Josh Enterkine (a geoscience and remote-sensing researcher at Boise State University, and the lead author of “The potential of citizen science data to complement satellite and airborne lidar tree height measurements: lessons from The GLOBE Program”) joined NASA Senior Earth Science Specialist, Brian Campbell to speak about himself and his love for research work. Please view the video above to learn more about him and his research or read the short summary below.

Summary:

Enterkine’s research interests include snow science, ecology, and semi-arid ecosystems. He studies remote sensing techniques like airborne laser scanning in space-based atmospheres (i.e. ICESat-2 and other satellites), and terrestrial based lasers (i.e. drones).

When beginning a research project, Enterkine first determines if the project is data driven, (meaning that there is data that has already been collected and is ready for analysis) or if it poses a question in which case the data needs to be collected. After gauging where the project lies on this spectrum, other data, information, collaborators, or resources needed will be decided upon. When it comes to organizing his research (although it can vary from project to project and depending on the number of collaborators), data is shared with the team via a folder filing system for collective collaboration on the documents.

Then, once the data is sorted, Enterkine starts to draw conclusions. Depending on what is being “asked for” from the data (i.e. is the data going to be presented, or is the data for a larger project), Enterkine uses a visual-based drawing system, working with his collaborators,to develop figures (such as charts and graphs) to make sense of the data. These figures help develop the “story” within a presentation, drawing questions, conclusions, and vital feedback from the data.

Enterkine has spent the past few years working in research-based teams, where he enjoys collaborating with others to process the data — cleaning it up to create a clear, presentable product. Conversely, drawing conclusions and actively thinking about the data are steps he finds the most difficult.

For those interested in research, Enterkine recommends that one should not grow fixated on the steps or whether or not the project is going “well” but instead to try to enjoy and engage in the science.

Enterkine’s paper “The potential of citizen science data to complement satellite and airborne lidar tree height measurements: lessons from The GLOBE Program” can be read at: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ac77a2.

PDF version at: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ac77a2/pdf.

Visit Enterkine’s LinkedIn, at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-enterkine-4461a536/.