UROP Project
APPLES: Academic Progress in Phonological Learning in Elementary School
speech production, literacy, spelling, reading, special education, elementary school
Research Mentor: Dr. Farquharson Kelly Farquharson, she/ her/ hers
Department, College, Affiliation: School of Communication Science and Disorders, Communication and Information
Contact Email: kfarquharson@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Department, College, Affiliation: School of Communication Science and Disorders, Communication and Information
Contact Email: kfarquharson@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: 6
Relevant Majors: Open to all majors, but particularly suited for: communication science and disorders (speech path, or audiology), early childhood, early childhood special education, special education, teacher education, elementary education, psychology, school psychology, biostatistics, social work.
Project Location: 201 W. Bloxham Street, Tallahassee, FL 32308
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Yes 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:
Number of Research Assistants: 6
Relevant Majors: Open to all majors, but particularly suited for: communication science and disorders (speech path, or audiology), early childhood, early childhood special education, special education, teacher education, elementary education, psychology, school psychology, biostatistics, social work.
Project Location: 201 W. Bloxham Street, Tallahassee, FL 32308
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Yes 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:
- Day: Wednesday, September 3
Start Time: 5:00
End Time: 6:00
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/93602257913?jst=3 - Day: Thursday, September 4
Start Time: 4:00
End Time: 5:00
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/93602257913?jst=3
Project Description
APPLES is a 4-year project funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD). The 2025-26 academic year will mark year 2 of 4. This project takes place in the Children's Literacy and Speech Sound (CLaSS) Lab, which is in room 512 of the Warren building. The Warren building is an FSU building, but is technically considered off campus, so it does help to have a car. We have free and ample parking available. Largely, you will make your own schedule and share it with us using a shared Google calendar. We are constrained by the hours that the Warren building is open (8:30 - 4:30 Monday - Thursday and 8:30 am - 1:30 pm on Fridays). Students must begin work during a time that the building is open, but can stay in the building once it's closed.For APPLES, we are working with school-based speech-language pathologists and several children from their caseload who have speech sound disorders (SSDs). SSDs are marked by difficulty making certain speech sounds (like /w/ instead of "r", lisps, etc). SSDs can impact reading and spelling. We are testing 100 children per year on a battery of speech, language, reading, spelling, working memory, and speech perception meaures. We have a team of assessors who go to the schools to directly test children (Kindergarten, first, and second grade). The UROP students have the opportunity to work in the lab on scoring and processing those data, after they have been collected. UROP students will not be expected to test kids in schools.
Research Tasks: Training will be provided for all tasks which includes, but is not limited to: scoring standardized measures administered to Kindergarten, first, and second grade children; entering data into REDCap databases; developing and/ or following detailed research administration protocols; downloading large audio and video files, and naming them according to project naming conventions; filing; back up of electronic files;
There will also be opportunities for data analysis, depending on the student and the research question - this would be particularly suitable for biostatistics or psych majors.
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Required: quick learner; proficient in Word, Excel, and Powerpoint; willing and able to learn new software programs (REDCap; Sharepoint; Teams; Audacity); willing and able to respond within 12 hours via Microsoft Teams during the work week and within 48 hours during weekends; team player, works well with others; takes feedback and instruction well.
Recommended: prior experience with one or more of the following: REDCap, Sharepoint, Teams, Audacity, Qualtrics, SPSS
Mentoring Philosophy
The CLaSS lab is a safe space for all students. We are particularly interested in supporting first generation college students, or students who have not had any experience with research. Of course, that experience may be helpful - but we want to create opportunities that suit your interests and needs. We believe in work/ life balance. We celebrate ALL.THE.THINGS (and we love a good pizza party). We don't view student's on different hierarchical levels (undergrad, master's, PhD, postdoc), but we DO offer leadership opportunities for students who want to engage more in that skillset. We all make mistakes and we all learn from them. You are welcome in the CLaSS Lab!Additional Information
Follow us @classlab_Kelly on Instagram to learn more about our work!Link to Publications
https://youtu.be/Of_EDoWN9lwPolicyBot: A Retrieval-Augmented Generation assistant for FSU policy and procurement guidance
llm, rag, ai, resource computing
Research Mentor: Dr. Paul Van Der Mark,
Department, College, Affiliation: Research Computing Center, N/A
Contact Email: pvandermark@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators: Alex Birkovsky
Faculty Collaborators Email: abirkovsky@fsu.edu
Department, College, Affiliation: Research Computing Center, N/A
Contact Email: pvandermark@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators: Alex Birkovsky
Faculty Collaborators Email: abirkovsky@fsu.edu
Looking for Research Assistants: No
Number of Research Assistants: 1
Relevant Majors: Computer Science
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
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
Number of Research Assistants: 1
Relevant Majors: Computer Science
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
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
The Research Computing Center (RCC) at Florida State University supports research and education by maintaining a distinct campus cyberinfrastructure and offering training opportunities and dedicated consulting services. Within RCC, the AI Lab explores the rapidly evolving fields of AI, machine learning, and generative AI to better serve its customers. This has led to several UROP projects, such as the classification of Shakespeare's works and election prediction based on Twitter content.Research Tasks: FSU has published a significant amount of formal documentation on policies related to travel, purchasing, security, HR, and other areas. However, it can be hard to find specific information. The goal of this project is to develop a chatbot that utilizes RAG and LLM technologies to provide users with answers to questions about FSU policies. This will involve scraping relevant policy documents, training an LLM, and making it accessible through a web interface, such as Open WebUI.
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Interest or experience with Large Language Models.
Mentoring Philosophy
The Research Computing Center (RCC) at Florida State University provides high-performance computing resources and expert support, including access to a large compute cluster, GPU servers, and consulting services. Education and innovation are central to our mission. We offer workshops and host internships to help students and researchers develop essential computational skills. Students involved with the RCC enjoy substantial freedom in their research while also receiving strong mentorship and support to ensure their success.Additional Information
Link to Publications
https://its.fsu.edu/about-its/initiatives/machine-learning-and-data-sciences-labsubscale modeling for sloshing and pressurization in a cryogenic fuel tank
fluid mechanics, liquid hydrogen, NASA experiments
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:
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: In-person
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
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: In-person
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
Heat is the enemy when operating a fuel tank containing liquid hydrogen. If not properly controlled, a fuel tank can pressurize and even explode due to evaporation (or boiling!). An additional bogeyman is that in microgravity, it can become unpredictable as to where the fuel is in the tank! In order to attempt to combat these problems, one must design a tank with appropriate placement of input nozzles (recooled fuel), liquid acquisition device (remove heated fuel), and baffles. Numerical simulations of the dynamics of the liquid hydrogen take an impractical long time if sub-scale models are not incorporated. This is a multiscale problem in which evaporation occurs on a time scale longer than the scale associated with sloshing dynamics. Because the tank size is on the scale of meters, the Reynolds' number is very large, which in turn influences the representative scales associated with heat convection. In this project, the UROP student will explore possible "fake parameter" solutions so that simulations can be run on a coarse mesh, but still have reasonable agreement with experiments.Research Tasks: literature review (previous models?), data collection (i.e. simulations on coarse grids), data analysis
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Calculus I recommended
Physics I recommended
computer programming ability recommended
Mentoring Philosophy
The ultimate purpose, to me, for the UROP project is to provide a vehicle for the student to continue to gain the knowledge they need in order to better position them for fulfilling their career goals. So, in light of this philosophy, the project itself (hydrogen fuel tanks) can be mutated depending on a given students' goals. Another thing, I collaborate often with other researchers at FSU, other schools, labs, and industry. Always best I think to try and have multiple "mentors" involved because if things work out, that translates to more references ....Additional Information
Link to Publications
http://www.math.fsu.edu/~sussmanMapping Career Pathways for Chemistry and Biochemistry Graduates
Career development
Research Mentor: Dr Wen Zhu, She/her/hers
Department, College, Affiliation: Chemistry and Biochemistry, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: wzhu@chem.fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Department, College, Affiliation: Chemistry and Biochemistry, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: wzhu@chem.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 Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology, and Education-related degrees
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Yes Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 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
Number of Research Assistants: 1
Relevant Majors: Open to Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology, and Education-related degrees
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Yes Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 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
This undergraduate research project aims to explore and document the diverse career trajectories available to individuals holding a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry or Biochemistry.Research Tasks: The student researchers will: Define the skill set of Chemistry and Biochemistry graduates; design and distribute surveys targeting current students and recent graduates, conduct interviews with alumni and industry professionals to gather qualitative insights, analyze trends in job markets, required skills, and geographic mobility, develop informational materials (e.g., infographics, reports, or presentations) summarizing pathways and recommendations for current students.
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Required: reading, writing, survey design and data analysis
Mentoring Philosophy
For this project, I will provide structured milestones while giving students room to shape the direction, from designing surveys and conducting interviews to analyzing and presenting results. I aim to help them develop not only research and analytical skills but also critical thinking, professional communication, and teamwork abilities that will serve them well beyond this project.Additional Information
Link to Publications
Developing a Hate Crime Legislation Database
Hate Crime; Legislation; Database Creation
Research Mentor: Matthew Vanden Bosch,
Department, College, Affiliation: Criminology & Criminal justice, Criminology and Criminal Justice
Contact Email: mvandenbosch@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Department, College, Affiliation: Criminology & Criminal justice, Criminology and Criminal Justice
Contact Email: mvandenbosch@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: Preferred Criminology or related disciplines
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Remote or In-person: Fully Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 8, 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: Preferred Criminology or related disciplines
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Remote or In-person: Fully Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 8, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
- Day: Thursday, September 4
Start Time: 2:00
End Time: 2:30
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/93229585196 - Day: Thursday, September 4
Start Time: 3:00
End Time: 3:30
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/93800682666 - Day: Friday, September 5
Start Time: 12:00
End Time: 12:30
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/91654104862
Project Description
This project aims to build a longitudinal database of hate crime legislation in the United States. This database will track when laws were implemented and changed, as well as catalogue the protections included. Through this project, we will be able to identify trends in hate crime legislation adoption and how states have updated these laws as time progressed. There is currently no existing database tracking these laws overtime, and few databases even provided a contemporary view. To build this database, students will answer surveys about the specific laws (the laws will be provided by me), helping to create an easily understood and consistent database.Research Tasks: Reading dense legislation
Answering surveys
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Recommended:
familiarity with survey platforms such as qualtrics
experience with reading legal documents
Mentoring Philosophy
As a mentor, I aim to treat each student that I work with and mentor uniquely. While I have a general philosophy for mentoring as a whole, I also recognize that each student has their own unique needs, goals, and skills when I start working with them, whether this is for academic or research purposes. Broadly, I focus on helping my students to develop the critical thinking skills and abilities needed for successfully pursuing research independently. Importantly, I do not simply think about preparing them to be most effective on the current research project they are working on. Instead, my primary is objective is ensuring that my students will be the most prepared and effective for a variety of future projects. When possible, I aim to directly guide them in the processes of research, providing them with my example of how to complete the work needed in research and the most effective way to achieve their goals. I encourage my students to attempt to complete the work independently, after providing an example of the work and clearly guiding them through the steps of the research. In doing so, I help to foster confidence and capability in students, so that they will be more capable of pursuing research independently or with supervisors who may have a relatively hands-off approach.Additional Information
Link to Publications
***Sports performance and transparency
Sports, Transparency, Social media
Research Mentor: pmerle@fsu.edu Patrick Merle,
Department, College, Affiliation: School of Communication, Communication and Information
Contact Email: pmerle@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: pmerle@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: Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 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: 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, 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 idea is to examine how the best professional cyclist communicate about their training through a platform called Strava. A content analysis would allow us to understand if they publicly share their data for more transparency and greater trust.Research Tasks: literature review, data collection.
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: detail-oriented, meticulous, attentive, prompt (all required).
Mentoring Philosophy
I try to empower students with sufficient knowledge so they can gain confidence and ultimately find their ways through the projects. I strive to create an environment that can motivate the mentee through safe and open discussionsAdditional Information
Link to Publications
Measuring American Cultural Models of Infectious Disease
Health; qualitative research; infectious disease; sickness behavior
Research Mentor: Dr. Eric Shattuck,
Department, College, Affiliation: Anthropology, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: eshattuck@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators: Dr. Choeeta Chakrabarti
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Department, College, Affiliation: Anthropology, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: eshattuck@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators: Dr. Choeeta Chakrabarti
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Looking for Research Assistants: No
Number of Research Assistants: 1
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: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 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: Open to all majors
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: No, the project is remote Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 10, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
- Day: Tuesday, September 2
Start Time: 12:00
End Time: 12:30
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/94416319490 - Day: Tuesday, September 2
Start Time: 12:30
End Time: 1:00
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/94416319490 - Day: Tuesday, September 2
Start Time: 1:00
End Time: 1:30
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/94416319490 - Day: Thursday, September 4
Start Time: 12:00
End Time: 12:30
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/95785844265 - Day: Thursday, September 4
Start Time: 12:30
End Time: 1:00
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/95785844265 - Day: Thursday, September 4
Start Time: 1:00
End Time: 1:30
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/95785844265
Project Description
Most of us take colds, flus, and maybe even COVID for granted as a normal part of life. However, the decisions we make about what we do when we're sick - whether we rest, treat ourselves with over the counter medication, see a doctor, and/or continue to attend class, work, and social events - have important consequences for our health and the health of others. For instance, if we don't rest we may find that our sickness gets worse. If we continue to attend class, we risk giving our infection to others. This project aims to understand American cultural models (that is, shared beliefs about appropriate and inappropriate behaviors) surrounding common infectious diseases and provide a comparative framework and standardized methodology for measuring and comparing models from other cultures. This will be accomplished through in depth interviews with FSU students. End products of this work include conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications with authorship opportunities for the UROP student.Research Tasks: Assisting with generating interview questions, assisting with and conducting qualitative interviews, literature review,, assisting with data analysis, assisting with presentation and manuscript preparation
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Proficiency with Microsoft Office programs (Word and Excel) required
Experience with interviewing recommended but not required
Mentoring Philosophy
I have successfully mentored 6 UROP students since joining FSU in 2023. Most of these students continued working in my lab as volunteers after their UROP term ended. I work with mentees to identify their goals (e.g., learning statistics) early in the process to ensure that the relationship is positive and productive on both sides. I strive to match mentees with projects that closely align with their interests and goals in order to promote a feeling of ownership and deep involvement with the project. I view mentorship as a long-term relationship; it does not end when a mentee graduates or leaves the lab. I am easily accessible to my mentees in person or over email - you will always hear back from me within 24-48 hours. My lab is a safe, respectful environment comprised of students from multiple majors. I encourage discussion and collaboration. The following describes the shared ethos in my lab:• We are kind to ourselves and our colleagues
• We are a team. We take care of each other and are always willing to assist our colleagues if they need help
• We respect each other and our differences as individuals
Additional Information
Link to Publications
www.ericshattuck.comExposure to Natural Settings and Health in FSU Students
Health; nature; one health; mental health
Research Mentor: Dr. Eric Shattuck,
Department, College, Affiliation: Anthropology, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: eshattuck@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators: Meghan Mick
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Department, College, Affiliation: Anthropology, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: eshattuck@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators: Meghan Mick
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Looking for Research Assistants: No
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: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 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: Open to all majors
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 10, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
- Day: Tuesday, September 2
Start Time: 12:00
End Time: 12:30
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/94416319490 - Day: Tuesday, September 2
Start Time: 12:30
End Time: 1:00
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/94416319490 - Day: Tuesday, September 2
Start Time: 1:00
End Time: 1:30
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/94416319490 - Day: Thursday, September 4
Start Time: 12:00
End Time: 12:30
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/95785844265 - Day: Thursday, September 4
Start Time: 12:30
End Time: 1:00
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/95785844265 - Day: Thursday, September 4
Start Time: 1:00
End Time: 1:30
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/95785844265
Project Description
There is a growing body of research showing that exposure to nature or natural environments including forests, streams, and even bird songs, is associated with better mental and physical health. Results like this have informed hospital decor, architectural design, and park design, among others. Using survey and photovoice (photos paired with narrative responses) data collected from FSU students last semester, this project explores exposure to nature, feelings of connectedness to nature, and mental and physical health in college students. One goal of this project is to establish an ongoing Scholarship in Practice research project for Dr. Shattuck's One Health class.Research Tasks: Assisting with analyzing survey data, assisting with analyzing photovoice data, literature review, assisting with preparing academic poster(s) and publication(s) based on the data
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Familiarity with Microsoft Office software (Word and Excel) required
Mentoring Philosophy
I have successfully mentored 6 UROP students since joining FSU in 2023. Most of these students continued working in my lab as volunteers after their UROP term ended. I work with mentees to identify their goals (e.g., learning statistics) early in the process to ensure that the relationship is positive and productive on both sides. I strive to match mentees with projects that closely align with their interests and goals in order to promote a feeling of ownership and deep involvement with the project. I view mentorship as a long-term relationship; it does not end when a mentee graduates or leaves the lab. I am easily accessible to my mentees in person or over email - you will always hear back from me within 24-48 hours. My lab is a safe, respectful environment comprised of students from multiple majors. I encourage discussion and collaboration. The following describes the shared ethos in my lab:• We are kind to ourselves and our colleagues
• We are a team. We take care of each other and are always willing to assist our colleagues if they need help
• We respect each other and our differences as individuals
Additional Information
Link to Publications
www.ericshattuck.comChimeric antigen receptor engineered extracellular vesicle delivery for treating neurological disorders
extracellular vesicles, human stem cells, 3-D culture, neural engineering
Research Mentor: Dr. Yan Li, Dr. Li
Department, College, Affiliation: Florida State University, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering
Contact Email: yli@eng.famu.fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor): Colin Esmonde
Research Assistant Supervisor Email: cme18b@fsu.edu
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Department, College, Affiliation: Florida State University, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering
Contact Email: yli@eng.famu.fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor): Colin Esmonde
Research Assistant Supervisor Email: cme18b@fsu.edu
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Looking for Research Assistants: No
Number of Research Assistants: 1
Relevant Majors: Biomedical Engineering
Project Location: 2525 Pottsdamer St., Tallahassee, FL
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Yes Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 5-10, During business hours
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
Number of Research Assistants: 1
Relevant Majors: Biomedical Engineering
Project Location: 2525 Pottsdamer St., Tallahassee, FL
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Yes Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 5-10, During business hours
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
- Day: Wednesday, September 3
Start Time: 2:00
End Time: 2:30
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/92174327545 Meeting ID: 921 7432 7545
Project Description
Immune therapy has proven to be an effective method of targeting FAP overexpressing cells for lysis, especially in cancer research. By using engineered chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), patient immune cells can be programmed to target tumor and tumor- associated antigens, eliciting a strong inflammatory response that is difficult for tumors to suppress. T-cells engineered to express CARs that target FAP localize to the tumor microenvironment, destroying fibroblasts in the tumor stroma that mediate immune suppression and cause tumor- associated fibrosis.Research Tasks: literature review, data collection, data analysis,
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: cell culture, reading and writing skills,
Mentoring Philosophy
I mainly focus on the self-motivation driven research. I will identify the students' motivation and motivate them more. I help and encourage students to pay attention to small details and put deep thoughts while performing experiments. When students gain more understanding and skills, I challenge them to develop independent thoughts. I also share my own experience. I create a safe environment in which mentees feel that is acceptable to fail and learn from their mistakes.Additional Information
Link to Publications
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=hHCTRMgAAAAJ&hl=enScoping review of geospatial stigma at the neighborhood level and it's influences on health
Stigma, Geospatial, Health
Research Mentor: Dr. Xavier Hall Casey Xavier Hall, He/him
Department, College, Affiliation: Center of Population Sciences for Health Empowerment, Nursing
Contact Email: cxavierhall@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Department, College, Affiliation: Center of Population Sciences for Health Empowerment, Nursing
Contact Email: cxavierhall@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: 6
Relevant Majors: Open to all majors, but nursing students will be given special consideration given my affiliation.
Project Location: Mostly remote and flexible outside of meetings
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: 6
Relevant Majors: Open to all majors, but nursing students will be given special consideration given my affiliation.
Project Location: Mostly remote and flexible outside of meetings
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: Tuesday, September 2
Start Time: 12:00
End Time: 1:00
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/95593472146
Project Description
Stigma of multiple forms has been shown to have negative impacts on health. Stigma exists across multiple experiences and identities including socio-economics, substance use, HIV, gender, race, sexuality, disability and other lived experiences. Most research about the impact of stigma has looked at individuals, rather than higher levels of the social ecology (e.g., neighborhoods, states, etc.); however, when stigma is examined at higher levels it tends to focus on policy issues at the state level or other examinations at larger units of geography. Less is known about stigma as a feature of neighborhoods and activity spaces. In this project students will learn how to conduct a systematic review while supporting a systematic review focused on geospatial stigma (especially at the neighborhood level). The project will likely result in published peer-reviewed manuscripts.Research Tasks: Students will assist with literature review, data extraction, and summarizing findings.
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Students with basic tech skills and English skills will learn on the job how to conduct systematic reviews for allied health sciences (social sciences, public health, nursing, medicine, psychology, etc.) including abstract review, full-text review, data extraction, and writing manuscripts for peer-reviewed publication.
Mentoring Philosophy
My mentorship philosophy for working with undergraduate students is:1) Collaboratively create an understanding of how we envision teamwork. I always start by discussing what works well for all parties to develop a compact. This is a roadmap of what kind of communication works well, what kinds of rules we want to set for ourselves, and how we will operate as a team. We will revisit the compact regularly through the course of the project.
2) Identify common interests and long-term goals. I always want to know a students’ interests and long-term goals so that a learning experience can be tailored to best fit these interests and goals.
3) Develop foundational understanding and skills in scientific research. My goal is to help UROP students develop an understanding of behavioral health research through an applied project. This will serve as a foundation for future endeavors.
4) Encourage independent-learning and intellectual curiosity. While I provide educational resources to my students, I also encourage students to learn independently, seek resources, and develop an intellectual curiosity that will serve them if they pursue graduate coursework.
5) Meet a student where they are at. I am a queer, first-generation college graduate and I understand how those identities and experiences impacted me as an undergraduate student. I strive to meet my students where they are at in regard to identity or experience with the understanding that we all come from different backgrounds which may impact the ways we experience academic endeavors including power structures within academia.