Your University Maryland Student Researchers Projects


ID: 116
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ID: 44
Faculty Name: Weil, Raymond
College: AGNR
Department Natural Resources Sciences and L. Arch
Email: rweil@umd.edu
Contact Email: rweil@umd.edu
Project Title: Assessing Soil Management in Relation to Soil and Groundwater Quality
Project Description: Soils are the basic resource that underlie the value and productivity of forest, farm, and grassland ecosystems. Soil management must not be degrading of soil quality, but rather, land managers must strive to improve soils to as close to their natural potential as possible. Organic matter is a dynamic component of soils that is responsible for many of the desirable properties that enable soils to produce food, wildlife habitat and protect watersheds. The nutrients nitrogen and phophorus are essential for all plants, but are also the most widespread form of water pollutants. This project is focused on balancing nutrient cycles and learning the role of active soil organic matter and developing ways to monitor progress in improving soil quality. Student will assist with gathering field soil, plant, and water samples from various sites in Maryland, preparing them for analysis, conducting lab analyses and conducting statistical analyses on the data.
Keywords: ecosystems, organic matter, soils, soil management, nutrients, environment, chemistry, statistical analysis, AGNR, Plant Science & Landscape Architecture, Weill
Required Skills: Interest in environmental quality and soil resources. Basic chemistry lab skills (at least one semester of chemistry with a lab).
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ID: 61
Faculty Name: Vasilaky, Kathryn
College: AGNR
Department AREC
Email: kvasilaky@arec.umd.edu
Contact Email: kvasilaky@arec.umd.edu
Project Title: Information Learning and Female Social Networks in Rural Uganda
Project Description: The student will work with data collected myself from villages in Northern and Eastern Uganda which measure households' agricultural yields, social networks, knowledge (about farming), and household income and assets (It's a 56 page survey for about 500 households). More specifically, I'll be looking at the relationship between what women learned and retained about growing cash crops through a program that I implemented in these villages and their social networks. The work will include: 1) data cleaning 2) data calculations 3) Ideas on how to evaluate farmers' knowledge (via a quiz they answered) 4) Literature review for this chapter on Development, Africa, social capital, and extension training I am very open to suggestions and input, and if the student is conscientious, I would hope to give them the opportunity to have their own output from this project that they could claim as their own. In working on the data and literature, they will learn about the daily life rural people in Sub-Saharan Africa, the development economics and education literatures, and be taught the basics in STATA statistical software so that they can work with the data. This is a great opportunity for any student who is interested in international work, development work, a higher degree in the social sciences, and especially international business and entrepreneurship (as I essentially implemented a new training program through social networking.)
Keywords: information learning, women, development, social science, international business, social networking, AGNR, AREC, Vasilaky
Required Skills: Required Skills:Excel, basic Statistics Recommended Skills:Stata/SPSSpreferred but can be learned Other Information: gsg.umd.edu/newsdesk/student-spotlight/30/kathryn-vasilak
Web Site Address:
ID: 66
Faculty Name: Grutzmacher, Stephanie
College: AGNR
Department Family Science
Email: grutz@umd.edu
Contact Email: grutz@umd.edu
Project Title: Nutrition Literacy Study - Latino Immigrant Substudy
Project Description: The Nutrition Literacy Study is examining nutrition knowledge, attitudes, skills, and behaviors among SNAP-eligible adults and families. Through face-to-face, semi-structured interviews with low-income Latino immigrants, this study is examining the nutrition, food security, and economic status of this population to elucidate strengths, needs, and opportunities for program and policy improvements to food and safety net programs. In addition to meeting the need for research in these areas, this study will provide a formative evaluation on which educator trainings and program planning for Maryland's Food Supplement Nutrition Education program will be based.
Keywords: nutrition, culture, social behaviors, interviews, survey, AGNR, Family Science, Grutzmacher
Required Skills: Fluency in Spanish (writing); Ability to use Word and other basic software; time management, motivation, and responsibility in completing tasks
Web Site Address:
ID: 119
Faculty Name: Nick
College: AGNR
Department Animal and Avian Science
Email: nickz@umd.edu
Contact Email: nickz@umd.edu
Project Title: Effect of Incubation Temperature on Broiler Chicken Hatch, Growth Performance and Uniformity
Project Description: Broiler hatching eggs were incubated and hatched using three different temperature regimes. Normal temperature with hatch occurring at 21 days, Low through 21 days then normal temperature for 2 days (hatch delayed 2 days), and low temperature throughout (hatch delayed 4 days). Hatched chicks were reared under similar conditions. Body weight, health and feed consumption were monitored for 35 days, then sold. This experiment has been completed. Student will do literature review, check data entry and summarize data. Some statistical background desired. Potential to present results at campus and regional conferences.
Keywords: chicken, food, incubation temperature, data analysis
Required Skills: Computer skills, attention to detail, statistical experience desired
Web Site Address: http://ansc.umd.edu/faculty/Zimmermann/

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