Department of Geography

Geographic Information Science
Physical Geography
Biogeography / Agriculture

      My research interests and experiences focus on both geographic information science techniques and the agricultural applications of physical and biogeography. I am particularly interested in geographic techniques that can lead to a better understanding and communication of risk. My recent work has focused on quantifying the effect of climate change on agricultural disease severity, analyzing the spatio-temporal characteristics of the of field infections (specifically for Phytophthora infestans), and using nonparametric methods to analyze synoptic weather forecasts for the prediction of crop diseases.

   I also have an interest in interactive mapping and web-GIS applications, specifically those that use SVG and VML interfaces for the visualization of environmental risk. In a project with the Flint Fire Department, I used interactive web interfaces to integrate geospatial databases of fire emergency response locations, building structure, and block group population characteristics for a preliminary study of the city. A similar project, dealing with the analysis of A.L.S. (Lou Gehrig's disease) patient locations, combined real-time visualization with online forms and allowed patients to add personal records to an expanding spatial database.

   As an educator, I enjoy courses that complement lecture and discussion with applications of spatial techniques, encouraging students to learn through 'hands-on' experience with laboratory exercises, field data collection and independent projects. I regularly teach in physical geography (GEOG 105) and geographic information systems (GEOG 501), and have also taught such courses as biogeography, web GIS, and spatial analysis. I am currently working with several graduate students on theses and research topics that deal with GIS applications in biogeography.

   My recent research has been published in Horticultural Technology, Acta Horticulturae, Plant Disease, the American Journal of Potato Research, and the conference proceedings of GeoHealth, the International Conference on GeoSpatial Semantics and the International Society of Horticultural Science.