People

---

Faculty

Manzhu Yu, Ph.D., Director

I am Assistant Professor of GIScience in the Department of Geography at Penn State. I received my bachelor degree in Remote Sensing from Wuhan University in 2012 and my doctoral degree in Earth System and Geoinformation Science from George Mason University in 2017. My research focuses on spatiotemporal theories and applications, atmospheric modeling, environmental analytics, big data and cloud computing, and the ability of using the above to solve pressing issues in natural hazards and sustainability. I hope to continue mitigating the life and economic costs associated with natural hazards by facilitating more accurate and timely analyses for extreme weather events.

Email: mqy5198 AT psu DOT edu

---

Shujie Wang, Ph.D.

I am an Assistant professor in the Department of Geography, Faculty Associate of the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute (EESI), and Faculty Associate of the Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS). I am interested in using multi-sensor remote sensing, numerical modeling, and machine learning to study the ice sheet changes, with a focus on ice flow dynamics and ice sheet surface processes (both physical and biological processes). CV.

Email: skw5660 AT psu DOT edu

---

Guido Cervone, Ph.D.

I am Professor of Geography, Meteorology and Atmospheric Science, Associate Director of the Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS), and faculty associate of the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute (EESI). I am also Affiliate Scientist with the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, CO, and Adjunct Professor with the Instituto Sant'Anna, in Pisa, Italy. My research is related to geoinformatics, machine learning, remote sensing, natural hazards and renewable energy.

Email: cervone AT psu DOT edu

Nicolle Di Domenico, B.S.

Nicolle Di Domenico is a 5-year M.S+Ph.D. student in Geography advised by Dr. Shujie Wang. She is an Environmental Scholar in the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute, and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. Nicolle earned her B.S. from Kent State University in Geology and minored in GIS. Her undergraduate research focused on biogeochemical nutrient cycling in Arctic microtopography* and ephemeral ponds, and mapmaking for research field sites. Nicolle completed two internships at Oak Ridge National Laboratory where she developed novel methods for detecting Arctic microtopography using panchromatic remote sensing and machine learning methods (https://orise.orau.gov/ornl/experiences/recent-bachelors-associates/di-domenico.html).Understanding the distribution of Arctic landscape heterogeneity is critical to developing accurate global carbon models; however, this landscape heterogeneity is often not incorporated in modelling efforts. Nicolle hopes to address this knowledge gap by developing ways to quantify cryosphere features which are linked to climate change, such as Arctic polygonal ground, by using remote sensing and advanced data analytics like deep learning. She is focused on producing open-source code and online databases, and helping to retain women in STEM.

Email: ntd5143 AT psu DOT edu

Nikolay Golosov, M.S.

I am a Ph.D. student in Geography advised by Dr. Guido Cervone. I graduated from St Petersburg State University in 2011 with a degree in Geoinformatics. Before attending Penn State, I have had about seven years of industry exposure working for GIS consulting companies and as a land surveyor. During my tenure in the industry, I learned how to apply my knowledge and skills to solve practical problems in GIS development, spatial analysis, and cartographic visualization, which further strengthened my interest in this area of expertise. Eventually, I have decided to return to academia and completed a Geography graduate program at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI). Having met my degree requirements, I’ve worked as a research assistant at ArctiCENTER, studying spatiotemporal patterns of COVID-19 development in the Arctic. My previous experience in the industry and my graduate studies greatly informed my research interests. During my UNI study, I worked as a research assistant on several NSF-sponsored projects that provoked my research interest in several directions. From the project focused on studying the COVID-19 pandemic in the Arctic, I have developed a significant interest in social network data analysis applications in public health, such as developing ways to detect new hot spots using Twitter feed analysis. During my thesis research, I have studied how to apply the 3D dasymetric mapping method to obtain the fine-scale estimation of the urban population on the building level. I am interested in developing and using the new fine-scale estimation technique of the urban population counts based on a machine learning approach.

Email: golosov AT psu DOT edu

Zhengrui Huang, M.S.

Zhengrui Huang is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Geography advised by Dr. Shujie Wang. He received his B.S. degree from the College of Environment and Resource, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, China, in 2017, and his M.S. degree from the Academy of Digital China (Fujian), Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, China, in 2020. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. degree at the Department of Geography, Penn State, University Park, USA. His research interest focuses on integrating heterogeneous spatial information into numerical models, including computer vision, remote sensing, differential geometry, convex optimization, multiobjective optimization, deep learning, complex networks, and reinforcement learning.

Email: zqh5210 AT psu DOT edu

Carolina Carrion Klier, M.S.

I am a Ph.D. student in the Department of Geography advised by Dr. Guido Cervone and an Environmental Scholar in the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute (EESI). I study the spatial dynamics of vegetation in the Galápagos Islands with remote sensing techniques. I want to understand how environmental factors drive the spread of invasive plants, the loss of native and endemic species, and the resulting impacts of vegetation change on the water cycle in the islands. I earned my B.Sc. degree in environmental sciences and later my M.Sc. degree in hydrology from the University of Freiburg, Germany. Prior to joining Penn State, I worked for six years as a geospatial analyst and drone pilot at the Charles Darwin Research Station in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. My laboratory work involved photogrammetrically processing drone footage to generate orthophotos and integrating these products with very high-resolution multispectral satellite images to produce fine-scale maps of plant species. These maps continue to help guide management actions in the archipelago. I aim to expand and enhance my previous work in this field and discover new questions along the way.

Email: czc6192 AT psu DOT edu

Shiyan Zhang, M.S.

I am a Ph.D. student in Geography advised by Dr. Manzhu Yu. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Geographic Information Science from Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture (BUCEA) in China. I then pursued my graduate studies at George Washington University (GWU) in the United States. After graduation, I worked for three years at a research institution where I participated in various projects, including Modeling and Analysis of a Potential Dam Failure for the Péligre Dam in Haiti, and Roads and the Geography of Economic Activities in Mexico. My current research interests are spatial statistical analysis, machine learning, and deep learning and using the above to address the challenges in the characterization and predictability of environmental hazards. I will focus on developing and applying advanced spatial data science methods to air pollution-related studies, such as improving the accuracy of air quality prediction and how the changes in air quality affect human activity.

Email: szz5367 AT psu DOT edu