Geography of Water Resources

As Professor of Geography and Ecology in the Department of Geography at the Pennsylvania State University, and Director and Founder of Riparia, a Center where science informs policy and practice, I have worked in wetlands science and wildlife ecology for over 30 years, developing a widely recognized and integrated program of education, research and outreach. I have taught over a dozen different undergraduate wildlife courses and graduate courses in the ecology and management of wetlands, physical geography, field geography, wildlife management and conservation, and restoration ecology. Since 1978, I have published over 125 technical papers, books, and book chapters and presented over 165 technical presentations at conferences and meetings.

As a member of Riparia - formerly the Penn State Cooperative Wetlands Institute- I'm part of a research group that focuses on science to inform policy and practice. My education, background, and current research projects all center around hydrology, but frequently branch off into other related topics. This spring and summer I'll be finishing up or continuing work on the following projects within Riparia and with other interdisciplinary groups at Penn State:

I graduated from Duke University with a B.S. in Biology in 2012. Afterwards I worked as a field technician on multiple research projects in Northern Minnesota, Equatorial Guinea, Florida, and the Pacific Northwest. Being immersed in these landscapes fostered my current interests in landscape ecology, fire ecology, and disturbance ecology. In particular, I became aware of how certain areas of a forest would rebound from fire, while recovery in other areas seemed compromised. I began to wonder during long days in the field: What drives spatial patterns of forest regeneration? How do we know if these forests will ever fully recover? It was these questions (which are very geographical!) that encouraged me to enroll as a graduate student in the Geography Department.