Experts: Science + Technology

Chip Cotton is an expert in fish taxonomy, marine biology, fisheries science, and life history of fishes.

Doel, a historian of recent science, has explored how the physical environmental sciences in America rose to prominence in the twentieth century and beyond. He has examined how Pentagon advisors and White House leaders learned about emerging evidence of climate change from 1947 forward and how policymakers responded to these findings.

He also served as the project leader of a 9-member, 7-nation study initiated by the European Science Foundation BOREAS initiative, which led to a dedicated edition of the Journal of Historical Geography (April 2014, vol. 14) that yielded transnational insights into global Arctic developments.

Doel’s expertise on the history of science, the Cold War and the Arctic has been featured in The Washington Post.

Fuentes is a marine conservation biologist, with expertise in conservation planning, natural resource management, and on anthropogenic and climate change impacts on marine mega-fauna, especially marine turtles. She wrote about the effect of microplastics on the environment for The Conversation, and her research has been featured in The Miami Herald, National Geographic, Fox News and more.

Grubbs is an expert in marine biology, fish ecology and fisheries science, with particular expertise in the biology of coastal and deep sea sharks and their relatives.

Shuyuan Mary Ho is an associate professor in the School of Information. Her research focuses on trusted human-computer interactions, specifically addressing issues of cyber insider threats and online identity theft.

Paul F. Marty, Ph.D., is a professor in the School of Information in the College of Communication and Information at Florida State University. His research and teaching interests include museum informatics; technology, innovation and culture; experience design; and the information society. Dr. Marty specializes in the study of people, information, and technology in museums. His publications explore the invisible work of museum computing, the evolving roles of technology professionals in museums, and the use of digital museum resources by museum visitors. He has served on the editorial boards and committees of national and international organizations, including Museum Management and Curatorship, Museums and the Web, and the Museum Computer Network. He has a background in ancient history and computer science engineering, and his Ph.D. is from the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Stanwood is a developmental neuropharmacologist and behavioral neuroscientist. His research investigates the developmental origins of brain disorders through careful assessments of brain developmental trajectories following genetic and environmental perturbations.

My research directly involves my role as state climatologist for Florida. The Florida Climate Center is the leading authority on climate variability in Florida, particularly as related to ENSO. The climate Center is involved with the Southeast Climate Consortium, one of the Regional Integrated Science and Assessment (RISA) teams funded by NOAA’s Office of Global Programs. Through this involvement, we conduct research into downscaled and localized climate forecasts and their application to the sectors of agriculture, forestry, and water resources. Recent expansion of the consortium now includes the State Climate Offices of Georgia and Alabama, as well as agriculturist, hydrologists, and social scientists from the University of Florida, University of Miami, University of Georgia, University of Alabama Huntsville, and Auburn University. The Southeast Climate Consortium now receives additional funding through USDA and USDA Risk Management Agency.

An example of the climate information products developed by Florida Climate Center is a method of forecasting wildfire threat based on the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI). The experimental forecast expresses wildfire threat in probabilistic terms and is used by the Florida Division of Forestry for planning management strategies and allocation of resources. This year the wildfire threat forecast was expanded include the states of Georgia and Alabama. These results were presented at the National Seasonal Assessment Workshop, Eastern and Southern States in January of 2006. The KBDI forecast for the Southeast was included as guidance in the final report.