ABOUT US -> Our Team

Claire Jantz, Ph.D.

Professor, Dept. of Geography-Earth Science

Claire holds a B.A. from the University of Tennessee and a M.A. and Ph.D. in geography from the University of Maryland. She has extensive expertise in land use and land cover change analysis and modeling, and interdisciplinary research. Dr. Jantz has particular expertise within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, the Delaware River Basin, and the Delmarva Peninsula. She has participated in several collaborative research efforts funded by NASA, Maryland SeaGrant, NPS, and the William Penn Foundation.

Scott Drzyzga, Ph.D.

Professor, Dept. of Geography-Earth Science

Dr. Drzyzga earned a PhD in Geography in 2007 from Michigan State University. He is an experienced specialist in geographic information science and technology, is a certified Geographic Information Systems Professional (GISP).

Alfonso Yáñez Morillo

Research Analyst

Alfonso has an A.S. in forest engineering from the Universidad Politecnica of Madrid, a B.S. in biology from the Universidad Complutense of Madrid, and a M.S. in environmental management and administration from the Fundación Biodiversidad, all in Spain. He specializes in landscape ecology and connectivity and has over 10 years experience applying GIS to a wide range of environmental consultancy projects. Focus areas include environmental impact assessments, land use change, planning evaluation, forest fires, and ecological flows regimes.

Antonia Price

Project Coordinator

Antonia received an Honors Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Utah, with Undergraduate Research Scholar designation. As the coordinator for the Delaware River Basin Project- Land Use Dynamics, she leads communication efforts in the 43 county region of the DRB, in the form of websites, social media, surveys, and quarterly newsletters. Antonia has a background in community outreach and science education, and enjoys communicating science to diverse audiences.

Joshua Barth

Graduate Student Fellow

Joshua earned an A.S. in Liberal Arts and Sciences from Burlington County College and a B.S. in Geology from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. He is currently pursuing a M.S. in Geoenvironmental Studies at Shippensburg University. Joshua enjoys teaching through nature walks and other outdoor activities and works as an environmental educator at Palmyra Cove Nature Park.

Caitlin Lucas

Student Fellow

Caitlin is a soon-to-be graduate of the Geoenvironmental Studies program with certification in GIS. She has expertise in mapping, and upon May graduation, is pursuing a career in GIS applicable to conservation and environmental remediation. Thus far for the CLUS, Caitlin has gathered GIS-contact data, produced several maps, conducted analysis, and has recently begun researching land use change influenced by energy infrastructure in the Delaware River Basin. She has studied a broad range of topics and has conducted student research in Sea Level Rise in the Eastern Shore Region of Virginia in addition to her research for our team. Caitlin hopes to make an impactful contribution to our projects before her graduation.

Peter Claggett

Research Geographer

Peter is a Research Geographer with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Eastern Geographic Science Center and has worked at the Chesapeake Bay Program Office since 2002. Peter leads the Land Data Team at the CBPO which conducts research on land change characterization, analysis, and modeling in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Peter led the development of the Chesapeake Bay Land Change Model and urban land use data for use in the Phase 5.x watershed models. Currently, Peter is exploring alternative methods for simulating urban growth, initiating a study on the impact of impervious surface patterns on water quality, and pursuing the concept of crediting land-use planning as a “Best Management Practice” in the context of the Bay TMDL from both modeling and policy perspectives.

Jarlath O’Neil-Dunne

Director, UVM Spatial Analysis Laboratory

Jarlath O’Neil-Dunne is the Director of the University of Vermont’s (UVM) Spatial Analysis Laboratory. Over the years his research has focused on the application of geospatial technology to a broad range of natural resource related issues such as environmental justice, wildlife habitat mapping, high-elevation forest decline, land cover change detection, community health, and water quality modeling. Most recently his work has centered on urban ecosystems. The results of his urban tree canopy assessments have been used by dozens of communities to establish tree canopy goals. Jarlath is well known for his expertise in object-based image analysis (OBIA) and speaks regularly on a wide range of geospatial related topics at local, regional, and national conferences.

Timothy Hawkins, Ph.D.

Professor

Dr. Hawkins had a B.A. from Colgate University, and M.A. and Ph.D. from Arizona State University. His primary teaching and research interests are in climatology and hydrology. Most of his research involves students and he make a point to incorporate research results into my classes. Dr. Hawkins is always interested in discussing new projects with motivated students.

Christopher Woltemade, Ph.D.

Professor

Dr. Woltemade has a B.A. in Geography from Ohio Wesleyan University, and an M.S. in Water Resources Management, M.S. in Geography, and Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Wisconsin. His primary interests are in water resources management, hydrology, geomorphology, and stream and wetland restoration.

Patrick Jantz, Ph.D.

Assistant Research Professor

Dr. Jantz studies the relationship between human activities and changes in land use and land cover using geographic information systems (GIS) and spatial analytical tools. His primary interests include the ecosystem impacts of land conversion for residential development, climate change effects on the composition and function of eastern U.S. forests, and the use of data driven climate and land change scenarios to inform management of parks and protected areas. He received his B.S. in Biology from the University of New Mexico and his master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Environmental Science & Management from the Bren School at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

  • Location: Northern Arizona University
  • Website: Link

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