab in Innovation Park.

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Required: Intermediate computer skills (e.g., Mac or Windows OS, teleconferencing applications, Email, Microsoft Office Suite). A willingness to learn1 or more scientific programming languages (e.g., Python, R, MATLAB, C, C++). An interest in acquiring an introductory understanding of Earth Science topics, such as within the disciplinary domains of meteorology and oceanography. A willingness to learn new techniques/tools/topics, ability to work within a collaborative team environment, and exhibit attention to detail. Other relevant fields of study include applied mathematics, computer science, data science, and geography.

Recommended: Prior training (e.g., job, internship or coursework) in scientific computer programming (e.g., Python, R, MATLAB, C, C++), experience in coding/debugging within an integrated development environment (e.g., Visual Studio, VS Code, PyCharm, RStudio, and Jupyter), and knowledge/skills in the following: shell scripting, GitHub, and Linux/UNIX OS environments. Past experience in working with one or more datasets, ideally with geospatial and temporal structuring. It’s expected the student will be able to learn and utilize many more tools, concepts and coding techniques during the project.

Advanced reservoir evaporation suppression technologies (physical or chemical) to preserve federal water assets in arid regions.

Water management, data assimilation, evaporation control

Research Mentor: Mark Sussman,
Department, College, Affiliation: Math, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: msussman@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: open to all majors
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required:
Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 7.5, 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

The project addresses the recent NSF BAA:
Focus BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT
49100426R0009
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Establishing Consortia to Advance Energy-Water Security

In particular this topic:
Advanced reservoir evaporation suppression technologies (physical or chemical) to preserve federal
water assets in arid regions.
There are other topics to be researched too:
AI-informed predictive modeling for hydropower stability and federal reservoir elevation
management.
• Advanced reservoir evaporation suppression technologies (physical or chemical) to preserve federal
water assets in arid regions.
• Low/no water-cooling technologies for baseload thermal power generation.
• Coupled water-energy system modeling (high-performance computing) for forecasting scarcity-to-
generation risk.
• Engineered or bioengineered aquifer storage and recovery systems for seasonal industrial load
balancing.
Grid-load management via high-volume water conveyance (utilizing pumping infrastructure as grid-
balancing or "virtual battery" load assets).
• Closed-loop, recycled-water cooling systems for exascale data centers and high-density industrial
manufacturing.
• Modular atmospheric water capture for remote industrial site security and decentralized resilience.
• Decreasing energy intensity for industrial-scale brackish groundwater desalination and municipal
wastewater recycling.
• Resource and critical mineral recovery from industrial wastewater streams to secure domestic supply
chains.
• Scalable technologies for the treatment and beneficial reuse of produced water associated with
hydrocarbon production in water-scarce regions.

Research Tasks: 1. literature review
2. least squares best fit and/or AI

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: basic math courses recommended; in particular: Statistics