Dissertation Title: Analytical approaches for plant pest management across the biosecurity continuum Advisor: Dr. Helena Mitasova, Associate Director of Geovisualization, Center for Geospatial Analytics; Professor, Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Abstract: Non-native plant pests and pathogens threaten biodiversity, ecosystem function, food security and economic livelihoods. Minimizing damage from biological invasions involves dynamic, multiscale…

Dissertation Title: Mapping forest host species distributions and understanding their effects on forecasts of disease spread Co-Advisors: Dr. Ross Meentemeyer, Director of the Center for Geospatial Analytics and Goodnight Distinguished Professor of Geospatial Analytics; Dr. Josh Gray, Faculty Fellow and Assistant Professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources Abstract: Emerging infectious diseases of…

Defense Presentation Title: Quantifying on-farm reservoir dynamics: an Earth observation and hydrological modeling approach Advisor: Dr. Mirela G. Tulbure, Faculty Fellow and Associate Professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources Abstract: On-farm reservoirs (OFRs) are artificial water bodies that enable farmers to store water during the rainy season to support irrigation activities during…

Defense Presentation Title: Estimating and Forecasting the Spatio-Temporal Hypoxia Dynamics in Northern Gulf of Mexico Advisor: Dr. Daniel R. Obenour, Faculty Fellow and Associate Professor in the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering Abstract: Hypoxia is an environmental issue affecting the northern Gulf of Mexico. Models studying the causes and consequences of hypoxia in this…

Defense Presentation Title: Estimating and Modeling Structural Characteristics of Trees Within Aerial LiDAR Data Co-Advisors: Dr. Perver Baran, faculty fellow and teaching professor, Center for Geospatial Analytics; Dr. Laura Tateosian, faculty fellow and associate teaching professor, Center for Geospatial Analytics Abstract: The transparency and shape of tree crowns in urban areas play a critical role…

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: Disaster Nonprofit Relief, and Housing Recovery, Using GIS Techniques Advisor: Dr. Bethany Cutts, faculty fellow and associate professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management Abstract: Volunteer organizations contribute to household disaster recovery through coordinated networks. North Carolina Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters (NCVOAD) is the North Carolina chapter of…

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: Computationally Efficient Approaches to Modeling Flood Risk and River Discharge at Scale Co-Advisors: Dr. Ross Meentemeyer, Director, Center for Geospatial Analytics; Dr. Georgina Sanchez, Research Scholar, Center for Geospatial Analytics Abstract: River discharge—the volume of water flowing through Earth’s rivers—is highly variable in space and time and at its extremes can cause…

Defense Presentation Title: Advancing Near Real-Time Deforestation Monitoring via Multi-Source Remote Sensing Data, Landscape Processes and End-User Contributions Advisor: Dr. Josh Gray, faculty fellow and associate professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources Abstract: The proliferation of satellite imagery has facilitated the analysis of deforestation trends using multi-source time series approaches. This long-term…