***Exploring Women Characters in Bollywood Films

Film Studies, Bollywood, Media Studies, Gender Studies, South Asia

Research Mentor: Ms. Rebecca Peters, She/her
Department, College, Affiliation: Religion, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: rlp08c@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; Most relevant for Film Studies, Women's Studies, Asian Stuides, Communications, Humanities in General, International Affairs
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: Wednesday, Sept. 6 from 2:00pm-2:30pm (https://fsu.zoom.us/j/97328272236)
Thursday, Sept. 7 from 6:00pm-6:30pm (https://fsu.zoom.us/j/91534780647)
Friday, Sept. 8 from 11:30am-12:00pm (https://fsu.zoom.us/j/98848909610)
Recording link: https://fsu.zoom.us/rec/share/o9ReQXu0yzRmUUlxy02e3n2hLaE_5px7vtGPlmrBIBKv7DN8vwLMPDBOV8hFGcI9.DuNf05ZsDj7U6fwH

Project Description

This project looks to quantify whether women directors impact the representation of women characters in their films. We are doing so by analyzing Bollywood films directed by women. To determine the number and quality of female characters, we will utilize what is called "film coding." "Film coding" is done through through close watching and marking every time we see certain things. Basically, we're looking to see what real impact having a woman in the role of director has on a film.


Research Tasks: The student research assistant will watch subtitled Bollywood films (no language proficiency or other experience in or knowledge of India is necessary), and complete surveys on their computers about each woman character onscreen. The student will receive training and will have the support of the mentor for
any questions or points of clarification. The process allows for a flexibility of when it can be completed within the week, for students who have more unusual schedules. NO prior film knowledge and no coding knowledge is necessary.

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Required: None
Recommended: Access to Netflix and Prime; An understanding of Excel; Understanding of Google drive folders and files organization

THE EFFECT OF NOX AND CREATINE MONOHYDRATE SUPPLEMENTATION ON MICROVASCULAR BLOOD FLOW REGULATION

Vascular physiology, Oxidative stress, Ergogenic supplement

Research Mentor: Paul Paul Baker,
Department, College, Affiliation: Florida State University, Health and Human Sciences
Contact Email: pab18df@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 but science majors are preferred
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: On campus
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: Not participating in the Roundtable

Project Description

Impaired blood flow and elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) indicate risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). In the vasculature, ROS is primarily generated from NADPH oxidase (NOX). Creatine monohydrate (CM) may reduce CVD risk by lowering ROS and increasing blood flow. The primary aim of the current study is to determine if NOX-derived ROS impairs skeletal muscle microvascular blood flow at rest and in response to a HC meal in sedentary older adults (50-70 years old) with overweight/obesity. Furthermore, we aim to investigate whether five-days of CM supplementation could increase macrovascular and skeletal muscle microvascular blood flow and reduce in-vivo ROS concentrations at rest and in response to a HC meal in sedentary older adults (50-70 years old) with overweight/obesity

Research Tasks: -Hands-on data collection
-Data analysis
-Possibly some literature reviewing

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: -Motivated (required)
-Time management (required)
-Good work ethic (required)
-Willingness to learn (required)
-Good communication skills (required)
-Science background (recommended)

Brain Systems for Spatial Orientation in Health and Disease

Alzheimer's disease, spatial orientation, rodent animal disease models

Research Mentor: Dr. Aaron Wilber,
Department, College, Affiliation: Psychology, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: wilber@psy.fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor): Mr. Shawn Moseley
Research Assistant Supervisor Email: moseley@psy.fsu.edu
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email: moseley@psy.fsu.edu

Looking for Research Assistants: No
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Neuroscience, Psychology, Biology, Computer Science, Math
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required:
Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 10-12, 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 goal of this project is to assess impaired memory reactivation (replaying sequences of activity that were recorded during a learning task during post-task sleep) as a possible cause of impaired ability to get oriented in space we have observed in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease. Another available project is to access which normal systems in rats are responsible for spacial orientation and disrupt these systems using drugs or optogenetics (laser light inactivation).

Research Tasks: - Assist with analyzing brain recording and behavioral data for transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer's disease.
- Assist in data collection by performing behavior experiments.
- Section and stain brain tissue and assist with quantifying positive cells in specific brain regions.

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Basic science background recommended. We will teach needed skills.

The processing of Passive Sentences by L2 Learners of Italian and Spanish: an exploratory study

SLA Syntax Passives Italian Spanish

Research Mentor: Mr Pietro Pesce,
Department, College, Affiliation: Modern Languages, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: ppesce@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators: Dr Michael Leeser, Lara Reglero (lreglero@fsu.edu)
Faculty Collaborators Email: mleeser@fsu.edu

Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Linguistics
Spanish
Italian
Statistics
Psychology
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required:
Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 4, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Topic: UROP ROUNDTABLE -- PESCE
Time: Sep 7, 2023 10:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Time: Sep 7, 2023 1:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://fsu.zoom.us/j/92785533986
Meeting ID: 927 8553 3986

Project Description

This project aims to collect data in the Linguistics lab: participants will complete the experiment (in Italian or Spanish) and their responses will be recorded and analyzed in SPSS.
The project targets language acquisition, syntax, and cognitive models: specifically, we will be trying to gauge how students process advanced syntax in a foreign language by exposing them to written and auditory stimuli and have them interpret their meaning by way of a picture selection or sentence equivalence task.
Since L2 comprehension is more effortful than it is for the L1, it is expected that performance will vary not only on account of proficiency levels, but also due to individual differences pertaining the cognitive system (memory and control functions).
The project will shed light on some unanswered questions about the relationship between the complexity of L2-syntax and the possibility to repurpose previous knowledge to foster correct processing. Additionally, an attempt at teasing apart the effects of cross-linguistic influence (L1-L2) will be made, to resolve a doubt on the 'weakness' of the intrusion of the non-native language in the processing of the native one.

Research Tasks: Literature review, data collection, data analysis, lab report write-ups

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Required: use of excel and word, bibliography search, academic writing

Recommended: use of SPSS, knowledge of a foreign language (Romance), basic notions of statistics

Spatial Ecology of Male Sea Turtles

movement ecology, spatial ecology, sea turtles, marine biology, conservation

Research Mentor: mfuentes@fsu.edu Mariana Fuentes , She/hers
Department, College, Affiliation: Florida State University, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: mfuentes@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: Environmental Science, Biology, Computer Science, GIS
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required:
Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 6, 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

Information on the spatial distribution, behavior, habitat use and movement of migratory species is fundamental to identify key habitats, critical resources, discrete foraging aggregations and migratory corridors for protection. This information can also help elucidate ecological processes and provide insights into potential threats. Extensive research has been conducted on the spatial ecology of marine turtles, however, most of our knowledge is focused on adult nesting females since they are easy to access when they come to nest ashore. In contrast to this, stages that do not come ashore (e.g., post-hatchlings, juveniles, male turtles) have received relatively less attention as they are logistically difficult to study. In particular, information on mature males is scarce as we have limited knowledge of their distribution, they are harder to encounter during in-water studies and challenging to catch. This project will conduct a meta-analysis to identify current knowledge and knowledge gaps related to male sea turtle spatial ecology and collect data from published work to analyse existing information.

Research Tasks: Literature review
Data synthesis
Data visualization
Attend lab meetings
Present results

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Attention to detail (required)
Willingness to learn (required)
Microsoft Excel (required)
Statistical Analysis (desired)
GIS (desired)

PARADIGMS OF PARENTING: INTENSIVE PARENTING ACROSS IDENTITIES EXPLORED THROUGH MIXED METHODOLOGY

parenting, families, mixed-methods, racial identity

Research Mentor: Ms. Lexie Unhjem, she/her/hers
Department, College, Affiliation: Human Development and Family Science, Health and Human Sciences
Contact Email: lunhjem@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators: Dr. Lenore McWey she/her/hers
Faculty Collaborators Email: lmcwey@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, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Tuesday September 5th from 11:30 AM-12:30 PM https://fsu.zoom.us/j/97382888855
Wednesday September 6th from 1-2 PM https://fsu.zoom.us/j/92437007841
Thursday September 7th from 11:30 AM-12:30 PM https://fsu.zoom.us/j/97468623887

Project Description

Parenting has often been deemed one of the hardest jobs in the world and comes with a set of societal beliefs on how to do it the ‘right’ way. To raise children appropriately, the dominant culture has created this idea of intensive mothering which is “child-centered, expert-guided, emotionally absorbing, labor-intensive, and financially expensive” (Hays, 1996, p. 8). Intensive mothering involves mothers sacrificing their own needs for the sake of their children, spending most of their free time engaging with their children, and following the advice of child experts (Rizzo et al., 2013). This ideology is upheld by dominant discourses surrounding parenting that are represented in many spaces, especially media (Wall, 2013). Not all scholars believe that society’s strict rules of parenting are exclusive to mothers though. In the last decade, intensive mothering has expanded to a more comprehensive concept of intensive parenting (Liss et al., 2013; Shirani et al., 2012). Research has shown mixed results of positive and negative outcomes associated with intensive mothering and parenting. Some have found higher levels of intensive parenting attitudes to be connected with lower life satisfaction, greater depression, anger, anxiety, and stress (Adams, 2020; Prikhidko & Swank, 2019; Rizzo et al., 2013), while others have found positive relationships between intensive parenting attitudes, positive affect, and greater meaning in life (Ashton-James et al., 2013). Intensive parenting is a compelling construct that appears to impact many parents and children, but the evidence is not yet conclusive. Some researchers have pointed to this ideology as being rooted in White, middle-class ideals that are not necessarily accurate for parents with other identities (Forbes et al., 2020; Long et al., 2021; Walls et al., 2016). Indeed, there have been mixed findings on demographic differences with a popular measure of intensive parenting, the Intensive Parenting Attitudes Questionnaire (IPAQ; Liss et al., 2013). One study found no significant differences in intensive parenting attitudes by race, ethnicity, social class upbringing, relationship status, years in the relationship, number of children, or job status (Forbes et al., 2020). On the other hand, it has been shown that Black mothers endorse intensive parenting attitudes more than White mothers (Walls et al., 2016). These inconsistent results led to a group of scholars testing the measurement invariance of the IPAQ, and they found that the IPAQ did not demonstrate adequate model fit across a racially diverse sample of parents (Long et al., 2021). Other measures of intensive parenting also raise questions as to whether they are applicable across races and ethnicities (e.g., Ashton-James et al., 2013; Gunderson & Barrett, 2017; Walls et al., 2016), as there are no known published studies that formally analyzed the validity of these scales with diverse samples. As such, this study will aim to investigate this issue further and discover the extent to which this concept may or may not be inclusive for parents who do not identify as White and/or middle-class. The purpose of this study is to employ convergent mixed-methods design to compare the face validity of the IPAQ to parents’ qualitative depictions of the five factors of the IPAQ (Liss et al., 2013). Further, with a racially and economically diverse sample of parents, this study aims to qualitatively determine what, if anything, may be missing from the IPAQ, as it has not yet demonstrated measurement invariance across racial groups (Long et al., 2021). The current literature has explored intensive parenting through both quantitative and qualitative inquiries, but no known studies have utilized mixed methodology with this construct.

Research Tasks: Research assistants will participate in the data analyses of quantitative and qualitative data.

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Familiarity with SPSS: recommended

Developing a Better Understanding of Romantic Relationship Maintenance

romantic relationships; close relationships; social psychology

Research Mentor: Sierra Peters,
Department, College, Affiliation: Psychology, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: speters@psy.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: Psychology
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required:
Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 6 hours, During business hours
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Not participating in the Roundtable

Project Description

The Attraction and Close Relationships (ACR) Lab is conducting research to develop a better understanding of how couples successfully maintain happy, healthy long-term romantic relationships. We examine how people's individual differences (e.g., attachment insecurity, approach/avoidance motivations, early life experiences) influence key relationship processes (e.g., communication, behaviors) and outcomes (e.g., satisfaction, stability, infidelity) using a mixture of longitudinal, experimental, and correlational research methods.

Research Tasks: UROP students will have the opportunity to be involved in various aspects of the research process (specifics TBD). Some examples include assisting with literature reviews, developing and piloting Qualtrics surveys, entering and cleaning data, and running participants through study protocols.

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Required skills: Interest in studying romantic relationships; familiarity with Microsoft Office (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint); conscientious and detail-oriented.
Recommended skills: Psychology major; previously taken Research Methods and/or Social Psychology.

Machine Learning Mutual Fund Investors

Machine Learning, Mutual Funds, Fund Flows, ETF

Research Mentor: John Kim,
Department, College, Affiliation: Finance, Business
Contact Email: jkim@business.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: 6
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: Not participating in the Roundtable

Project Description

Collecting data on mutual funds or ETFS, or applying machine learning to such data.

Research Tasks: literature review, data collection, data analysis

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: If the student expects to stay at FSU for the coming 3-4 years, I will train him or her, so I don't expect as much. If the student expects to graduate in the next year or so, I expect familiarity with Stata or R or Python or Matlab.

Physiological Effects of Dating Application Use

Dating Applications, Physiology, Dating Behavior, Mate Selection

Research Mentor: Ms. Celia Lee, She/Her
Department, College, Affiliation: Human Development and Family Science, Health and Human Sciences
Contact Email: celia.lee@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor): Ms. Hannah Grace Lee She/Her
Research Assistant Supervisor Email: hgl21@fsu.edu
Faculty Collaborators: Dr. Mickey Langlais He/Him
Faculty Collaborators Email: Mickey_Langlais@baylor.edu

Looking for Research Assistants: No
Number of Research Assistants: 4
Relevant Majors: Preference for social science majors, but 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, During business hours
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Not participating in the Roundtable

Project Description

The goal of this experimental study is to understand physiological responses to using dating applications. Research assistants will assist with running the study, including collecting physiological data.

Research Tasks: Data collection (recording heart rate, taking blood pressure, recording dating application behaviors), and welcoming and debriefing participants.

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Attention to detail (required), comfortable talking to people (recommended)

Video Games for K-12 STEM Education

Game-Based Learning, K-12, STEM Education

Research Mentor: Ms. Xiaotong Yang, She/Her
Department, College, Affiliation: Educational Psychology & Learning Systems, Education
Contact Email: xy18d@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: Virtual
Research Assistant Transportation Required: No, the project is remote
Remote or In-person: Fully Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 6, During business hours
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Wed September 6, 3-3:30 pm. https://fsu.zoom.us/j/8020747542
Thu September 7, 3-3:30 pm. https://fsu.zoom.us/j/8020747542
Zoom recording of the roundtable on September 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnAqbCuxcN4

Project Description

Video games can be used to help students learn STEM subjects. For instance, young children learn block-based coding by playing Minecraft while overcoming fun game challenges. Compared to traditional school teaching methods like lectures, teaching STEM with games proves to be more effective not only in enhancing students' disciplinary knowledge but also in fostering creativity and interest in STEM careers.

This research project seeks to understand what and how video games can help K-12 teachers teach STEM subjects such as math, science, and programming. First, I will create a list of 10-20 STEM learning games from the internet that are suitable for K-12 use based on criteria derived from literature. Then, I will collaborate with five schoolteachers from the Fayetteville-Manlius Central School District in Central New York to design and implement game-based lessons using one or more games from the list. By conducting classroom observations and interviews with the teachers, I intend to undertake a multiple-case study that explores practical teaching strategies related to game-based pedagogy.

Research Tasks: A vast array of STEM educational video games can be found online. However, not all these games are appropriate for K-12 teachers to incorporate into their classrooms. In this research project, UROP students will undertake the task of reviewing relevant literature to identify criteria for selecting suitable educational games for K-12 use. They will then search the internet to identify games that meet these criteria.

Through participation in this project, UROP students will acquire valuable skills such as conducting literature searches on academic databases, effectively taking notes while reviewing journal articles, and becoming familiar with the APA citation format. Additionally, students will have the opportunity to play fun STEM games and evaluate them from a researcher's perspective.

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: This project is entirely remote, and we will have weekly Zoom meetings. Therefore, it is required for students to have access to a computer with a camera and a stable internet connection. Communication will primarily take place via email, in addition to our Zoom meetings, so students should be capable of sending and receiving emails regularly. Lastly, students should be acquainted with web-based applications such as Google Docs and Google Sheets, as these will serve as our primary collaboration platforms.