Meet the people of EGCL!
Dr. Peter, Assistant Professor of Geosciences, heads the Environmental GIS & Cartography Lab (EGCL) at the University of Arkansas conducting research primarily on sustainable agricultural systems in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. EGCL consists of geographers, remote sensing scientists, agronomists, cartographers, and collaborators across the sciences, including hydrologists, entomologists, and plant physiologists. See the Research page to learn more about what we do, and scroll below to see who we are.
Where We Ark
Lead Investigator
B. Peter setting up a weather station in central Malawi
Brad G. Peter, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor Department of Geosciences University of Arkansas bradp@uark.edu
Affiliations Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies (CAST ) Environmental Dynamics (ENDY ) Program YouthMappers at UArk
Biosketch
Dr. Brad G. Peter is an environmental remote sensing geographer who researches the intersection of ecological niche and agricultural system decisions. His research transforms empirical data into actionable knowledge through spatial analytics and digital cartography. Foci include global agricultural land suitability, geographic scaling of climate-smart crop varieties and sustainable/nutritional farm systems, and satellite/sUAS for multi-scale precision agriculture. Dr. Peter holds a Ph.D. in Geography from Michigan State University University of Texas University of Alabama
Current Students
Dalton Williams
Doctoral Program
Dalton Williams is interested in how epidemiology is shifting due to a changing climate. Dalton holds an MPA, where he learned about how health policy is evolving to address health risks associated with climate change. Career trajectory includes going down the route of being a health/medical geographer.
Interests
Nowshin Nawar
Doctoral Program
Nowshin Nawar is primarily interested in the use of remote sensing for the wellbeing of the environment and wildlife. Nowshin holds an MS in Geography from San Diego State University where she learned about how pre-fire dead trees influence fire behavior. She is currently pursuing her PhD degree in Geosciences at the University of Arkansas where she will explore the shift in climate and habitat in certain wildlife protected areas over many decades.
Interests
Website : https://sites.google.com/view/nowshin-nawar
Maria Gorret Nabuwembo
Master’s Program
Maria Nabuwembo holds a B.Sc. in Geomatics Engineering and has experience as a GIS Analyst, Land Surveyor and Project Lead from Uganda. Maria is a Community Action Award winner by the Aspire Institute where together with her team conducted a project on using GIS to inform decisions and solve community challenges making a positive impact on communities. Maria’s current research is centered around the National Adaptation Plan (NAP), with a specific focus on harnessing Remote Sensing techniques to measure agricultural adaptation strategies. Maria is committed to making significant contributions in addressing critical environmental issues and advancing the use of geospatial technology for positive change.
Interests : GIS and Remote Sensing, UAV, Water Management, Agricultural Adaptation
Weilun Tay
Master’s Program
Weilun Tay is interested in using Land-Use/Land-Cover Change Dynamics to assess spatiotemporal change in climate impact, various ecosystem functions, natural resources activities, and urban growth in his research. Weilun holds a B.S. in Geography from the University of Central Arkansas, where he was able to publish on an academic research project alongside his professor, Dr. He, using Land-Use/Land-Cover Change Dynamics in Arkansas.
Interests : GIS and Remote Sensing, Land-Use/Land-Cover Change Dynamics
Jane Landrum
Honors Program
Jane Landrum is a senior undergraduate Honors College Fellow and Arkansas Governor’s Scholar from Little Rock, Arkansas. She is majoring in French, Anthropology, and Earth Science, with a minor in French. She has completed environmental internships with the Northwest Arkansas Land Trust and at Freeport McMoran’s Morenci Mine.
Interests : Environmental Science, Geography, Population Dynamics
Emma Steuber
Honors Program
Emma Steuber is an honors junior undergraduate, majoring in Earth Science and Mathematics. My research focuses on the extent of urbanization in Northwest Arkansas and its effects on humans, wildlife, and the environment over time. My overall interests are the connections between human activity, climate change, and environmental conditions, as well as sustainability and environmental policy.
Interests : Human-Environment Interactions, Sustainability, and Policy
Abigail Unger
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Abigail Unger is an undergraduate student majoring in Earth Science with a minor in Geology. She is engaged in research that utilizes digital elevation models and GIS to analyze the correlation between flooding in Arkansas and socioeconomic factors. Abigail is also interested in the geochronology of large-scale tectonic movements, focusing on their effects on geological formations and landscapes.
Interests : Structure & Tectonics, Stream Systems, Physical Geology, GIS, Environmental Science, Geography
Collaborators
sUAS imagery of a cultivated area in Machinga, Malawi
Geo-Environmental and Sustainability Development Lab
PI: Joseph Messina , PhD | Professor and Dean
About
The Geo-Environmental and Sustainability Development Lab at the University of Alabama studies the when and where of agricultural systems, insect/disease ecology, GIS and health, and land-use/land-cover change dynamics globally. Research focuses on geographic solutions to problems of smallholder food security, remediation of vector-borne diseases, and disentangling the spatiotemporal impacts of globalization on agriculture and urban areas. Learn more at https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Joseph-Messina .
Cassava farm in the highlands of northern Vietnam
Urban Sustainability Lab at the Center for Global Change and Earth Observations
PI: Peilei Fan , PhD | Professor
About
The Urban Sustainability Lab at the Center for Global Change and Earth Observations (CGCEO) focuses on two lines of research that affect the sustainable future of a city/region/country: (1) human-natural interactions and their impact on environment and social equity at multiple spatial scales, particularly in cities, and (2) technology and development. Current research involves how diverse local responses to globalization affected land transitions, particularly urbanization, and urban environmental changes across 7 Southeast Asian countries, i.e., Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam and 12 case cities. Learn more at https://sites.google.com/view/peileifan/ .
Snippet of a floodwater depth simulation map of Tuscaloosa, AL
Surface Dynamics Modeling Lab (SDML)
PI: Sagy Cohen , PhD | Associate Professor
About
The Surface Dynamics Modeling Lab (SDML) strives to improve scientific understanding of planetary surface processes and dynamics through design and utilization of state-of-the-science numerical models. In order to address the immense complexity of surficial systems our research spans across spatial and temporal scales and scientific disciplines. Learn more at https://sdml.ua.edu/ .
Maize and soybean outside of Liwonde, Malawi
Global Change Learning Lab in Sub-Saharan Africa
PI: Sieglinde S. Snapp , PhD | Professor
DirectorCIMMYT (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center)
About
The Global Change Learning Lab in Sub-Saharan Africa is an integrative website that facilitates agroecology research and information sharing by MSU Global Change Science researchers and partners collaborating on action research in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Learning Lab is designed to both inform and engage research partners and the public. The website highlights challenges facing smallholder farmers in Sub Saharan Africa and interdisciplinary, participatory action research and agroecological approaches to support farmers as they face global change forces such as resource degradation, globalization, and climate change. Learn more at http://globalchangescience.org/eastafricanode/ .
