Congratulations to Daniel Kraemer for successfully defending his dissertation, which is titled: Context is Everything: Advancing Earthquake Social Vulnerability Models Through Identifying Local and Hazard-Specific Drivers
Research
Professor Rojas-Sandoval: Using AI to predict biological invasions
Dr. Julissa Rojas-Sandoval’s current research about using AI to predict biological invasions is the focus of a post on the UConn Today site. Read the full story here: today.uconn.edu/2025/10/a-new-ai-based-method-to-help-prevent-biological-invasions
Sydney Clements successfully defends her dissertation
Congratulations to Sydney Clements for successfully defending her dissertation, which is titled: Distributing Equity: An Analysis of Existing Food Hub Distribution Models in Connecticut.
Prof. Dan Wanyama featured in UConn Today article about GIS Training and Conservation
Assistant Professor-in-Residence Dan Wanyama and a group of his closest friends and colleagues have collaborated to share their expertise with sustainability and conservation scholars and specialists in Africa. They developed a free advanced Geographic Information System (GIS) training program that is attracting interest from around the globe.
The full story can be found here: today.uconn.edu/2025/09/snapshot-a-unique-collaboration-helps-boost-conservation-with-gis-training
Congcong Miao: Using StreetView images for transport safety research
Google Street View images are digital snapshots of real streets, widely used for navigation and urban planning. Congcong Miao, a PhD student in GSCU, recently published a study in Journal of Transport Geography analyzing how people’s perceptions of street design affect transport safety. The study suggests emotional reactions to streetscapes can lead to non-motorist crashes and could help cities predict danger zones and design safer roads.
The study has been covered by several media outlets, including State Smart Transportation Initiative (SSTI) and Streetsblog USA.
Professor Debs Ghosh receives InCHIP research excellence award
Congratulations to Professor Debs Ghosh for receiving the InCHIP Excellence Award for Research on Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities and Health Outcomes of Racism.
GSCU students receive 2025 UConn SURF Awards
Congratulations to GIS major Katherine Patrick and UCS minor Rafe Kimball for each receiving a 2025 Summer Undergraduate Research Fund (SURF) Award.
Katherine will work with faculty mentor Dr. Dan Wanyama on a project titled: Proposing Spatially Explicit Land Suitability Models for Orphan Crops to Support Food Security Initiatives in East Africa.
Rafe Kimball will work with faculty mentor Dr. Phil Birge-Liberman on a project titled: Examining The Perceived Nutritional Environment in the North End of Hartford.
The SURF program is jointly sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Research, the Provost’s Office, the Office of the Vice President for Research, the Honors Program, donors to the university, and the Deans of the Schools and Colleges.
InCHIP Scholars Lead Conversations at Moving Beyond Implications: Research into Policy Conference
Peter Chen, a UConn associate professor in the Department of Geography, Sustainability, Community, and Urban Studies, and his collaborator Rachel Smith Hale, assistant director of Research on Resilient Cities, Racism, and Equity (RRCRE) at UConn Hartford, demonstrated how web GIS can be used to communicate project outcomes and community services through two case studies that leveraged GIS at the the 2nd annual Moving Beyond Implications: Research into Policy conference on December 12, 2024.
Hale spoke about the Love Your Block Story Map, which documented a city-wide effort to provide mini grants to support urban beautification and renewal projects in Hartford. Chen discussed how the Windham Life project enhanced information sharing about food pantries, meal programs, transportation resources, and other food resources for Windham County residents.
“Not only are GIS maps a fantastic tool for evaluation and analysis for policymakers and planners, but they are also intuitive tools for communicating with the public,” said Hale. “We suggest collaborating with universities to leverage GIS in identifying patterns within socioeconomic, infrastructure, and environmental data, and providing funding to GIS-based community projects.”
GSCU Student Sydney Clements Named Switzer Fellow For Environmental Studies
Sydney Clements ’16 (CLAS), a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Geography, Sustainability, Community, and Urban Studies, was named a Fellow of the Robert & Patricia Switzer Foundation for applied science, academic research, policy, and environmental activism.
Clements’ research is focused on the intersection of food access, farmer viability, and environmental sustainability. She is currently studying best practices for network food hubs to build a more sustainable and fair local food system in Connecticut.
The Robert & Patricia Switzer Foundation is a national network that identifies and nurtures environmental leaders to create positive environmental change. This year, Clements is one of 24 Switzer Fellows to join the network of over 750 environmental leaders across the United States.
Aaron Adams successfully Defends his Dissertation
Congratulations to Aaron Adams for successfully defending his dissertation, which is titled: Spatial Perspectives on COVID-19: Lessons for Future Pandemic Preparedness.