Overview

We have partnered with several research projects that are excited to embed GSS Scholars and Fellows in their projects. Successful candidates will be matched with partner organizations focused on sustainability research. Over the ten-weeks (May 20 – July 26, 2024), GSS will come together as a cohort in Colorado and then travel to their host site to engage in research and build their professional networks. Below we have listed brief abstracts of the projects that GSS Fellows can join, their locations, and the skills that projects are looking for.

Earth Lab

Project abstract: Earth and Environmental data are being generated at a pace and on a scale that requires a data literate workforce. At the same time, there is a growing demand in the Sustainability Space for scientists and researchers who possess a core disciplinary background in a particular area (e.g. biology, geography, engineering) while also demonstrating the skills needed to work with and make sense of increasingly large datasets. These data analytics skills are often difficult to acquire and taught separately from science content. One approach to teaching data analytics in the context of Earth and Environmental science, including sustainability, is through programs like the Earth Data Analytics - Foundations Professional Certificate at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Responsibilities: Co-author a manuscript focused on Environmental Data Science (EDS). Contribute to educational research through generating research questions, data collection and analysis, literature review, collaborative text development, and data visualization. Participants will assist with program assessment and evaluation of the Earth Data Analytics - Foundations Professional Certificate, working with data collected from certificate students (2018-2023). This work will lead to the development of a manuscript to be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal, as well as poster and paper abstracts to professional conferences that are relevant to the participants.

Skills: Participants will develop fundamental environmental data science skills in popular programming languages (R & Python), open science best practices (GitHub), surveying tools (Qualtrics), and statistical techniques including Rasch measurement to analyze Likert surveys. Word processing and ability to work in a collaborative team setting including the Google suite and Slack are desired.

Coast Card

Project abstract: The Coastal Ocean Assessment for Sustainability and Transformation is developing a stakeholder-driven tool that monitors, forecasts, and reports the effectiveness of management decisions on coastal and ocean sustainability. The student participant will work with a multinational team of scientists and will assist in socio-environmental report card development, system dynamics modeling, and social network analysis for sites in the Chesapeake Bay, United States; Manila Bay, Philippines; Tokyo Bay and Sekisei Lagoon, Japan; and the Goa coast of India.

Responsibilities: Participants will be tasked with analysis of potential environmental, socio-economic, and socio-environmental justice indicators as well as analysis of preliminary system dynamics model for the Potomac watershed.

Skills: Analytical Skills, GIS/spatial analysis, ethnographic methods, R programming language, Adobe Creative Suite would be helpful.

ARMS Restore

Project abstract: Coral reefs and seagrass beds are crucial habitat structures and valuable ecosystems on Earth. They protect shoreline erosion and infrastructures, provide complex habitats for species-rich communities, and food and income for approximately 1 billion people. In southwest Madagascar, coastal communities are more relied upon coral reefs for food and income than in most coastal areas of the world. The multi-year drought occurring in the region has depleted already low agricultural production, driving a large migration of people to the coasts in search of food from the sea. The ARMS Restore Project aims at rebuilding coral reefs in Madagascar using a new tool (ARMS) to restore biodiversity, build fisheries, and improve human health. The ARMS, secured to the seafloor passively accumulates most reef biodiversity. We will collect the reef biodiversity from healthy reefs using the ARMS, then move them to limestone artificial reefs. ARMS are expected to contribute the species necessary to turn artificial reefs into vibrant coral reef ecosystems, and consequently to increase the fisheries yields and improve human health. Student projects may vary between social science projects assessing community health, diet, and ecological health associated with the reefs in the nearshore habitat.

Responsibilities: Participants will be tasked with assisting with data collection, project design, community engagement, analysis of potential environmental indicators and social parameters as well as analysis of preliminary data and presenting results.

Skills: Preferred applicants will have a background in marine ecology, fisheries, and/or economics. Key attributes include the ability to adapt to new situations, being easy going, being flexible, and being good with adversity. The applicant will be expected to live and conduct field research in remote locations with people of varied experiences. Additional skills that are beneficial but not required include the ability to work in a lab, speak French or Malagasy, and use GIS/spatial analysis, QGIS, CPCE, IMAGE J, or R studio.

A special thanks to our 2024 sponsors: