| Project title: |
Analysis and Evaluation of Social and Economic Data Regarding Federal Fishing and Seafood Dealer Permit Holders in the Southeast Region
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| Hypothesis or objectives: |
Objectives include: 1) determine response rates for the social and economic data being collected via federal permit applications, 2) determine whether reasonably accurate estimates of various economic and social variables can be generated using this data and whether these estimates are suitable for policy analysis, and 3) determine whether and what changes to the methods for collecting social and economic data may be necessary.
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| Duration: |
3 - 12 months
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| Area(s) of discipline: |
Economics, Natural Resource Management, Social Sciences
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| Internship location: |
St. Petersburg, FL
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| Duties and responsibilities: |
The student will work with staff in the Social Sciences Branch of the NMFS Southeast Regional Office. The student will be responsible for compiling and analyzing social and economic data collected in association with our fishing and seafood dealer permit application, renewal, and transfer processes. The data to be analyzed includes demographic data on individuals that possess permits; the types, sizes, and ownership structure of businesses that possess permits; and permit sales/transfer price data. The purpose of the project is to determine the quality and usability of the social and economic data being collected on our federal permit applications. The student will be expected to generate a written project report containing a description of the data collection methods, basic descriptive statistics, interpretations of those statistics, an evaluation of the data and the statistical estimates, and an evaluation of the data collection methods as well as recommendations for potential changes to those methods.
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| Special skills/training required: |
Experience with data analysis, data management, statistical software (e.g., STATA, SAS, SYSTAT, and/or SPSS) and spreadsheets (Excel), and some coursework in economics, other social sciences (e.g., sociology, anthropology), and/or business administration. Preference for candidates with some coursework or other background in natural resource management. The student will be working with confidential data and thus will be required to read, sign, and abide by Administrative Order 216-100 regarding the non-disclosure of confidential data and the penalties for not complying with this Order.
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| Expected outcomes: |
Student will gain experience in evaluating and designing social and economic data collection methods, as well as generating and interpreting estimates of important social and economic variables, whether those estimates are appropriate to use in policy analysis. The student will also gain valuable experience working alongside federal employees and within federal government processes.
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| Point of contact (Mentor): |
Travis, Mike
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| Organization: |
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
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| Program office: |
Southeast Regional Office
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| Mailing address: |
263 13Th Ave S
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
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| Phone number: |
727-209-5982
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| Fax number: |
None
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| Email: |
mike.travis@noaa.gov
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| Co-Mentor name: |
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| Co-Mentor email: |
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| Co-Mentor gency or organization: |
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