Defense Presentation Title: Facilitating Civic Engagement in Rapidly Urbanizing Regions through Geospatial Participatory Modeling Co-Advisors: Dr. Helena Mitasova, Associate Director of Earth and Environmental Sciences Applications, Center for Geospatial Analytics; Dr. Ross Meentemeyer, Director, Center for Geospatial Analytics Abstract: Rapid urbanization and the increasing frequency of extreme precipitation events are leading to communities vulnerable to flooding and…

Defense Presentation Title: Linking Forests and Freshwater across the Southern Appalachian Forest Landscape Advisor: Dr. Katherine Martin, faculty fellow and assistant professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources Abstract: Forests act as natural water towers, provisioning freshwater downstream to support aquatic biodiversity and supply drinking water, agriculture and energy. Understanding how climate change…

Defense Presentation Title:The Role of Bridgehead Effects on the Global Spatiotemporal Spread of Invasive Insects Advisor: Dr. Ross Meentemeyer, Ph.D. Graduate Program Director and Director, Center for Geospatial Analytics

Defense Presentation Title: The Geography of Participation: A Geospatial Analysis of Socio-spatial Gaps in US Participatory Science Advisor: Dr. Caren Cooper, faculty fellow and professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources Abstract: Popular participatory science projects generate big data that advances scientific research, informs natural resource management and policy, and produces outcomes benefiting participants. Hundreds of…

Defense Presentation Title: Advancing Climate-Resilient Agriculture and Disaster Management: Applications of Remote Sensing and Machine Learning in Data-Scarce Bangladesh Advisor: Dr. Mirela Tulbure, faculty fellow and professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources Abstract: Timely, accurate, and high-resolution flood maps are essential for estimating the impact of flooding on agriculture and infrastructure. In Bangladesh,…