Where are you from? 

I am originally from an agriculture town in Northern California. I have spent the last 20 years in Idaho, and most recently moved to Sydney, Australia.

What do you do?  

I am a professor inspired by the great students and colleagues I work with. My field of remote sensing research is an interdisciplinary blend of environmental science and engineering. I work on emerging technologies with remote sensing, while also applying these technologies to real-world problems such as vegetation and landscape change from fire and drought.

How do you use GLOBE Observer?  

My students and I intend to use the tree height data to improve remote sensing estimates of biomass and aboveground carbon in the aftermath of the 2019-2020 Australian bushfires.

How do you plan to use GLOBE Observer in the future?

In the short term, I plan to promote the NASA GLOBE Observer's Citizen Science April 2020 “Trees Challenge 2020: Make Every Tree Count” along with partners in Australia.

Why is citizen science important to you?  

Citizen science is important to me because it is inclusive and provides hope for a healthy planet. Citizen science data enriches the research process and promotes innovation! Citizen science is realized with individuals, as well as with communities, and it can bring people together. For example, the collected data can help make a connection between academics and the community to jointly address a real world problem.

What advice do you have for people just getting into citizen science?  

Find a topic that you are passionate about and use it as an opportunity to have a conversation with others you don’t know. You can even make a social event out of it, for example, a hackathon, hike or other meetup.

What do you do for fun? 

I love to be in the outdoors and travel with my family. We spend time mountain biking and skate skiing in France and Idaho, and most recently learning how to swim (effectively) in the open ocean. I still have a long way to go….

What inspires you? 

My kids, students and colleagues inspire me! I am so grateful for the way they challenge me and I take pride in working alongside them.

Any favorite quote(s) that you would like to share?

Do something wonderful, people may imitate it   -Albert Schweitzer