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MEET OUR
Faculty

Our faculty are outstanding educators and geospatial professionals committed to creating an engaging, inclusive learning environment.

Our Faculty

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Anthony Robison
PROGRAM LEAD
Director of Online Geospatial Education / Associate Professor of Geography
he/him/his

I am a cartographer who focuses on improving the utility and usability of geographic information through the development of user-centered visualization systems and methods.

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Qassim Abdullah
Adjunct Instructor

I am Vice President and Chief Scientist for Woolpert, Inc., where I am responsible for designing and managing strategic programs to develop and implement new remote sensing technologies.

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Amy Avery-Grubel
Adjunct Instructor
she/her/hers

I have an abiding interest in spatial relationships and the technologies that provide deep analysis, and I interact with spatial, social, and technological relationships daily.

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Todd Bacastow
Teaching Professor

My primary focus is teaching geospatial analysts. As such, I maintain an active research program aimed at improving the education and professional preparation of the analyst.

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Ryan Baxter
Associate Teaching Professor

In addition to teaching, I engage in research on agricultural land use and energy production and lead the development of large spatial data management systems and online data access portals. 

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Matt Beaty
Adjunct Instructor
he/him/his

I work for the Australian Climate Service supporting disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and resilience. My work surrounds natural hazards/climate risk and health geography.

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Photo of Amy Burnicki
Associate Teaching Professor

I am a geographer and GIScientist with an interest in spatial data analysis, spatial statistics and quantitative modeling. My work integrates GIScience technologies and quantitative methods to quantify and model landscape patterns.

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Harrison Cole headshot
Postdoctoral Scholar
he/him

I am a cartographer interested in UX/UI, design, art, biogeography, and climate change. I am currently launching the latest iteration of PSU Geography's cartographic production laboratory.

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Mark Corson
Adjunct Instructor

I love teaching geographic foundations of geospatial intelligence. I’ll learn as much from you as you’ll learn from me. We’ll learn together. 

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Pete Croswell
Adjunct Instructor

I work with GIS and IT assessment, planning, and implementation assistance. I provide consulting, advisory, and project management services to clients in government and the private sector.

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Jim Detwiler
Associate Teaching Professor

I specialize in geospatial programming and web map development and am particularly interested in the application of geospatial technology to weather- and climate-related projects.

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David DiBiase
Adjunct Instructor

I am an educator and lifelong student of the "Geospatial Technology Industry." I founded the Penn State World Campus online certificate and master’s degree programs in GIS.

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Brad Doorn
Adjunct Instructor

I seek to connect remote sensing and geospatial data to important challenges of our nation and world.

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Brandi Gaertner
Assistant Teaching Professor
she/her/hers

I am a climate change hydrologist and GIS analyst with a research focus on evaluating climate change’s historical and future impacts on surface streamflow and climate variables.

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Panagiotis Gianakkis
Assistant Teaching Professor
he/him/his

My interests lie at the intersection of Economic Geography, Strategic Management, and Social Networks and the relationship between organizational and physical and/or social network space.

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Adrienne Goldsberry
Assistant Teaching Professor

I am interested in geography and environmental education, urban planning, and the design and use of public parks and spaces. I am a former urban planner with experience in several US states.

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Amy Griffin
Adjunct Instructor

Amy's research interests include investigating the perceptual and cognitive processes involved in map reading and applications of GIS to historical geography.

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Steve Handwerk
Assistant Teaching Professor

Although I have a U.S. Defense Dept. background, I'm interested in all aspects and applications of geospatial intelligence.

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Hans Karl Heidemann
Adjunct Instructor

Karl is a long-standing and active member of ASPRS and currently serves as the Chair of the Lidar Certification Review Committee. He has been a contributor to major industry publications and has conducted innumerable workshops and classes in lidar in both the public and private sectors.

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Carolynne Hultquist
Adjunct Instructor

Carolynne's research involves the development of computational methods for spatio-temporal analysis and modeling of vulnerability to hazards. She has over 15 years of experience with geospatial technology, and experience designing and teaching both in-person and online geospatial courses.

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David Jimenez
Adjunct Instructor

My interests are in law enforcement intelligence, homeland security, and national security

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Fritz Kessler
Teaching Professor
He/Him/His

My academic interests fall in the realm of cartography. Specifically, I am interested in datums and map projections.

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Beth King
Associate Teaching Professor / Assistant Program Manager for Online Geospatial Education

I am a geospatial analyst experienced with GIS in utility mapping and rural addressing. I am interested in projects that use geospatial knowledge and tools to solve problems internationally.

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Jeff Kling
Adjunct Instructor

My interests lie in GIS development and utilizing various programming languages to create custom software and data ETL processes for both spatial and non-spatial applications.

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Jimmy Kroon
Adjunct Instructor

I am interested in expanding the use of GIS and other technologies, streamlining tasks through automation for efficiency and accuracy, and increasing data accessibility for non-GIS users.

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Cris Livecchi
Adjunct Instructor
he/him/his

I work at the intersection of home, mobility, and militarization. I'm interested in archaeological discourses and nationalism, the cultural landscapes of the Cold War, and the spatial uncanny.

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James O'Brien
Adjunct Instructor

James is also Chief Geospatial Scientist at Risk Frontiers, a consultancy specializing in catastrophe loss modeling, climate risk and resilience located in Sydney, Australia. His research interests are concerned with the integration of physical and social science factors in modeling risk and vulnerability.

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Nathan Piekielek
Geospatial Services Librarian / Associate Professor of Geography
he/him/his

My diverse interests span the fields of GIScience and remote sensing, historical cartography, landscape ecology and conservation, human geography and mapping, and academic librarianship.

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Karen Schuckman
Associate Teaching Professor

My goal is to provide a meaningful curriculum to educate the current and future workforce and enable the use of remote sensing technology for the betterment of society and our planet.

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JB Sharma
Adjunct Instructor

My research interests include high spatial resolution multi-sensor remote sensing, GEOBIA, UAV mapping applications and modeling of Earth surface processes.

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Dan Steiner
Adjunct Instructor

I have certification and solid experience in geodesy, cartography, cultural and political geography, remote sensing, and progressive uses of geographic information systems

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Marcela Suárez
Assistant Teaching Professor
she/her/hers

I aim to understand how new and novel forms of data can be used together with authoritative geographic data to inform how social and environmental phenomena are experienced at a local scale.

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Leanne Suwelski
Adjunct Instructor

I am a geographer and a current GEOINT practitioner. My research interests include migration trends and techniques for creating effective spatial visualizations.

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Greg Thomas
Associate Teaching Professor

I teach from an analytical perspective and am interested in criminal intelligence analysis and geospatial intelligence, especially related to organized crime and terrorism.  

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Michael Thomas
Adjunct Instructor

I work at the intersection of cyber and geography. ICT items in the "cloud" have locations. Knowing where they are located varies and reflects other aspects of the human geography of the host country.

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Jan Oliver Wallgrun
Adjunct Instructor

I work on various problems of GIScience research. Currently, that involves the application of immersive technologies (virtual and augmented reality) for spatial data analysis and education.

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Michelle Zeiders
Assistant Teaching Professor

My expertise lies in building geospatial data and implementing analysis workflows that support GIS-based solutions for many industries, including government, utilities, and conservation.

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