allisondoesthings

a personal website + blog of things that I do and what makes me happy

[allisondoesthings]

First RPubs post. Not sure why it feels important, but it does!

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My master's thesis proposal presentation

proposal presentation

MS THESIS PROPOSAL ALLISON SMITH Supervisory Committee: Dr. Phil Dennison Dr. Mickey Campbell Dr. Matt Thompson, USFS Incorporating visibili

I am pursuing a master of science degree in Geography at the University of Utah. As part of this degree, I have been formulating and researching a topic which will lead to a thesis publication. Due to my interest in geography, environmental management, data science, and remote sensing, as well as the collaborative efforts of my research team, I am focusing my project on wildland firefighter safety.

I was interested in pursuing a master's degree because I would like a career that intellectually challenges me, and where I feel like I make somewhat of a difference in the world. After a bachelor of science degree in Environmental Science and Management and certificates in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Water and Wastewater Operations from Utah Valley University, I got a job as an intern, then a GIS technician at Provo City Power. I had a fantastic start to the professional world of GIS in this position; my work environment was inviting, I enjoyed working for local government, and I learned a lot about electricity systems. However, I knew there was more out there for me in terms of occupational depth and breadth (and pay), so I started reaching out to professors and researchers at universities doing the type of environmental and technology research I was interested in.

After acceptance to a position as a Graduate Researcher in the geography department, I started my project. I have read many academic papers, completed field work, taken classes, and received hours of mentorship as part of this program. I have learned so much throughout this process, and my resume and qualifications have to have at least doubled by now. I presented my thesis proposal at the beginning of the fall 2023 semester, which can be viewed at the link in this post. I am very excited to update my changes, analyses, findings, and discussions in my final thesis report which I will get to write and present at the end of the spring 2023 semester. It has certainly been a challenging process, and I am thankful for it all.

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My first published paper!

Mapping individual tree and plot-level biomass using airborne and mobile lidar in piñon-juniper woodlands

Piñon-juniper (PJ) woodlands are a widespread dryland ecosystem in the US containing an immense but poorly-constrained amount of aboveground

Please check out my first published paper contribution! I was involved with the field work portion of this study as part of my master's degree in geography at the University of Utah. It's always exciting to expand my knowledge of geospatial technologies and evolve in the world of environmental science.