Dr. Jen Shaffer in the ANTH department is looking for one student to serve as a research assistant for the fall semester. Details below!
Project Title: Guam Farmer Preferences in Growing for Island Markets
Project Description: Like many small, tropical islands in the Pacific, the US territory of Guam is highly dependent on imported food. Prior to WWII, the island was self-sufficient but agricultural production has declined precipitously due to a number of cultural, economic, ecological, and political reasons. Currently, Guam imports 95% of its food, making food security a top priority. For the past year, our research team has been interviewing farmers, agricultural policy makers, and agricultural-food security experts on Guam to learn more about the challenges farmers face in growing food for the local island market, as well as the benefits Guam’s island community could gain from local food production. As a student research assistant, you’ll contribute to this dynamic and applied project to build out island food security. Your primary duties will be to prepare interview transcripts for analysis, conduct text analysis with our team, contribute to discussions about what these results mean, and assist with the development of an online, follow-up farmer survey.
Requirements: I am looking for a student research assistant who is self-motivated, detail- oriented, and able to follow directions. The ideal candidate should also be capable of working independently and have an interest in qualitative data management and analysis. Interests in sustainable agriculture, food security, food systems, and Pacific Island culture are welcome and encouraged.
The selected student researcher will receive comprehensive training on social science data management, text data cleaning, and qualitative text analysis. They will be expected to complete a CITI Social Science Basics certification training prior to any data handling.
The chosen applicant will join an interdisciplinary research team based out of the University of Guam and headed by Dr. Kuan-Ju Chen (PI), an agricultural economist. The Farmer Preference aspect of the project is led by Dr. Jen Shaffer (CoPI), an ecological anthropologist at the University of Maryland College Park. The chosen student applicant will be expected to meet with Dr. Shaffer weekly in-person, and attend biweekly meetings held in the evenings (ideally Thursdays 7-8pm) with the University of Guam team. Regular text-oriented work can be completed at self-paced deadlines.
This position has the potential to transition into an honor’s research project. To do so, the chosen applicant must be a sophomore or in the first semester of their junior year, meet the ENSP or Anthropology honor’s requirements, and work effectively with Dr. Shaffer and the
team. Interested students should indicate their interest in their cover letter, and should they be hired, additional discussions will take place in November.
Preferences:
- Undergraduate students with strong interests in Environmental Anthropology or who are part of the ENSP Culture and the Environment concentration.
- Priority will be given to sophomores or first-semester juniors.
- Prior experience with agriculture, food security, and/or Pacific Island culture.
- Individuals who can join a biweekly evening zoom call to meet with the University of Guam team (likely Thursdays).
Best Consideration Date: Monday, September 8 by 5 pm
Submit: A cover letter and your resume to Dr. Shaffer, lshaffe1@umd.edu. Please indicate in your cover letter whether you are interested in an internship or independent study credit, as well as why this position interests you.
Please contact Dr. Shaffer, lshaffe1@umd.edu, for more information or any questions about your application.