MARC Associates

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Ms. Benson is the GIS/Remote Sensing Specialist for the Watershed Studies Institute. Her research interests include considerable work associated with the study of reservoirs, especially the USDA/Forest Service "Land Between the Lakes" National Recreation Area and the nearby Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. Ms. Benson has studied local and regional watersheds, non-point source pollution, the effects of off-highway vehicles (OHV) on watersheds and embayments. She has worked with numerous biologists in migratory bird habitat analysis and mapping as well as the intrusion of invasive species, such as the zebra mussel. Currently, Ms. Benson is highly involved with local WaterWatch groups, and is an active contributor to the Four Rivers Watershed Watch. Jane is also a lecturer for the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, teaching World Geography, and co-teaching EES 202 Introduction to Geographic Information Science, and EES 522 Digital Cartography.

Courses taught include:

• EES 110 World Geography
• EES 202 Introduction to Geographic Information Science
• EES 507/607 Land Use Planning
• EES 522 Digital Cartography

Mr. Busby is the Coordinator of GIS for the Mapping Applications Resource Center. His research interests include the use of technology within teaching, using technology in the pedagogy of geography, the prevalence of geography in higher education, the multidisciplinary use of mapping technologies, the Geography of the Holy Land, the Middle East and Southwest Asia, demographics, and economic geography. He also has an interest in the "hacking/making" realm, 3D printing and scanning, the re-purposing of technology for other applications, and being an advocate for the use of geography and mapping technology in other fields and disciplines. Mr. Busby administers MARC hardware and software, manages the GIS/RS teaching labs, MARC research computer systems, is the Technical Coordinator for MARC and for the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. Mr. Busby is also a lecturer for the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. Michael is the Murray State Site License Administrator for the Esri-CPE Commonwealth of Kentucky statewide license agreement. He also helps manage the social media presence for the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and the Mapping Applications Resource Center.

Courses include:

• EES 110 World Geography
• EES 202 Introduction to Geographic Information Science
• EES 205 Mapping for Society
• EES 305 Introduction to Cartography
• UAS 410 Drones Sensors and Systems

Dr. Cetin is a remote sensing specialist, having worked with many different sensors. Dr. Cetin's research has utilized most all forms of multi- and hyperspectral imagery, from handheld spectrophotometers, IKONOS, MODIS, to more the common imagery formats of Landsat and Quickbird. Dr. Cetin's research interests include the use of GIS/RS in precision agriculture, forestry, landscape change as a result of mineral extraction, and the use of GIS/RS in disaster and emergency management. He has served as a reviewer for the Journal of Forest Ecology and Management, the Journal of Sensors, and is currently an Editorial Board Member of the Open Remote Sensing Journal. Currently, Dr. Cetin is serving as the National Director, American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Mid-South Region. Dr. Cetin is also Director of KentuckyView.

Courses taught include:

• EES 101 Earth and the Environment
• EES 125 Weather and Climate
• EES 199 Earth Science
• EES 312 Introduction to Remote Sensing
• EES 521 Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
• EES 593 Remote Sensing of Watershed Environments, Spatial Analysis Techniques
• EES 640 Advanced Remote Sensing
• EES 641 Digital Image Processing Research
• EES 693 Hyperspectral Remote Sensing, Digital Image Processing

Dr. El Masri's research interests include remote sensing for terrestrial ecosystem functions, modeling ecosystem fluxes at various scales. Dr. El Masri also examines climatic variables influence on ecosystem functions. Other research interests include using LIDAR remote sensing for terrestrial ecosystem structure, estimation of tree height and above-ground biomass, analysis of land surface and atmosphere interactions, and modeling biogeochemical processes at various scales using land surface models.

Courses taught include:

• EES 110 World Geography
• EES 202 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
• EES 522/622 Digital Cartography
• EES 555/655 Big Data Analysis in Environmental Sciences
• EES 619 Seminar in Research Techniques

Dr. Flinn's primary area of expertise is assessing freshwater macroinvertebrate communities. He is also interested in studying fish, mussels, algae, and aquatic vegetation. Dr. Flinn's research has focused on disturbance ecology in settings from the Mississippi River to the Arctic tundra. 

 Courses taught include:

• BIO 216 Biological Inquiry and Analysis
• BIO 221 Zoology: Animal Form and Function
• BIO 561/661 Freshwater Invertebrates
• BIO 583/683 Limnology

Dr. Hong's research interests include the estimation of spatio-temporal distributions of evapotranspiration and soil moisture over heterogeneous landscapes using remote sensing data; the up- and down-scaling of remote sensing estimated map from satellite imagery, and the investigation of the spatial variability of root zone soil moisture across scales. Dr. Hong has been a reviewer for the Korean Society of Remote Sensing and the Journal of Hydrology.

Courses taught include:

• EES 101 The Earth and the Environment
• EES 202 Introduction to Geographic Information Sciences
• EES 210 Hydrology
• EES 562/662 Hydrogeology
• EES 593 Application of Remote Sensing in Hydrogeology

Dr. Ortmann's research interests include North American archaeology with specialization in the prehistory of the southeastern United States. His topical interests include hunter-gatherer adaptive systems; development of social complexity; the interaction of humans with their environments; and the production and maintenance of cultural landscapes. Additionally, Dr. Ortmann's analytical interests include geoarchaeological investigation of earthworks and cultural landscapes, and lithic and ceramic technologies. His particular research landscape is the Poverty Point area of northern Louisiana. Dr. Ortmann is a member of the Society for American Archaeology and the Southeastern Archaeological Conference.

Courses taught include:

• ANT 140 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
• ANT 329 North American Indians
• ANT 330 North American Archaeology

Dr. Whiteman's research is currently centered in conservation biology and evolutionary ecology. The majority of his work focuses on conservation-oriented projects, such as the mechanisms and ecological consequences of population fluctuations; the role of trophic cascades in maintaining and restoring biodiversity; the effects of anthropogenic toxicants on development, life history, and population growth; the impact of invasive species management on native fauna; and the ecology of reintroduction efforts. His goal is to conduct fundamental science that will lead to positive management efforts and improvements in biodiversity conservation. Dr. Whiteman is also the biggest Pittsburgh Steelers fan in western Kentucky. (Source: The Whiteman Lab)

Courses taught include:

• BIO 103 Saving Planet Earth
• BIO 330 Principles of Ecology

 

Dr. Zhang's research interests include Remote sensing and GIS applications in urban environments; Information extraction from remotely sensed data; digital change detection and environmental monitoring; landscape ecology; geoscience education. She is currently working on projects related to urban development dynamics and mechanisms in China and the United States using nighttime lights data; fusion of multispectral and radar data for watershed mapping and modeling; GIS for habitat improvement modeling in Kentucky Lake.

Courses taught include:

• EES 110 World Geography
• EES 199 Earth Science
• EES 301 Understanding Scientific Communication
• EES 330 Economic Geography
• EES 507/607 Land Use Planning
• EES 512/612 Remote Sensing
• EES 680 Advanced GIS