Page 34 - The Bell Tower - Fall 2014

FACULTYHIGHLIGHTS ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHTS
Hobbins Selected For Unique Program
University of Maine at Fort
Kent Professor of Forestry and Environmental Studies Dave Hobbins has been selected as one of only 18 faculty, nationwide, to par- ticipate in an Integrated Geospatial Education and Technology Training (iGETT) grant. The grant is awarded by the National Council for Geographic Education with funding from the National Science Foundation and with the support
of NASA.
The purpose of the grant program is to “meet the growing workforce demand for technical-level remote sensing skills by providing professional development and instructional resources.” Participants receive training and in return develop fur- ther training materials in remote sensing that will be delivered online.
One key purpose is to train remote sensing technicians, a new occupational code created by the U.S. Department of Labor.
As a participant of the 18-member cohort, Hobbins is obligated to take two, online courses this spring, attend iGETT training sessions this June and again in June 2015. He also will develop online
training modules that will be used by stu- dents interested in learning remote sens- ing; present findings at conferences; and collaborate within his cohort on a monthly basis via teleconferencing during the next two years.
“I am very excited about this oppor- tunity,” said Professor Hobbins. “I will be very busy, but the idea of training at a NASA facility and expanding my remote sensing skills is exciting, as well. I plan to use this opportunity to develop new lab exercises for three of my courses.”
Hobbins noted that he also has been in touch with faculty at the Region Two (Houlton, Maine) Forestry program to col- laborate on developing a GIS course.
“We have a long running articulation with that school, which I hope to expand fur- ther,” Hobbins added.
iGETT Remote Sensing is a professional
development program for faculty who teach Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
Hands-on instruction focuses on: • Identifying, downloading, and analyzing federal land remote
sensing data
• Integrating remote sensing data
with GIS to solve practical problems
• Addressing technician-level work-
force needs
Topical applications include agricul-
ture, biodiversity, climate change, disaster management, environmental science, forestry, urban planning, and water man- agement. Instruction is based on skills and competencies that are aligned with indus- try needs, as identified by the National Science Foundation-funded GeoTech Center in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Labor. Training materials and student exercises developed by the project will be publicly available on the iGETT Remote Sensing web site.
iGETT Remote Sensing was funded
in 2012 with a grant from the National Science Foundation (DUE# 1205069)
to the National Council for Geographic Education, in collaboration with the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, the U.S. Geological Survey Landsat Project, and
the GeoTech Center. It builds on the suc- cess of the first iGETT project, conducted 2007–2012. New participants will be wel- come members of an active Community of Practice established during that time.
GRAHAM ACCEPTS NEW POSITION
Shawn Graham has accepted the position as assistant professor of human services at the University of Maine at Fort Kent campus.
Graham joined UMFK in 2007 working in the TRIO Student Support Services program as counselor/accessibility coordinator and as an adjunct instructor.
In addition to his work at UMFK, Graham also works as a mental health therapist and sub- stance abuse counselor for Life by Design in Fort Kent. He brings 20 years of experience in the human services field and is conditionally licensed as a clinical therapist and certified as an alcohol and drug counselor.
Graham graduated from UMFK in 1997 and obtained a Master of Science in Counseling Rehabilitation from the University of Southern Maine in 2011.
Over the course his career, Shawn has worked with diverse populations in a variety of settings.
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