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Brian Napoletano's Research Profile

Submitted by BrianNapoletano on 26 June, 2008 - 10:20
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Brian Napoletano

Research Assistant
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources
Purdue University

Email: bnapolet@purdue.edu
Web: http://www.acontrario.org/research/

Research Themes

  • Variations in natural systems
  • Ecology of the soundscape
  • Social-ecological interactions
  • Environmental and social justice

Biography

Brian Napoletano is presently a PhD Candidate at Purdue University in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources. He is working with Dr. Bryan Pijanowski in the HEMA Laboratory on the study of relationships between land use/land cover attributes and patterns of biodiversity. In addition to his dissertation research, Brian has participated in projects that involve different aspects of remote sensing, GIS analysis, ecological modeling, and data visualization.

Brian's studies as a PhD student at Purdue helped him improve his understanding of ecosystem processes and biodiversity, as well as their relationships to land use/land cover dynamics and other aspects of social systems. He also began experimenting with several new statistical methods, and taught himself to work with GRASS, R, and other powerful free alternatives to commercial products. He has also invested significant effort into improving his understanding of the social and economic dimensions of human systems, and how they affect the translation of research results into public policy.

Prior to studying at Purdue University, Brian worked with Dr. Stuart Gage at Michigan State University as both an Undergraduate and Master’s level research assistant on the development of a conceptual and methodological framework with which to interpret acoustic signals in the environment. Brian began these studies with a Bachelor of Arts in Telecommunication, and proceeded to integrate his knowledge of Mass Media and Information Technology Systems into the development of biological monitoring systems and the use of digital media to disseminate scientific data to the community as the central focus of his Master’s research in the Department of Zoology.

In addition to research experience, Brian has sought experience in undergraduate and graduate education at both Michigan State and Purdue. He served as an instructor and coordinator for the Introduction to Earth Systems Science course at Michigan State University in the Fall Semester of 2004, and he has worked with Dr. John Dunning Jr. of Purdue University as a Teaching Assistant for a Global Environmental Issues course on multiple occasions. Both courses target students with both science and non-science majors and challenge them to attempt to examine the Earth from a global interdisciplinary perspective. Brian has also worked as a teaching assistant in graduate and undergraduate courses on GIS and remote sensing.

As he prepares to enter the next stage of his career, Brian hopes to find ways to help communities around the world that are impacted by pressing ecological and social issues benefit from scientific research and education. He also hopes that his unique combination of skills and experience will prepare him to face an unstable economy with the worst employment prospects that his generation has known.

Educational Background

Current Degree Sought

Highest Completed Degree

Previous Degree

Computing Profile

  • Operating System: Ubuntu Linux, Mac OS, Microsoft Windows
  • GIS: GRASS, ESRI ArcGIS, Clark Labs IDRISI, ERDAS IMAGINE
  • Programming Languages: Python, XHTML & PHP, very little C and C++
  • Data Management and Analysis: MySQL, R
  • Document Preparation: LaTeX 2e, Microsoft Office, OpenOffice.org
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