Need Ideas for Analytical Research Thesis

[sublime]

To whomever reads this,

My name is Brandon and I am in my 4th year as a double major, (computer science and statistics.) I have one year and one semester left here at the University to complete both degrees and my minor. I had first chosen computer science and quickly found a love for mathematics which led me to statistics.

So, down to the point. For the statistics major I need to complete a senior project. Obviously, it has to be based in some sort of statistical analysis. I thought it would be awesome to combine my love for this hobby and/or reefs in nature with my senior project which would also double for my honors thesis. However, I do not know _what_ I should analyze. At first I was thinking of designing an experiment to collect data. I don't really like that idea because it involves much more than analysis. I would really just like to either collect data or be handed data that needs some sort of analysis completed. It can be large and complex. Something trivial or simple is not what I am looking for. The best project would already have collected data, organized or unorganized. So, I am asking anyone, do you have a project or an idea for a project that would fit the bill?

Regards,
Brandon

[SantaMonica]

To get a meaningful number of data, you might try a poll of:

CFL watts
Inches from screen
Months old
Days between cleaning
Brightness of growth (1 to 10)
Nitrate
Phosphate

[MorganAtlanta]

You might contact some oceanic research institutions and just ask. There is a lot of data collected these days, and lots of questions to be answered, and I'm sure researchers would love to get some of your effort for free. I'd give you some tips, but it has been too long since I've been in that field. For institutions to target, off the top of my head, I can name Scripps, Monterey, Woods Hole, Skidaway and Mote. These places are full of ocean science geeks who would love to talk to you. Don't be afraid to cold call them.

Analyzing satellite data is a good way to go from an availability standpoint. There's lots of it out there. I did a project back in grad school to analyze temporal and spatial characteristics of variabilites in coastal ocean fronts based on satellite ocean temperature data.