Research Spotlights

How the U.S Responded to a Global Pandemic through Twitter

Miranda Phillips

COVID-19 is a large-impact historical event that sent many of us online in the absence of in-person events, specifically online to social media platforms. Miranda Phillips is an FSU student and UROP (Undergraduate Research Opportunities program) participant who dissects the intersection between social media and COVID-19.

Sample chart showing that anger and surprise were two most common emotions in the Twitter data

3D Imaging of Molecular Structures

Dr. Scott Stagg

The primary focus in the field of structural biology is to determine the structures of the molecules in our cells and figure out exactly how they work. Dr. Scott Stagg, FSU researcher and chemistry/biochemistry professor, uses a special technique called cryo-electron microscopy (CryoEM) to create three-dimensional structures of these molecules to better learn how they make bonds, break bonds, assemble and disassemble.

Headshot of Scott Stagg, Ph.D.

Glycoproteins and COVID-19

Christian Bleiholder, Ph.D.

Dr. Christian Bleiholder, FSU professor and principle investigator at the Bleiholder Laboratory, is developing ion-mobility spectrometry–mass spectrometry (IMS-MS) techniques to characterize the structure of these proteins and further develop these methods for research.

Christian Bleiholder, Ph.D. headshot

FSU Development of Meta-Analysis and Statistical Methodology

Dr. Lifeng Lin

Dr. Lifeng Lin is an assistant professor of statistics here at FSU. Lin and his students are working on meta-analysis, which combines new and existing research findings to accurately estimate the effects of certain topics of interest, including COVID-19.

Dr. Lifeng Lin

Peter Beerli develops software to support biologists to analyze genetic data

Peter Beerli

Theoretical population geneticist, Peter Beerli, maintains and further develops software that he started to write around 2000. The computer program, “Migrate,” uses genetic data to evaluate the size of populations of animals, plants, or pathogens and the magnitude of migration among these populations. Many biologists in the fields of evolution, population genetics, conservation, and biogeography use his software.

Headshot of Dr. Peter Beerli

FSU Researcher Developing New Method to Simulate Electronic Materials

Chen Huang

Chen Huang, assistant professor in the Department of Scientific Computing, conducts research to develop new computational tools that can predict the properties of materials at a nanoscale based on computer simulations.

Chen Huang

Hurricane Simulations Help Facilitate Forecasts and Enhance Preparations

Allison A. Wing, Ph.D.

Assistant professor in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science (EOAS), Allison Wing, conducts hurricane simulations to study how storms in the tropics are affected by and interact with climate. Dr. Wing and her team create and analyze computer models of tropical clouds, hurricanes and atmospheric processes to try to understand how hurricanes are formed. These models allow Dr. Wing and her team to simulate experiments unavailable in the real world.

Allison Wing, researcher in EOAS

Gulf Stream Separation Explored Through HPC

Nico Wienders, Ph.D.

Nico Wienders has been working as part of the Florida State’s Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science (EOAS) department to figure out what causes the Gulf Stream to separate from the American coast (specifically at Cape Hatteras).

Nico Wienders

Online Toolkits Help Provide Solutions to Family Violence

Karen Oehme, J.D.

Karen Oehme, director of the Institute for Family Violence Studies, has conducted social research work focused on a variety of target groups, ranging from U.S. criminal justice officers to parents who are undergoing a divorce.

Karen Oehme

A Glance at Numerical Simulations Using Thermo-Fluid Dynamics

Dr. Neda Yaghoobian, Ph.D.

Neda Yaghoobian, an assistant professor at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, has a keen interest in thermo-fluid dynamics. Through her research, she is examining the relationship between the ground and the atmosphere to better understand airflow and its effects on “where we live and what we experience.”

Neda Yaghoobian