The SNR Fall Research Series begins Sept. 28 with a seminar “Land Cover Change, Irrigation, and their Impacts on Climate” by Dr. Rezaul Mahmood, professor at Western Kentucky University, at 3:30 p.m. in 107 Hardin Hall. Seven seminars are planned.
Mahmood, who specializes in weather and climate science, has published more than 65 peer-reviewed papers in highly respected journals. His research focuses on meso-scale meteorology and climatology and observations, modeling atmospheric impacts of land use land cover change, modeling impacts of soil moisture on weather and climate, air quality meteorology, flash flooding climatology and hydrometeorology of the Appalachia. Rezaul provided significant leadership in development of the Kentucky Mesonet and WKU’s High Performance Computing Center (HPCC). His research has been funded by the NSF, NOAA, USDA-ARS, and others.
Other seminars in the series include:
Oct. 5: Dr. Trevor Hefley, Kansas State University, “When can the cause of a population decline be determined?”
Hefley received his bachelor’s degree in Fisheries and Wildlife in 2010 and his doctorate in Statistics and Natural Resources Sciences in 2014 from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is working on developing spatio-temporal models assessing risk factors for wildlife disease. Broadly, his research focuses on developing and applying statistical methods to inform wildlife conservation and management decisions. He is also interested in applied statistics, specifically how other disciplines such as engineering, biology, ecology and computer science utilize the large amounts of data that are currently available for decision making.
Oct. 12: David Augustine, Research Ecologist USDA, “Adaptive grazing management to optimize cattle performance and rangeland bird diversity and abundance”
Augustine is a Research Ecologist with the Rangeland Resources Research Unit within the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, based in Fort Collins, Colorado. His research interests focus on the influence of herbivores, particularly those with hooves, on the structure, function, and diversity of ecosystems. He received his master’s in Wildlife Conservation from the University of Minnesota, and doctorate in Biology from Syracuse University. Augustine’s research addresses both basic and applied questions about the role of native and domestic herbivores on systems including savannas of East Africa, grasslands and shrublands throughout the Great Plains of North America, and forest of eastern North America. A current major focus of his research in the Great Plains is quantifying tradeoffs and synergies among livestock production and biodiversity conservation. His seminar will focus on adaptive grazing management to optimize cattle performance and rangeland bird diversity and abundance.
Oct. 19: Dr. Lisa Schulte-Moore, Professor, Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management Iowa State University, “Prairie STRIPS: From research to action”
Schulte Moore conducts research and teaches in the areas of agriculture, ecology, forestry and human-landscape interactions. Her current research addresses the strategic integration of perennials into agricultural landscapes to meet societal goals for clean water, healthy soils, abundant wildlife and inspiring recreational opportunities. Schulte Moore is co-founder and co-leader of the Science-based Trials of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairie Strips project, which pioneered the prairie strips conservation practice. She is also lead developer of People in Ecosystems/ Watershed Integration, a simple web-based educational game designed to help people understand human impacts on the environment and improve the management of natural resources. She earned a bachelor’s in biology at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, a masters in biology at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and a doctorate in forestry in 2002 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She lives in Ames, Iowa, with her husband, Peter Moore, and two sons. They also spend time at their diversified family farm near Strum, Wisconsin.
Nov. 2: Gregory Gust, National Weather Service, NOAA, “The Land-Potential Knowledge System (LandPKS): mobile apps and cloud computing for supporting land management decisions, inventory, monitoring and evaluation.”
Gust is a primary spokesman for NOAA's National Weather Service to emergency management officials, government leaders, media outlets and local communities at large. As a Warning Coordination Meteorologist with the Weather Service, Gust directs the activities of various weather emergency teams within and without the office. He began his public life as a teacher. He received a commission in the United States Air Force in 1984 and served as a Staff Weather Officer in various locations world-wide, prior to joining the National Weather Service in 1992. Since 1992, Gust has been an integral part of the NWS's modernization efforts, serving as a Science and Operations Officer across remote north- western portions of the United States, and earning the 1999 NWS Modernization Award. He has led NOAA teams at International Stakeholder Forums, Data Requirements Workshops, and various Emergency Management Seminars.
Nov. 9: Sherry L. Burrer, DVM, MPH-VPH, DACVPM/Staff Epidemiologist/CDR United States Public Health Service, “Drought and Public Health”
Burrer received both her doctorate of Veterinary Medicine and master of Public Health degrees from the Ohio State University, and she is board certified in veterinary preventive medicine. She was part of the Epidemic Intelligence Service class of 2008 and during that time was assigned to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. Additionally, in 2011 she completed the CDC Preventive Medicine Fellowship at the Emergency Preparedness and Response Office of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. She currently works at CDC on the Disaster Epidemiology and Response Team at the National Center for Environmental Health.
Nov. 16: Pat Devers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Migratory Bird Management, “Incorporating Human Dimension Objectives into Habitat Planning and Delivery”
Devers is the Science Coordinator for the Black Duck Joint Venture with the USFWS’s Division of Migratory Bird Management. Devers’ main responsibilities are to coordinate monitoring and research efforts in Canada and the U.S. to provide scientific information needed to support population and habitat management for black ducks and other wetland species that share its habitat. Dever also provides technical support for the implementation of Black Duck Adaptive Harvest Management. Devers’ interests include population ecology and the application of decision analysis to natural resource conservation management. Dever has a doctorate in Wildlife Sciences from Virginia Tech, a master’s in Wildlife Science from the University of Arizona, and a bachelor’s in Wildlife Biology from Colorado State University. Dever enjoys camping, hiking, and fishing with his wife and two sons. He also enjoys upland gamebird and waterfowl hunting.
For the most recent information on the seminars, visit http://snr.unl.edu/aboutus/when/seminarseries.asp?seminarseriesid=38
-- Natural Resources
More details at: http://snr.unl.edu