I am currently working with one Master's student: Allisyn Hudson - Dunn

VACANCY

Information for prospective graduate students:

Thank you for your interest in working with me.  It can be difficult to choose a university, program, advisor and research project. I hope that the following information will be helpful in making your decision.

Working with me you will gain experience in the analysis of coarse resolution satellite data such as recorded Terra MODIS and NOAA AVHRR. My research concentrates on the analysis and monitoring of changes in land surface phenology due to direct human impact and the effects resulting from global climate change. The study of changes in phenology, and in particular land surface phenology (LSP), provides an important approach to change detection in terrestrial ecosystems. Changes in land surface phenology (sometimes called “greenness”) have often been detected as trends in Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) products over time. Increases in “greenness” are frequently interpreted as resulting from climate change, in particular warming. Vegetation phenology studies the relation between climate and the timing of biological events such as budburst, leaf-out, and plant flowering. Phenology varies by species and is influenced by many factors, such as soil temperature, air temperature, solar illumination, day length, and soil moisture, all of which can vary depending on location and time.

Virginia Tech and the department of Geography:
The geography department at Virginia Tech is part of the College of Natural Resources. The department offers both B.A. and M.S. degrees and participates in a college-wide doctoral program in Geospatial and Environmental Analysis. Virginia Tech (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University) is located in Blacksburg (VA) between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains about 35 miles west of Roanoke. Blacksburg is a small town established in 1798 with a current population of just over 41,000 (>50% college students).

What am I looking for in a student?
I find it very gratifying to work closely with students on their research projects. As a result, I am somewhat limited in the number of students I can accept each year. The most important criterion for a student to be accepted is how well the student fits in with a current research project which is mainly determined by previous experience and current interest.
I expect starting students to be very motivated and enthusiastic. Enthusiasm and good work ethic are probably the most important characteristics that will allow a successful student to graduate. I use remote sensing data in all my projects and previous experience in remote sensing and/or statistics will give you a definite advantage. In addition, I prefer students to have some programming background or other relevant computing skills. I prefer to have students work on a predefined research project.

Graduate Teaching Assistantships / Graduate Research Assistant ships
The geography department has a number of graduate teaching assistantship available on a competitive basis every year. Students awarded assistantships receive a stipend and a tuition waiver.

Research assistantships are closely tied to research proposal funding. Proposal funding can happen at any time of the year and it is often difficult to predict how many and when assistantships will become available. I currently have one research assistantship available.
The advantage of research assistantships is that you do not have to worry about funding. The disadvantage is that you will be accepted to work on a certain research project which will also become the main focus for your thesis/dissertation. I will announce research assistantships positions on this website whenever they become available.