Mark Patterson is an associate professor of geography at KSU with specialties in GIS, Remote Sensing, Spatial Analysis, and Resource Geography. Dr Patterson obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Arizona. He has extensive experience in the use of GIS for tracking, monitoring, analyzing and managing natural resources. For example, he has researched and published on the processes of mapping fire-induced vegetation mortality using remote sensing technologies. His research interest and activities span several countries.
His research interest and activities span several countries. He has investigated the impact of the biophysical environment on rural domestic water supplies in Sulawesi, Indonesia, as well as land cover changes in Mexico from 1970 to 1990. Dr. Patterson is the only ESRI Authorized GIS faculty in the state of Georgia and has provided GIS training to several governmental and non-governmental agencies over the last several years. He has been successful in securing National Science Foundation (NSF) funding and other grants to update the GIS lab at KSU, thus making it one of the most state-of-the-art labs in the country. At present, Dr. Patterson is researching the impact of globalization on forestry resources in central Chile.
Nancy Hoalst Pullen is an Assistant Professor of Geography and GIS Director at Kennesaw State University. She obtained a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Colorado at Boulder and an M.A. in Geography from Indiana State University. She has broad research and teaching interests in physical geography and GIS.
Nancy has recently completed NSF and Smithsonian-funded research that measured and compared soil and hydrologic properties of tropical forests across a global network of long-term research sites in Ecuador, Panama, and Malaysia. Earlier research conducted in the USA and in Namibia explored the spatial and temporal changes in forest dynamics with regards to exotic species encroachment and human perturbations. Nancy’s current research interests include urban forest dynamics, the use of GIS and remote sensing in local government planning, the application of GIS and remote sensing regarding Chile's forestry sector, and how individuals in Latin America perceive the environment.
Nancy has organized and instructed Georgia K-12 teachers in environmental geography and geospatial technologies via the National Geographic Society-funded Georgia Geographic Alliance (GGA) Summer Institute. She has also organized and instructed Colorado middle and high school teachers in aspects of scientific inquiry and field methodologies at the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) station in Niwot, Colorado via support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). At KSU, Nancy has taught a variety of courses in physical geography, human geography, cartography and GIS, and is the co-director of an intensive study abroad program to the Andes of Bolivia and Peru.
Dr. Jun Tu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and Anthropology and the Interdisciplinary Program of Environmental Studies. Dr. Tu received his Ph.D. degree in Earth and Environmental Sciences (Geography Specialization) from the Graduate Center of The City University of New York, and his M.E. and B.S. in Earth Science from Nanjing University, China. He had worked as an environmental scientist in Nanjing, China for five years before coming to the U.S.
His teaching interests include physical geography, environmental studies, and GIS application. Current research interests include the integration of GIS, spatial statistics, and modeling with environmental studies, and the impact of urbanization on natural environment and public health. He has published more than 20 papers in peer-reviewed journals such as Science of the Total Environment, Environmental Management, and Atmospheric Research on various environmental topics ranging from air quality in china and water quality in Massachusetts, to environmental health in New York City.
Mario Giraldo came to Kennesaw State University from University of Georgia where he obtained a Ph.D in 2007 studying remote sensing of soil moisture in complex landscapes. His M.Sc is also from UGA in 2003 working with environmental applications of Remote sensors and Geographic information systems to study land use planning, sustainable agriculture and decision making process.
Dr. Giraldo’s current research interest include the analysis of complex landscapes for soil moisture, the study of coupled human-environment system in the tropical Andes for fresh water supply and the expressions of climate change in local systems. His international experiences include four years of work as Research Fellow with Inter-American Development Bank and the national center for coffee research in Colombia, a couple of summers of field work with EARTH University in Costa Rica and two years of teaching experience in a Colombian university. He has authored 5 peer review articles in the field of tropical biodiversity and presented his research in more than 20 national and international conferences; his research in biodiversity was feature in the cover of the peer reviewed Colombian Plant Pathology Journal.
Other research projects includes, working in a research team with the Medical College of Georgia in mapping colon cancer in Georgia and with the Geo-technology lab in UGA-NESPAL, mapping land use change in the Georgia Coast. Dr. Giraldo’s teaching interests includes cartography, Geographic information science, and environmental remote sensing and lower division courses in bio geography and physical geography.
Uli Ingram is a GIS and geography instructor at Kennesaw State University. She has an undergraduate degree in international affairs from KSU, and a Master's degree in geography from Georgia State University.
Uli's Master's thesis examines the appeal of mega-churches in metro Atlanta, and includes a spatial analysis of the distance mega-church attendees are willing to drive to their church. Uli has worked in the field of GIS, specifically utility mapping for more than six years. She is proficient in several GIS software applications, including the ESRI arcGIS suite, Miner and Miner's ArcFM, and PDA's Origin extensions.
Diana Estrada, GISP is the GIS Manager for Pond & Company, as well as a GIS instructor at Kennesaw State University, and a member of the GISCI Review and Outreach committees. She is a Systems Engineer and holds master's degrees in Spatial Analysis and Transportation Engineering from Georgia Tech.
Ms. Estrada has over 19 years experience in the application of Information Management services, and 18 years specializing in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). She has extensive experience in the application of GIS technology and Data Management to various engineering, planning, and information management projects.
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