UROP Project

Self-transcendence, Mindfulness, Meditation, Pain, EEG, fNIRS
Research Mentor: Adam Hanley, he/him/his
Department, College, Affiliation: Brain Science and Symptom Management Center, Nursing
Contact Email: adam.hanley@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: Innovation Park: Research Foundation Building B, 2010 Levy Ave Suite B3607, Tallahassee, FL 32310
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Yes
Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 10,
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Wednesday September 4th from 2:00 pm to 2:30 pm: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/93594140392
Thursday September 5th from 2:00 pm to 2:30 pm: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/94622413068

Project Description

The proposed project is a single-site, two-arm, randomized controlled trial comparing the impact of four, 30-minute sessions of mindful breathing instruction across four weeks with four, 30-minute sessions of mindful breathing + direct pointing instruction on chronic pain patients’ self-transcendence and pain. Our central hypothesis is that direct pointing instruction will enable a chronic pain patient to move beyond their pain perception box and, thereby, decouple their self-schemas from pain, disrupting chronification of the pain experience.

Research Tasks: Recruit participants using online and in-person methods; Consent research participants; Collect and compile data from a variety of sources including self-report instruments, electroencephalography (EEG), and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Recommended:
Curiosity and Enthusiasm: A genuine interest in the research topic and a passion for learning.
Problem-Solving Skills: Ability to troubleshoot issues and find creative solutions.
Attention to Detail: Precision in data collection and documentation.
Strong Work Ethic: Commitment to meeting deadlines and completing tasks efficiently.
Communication Skills: Clear and effective written and verbal communication.
Teamwork: Ability to collaborate with other researchers and contribute to group efforts.
Adaptability: Willingness to learn new methods and adapt to changing project needs.
Time Management: Efficiently balancing research responsibilities with academic and personal commitments.

Mentoring Philosophy

My mentoring philosophy is grounded in the belief that mentorship is a dynamic and collaborative process that fosters growth, learning, and mutual respect. As a mentor, my primary goal is to create an environment where mentees feel supported, valued, and empowered to reach their full potential.

Each mentee is unique, with their own strengths, aspirations, and challenges. My approach is tailored to meet the individual needs of each mentee, providing personalized guidance and support. I strive to help them develop their skills, build confidence, and achieve their academic and professional goals.

Mentorship is a two-way street. I encourage open communication and active participation, creating a space where ideas can be freely exchanged. By fostering a collaborative environment, I aim to inspire creativity, critical thinking, and innovation.

I also believe in the importance of continuous learning and self-improvement. I encourage my mentees to embrace curiosity, seek new knowledge, and remain open to new experiences.

I am committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity and inclusivity. I strive to create a respectful and inclusive environment where all mentees feel welcome and valued, regardless of their background or identity. I emphasize the importance of ethical behavior and professional conduct in all aspects of our work.

Finally, my mentorship extends beyond academic guidance. I am dedicated to supporting the personal and professional development of my mentees, helping them navigate their career paths, and encouraging a healthy work-life balance.

Additional Information


Link to Publications

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=TohgJaYAAAAJ&hl=en

Mindfulness, Breathwork, Music, Pain, Anxiety
Research Mentor: Adam Hanley, he/him/his
Department, College, Affiliation: Brain Science and Symptom Management Center, Nursing
Contact Email: adam.hanley@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: Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic - Canopy Clinic
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Yes
Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 10,
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Wednesday September 4th from 2:00 pm to 2:30 pm: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/93594140392
Thursday September 5th from 2:00 pm to 2:30 pm: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/94622413068

Project Description

This project will compare brief (i.e., <5 minute) mind-body interventions (mindfulness, breathwork, music) delivered to patients in the x-ray waiting room at a walk-in orthopedic clinic. The primary aim of this project is to identify quick and effective ways to make patients feel more comfortable during the idle wait time often experienced when seeking medical care.

Research Tasks: Approach participants in the clinic waiting room; Briefly describe the project; Hand participating individuals a tablet and some headphones on which they will complete the study survey and listen to the mind-body intervention; clean the headphones between each use.

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Recommended:
Curiosity and Enthusiasm: A genuine interest in the research topic and a passion for learning.
Problem-Solving Skills: Ability to troubleshoot issues and find creative solutions.
Attention to Detail: Precision in data collection and documentation.
Strong Work Ethic: Commitment to meeting deadlines and completing tasks efficiently.
Communication Skills: Clear and effective written and verbal communication.
Teamwork: Ability to collaborate with other researchers and contribute to group efforts.
Adaptability: Willingness to learn new methods and adapt to changing project needs.
Time Management: Efficiently balancing research responsibilities with academic and personal commitments.

Mentoring Philosophy

My mentoring philosophy is grounded in the belief that mentorship is a dynamic and collaborative process that fosters growth, learning, and mutual respect. As a mentor, my primary goal is to create an environment where mentees feel supported, valued, and empowered to reach their full potential.

Each mentee is unique, with their own strengths, aspirations, and challenges. My approach is tailored to meet the individual needs of each mentee, providing personalized guidance and support. I strive to help them develop their skills, build confidence, and achieve their academic and professional goals.

Mentorship is a two-way street. I encourage open communication and active participation, creating a space where ideas can be freely exchanged. By fostering a collaborative environment, I aim to inspire creativity, critical thinking, and innovation.

I also believe in the importance of continuous learning and self-improvement. I encourage my mentees to embrace curiosity, seek new knowledge, and remain open to new experiences.

I am committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity and inclusivity. I strive to create a respectful and inclusive environment where all mentees feel welcome and valued, regardless of their background or identity. I emphasize the importance of ethical behavior and professional conduct in all aspects of our work.

Finally, my mentorship extends beyond academic guidance. I am dedicated to supporting the personal and professional development of my mentees, helping them navigate their career paths, and encouraging a healthy work-life balance.

Additional Information


Link to Publications

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=TohgJaYAAAAJ&hl=en

Medical textiles, breathability, nonwoven, protection
Research Mentor: Dr. Josephine Taiye Bolaji,
Department, College, Affiliation: Retail and Textile Entrepreneurship, Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship
Contact Email: jtb24@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: Chemistry, physics, chemical and materials engineering, biomedical science/engineering.
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required:
Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 8,
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Not participating in the Roundtable

Project Description

According to the literature, some commercially available nonwoven fabrics used in medical textile application (gowns, masks, sheets, etc.) fail to meet the standard requirement for air, liquid, and moisture penetration levels which also determines the breathability properties of the fabric. Breathability is important because in items such as mask, it is critical for the fabric to both be breathable and also have the ability to prevent the penetration of airborne disease particles. Therefore the purpose of this research is to evaluate and determine the right fabric properties that ensures optimum breathability and protection. Commercially available nonwoven fabrics typically used in medical textiles will be employed in this study.

Research Tasks: Literature review, data collection, data analysis, data sorting, cleaning, and processing, test specimen preparation, conducting experiments, preparing drafts for presentations (oral and poster) and manuscripts,

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Required.
Literature search, compilation, and synthesis; basic statistical analysis (Excel)
Recommended.
SPSS and other statistical packages; design/illustration capabilities.

Mentoring Philosophy

Mentorship and coaching has always been part of my career and I seek ways to improve and inspire others. My philology lies fundamentally in exploration and communication. I believe that when students are allowed to explore and think critically, innovation and novelty become inevitable. I foster an environment of communication and safety where we all can ask questions and plan; this provides clarity, direction, and eventual success. In addition, I seek to build and create problem solving skills among students and encourage them to think about the 'why' of what they are doing and the 'who' they can impact. As a doctoral graduate fellow, I have mentored undergraduate students which have resulted in conference presentations and proceedings.
My strong leadership abilities and interpersonal skills have allowed me to connect and mentor young researchers throughout my research journey, and which I will continue to do in my current role at the Florida State University and as a UROP mentor.

Additional Information


Link to Publications


humanities; literature; digital humanities; popular culture; cultural studies
Coggeshall_Photo.jpeg
Research Mentor: ecoggeshall@fsu.edu Elizabeth Coggeshall, she/her/hers
Department, College, Affiliation: Modern Languages & Linguistics, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: ecoggeshall@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: 5
Relevant Majors: Open to all majors. Preference given to students with interests in the following disciplines: Art, Art History, Classics, Communications, Computer Science, Design, English (lit, creative writing, or EWM), History, Modern Languages and Linguistics, Philosophy, Religion.
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required:
Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 7,
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Wednesday, September 4, 12-12:30pm
Friday, September 6, 11-11:30am
Friday, September 6, 11:30am-12pm

https://fsu.zoom.us/j/91843067770

Project Description

Dante Today: Citings and Sightings of Dante’s Works in Contemporary Culture is a crowd-sourced and curated digital archive that catalogs references to Dante’s Inferno (and other works) in contemporary visual and verbal culture, of the twentieth century and beyond. We have posted more than 2000 “sightings” and “citings” of Dante’s works, and each week we receive new submissions to post, sent to us by readers from around the world. The editors (that means you!) describe, tag, and organize the contributions into general categories (Consumer Goods, Digital Media, Dining & Leisure, Music, Performing Arts, Places, Visual Art and Architecture, Written Word, and Odds & Ends), but we leave to our readers the opportunity to judge the nature and depth of each reference, to classify the references according to their own ways of reading, and to note the frequency of certain themes over others. The goals are twofold: 1) to provide a central access point for these references; and 2) to offer data that students and scholars of Dante can use to think about the “afterlife” of Dante’s works in relation to reception theory, media studies, and cultural studies.

Research Tasks: The project is an ongoing collaboration between faculty and students at FSU and at Johns Hopkins University. Although the research assistants will work independently, they will also correspond regularly with the whole research team. We will all work together to catalog and write posts for new submissions to the site; to systematize the current categories and tags; to add to the growing bibliography on the site; and to research additional contributions to be posted. Depending on the students’ interests, qualifications, and time, research assistants may have the opportunity to provide input on the design and functionality of the site, to create publicity materials for various social media platforms, and/or to contribute original research on the archive’s holdings. Knowledge of Italian is not a requirement, but knowledge of Romance languages and cultures (especially Italian), familiarity with the Wordpress platform, and/or good design sense would be very welcome.
2024-25 is an especially exciting time to get involved with Dante Today! We are in the process of a large-scale migration of the project to a brand-new, bespoke platform designed by the creative team at a web design firm. In 2024-25, UROP students will assist with the migration, reposting our older materials, adding new ones, and testing the site for usability and functionality. Students might also be invited to accompany the faculty mentor in presentations of research and/or to pursue research projects of their own related to the new site.

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Required: listening; incorporating feedback; working independently; expressing curiosity; English-language writing.

Recommended: writing skills in a language other than English; design skills; previous experience with Wordpress and other digital publishing platforms.

Students need not be language/literature/humanities majors to apply for this position: it is more important that researchers have an interest in or curiosity about the visual and verbal cultures of the 20th and 21st centuries. All students in the arts and sciences are welcome to apply.

Mentoring Philosophy

In my role as a UROP mentor, I focus on the transferrable skills that can be acquired through humanities data collection, fostering curiosity, rigor, and clarity of expression. I know that few undergraduate students who choose to collaborate with me on my project (on the resonance of Dante’s works in contemporary culture) will go on to become scholars of medieval Italian literature, so I encourage students from the earliest stages to chart their own path within the landscape of the work that we do. The data that we collect in our archive vary greatly across different genres, media formats, content areas, and geographical provenances. I work closely with my UROP students to locate materials that most stimulate their curiosity, and then I encourage them to gravitate further toward those items for their independent research and creative projects. In doing so, I actively foster each student’s sense of ownership over the questions they ask and the ideas they produce.

Additional Information

I look forward to meeting you!

Link to Publications

https://dantetoday.krieger.jhu.edu/

food contaminants, nutrition, food components, gut microbiota, health
Research Mentor: qsun@fsu.edu Quancai Sun,
Department, College, Affiliation: Florida state University, Education, Health, and Human Sciences
Contact Email: qsun@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor): Ms Jie Lin
Research Assistant Supervisor Email: lj23g@fsu.edu
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Looking for Research Assistants: No
Number of Research Assistants: 1
Relevant Majors: majors related to life science, nutrition, medicine, computer science, and bioinformatics
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Yes
Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 6-10,
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Not participating in the Roundtable

Project Description

My expertise focuses on the mechanistic study of phytochemicals in the prevention of chronic diseases as well as food contaminants in the development of obesity, T2D, and colon inflammation. For this purpose, I use interdisciplinary approaches from food biochemistry, molecular biology, and omics to study:

1. Phytochemicals and their beneficial influence on human health
2. Dietary proteins/peptides and their beneficial influence on gut microbiota and colon health
3. Food contaminants and their potential influence on gut microbiota, colon health, as well as obesity.

Research Tasks: mice handling, data collection, analysis, literature review

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: NA

Mentoring Philosophy

I will Identify mentees’ goals and needs, develop a relationship founded on mutual respect, share my own experience, support each other to make joint achievements. Hope the mentee will be able to make achievements, pubish papers with their names after the training.

Additional Information


Link to Publications

https://healthandhumansciences.fsu.edu/departments/nip/faculty-staff/quancai-sun/

NMR, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Ultra-High Magnetic Field, Field Homogeneity, Passive Shims
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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: No
Number of Research Assistants: 1
Relevant Majors: Physical sciences, Engineering, including but not limited to: Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics,
Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering

Project Location: 1800 E. Paul Dirac Dr., Tallahassee, 32310
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Seminole Express (Innovation), StarMetro (Dogwood, Live Oak)
Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 8-10,
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Sep 3, 2024 4:00 - 4:30 PM https://fsu.zoom.us/j/92539316130
Sep 4, 2024 4:00 - 4:30 PM https://fsu.zoom.us/j/92539316130

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. A student with a strong interest in scientific instrumentation will work with a team at NHMFL to support and improve user operations. The student will help develop, build, and test designs, and develop techniques to improve the field quality of the world record 36-tesla high-resolution magnet. The project will involve using specialized equipment and techniques to map and correct the field of the magnet.

Research Tasks: The student will help develop, build, and test designs to improve the field quality of the 36 T high resolution magnet which is used by scientists from around the world. The project will 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 and coding for data processing. Part of the work will be performed around strong magnetic fields.

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Required: Adherence to safety
Recommended: comfortable with Excel, math background

Mentoring Philosophy

In research projects, students are our essential contriutors. I see and treat students as collaborators in pursuit of the goals we aim to achieve together.

Additional Information

https://nationalmaglab.org/news-events/news/national-maglab-racks-up-another-record
https://nationalmaglab.org/user-facilities/nmr-mri-s/instruments/solid-state-spectrometers/36-tesla-sch-cell-14-for-nmr/

Link to Publications


materials science, engineering, mechanical testing
Research Mentor: Santiago Lazarte, He/him/his
Department, College, Affiliation: Materials Science and Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering
Contact Email: s.lazarte@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: Mechanical Engineering
Computer Science
Biomedical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Industrial and manufacturing engineering


Project Location: AME building (Engineering Campus) - 2003 Levy Ave Tallahassee, FL 32310
Research Assistant Transportation Required:
Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 10,
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Not participating in the Roundtable

Project Description

- In mechanical systems, the friction and wear of materials causes large amounts of waste in both energy and cost. Improvements in frictional losses in passenger automobiles in the next 15-20 years could save the world 1 x 10^11 gallons of gasoline per year, reduce CO2 emission by 1000 (million) tons per year and would result in an energy reduction of 13,472,000 TJ/year. Wear of materials could easily have as much of a functional and economic impact as friction. Replacement of worn components is costly due to component costs, replacement labor costs, losses from equipment downtime and the environmental impacts of discarding components. Thin coatings and solid lubricants are of interest in the field of tribology (the study of contacting materials in relative motion) and are being used in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), cutting tools, and aerospace applications to improve the performance and life-time of the components. They are very thin (~100 nm) and sometimes they show low resistivity and “self-lubrication”, requiring no added oil or grease for low friction performance. The processing and fabrication parameters influence the structure and properties of the coatings. However, the processing-structure-properties relationship is not folly mapped out for these coatings. In this research project, students will have exposure to mechanical testing, sample handling, and the development of custom instrumentation for testing the performance of our desired samples. Students will also have exposure to other projects and people from different fields, enhancing their scientific perspective and approach to tackle research problems.

Research Tasks: Literature review, experiment planing, data collection, MATLAB coding, data processing

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Recommended:
-MATLAB/coding
-Calculus
-electrical circuits
*Nothing is required. The right person will be taught the necessary skills for the project.*

Mentoring Philosophy

By facilitating the skills and probing the understanding of the mentee throughout the research process I will create an environment where the mentee feels safe communicating their ideas and helping out with the research projects. My ultimate goal is to teach the mentee how to conduct high-quality research and prepare them to the extent where they can operate as an independent unit where I will be accessible for guidance and validation. The way I use to achieve this is with hands-on experience in the lab with graduate students and the professor. I also strongly believe in work-life boundaries. I use an open communication method where I can be reached by phone, email, or in person (office drop-in). This allows me to normalize communication between us and use the same channel to inform unavailability rather than have no communication at all. Expectations of each other will be talked during our initial meetings.

Additional Information


Link to Publications


Education, Community Outreach, STEM Education, Stem Education for All, Summer Camps, Journalism, Racial Equity, Social Justice
NeighborhoodCampFair_25- ROUND1_Page_1.png
Research Mentor: Ilya Litvak,
Department, College, Affiliation: Magnet Lab, N/A
Contact Email: litvak@magnet.fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor): Malathy Elumalai
Research Assistant Supervisor Email: melumalai@magnet.fsu.edu
Faculty Collaborators: Lauren Miller
Faculty Collaborators Email: lauren.miller@magnet.fsu.edu
Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Open to all majors.
The following majors are especially encouraged to apply
FSU Teach, FSU-Teach, Secondary Science or Mathematics Teaching,
Biochemistry, Biological Science, Biomathematics, Cell and Molecular Neuroscience, Chemical Sscience, Chemistry, Mathematics, Engineering,
Environmental Science, Geology, Meteorology, Physical Science, Physics,
Medical Science, Nursing, Public Health, Social Work
Project Location: National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, 1800 E Paul Dirac Drive, Tallahassee, Florida - 32310.
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Seminole Express (Innovation), StarMetro (Dogwood, Live Oak). The project may require visiting locations within Leon County which are not adequately served by publiuc transit.
Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 8-10,
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Sep 6, 2024 4:00 - 4:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
https://fsu.zoom.us/j/94034822356

Project Description

National High Magnetic Field is home to the record-breaking magnets, including world strongest magnet, world highest field MRI scanner, and world highest field NMR system. Funded by National Science Foundation. In addition to running the world largest magnet user program in the world and advancing magnet technology, Magnet Lab's develops an educational outreach program as parts of its core mission.

Neigborhood Camp Fair project at the Magnet Lab aims to connect underserved K-12 population in Tallahassee with free STEM education opportunities. Launched in 2018, the project has seen over 450 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.
The intern will join our small but diverse team which organizes Neighborhood Camp Fair events.

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


Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Required:
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 underserved communities through their work- or volunteer-related, or personal experience.

Mentoring Philosophy

The Neighborhood Camp Fair project predominantly operates on volunteer power and intuition. Each participant is part of the team and contributes their best effort and best judgement.

Additional Information


Link to Publications

https://nationalmaglab.org/news-events/events/for-the-community/neighborhood-camp-fair/

energy, polymer, material, heat, power
20221122_102424.jpg
Research Mentor: Dr. Daniel Hallinan, he
Department, College, Affiliation: Chemical & Biomedical Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering
Contact Email: dhallinan@eng.famu.fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Looking for Research Assistants: Maybe one more
Number of Research Assistants: 1
Relevant Majors: Chemical Engineering
Project Location: AME Center at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering
Research Assistant Transportation Required: FSU shuttle, FAMU shuttle, and public buses
Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: at least 8,
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Not participating in the Roundtable

Project Description

The Soret effect causes ions to move, usually from hot to cold. This can be used to convert waste heat into electricity. We are studying this effect in solid polymer electrolytes. This project will impose a temperature gradient on a polymer electrolyte and measure the resulting concentration gradient using several techniques including electrochemistry and spectroscopy. This work will provide better understanding of the theory behind the Soret effect and could impact energy efficiency by enabling the recovery of low-grade waste heat.

Research Tasks: • Prepare polymer electrolyte samples
• Apply temperature gradients
• Record measurements
• Analyze data


Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Required:
Being careful and organized.
Having manual dexterity.
Self motivation, hard working, prompt.
Recommended:
Basic capability to use a computer as a tool to collect and analyze data, e.g. with Excel or Matlab. Some of this will be provided during training.

Mentoring Philosophy

My approach to mentoring is similar to teaching, in that it is student centric. I strive to adapt my mentoring approach to the needs of each student, pushing those who need external motivation and giving freedom to those who are highly driven, allowing them to exercise independent creativity and come to me for guidance as needed. I keep weekly or semiweekly individual meetings on the books, depending on the needs of my group, and we have weekly group meetings year-round in which we discuss matters of common interest, a subset of the group gives “few slide updates”, and we sometimes have a long talk that is frequently a student preparing for a conference or committee meeting. Periodically we have journal (or even book) discussions, which has greatly enhanced the inclusivity of my research group. Another tool that I find excellent is the use of current undergraduate researchers to recruit new undergraduate researchers. This has maintained a high level of not only diversity but also excellence in my group. In the past 5 years, we have published four papers with an undergraduate as the first author. This is greatly enabled by the vibrant and effective CBE Undergraduate Research Program/Honors in the Major, in which students receive credit toward their two senior electives for doing a research thesis.

Additional Information


Link to Publications

https://thesoreteffect.create.fsu.edu/

Imaging, biochemistry, molecular biology, machine learning
Research Mentor: Prof. Ashwanth C. Francis,
Department, College, Affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences and the Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: acfrancis@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor): Dr. Dr. Ahinsa Ranaweera
Research Assistant Supervisor Email: ar23cr@fsu.edu
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Physics, Computer Sciences, and Biology
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required:
Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 10-20 hours a week. ,
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Not participating in the Roundtable

Project Description

We are interested in understanding how the HIV-1 capsid enters the nucleus of living cells. We use fluorescent viruses and live-cell confocal microscopy to visualize virus transport. We are looking for research assistants interested in contributing to these research goals. The student will be responsible to work with a postdoc, graduate student or the PI, help with cellular-imaging and analysis. A background in Physics, Computer Science will become very useful to complete the tasks and also contribute to the research. Background in biology and chemistry is additionally beneficial.

Research Tasks: Literature Review, Data Collection, Analysis, data Curation and interpretation. Use of softwares, including coding in python, machine learning and developin AI models will be part of one of the projects.

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: A strong background in Physics and Computer Science, coding including python scripting is desired.

Mentoring Philosophy

My past experiences in India, Italy, and the US have taught me that patience and learning through adaptation are powerful tools to effectively communicate with a diverse group of people. I encompass this in mentoring by being available to my mentees and listening to their problems. My goal as a mentor is to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable, confident and supported, so that they can focus on science. I meet with my graduate students and postdocs on a weekly structured one-on-one basis, and with undergraduates once a month when we discuss progress in reaching their research goals. However, I often end up discussing science with them daily. I encourage inclusivity by maintaining a lab environment free of judgment, and often devise strateggies for team building. Research projects in our lab are often tied to students and fellows at multiple levels to foster collaboration.

Additional Information


Link to Publications

https://francislab.biophysics.fsu.edu