No Rest for Research

There's no slowing down for this student: even after graduation, I had the rare opportunity to contribute to an incredible project both on my home turf in Pensacola and abroad. We are currently visiting in Hong Kong as participants in the internationally renowned ISEA conference which will be taking place across this region for three days in May. The project we are researching, Turbidity Paintings, is spearheaded by Professors Thomas Asmuth of University of West Florida and Sara Gevurtz of Virginia Commonwealth University.

Turbidity Paintings is a collaborative effort, utilizing the research methods across three departments: environmental sciences, maritime archaeological studies, and the arts. Our research assistants include Haley McQueen, Jennifer Rogerson, and myself. The focus in this project is the collection of water samples and turbidity images through both an ROV unit and on-site sampling. Our ROV unit was purchased through open-source company OpenROV and assembled at the University of West Florida. Using a HD webcam, the unit captures images at depths reaching nearly 100 feet. Our goal in this effort is to compare the clarity of the images with the information collected from water sampling and testing. Then, the images will be assembled together with the data collected as a gallery, showcasing the information both as aesthetic visuals and scientific recordings.

In combining the studies of science, humanities, and arts, we hope to forge cross-disciplinary relationships as a standard for research practices at the University of West Florida. Our efforts have been greatly supported by the Office for Undergraduate Research at West Florida, as well as the College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities, the Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering, the Earth and Environmental Sciences, Archaeology, and Art Departments. We have also had overwhelming support abroad from the faculty and staff at City University of Hong Kong's Run Run Shaw Creative Media Centre. 

Updates will continue to post as we prepare for the ISEA 2016 conference in Hong Kong!