Celebrating Faculty and Staff Achievements 2020–2021

Despite challenges, this past academic year was once again packed with impressive work by our faculty and staff at the Center for Geospatial Analytics. Below is a sampling of the achievements of the Center’s faculty fellows, director and associate directors, research associates and scholars, staff and postdoctoral scholars since last June. Congratulations to all for your accomplishments!

Awards/Honors

• Faculty Fellow Aaron Hipp was named Digital Media Editor of the Journal of Healthy Eating and Active Living.
• Assistant Teaching Professor Vaishnavi Thakar received a DELTA Rapid Design
• Faculty Fellow Natalie Nelson was selected by the US Department of Agriculture to serve as one of the 11 subject matter experts for the USDA’s Agriculture Innovation Agenda. She was also named a University Faculty Scholar and won an NSF Early-Career Development Program Award.
• Faculty Fellow Ryan Emanuel received an Alumni Association Distinguished Graduate Professorship. He was also a James E. Holshouser nominee.
• Faculty Fellow Stacy Nelson was named a member of the board of directors of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation.
• The Center’s professional master’s degree program in Geospatial Information Science & Technology (MGIST), overseen by Associate Director of Professional Education Eric Money, won an NC State Graduate School Excellence in Assessment Award.
• Research Scholar John Vogler won third place in the 2021 NC GIS conference poster competition.
• Faculty Fellow Bethany Cutts won the Center for Geospatial Analytics’ Advocate Award.
• Research Scholar Chris Jones won the Center’s Beacon Award.
• A team led by Associate Director Eric Money won the Center’s Collaboration & Innovation Award for the GAPS (Geospatial Applications for Problem Solving) for High Tech Teens program. The team also included Research Software Engineer Anna Petrasova, Associate Director of Geovisualization Helena Mitasova, MGIST students Jaimie Nevins, Laurel Krynock and Jack Cummings, Research Associate Justyna Jeziorska and Geospatial Analytics Ph.D. student Garrett Millar; additional assistance was provided by Research Associate Justin Shedd, Geospatial Analytics Ph.D. students Kellyn Montgomery, Payam Tabrizian and Nikki Inglis, Faculty Fellows Perver Baran and Laura Tateosian, and Research Software Engineer Vaclav Petras.
• Faculty Fellow Laura Tateosian won the Center’s Creativity in Teaching Award.
• Science Communicator Megan Skrip won the Center’s Gladys West Award.
• Faculty Fellows Daniela Jones and Jelena Vukomanovic were nominated for the Chancellor’s Creating Community Award for Outstanding Faculty.
• Faculty Fellows Anders Huseth and Natalie Nelson were inducted into the inaugural class of NC State’s Goodnight Early Career Innovators.
• Research Associate Justyna Jeziorska was named a semi-finalist in the Education category for the 2021 Women to Watch in UAS Global Awards.

Popular Press / Speaking Engagements

• Research by Faculty Fellow Ryan Emanuel was covered by NBC News, Energy & the Environment News, WUNC radio, North Carolina Health News, National Geographic, Indy Week and the National Humanities Center podcast.
• Faculty Fellow Del Bohnenstiehl was consulted by WRAL after NC’s August 2020 magnitude 5.1 earthquake.
• Research by Faculty Fellow Jelena Vukomanovic and Geospatial Analytics Ph.D. student Nikki Inglis was covered by H2O Radio, Colorado Public Radio, Aspen Daily News and NBC 9 (Denver).
• Research by Associate Director of Spatial Computing and Technology Raju Vatsavai was covered by Lenovo News.
• Research by Research Associate Lindsey Smart, Faculty Fellow Jelena Vukomanovic, postdoctoral scholar Kunwar Singh, Associate Director of Geovisualization Helena Mitasova and Director Ross Meentemeyer was covered by International Business Times, 7^th Space, Fortune, Climate & Capital Media, WTOP News (DC Metro), WUNC, CBS 19 (Charlottesville), CBS (Baltimore), The Southern Maryland Chronicle, The Columbian, Gizmodo, Smithsonian Magazine twice, and Coastal Review Online.
• Research by Faculty Fellow Gustavo Machado was covered by Pork Business and The Pig Site.
• Research by Faculty Fellow Jelena Vukomanovic was covered by Futurity and The Good Men Project.
• Research by postdoctoral scholar Ben Seliger was covered by The Academic Times.
• Research by Faculty Fellow Dan Obenour and Geospatial Analytics Ph.D. student Rohith Matli was covered by NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science.
• Faculty Fellow Bill Rand published an article in BizTech Magazine. His research was also covered by Phys.org.
• Research by Faculty Fellow Rob Scheller was covered by the Wilkes Journal-Patriot.
• Research by Faculty Fellow Jelena Vukomanovic and Ph.D. student Joshua Randall was covered by Phys.org and Science Codex.
• Research Associate Justyna Jeziorska participated in a WTS Aviation and Drones event for girls aged 10 to 18, aimed to encourage women to become interested in the drone industry.
• Research by Research Scholar Chris Jones, Research Associate Shannon Jones, Research Software Engineers Anna Petrasova and Vaclav Petras, alum Devon Gaydos, Science Communicator Megan Skrip and Director Ross Meeentemeyer was covered by AgDaily and Future Farming.
• Research by Research Associate Georgina Sanchez and Geospatial Analytics Ph.D. student Elyssa Collins was covered by CoastWatch Magazine.