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Expertise
Regional landscape analysis is the application of computer-based Geographic Information System (GIS) technology to landscape planning and natural resource management in the form of descriptive and predictive models for land use suitability, site selection, route selection, and environmental impact assessment.
Click here to view my curriculum vita.
Affiliations
Responsibilities
undergraduate students and graduate students.
Along with these teaching responsibilities, I advise undergraduate students, teach graduate thesis tutorials, serve as major professor, direct thesis research, and serve on graduate students' program of study committees.
I also have been
a member of the college computer committee, graduate college cabinet, university
curriculum committee, university computer committee, university computer
fee allocation committee, university remote sensing committee, and university
GIS committee.
I served as interim chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture in 1991-92. In addition, I assist government land management agencies in developing and applying geographic information systems to landscape planning projects. My assistance has taken the form of extension service consulting, studio projects, and funded research, through both the Department of Landscape Architecture and the Department of Agronomy.
outreach projects in regional landscape
analysis through the application of digital Geographic Information System
(GIS) technology. Projects emphasize landscape planning and natural resource
management using descriptive and predictive GIS models for land use suitability,
site selection, route selection, and environmental impact assessment. My role
is to integrate applications of GIS technology in research on soil resource
management and landscape planning.
Five current or recent research and outreach projects include (1) predictive archaeological
site GIS modeling in the Raccoon River Greenbelt in Dallas County and in
Camp Dodge in Johnston, (2) GIS descriptive modeling of historic vegetation
in Iowa using Government Land Office maps and notes, (3) GIS modeling of
alternative floodplain land uses and management in the deep loess region
of Southwest Iowa, (4) Iowa wetlands and riparian areas conservation
plan, and
(5) GIS descriptive modeling 
of agricultural
land use changes in Iowa. Research is sponsored by the Dallas County Conservation Board, Iowa
Department of Natural Resources, Iowa Department
of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa National Guard, Iowa Legislative
Service Bureau, Golden Hills Resource Conservation and
Development, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, US Environmental Protection
Agency, and others.
Professional mission
My
teaching, service, outreach,
and research activities have been guided by the belief that
successful integration of all three through applied projects brings valuable
benefits to students, Iowa State University programs, the people of Iowa, and
resource planning and management professionals. As a member of two departments,
I have a special opportunity to integrate soil survey information and landscape
planning through research, then share the results through teaching and outreach
activities.
Students benefit by working on integrated research and outreach projects that
enrich their academic experiences and, at the same time, contribute to enhanced
environmental quality in Iowa. 
ISU programs benefit through increased
interdisciplinary capabilities that provide quality educational experiences and
increased capacity for research using computer and communication technology. The
people of Iowa benefit through resource planning assistance with the goal of
improving environmental quality in Iowa and the quality of life for Iowans.
Resource management professionals benefit through assistance in transferring and
applying appropriate technology, and strengthening their abilities to apply
Geographic Information System (GIS) tools to complex issues in Iowa and
elsewhere.
My teaching in landscape design, landscape planning, construction, computer
graphics, and research methods emphasizes hands-on tools and techniques,
supported by a complete grounding in supporting concepts and professional
procedures. My research in Geographic Information Systems emphasizes development
and applications of computer and communication technology to resource planning
and management throughout the state. 
My outreach activities in landscape
planning and soil resource management provide technical assistance to resource
professionals who face real-world problems in their resource planning and
management responsibilities. I believe that my emphasis on creative, practical,
problem-solving approaches to meeting the needs of students, residents, and
resource professionals provides the maximum benefits to Iowa State University,
especially the Department of Landscape Architecture, Department of Agronomy,
College of Design, and College of Agriculture.
My professional mission is to successfully integrate teaching, research, and outreach in a way that benefits students and project sponsors. That is, students, resource planning and management professionals, and residents of Iowa all gain from projects in my classes and from my research and outreach activities. I believe, as Ernest Boyer describes in Scholarship Revisited (1990), that diverse functions of scholarship are complementary, not competitive.
More specifically,
my professional mission is to offer assistance to
students, the profession, and residents of Iowa in the areas of landscape
planning, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), computer graphics,
environmental
stewardship, resource management, research methods,
writing skills, graduate
education, student employment, design and planning processes, international
practice, public practice, and academic practice.
An important part of my professional mission is to be a positive role model for students. I strive to "practice what I preach," especially in quality of work, personal responsibility, maturity, respect for others, completing tasks, meeting commitments, and performing professional and community service. My expectations for students are as high as for my own work
My integrated approach to teaching, research, and outreach allows me to directly share ideas between disciplines through my joint appointment in Landscape Architecture and Agronomy. In this role, I serve as a conduit and translator of ideas between landscape planning and soil resource management. Both incorporate applied sciences that combine quantitative and qualitative aspects of land use.
My integrated approach also allows me to successfully maintain an intensive and active symbiotic relationship between teaching responsibilities and research and outreach projects. I have been successful in integrating a large amount of my research and outreach results directly into teaching. I have also been successful in integrating student ideas, questions, and participation into my research and outreach projects. I enjoy bringing research sponsors and outreach clients together with students because of the mutual benefits of student-sponsor-client interaction.
Significant
accomplishmentsTeaching, service, outreach, and service are all important in my professional mission. These diverse activities of scholarship are complementary, not competitive, as Ernest Boyer described in Scholarship Revisited (1990). My area of excellence is
To document and exemplify my integration of teaching with research and
outreach, I described significant accomplishments in the following four
categories:
On each of the four pages, links between these and other pages indicate how I have successfully integrated teaching with research and outreach.
Personal
I enjoy working with public school students in the community, especially
those involved in chorus, band, track, and environmental education activities. I am an active member of Collegiate United Methodist Church,
particularly in music, youth, Scout, and property activities.
I enjoy traveling and photography, particularly in the Rocky Mountains, Alaska, and Hawaii. My primary hobby is performing in music ensembles. Currently, I perform in Collegiate Brass (quintet), Music Men (quintet), Music Antiqua (Renaissance music collegium), Oompah-Meisters (polka band), Ames Municipal Band, Collegiate Chancel Choir, and Wesley Hall Jazz Band. Occasionally, I perform with the Central Iowa Symphony, Morrie Powers Jazz Band, and the von Anderson Family.
During June, 2000, I toured northern Germany with the ISU Chamber Singers and Music Men. Three choirs from Germany and the Symphony Orchestra from Kaliningrad, Russia, also participated. The four concerts were planned to help support and publicize restoration of the Konigsberg Cathedral, located in Kaliningrad.
Last update: 10 February 2009
Background
