Research Interests
My research interests usually integrate spatial statistic tools and pattern analyses to study patterns and trends within and between the natural and social sciences, including projects on...
flood equity and impact of stream and wetland burial on urban hydrology
how humans manage urban stream systems during stages of rapid development;
how humans alter the hydroscape in arid / semi-arid boomburbs;
how open / green spaces in cities are utilized;
the concept of walkability and access to appropriate, healthy nutrition; and
how the history of ice sheet behavior and extent are compared and evaluated against landform records.
Below are relevant publications and grant-related information.
Research in the News
A look into "ghost streams" and how they worsen flooding in Detroit
Changing environment means flooding no longer just a summer thing
Created Equal: How ‘ghost streams’ contribute to Detroit flooding
Michigan Public Radio, Stateside podcast (January 25, 2024)
To build climate resilience, Detroit communities turn to long-neglected alleys
Engineers struggle to put streams back into the urban landscape
Recent Research Publications
Buried but not dead.pdfFugitive Dust Associated with Scrap Metal.pdfMapping_the_link_water_footprint.pdfLurking in the Bushes.pdfWastelands, Greenways and Gentrification: Introducing a Comparative Framework with a Focus on Detroit, USA.pdfSurface water changes in America's Boomburbs.pdfWhere the Rivers Were Connecting Indigenous Blue Space to Contemporary City Design.pdfWounds, ghosts and garden.pdfiii. Urban stream deserts_ Mapping a legacy of urbanization in the United States 2016.pdfQuantifying Proximity and Conformity between Road Networks Urban Streams and Watershed Boundaries.pdfi. A century of stream burial in Michigan USA cities.pdfii. Suburban Food Security_ Walkability and Nutritional Access in Metropolitan Detroit 2016.pdfv. Urban stream deserts as a consequence of excess stream burial in urban watersheds 2015.pdfAmericanMidlandNaturalist.pdfvi. Remote sensing and GIScience in Geomorphological Mapping 2013.pdfvii. Broadening diversity in the geosciences through teacher-student workshops that emphasize community-based research projects 2012 .pdfix. GIS in Glaciology 2011.pdfLi_Napieralski_Harbor_Hubbard_2007.pdfNapieralski_Harbor_Li_2007.pdfNapieralski_Nalepa.pdfNapieralski_Li _Harbor_2006.pdfviii. Optimizing Geomorphometry Using Statistical Process Control Methods 2012.pdfNapieralski_2007.pdfNapieralski_TOGEOGJ.pdfGrant-Related Information
In-Service Teacher Training, as part of a grant from the Michigan Department of Education
High-Resolution, Microscale Mapping of the Rouge River Stream Channels usingUnmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
Monitoring fish community responses to restoration activities in the Rouge River watershed (Michigan, Rouge River) (University of Michigan Water Center) (article here)
The Geoscience Research Institute (National Science Foundation)
Fostering Interest in Information Technology (National Science Foundation)
Middle East and North Africa Women in Science and Technology Program (U.S. State Department)