People

Rebecca is a rural studies and agrifood system scholar. Using a range of methodological approaches, she examines how experiences with environmental and agrifood system change are shaped by inequality and marginalization.

Jodi is the leader of LUL@BSU — the Land Use Lab at Boise State University. She is a land-use scientist who studies landscape change and its drivers, and the impacts of landscape change on biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Megan is interested in how interacting anthropogenic and biophysical factors alter disturbance regimes and subsequent recovery, and in evaluating the efficacy of intervention options in increasing social-ecological resilience.

Vicken studies human behavioral and institutional change in environmental contexts, using quantitative surveys, behavioral experiments, computational modeling, and social-ecological network analysis.

Kelly studies how environmental and social changes are affecting ecosystems and rural livelihoods, particularly in mountain and pastoral regions.

Matt is a conservation scientist interested in understanding how the interactions between people, their environment, and the institutions that govern them inspire (or inhibit) conservation action and how that impacts their effectiveness.

Clara researches the conservation of desert ecosystems and rare and endemic plants. She uses remote sensing and GIS, fieldwork, and a social-ecological-systems framework to think about how climate adaptation can give ecosystems a resilient future with climate change.
Advised by Dr. Hopping.

Meg’s research interests include social-ecological systems and disturbance ecology. Her current research focuses on understanding the spatio-temporal dimensions of human built infrastructure development and wildfire in sagebrush ecosystems. Meg is advised by Dr. Megan Cattau.

Education: Graduate Certificate in Human-Environment Systems, Boise State University; Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Analysis, Boise State University; Sc Biodiversity, Conservation and Management, University of Oxford; BSc (Honors) Physical Geography, Royal Holloway University of London

Committee: Rebecca Som Castellano

Sky’s interests include land management, ecosystem restoration, ecological resilience, and remote sensing. Sky’s current research involves using UAS remote sensing to address questions about resilience of western U.S. forests. Sky is advised by Dr. Megan Cattau.

Committee: Megan Cattau, Allison Simler-Williamson, and Jennifer Forbey

Sarah examines questions related to large-scale conservation of socioecological systems. She develops tools for local stakeholders and the public to make informed policy decisions regarding farmland preservation. She is advised by Dr. Brandt.

Richie’s research interests include land management, restoration ecology, and how to increase soil carbon sequestration on public lands. He studies soil carbon storage and its connection to plant functional groups at seven of Boise’s Open Space Reserves. Richie is co-advised by Dr. Marie-Anne de Graaff (Biology) and Dr. Kelly Hopping.

Carolyn is broadly interested in land cover change and nature’s benefits to people. Her current research examines agricultural lands and farmland loss using an ecosystem services framework. Carolyn is advised by Dr. Jodi Brandt.

Nick’s focus is on using remote sensing techniques to evaluate human-environment interactions. Land systems often have measurable effects on the landscape key to issues surrounding resource use, human welfare, and conservation efforts. He aims to contribute to interdisciplinary research that helps guide decision-making at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Nick is advised by Dr. Brandt.

Molly is interested in the social dynamics that influence the management of socio-ecological systems over space and time. She is particularly interested in the processes of collaboration and conflict, and how these processes are impacted by ecological disturbance. Molly is advised by Dr. Vicken Hillis.

Brittanie’s research interests include population ecology and generating usable science . Their current research involves working with multiple stakeholders from non-profit organizations, universities, and state and federal agencies to generate usable science with the goal of aiding the conservation of a rare Idaho native species. Brittanie is advised by Dr. Jay Carlisle and Dr. Megan Cattau.

Erik is interested in applied science for climate adaptation, and is researching the benefits of mesic restoration on agricultural lands. He uses spatial analysis with remotely sensed data to answer questions regarding carbon sequestration.

Haley focuses on the application of social science theory to natural resource issues. She currently studies how people-place relationships influence public attitudes toward landscape and community change. Haley is advised by Dr. Kelly Hopping.

Mallory’s research interests include land management, geomorphology, dendrochronology, and climate change. She is currently engaged in researching the connections between disturbance and the expansion of western juniper. Mallory is advised by Dr. Megan Cattau and Dr. Jen Pierce.

Education: BS Geology with minors in Forestry and Sustainability, Iowa State University

Committee: Megan Cattau, Jen Pierce, David Wilkins, and Dave Huber

Juan’s interests include remote sensing techniques, machine learning, and deep learning to investigate carbon sequestration dynamics across various land coverings. Juan is advised by Dr. Brandt.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering, Universidad del Cauca, Colombia; MS Geomatics, Universidad del Cauca, Colombia

Maddi’s research interests include sustainable land management, managing for multiple objectives, and how changing environmental and social conditions affect the relationship between humans and the environment. She currently studies sheep grazing to target invasive vegetation in Idaho’s Wood River Valley region. Maddi is advised by Dr. Kelly Hopping.

Kloe’s research interests include plant ecology, invasive species management, and sustainable multiple-use land management practices. Kloe is an incoming graduate student studying the relationship between targeted sheep grazing and plant species composition. Kloe is advised by Dr. Kelly Hopping.

Zaldi’s interest revolves around Spatial Analysis, Remote Sensing, Mapping, Unoccupied Aerial Systems (UAS), and Invasive Species. Align with the interest mentioned, his current research is about mapping the invasive species using UAS which incorporates spatiotemporal analysis which ultimately helps us to predict and classify the invasive species occurrence on the landscape. Zaldi is advised by Dr. Megan Cattau.

Education: Master of Environmental Science and Management (MESM), University of Rhode Island; Graduate Certificate in GIS and Remote Sensing, University of Rhode Island; BS Agriculture Product Technology, Syiah Kuala University

Committee: Trevor Caughlin, Jodi Brandt, and Peter Olsoy

Emily is a fluvial geomorphologist who uses field data and remote sensing to investigate the structure and function of river corridors. She is interested in characterizing natural environments to inform and improve restoration and management practices. She has her PhD and MS in Geosciences from Colorado State University, and her BS in Biological Systems Engineering from the University of California, Davis.

Kelsey is a natural resource and environmental economist working on research at the intersection of forest and land management, climate change adaptation, and ecosystem service provision.

Holly K. Nesbitt is an environmental social scientist studying how people collectively adapt to large-scale environmental change. She focuses her research on interactions within social-ecological systems, socio-cognitions that motivate collective behavior, and how social relations and networks influence conservation. She uses interdisciplinary quantitative social science methods and works in several different contexts including community resilience to wildfire, rangeland management, and human-wildlife coexistence.

My background is in environmental and geoinformation sciences. My research uses remote sensing and spatial analysis to measure and monitor natural resources especially water resources. 

Briana is a social-ecological systems scientist that studies how land is governed and the consequences for rural communities and ecosystems. She integrates methods from geography, ecology, and the social sciences to understand and promote sustainable land management.