Contact: Bob Ratliff
Six Mississippi State students are among 14 awarded 2002-03 Graduate Studies in Remote Sensing Fellowships by the Mississippi Space Commerce Initiative.
The university scholars include Derek Emerine of Benton, Mo., Amber Kelley of Elkmont, Ala., Jennifer Murray of Bartlett, Tenn., Amanda Nelson of Moss Point, Mark Smith of Washington, Mich., and Mary Love Tagert of Kilmichael.
Based at the John C. Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, MSCI is a consortium of government agencies, businesses and universities working to develop, commercialize and expand the state's remote sensing industry. Remote sensing refers to the use of satellites and aircraft to gather information on land use, vegetation, moisture, and other characteristics of an area.
The $22,000 annual awards recognize the achievements of master's and doctoral degree students involved in research related to the needs of industry. This year's eight other scholarship recipients attend the universities of Mississippi and Southern Mississippi.
"Our fellowship program aims to help meet the growing demand for a well-educated, qualified and trained workforce for Mississippi's expanding geospatial industry," said MSCI executive director Allan Falconer. "The research performed by our graduate fellows is being well received at regional and national levels."
Emerine, a master's degree candidate in agronomy, is researching the use of remote sensing to improve fertilization efficiency in cotton.
Kelly is completing a master's in entomology. Her research involves the use of remote sensing to identify areas of nematode infestation in cotton fields.
Murray is a doctoral student in entomology who is developing uses for remote sensing and other spatial technologies for insect control in corn and soybeans.
Nelson is pursuing a master's degree in biological engineering. She is combining past hurricane data with remote sensing and geographical information systems to develop methods for determining hurricane evacuation routes, wetlands mapping and other procedures related to sea-level rise.
Smith is a doctoral student in wildlife and fisheries who is using high resolution imagery with habitat assessments and farm-scale conservation planning.
Tagert, a doctoral student in plant and soil sciences, is combining pre-existing data and imagery with new remote sensing data to develop predictive models for the effects of land-use changes on surface water quality.
"The MSCI Fellowship program offers students the opportunity to conduct research focused on topics important to Mississippi businesses," said MSU Remote Sensing Technologies Center deputy director Chuck Hill. "It also enables them to complete a project that can have a positive impact on the emerging remote sensing industry."