Graduate Mentor List

Mentors and projects!
Below is the list of graduate student mentors and a brief description of their research and opportunities to participate.  Please see the mentoring program page for details about the program format and goals.  This list is updated at the beginning of each semester (sometimes more frequently). If you are interested in a position, you can contact the graduate student directly, providing them with a brief introduction and a resume. You may also reach out to envisci-mentoring@virginia.edu if you have any questions.
Graduate students: If you would like to update or add to this page, please contact Elise Heffernan, Willow Lovecky, or Will Loner at envisci-mentoring@virginia.edu
 
Revisited January 2024

Who: Elise Heffernan, eh9hg@virginia.edu
What
1. This project is focused on primary research and seeks to complement my own boreal forest treeline research in the Arctic. A student would choose a topic (if possibly related to another major/minor, great!) and conduct primary research, create an annotated bibliography and write a report on the topic throughout the term. The goal is to get a broader, multidisciplinary understanding of my research area. The student will gain experience with primary source research and writing, and will have rather wide discretion in their chosen topics. I am particularly seeking students who are interested in social-environmental interactions.
Openings: multiple

Who: Amanda Armstrong (amanda.h.armstrong@nasa.gov)
What: Allometry simulations using a Forest Model
The student will gain experience running a cutting edge forest model to simulate a forest in Virginia. We will compare how well the model does simulating trees with parameters measured in the field and taken from the literature as compared to parameters measured by ground-based lidar. The student will be running the model (python) and interpreting results (R). No coding experience necessary though at least exposure to coding preferred.
Forest Model Research
This research-based experience will involve a little bit of detective work. We will be developing a database of global forest model parameters, combing through literature and books to piece together in one place model parameterizations from around the globe. No modeling experience necessary.
Openings: 1-2 students
When: Spring 2023
How: Academic credit.

Who:  Mirella Shaban, qwe2qh@virginia.edu
What:  The student will conduct research on literature relevant to near ground meteorology and permafrost dynamics in the Arctic. The student will be responsible for sourcing literature, writing brief literature reviews on the compiled sources, and presenting their findings bi-weekly. The student is expected to self pace and keep an organized bibliography of their sources and extracted information.
Openings: 1-2 students
When: Fall 2023 and Spring 2024
How: Academic credit and Volunteer

Who:  Kelsey Schoenemann,  kls7sg@virginia.edu
What:
I have LOTS of video data of bumble bee activity from hives that were located in different habitats. This project involves transcribing video data into spreadsheets and potentially using video analysis (i.e., scene change detection algorithms) to streamline the process. This work can happen remotely or in person.
Openings: 1-2 students
When: Fall 2023 and Spring 2024
How: Academic credit and Volunteer