 From left to right - Dr Twumasi, Tom Jepsen, Dr. Hayden, and Dr. William Porter (Chapter vice president) On March 3, the Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (GRSS) chapter at Elizabeth City State University sponsored a Distinguished Lecture Series presentation by Dr. Yaw A. Twumasi from Alcorn State University, Mississippi. The GRSS chapter is the eastern most chapter of ENCS and is located on the North Carolina coast in Elizabeth City. Attendees were welcomed by Dr. Linda Hayden of the Computer Science department at ECSU, who explained the role of remote sensing in detecting changes to the environment that can have a large effect on quality of life. She described some of the projects that her students were involved in, including one that monitored the levels of dissolved carbon dioxide in the ocean, which is a good indicator of the progress of global warming. She also mentioned her support of the IGARSS '08 Remote Sensing Outreach Program: The Next Generation, which encourages middle school and high school students to become involved in areas such as remote sensing and global climate change. The Distinguished Lecturer, Dr. Yaw Twumasi, is a Research Assistant Professor of Remote Sensing and Geographic Information at Alcorn State University. Dr. Twumasi gave a presentation on some of his work in analyzing remote sensing data from different countries in Africa, including Senegal and Ghana. He was able to use data obtained from remote sensing to determine the effects of climate change and human activity on these areas, such as the effect that gold mining has had on parts of Ghana. His current research focuses on similar studies in Mississippi. This meeting gave me a better understanding of the importance of remote sensing in understanding the changes that are occurring in our global environment. The ability to use radar and satellite data to provide "realtime" monitoring of global conditions is an important factor in dealing with the effects of climate change. I would encourage anyone with an interest in these areas to contact Dr. Hayden (haydenl@mindspring.com) at Elizabeth City State University or visit the web site. |
Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society |