Jennifer "Jen" Pontius
Associate Dean of Programs and Curriculum
Senior Lecturer
Director, Environmental Sciences Program
Director, Geospatial Technologies Program
Assessment Coordinator for the Rubenstein School
PRONOUNS she/her
81 Carrigan Dr
313D Aiken Center
Burlington, VT 05401
United States
- Ph.D., Earth and Ecosystem Science, University of New Hampshire, 2004
- M.S., Natural Resources, University of New Hampshire, 1998
- B.A., Spanish and Environmental Science, University of Virginia, 1993
Area(s) of expertise
Forest ecology & health, satellite remote sensing, GIS modeling, experimental design & statistical analyses
BIO
Jen's research is cross-disciplinary and sets out to scale field observations and relationships to the landscape level using remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) tools to inform the management of northeastern forests. Often this involves working across scales (temporal and spatial), data sources (field, satellite, spatial), and integrating across disciplines. This linking of geospatial and natural science methodologies provides the landscape perspective necessary to mitigate the impacts of environmental stressors, with the information needed to guide activities from local to regional scales. Jen's ongoing projects include the development of novel techniques to map forest structure, phenology, health, and growth, and the creation of a multi-criterion decision support tool to inform sustainable management of the region’s forests.
Much of this work is done in collaboration with the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry , and collaborators at the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources and the Forest Ecosystem Monitoring Cooperative for which Jen is Principal Investigator.
Jen is the Director of the Environmental Sciences program in the Rubenstein School.
Courses
- Environmental Sciences
- Forestry
- Natural Resources
- Sustainability, Ecology, and Policy
- Introduction to Environmental Sciences
- Orientation to Environmental Sciences
- Applied Environmental Statistics
- Remote Sensing of Natural Resources
Bio
Jen's research is cross-disciplinary and sets out to scale field observations and relationships to the landscape level using remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) tools to inform the management of northeastern forests. Often this involves working across scales (temporal and spatial), data sources (field, satellite, spatial), and integrating across disciplines. This linking of geospatial and natural science methodologies provides the landscape perspective necessary to mitigate the impacts of environmental stressors, with the information needed to guide activities from local to regional scales. Jen's ongoing projects include the development of novel techniques to map forest structure, phenology, health, and growth, and the creation of a multi-criterion decision support tool to inform sustainable management of the region’s forests.
Much of this work is done in collaboration with the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry , and collaborators at the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources and the Forest Ecosystem Monitoring Cooperative for which Jen is Principal Investigator.
Jen is the Director of the Environmental Sciences program in the Rubenstein School.
Courses
- Environmental Sciences
- Forestry
- Natural Resources
- Sustainability, Ecology, and Policy
- Introduction to Environmental Sciences
- Orientation to Environmental Sciences
- Applied Environmental Statistics
- Remote Sensing of Natural Resources