Application due: May 27, 2015
Dates of Fellowship: mid-June to mid-September 2015
Location: Remote, with preference for Portland (OR), Boston area, New Orleans or Raleigh-Durham
Fellowship stipend: $3,000 USD

This fellowship will focus on the evaluation of the Oil Testing Kit capabilities. There are two primary components of this fellowship: (1) to determine the accuracy with which the prototype Oil Testing Kit spectrometer can measure oil reference materials, and (2) to conduct and synthesize results from a multi-user beta-testing program measuring known and blind samples, evaluating precision and utility. For the beta-testing program, the fellow will develop written methods for users to analyze samples, and assess uploaded user spectra for accuracy and precision. Additionally, the fellow will assist in the identification of research partners to participate in the beta-testing program and independently analyze using commercially available spectroscopy equipment. From the beta-testing program and independent assessments, the fellow will produce a report characterizing the accuracy and precision of the Public Lab Oil Testing Kit tools and methods, and assessing the ability of the Oil Testing Kit to quantitatively distinguish a variety of oil types in the field.

Output 1: Coordination and management of the beta-testing program.
Output 2: A comprehensive portfolio of spectra from experimental sample analysis, annotated and uploaded to Spectral Workbench 2.0.
Output 3: A series of research note and a comprehensive report, leading to a coauthored peer-reviewed paper.