Fishes of Texas

This project is ongoing.

The Fishes of Texas Project (http://www.fishesoftexas.org) has compiled, and continues to expand and refine, a large database of museum specimen-based records of the the occurrences of the state's freshwater fishes. The data are being used in research relevant to fish and aquatic ecology, community ecology, endangered species, conservation, water resources management.

The data are all linked to museum specimens, and much of our work involves collecting, handling preserved specimens, cataloging them and making the data available. Thus anyone with an interest in Natural History Museum Collections and the Information Science related to data management and serving data to the world can also make valuable contributions via work in our collections.

Though our project is focused on Texas and its rivers and other aquatic habitats, our database and museum collection include records from all adjacent states and northern Mexico.

See also or Collection Assistants project - https://www.utexas.edu/research/eureka/project/view?project_id=131

Qualifications

interest in fishes (ichthyology) and/or aquatic ecology, conservation and natural resource management. Familiarity with databases, web database technologies and html, GIS, are all helpful skills but not required.

Project Timeline

ongoing for foreseeable future.

Duties

duties range from data entry and mangement to georeferencing of historic collection localities to field collections of specimens using nets and electrofishing, sorting of specimens, specimen preparation and photography in the lab, retrieving specimens from the specimen for research or loans to researchers, etc.

There are many ways students with database, coding and GIS skills can use them to help us improve data quality for research, and/or to do original research or visualization projects utilizing the data.

Typical Time Commitment
flexible
Desired Length of Commitment
1 minimum

I'M INTERESTED IN THIS PROJECT. WHAT SHOULD I DO NEXT?

The Office of Undergraduate Research recommends that you attend an info session or advising before contacting faculty members or project contacts about research opportunities. We'll cover the steps to get involved, tips for contacting faculty, funding possibilities, and options for course credit. Once you have attended an Office of Undergraduate Research info session or spoken to an advisor, you can use the "Who to contact" details for this project to get in touch with the project leader and express your interest in getting involved.

Have you tried contacting professors and need more help? Schedule an appointment for additional support.