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 Abstract: Invasive insect species threaten biodiversity, agriculture, human health and economies worldwide. Although there has been considerable work done to describe and model invasive insect spread…

Defense Presentation Title: Spatial Predictive Modeling of Particulate Matter Related to Health Effects Advisor: Dr. Jennifer Richmond-Bryant, faculty fellow and associate professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources Abstract: Epidemiological studies have provided strong evidence that exposure to PM 2.5 , including Diesel Particulate Matter (DPM), is associated with adverse cardiovascular and respiratory health effects.…

Defense Presentation Title: Reducing Global Pest Forecast Uncertainty with Text Mined Media Records Advisor: Dr. Ross Meentemeyer, center director and Goodnight Distinguished Professor of Geospatial Analytics Abstract: Invasive species, especially plant pests, pose growing threats to ecosystems and food security. Geospatial predictive models and early alerts help manage these risks, but gaps, biases, and delays…

Defense Presentation Title: Betting the Farm: Does Homogenization Threaten Smallholders' Climate Resilience? Advisor: Dr. Josh Gray, faculty fellow and associate professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources Abstract: Smallholder farms (<2 ha) contribute 80% of the food supply in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Their ability to produce high yields will largely determine the…

Defense Presentation Title: Using Earth Observation Data of Different Spatial Resolutions to Quantify the Influence of Anthropogenic and Climate Drivers on Surface Water Dynamics Advisor: Dr. Mirela Tulbure, faculty fellow and professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources Abstract: Surface water—such as rivers, ponds and lakes—is the most accessible and renewable water source.…

Defense Presentation Title: Observed Mesoscale Surface Air Pressure Waves and In-Cloud Characteristics in the Context of Winter Storm Structures Advisor: Dr. Sandra Yuter, faculty fellow and distinguished professor in the Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Abstract: Recent observations of winter storms from ground-based and aircraft-mounted instrumentation allow us to refine our understanding of…

Defense Presentation Title: Leveraging Remote Sensing and Machine Learning for Advanced Landslide Analysis: From Detection to Prediction to Monitoring across Diverse Geo-Environments Advisor: Dr. Karl Wegmann, faculty fellow and associate professor in the Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Abstract: Every year, landslides claim thousands of lives worldwide, posing a persistent threat to communities.…

Defense Presentation Title: Synthesis of Radar-Observed Characteristics, Storm Structures and Surface Snowfall Rates in 10+ Years of Northeast US Winter Storms Advisor: Dr. Sandra Yuter, faculty fellow and distinguished professor in the Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Abstract: Current numerical weather prediction models struggle to accurately predict the timing and intensity of snowfall…

Defense Presentation Title: Does Chilling Explain the Divergent Response of Spring Phenology to Urban Heat Islands? Advisor: Dr. Josh Gray, faculty fellow and associate professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources Abstract: Understanding how temperature controls plant spring phenology, the timing of plants’ spring leaf development, is critical to studying the global carbon…