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Happy Monday, DMC friends and supporters! We are grateful for another week of progress and persistence at our center. Today's newsletter spotlights a new blog series and summarizes how we are wrapping up the semester at the DMC.
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The Lionfish Epidemic Blog Series (part 1 of 3)
In case you missed it, last week was part one of our three-part blog series by Joshua Durham on the Lionfish epidemic. Lionfish are an invasive species harming the local ecosystems and reefs of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coastline. In this series, Joshua builds on nearly two years of research to explore aspects of our Lionfish problem in Florida, including how we got here, why it is detrimental to the native marine life, and the role that the private sector can play in this ecological issue.
In his first article, Josh, who is now pursuing his master’s degree at FSU, gave us a look at the scope of the problem and how it affects our native fauna and reefs. The blog gives us a look at how the coastal waters of the Atlantic, the Gulf, and the Caribbean became infested with these predatory fish. He informs readers of how difficult the Lionfish problem is and how removing them is no simple task. Future articles discuss policy approaches, including ways the private sector and markets can be harnessed to mitigate the epidemic’s impacts.
The center is proud to showcase the talents and interests of our interns. We are excited to continue providing these opportunities for our student interns. By using our resources, interns are able to pursue research that interests them and gain professional experience in doing so. Check out Part 1 of his blog here! Stay tuned for the next part in the series, where he will dive deeper into the private sector's solutions.
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Staff Profile: Noah Dankner
Which factor encourages housing development for cities: regulation or the market? The simple question has a complicated web of answers, and Noah Dankner is dedicated to untangling it. He dedicated his fall semester to researching and writing about housing policy in Dr. Taylor’s class. In the Spring, he is enrolled in an innovative new seminar designed by center director Sam Staley focused on writing for applied economic policy where he will connect his research to tangible policy recommendations for the City of Tallahassee.
Noah’s strides in research were made possible through extensive mentoring by Dr. Taylor, Dr. Staley, and the Editorial team at the DMC. Noah also consulted with FSU Libraries and their virtual resources! Librarians Trip Wykoff and Jesse Klein assisted him with locating data sources and offered pointers on how to use Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) available remotely to FSU students at myFSUVlab.
In addition to amplifying his academic passions, Noah’s research at the DMC is furthering his professional goals as well. The staff at the DMC encouraged and assisted Noah’s application to present his research at the Florida Undergraduate Research Conference (FURC) in the Spring. Beyond the DMC, Noah is an active member of FSU College Libertarians, Alpha Epsilon Pi, and Chabad at FSU. He also enjoys scuba diving and skiing!
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Support Our Student Internship Program!
The DMC has made a name for itself through a robust and innovative internship program that now includes 30 undergraduate and graduate students in any given academic year. Our hands-on mentoring, immersive student education, applied policy research give them the tools to be successful when they graduate, whether they enter the professional workforce or go onto graduate school.
Please consider supporting this program, which is funded through private donations, by giving to the DeVoe L. Moore Center (Fund code FO4804 in the drop-down memo).
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How Did We Do?
The DMC staff bid our interns and student research assistants adieu for the December holiday break by engaging them at the end of semester debriefing. For those familiar with the DMC’s internal processes, this meeting occurs every semester and is essential to the center's success. Dr. Staley led the interns in an open discussion about what worked well this semester, what hurdles presented themselves, and the opportunities for the DMC to improve the intern experience.
Our collaborative work environment and intensive mentorship ranked highest among more than ten programs that were most helpful in achieving success. Our rigorous editorial process and opportunities to present their research also stood out as highlights of their experience.
Moving forward, the DMC is now equipped with this insight to improve our programs and the internship experience. While many students commented on the DMC experience's incomparable value and their excitement to continue research in the Spring, they also suggested potential workshops related to data acquisition and professional communication. We’ll be implementing these in the Spring.
Without feedback, the prospect of progress is futile. The center staff is grateful to work with vocal, change-minded interns who are helping us craft the most positive, pragmatic intern experience that we can.
Semester Closing Wishes
The DMC wants to extend its best wishes to all our students as this unusual semester comes to an end. This semester has brought many new obstacles and challenges that we felt our students could take in stride and adapt to with great flexibility.
From Zoom becoming the new normal to the new Honorlock testing system, our students succeeded in all aspects and continue to do so. With finals and term papers now being behind us and most people already back home with their families, we hope they enjoy themselves and the time they have.
We are confident that our incredibly bright students will be able to rest easy now that this semester is behind us. We at the DMC want to wish all our students and interns a happy holiday break, and we cannot wait to get back to work in 2021!
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Upcoming DMC Events
All DMC affiliates are welcome to attend any and all of our upcoming events.
- Filmmaking and Public Policy Symposium: Tuesday, February 9, 2021 (Miss Virginia)
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Miss Virginia is a 2019 film that sheds light on the perspective of an impoverished single mother who launches a grassroots campaign to secure a private school voucher program in Washington.
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