Student/Faculty Spotlight
This Quarter We Feature Our Visiting Scholars: Ulrik Mårtensson, Michael Nielsen and Perparim Ameti. And also Professor Darla Munroe, Kendra McSweeney and Becky Mansfields Appalachian Forrest Research Group Web Site.
Ulrik Mårtensson:
Comes to us from the Dept. of Earth and Ecosystem Sciences in Lund Sweden. Ulrik will be a visiting faculty at OSU from September to December on a scholarship that he got from the Swedish organisation STINT. The scholarship is called "Excellence in Teaching" and is given to staff nominated by thier home university for substantial efforts in teaching and pedagogic development. Ulricks early involvement in development of Internet based e-learning courses is one of the reasons for his nomination. Ulrik hopes that during his stay at OSU he will benefit from the teaching and pedagogic that is used here, and get inspiration to improve his spectrum of pedagogic tools. Ulrik also hopse that he will have opportunities to interact with OSU students and get inspired by their way of learning. Naturally Ulrik also expects that he will contribute to my collegues at OSU with the knowledge I have within my fields of activity. Finally, Ulrik would like for his stay at OSU to create a platform for long-term cooperation between our departments and universities, both regarding teaching and research. More than 30 years' experience with different assignments and research in countries in Africa and Asia, of which about 9 years has been spent in developing countries. Substantial experience as team leader and co-ordinator in multi-disciplinary teams. Has a proven ability to collaborate in all kinds of working environments. Professionally experienced in the fields of geomorphology and geography, with focus on land degradation, water resources and coastal environment and management issues, Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS). As a participant in various assignments also gathered insight in related fields as social sciences, human geography, agronomy, forestry, coastal ecology and coastal sensitivity modelling. Several assignments relates to implementation of new technology (GIS) in complex organisations (environment sector at national level) in LIC and MIC countries. Has long and thorough experience in management, planning and conducting university teaching programmes and on the job training. Conducting university courses at under-graduate, graduate and post graduate levels. Fluent in English and French with basic knowledge in several other languages. Active as teacher at the Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystems Analysis and the GIS-Centre at Lund University since 1985, teaching in fields ranging from geomorphology and environment to methodology like remote sensing and GIS.
Michael Meinild Nielsen:
Michael is a visiting PhD student from the Department of Human Geography, Stockholm University in Sweden. He was awarded a fellowship from the Sweden America Foundation for a visit to OSU’s Geography department. Michaels research is focused on developing methods for the extraction of meaningful information from remote sensed images based on social science demands. His background isin urban and regional planning and he has been a GIS courses lecturer at the Department of Human Geography, Stockholm University. During his stay at OSU he looks forward to the opportunity to solely focus on his own research and he is excited about the chance to be part of a new research milieu. Michael will collaborate with Prof. Ola Ahlqvist whom with he previously coauthored an article. Michaels goal during this stay is to write an article in which he will explore different types of urban character in Columbus, OH from a satellite image using a new contextual segmentation method that I have been working on.
The Appalachian Ohio Forest Research Group is a joint project of OSU Geography, OU Geography, and the U.S. Forest Service. This inter- disciplinary study aims to analyze the trajectory of forest growth in SE Ohio, and determine the factors that have allowed reforestation to occur in the region. Here, you'll be able to connect with project updates, working papers, our esteemed research team, and helpful links. This project is funded by the National Science Foundation's cross-cutting program, the Dynamics of Coupled Natural and Human Systems. Our grant is titled, "Explaining Socioecological Resilience Following Collapse: Forest Recovery in Appalachian Ohio"". This grant is a joint effort of OSU and OU.
Perparim Ameti:
I am a visiting Fulbright scholar at the Center for Urban and Regional Analysis (CURA), here at OSU. It is a great pleasure being here for one semester and I am extremely grateful for the support provided by the Fulbright program. I am working with Prof. Daniel Sui on a comparative study of different geocoding methods and gazetteers, as well as in the development of a more robust national gazetteer model. I am an assistant professor and chair of the geodetic department at University of Pristina, Kosovo. My research interest lies in GIS/GPS integration, especially in the development of national register and inventory systems. My other research interests include GPS and navigation. I currently serve as a national delegate to Commission No. V of the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG). I am also very active in several other national organizations
