Dr. Sylvio Mannel

Projects
LakotaLand.com
Environmental Studies Course Descriptions
Publications

EMPLOYMENT HIGHLIGHTS

• Successful curriculum development in the US and the Caribbean
• National AAG Award for years of policy-changing impact applying natural sciences and geospatial technology
• Advanced research and education as head of a Conservation Data Center
• Published expert in natural sciences and GIS/remote sensing
• Visualization of science concepts (3D, video, commercial poster, interactive online map) to aid cognitive processes
• Ground-breaking publications on geostatistical issues of quantitative environmental analysis and modeling   Effective teaching (excellent student evaluations)
• STEM teaching material published in peer-reviewed journals and online
• Multidisciplinary collaborative projects with Forest Service, Parks and Recreation, USGS, NASA, etc.
• Effective Grant writing (>$1Million)

NATIONAL AWARD

2009 Meredith Burrill Award, Association of American Geographers (AAG), presented at Annual AAG Meeting, Las Vegas, NV, March 27, 2009
(Received for policy changing impact applying Natural and Geo-sciences. Previous recipients include the Louisiana State University GIS Clearing House Cooperative for their contributions in the wake of Hurricane Katrina)

PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION

2000-03

• PhD, Atmosphere, Environment and Water Resources (Biogeography with focus on GIS and Remote Sensing) (GPA 4.0)
• South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, SD and South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD
• Dissertation: Contribution of remote sensing to forest inventories in the Black Hills, SD - A focus on reference data acquisition, Decision Tree classification and hyperspectral versus multispectral data; Advisor: M. Price, PhD.

1993-99

MS, Geo-Ecology (German combination of BS and MS in Geography / Environmental Science), Minor in Environmental Law; University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
Thesis: Biophysical characterization of the tallgrass prairie in Oklahoma: grassland canopy parameters and their relationship to satellite derived NDVI; Advisor: Meyer, D., PhD.

1996-97

Augustana College; Sioux Falls, SD; Exchange student, Internship with USGS EROS Data Center

1995

Liverpool Institute of Higher Education; Liverpool, Great Britain; Exchange student

1989-92

Electrician; Vocational College of Neubrandenburg; Germany, Combination of undergraduate studies and vocational training.

APPOINTMENTS

2010- present

Assistant Professor, Cottey College, Nevada, MO

• In charge of setting up a new Environmental Studies program
• Teach undergraduate environmental and geospatial courses

2008-10

Assistant Professor, Geosciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID

• Teach graduate and undergraduate environmental and geospatial courses
• Develop research program (emphasis on using GIS and RS for cancer/air pollution, thermal hot spots and salmon/beaver impact)
• Liaison between ISU GIS Center and Geosciences Department

2007-08

Coordinator and Manager of Conservation Data Center, University of Virgin Islands, St. Thomas, VI,

• Supervised and evaluated four scientists and technicians
• Managed and expanded a GIS Center
• Guest lecture for students from Yale University
• Advised in setting up a 911 call/location system and hurricane preparedness system
• Coordinated research/outreach projects with Agriculture Department, Lt. Governor, Marine Science Center and others
• Awarded $600,000 to set up undergraduate GIS program

2003-07

GIS/Remote Sensing manager, instructor, researcher, Oglala Lakota College, Kyle, SD

• Developed the Lakota Science and Technology Center
• Initiated environmental GIS/Remote Sensing program
• Developed new environmental GIS and remote sensing courses and syllabi later adopted by department
• Established collaborative research in this primarily teaching university
• Taught both undergraduate and graduate students
• Developed research program with emphasis on environmental and social GIS/remote sensing applications

QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE

Environmental:

• Field surveys and assessment (e.g. forested and prairie ecosystems, environmental diseases, amphibian distribution)
• Expertise in rangelands, forests and urban landscapes
• Geospatial regression of air pollution with effects on humans

Interdisciplinary:

• Ecosystem modeling, health research, business application, tourism, history, cultural geography, marine applications, GIS theory, National and international collaborations, 3D visualization Collaborations with international scientists and musicians

GIS:

• ArcGIS and extensions (e.g. ArcGlobe, ArcScene, Spatial Analyst), web GIS development and online database API's, open-source map software (e.g. MapWindow)

GPS:

• Trimble GPS (e.g. GeoXT), LEICA Station, recreational GPS receivers (e.g. Garmin, and Magellan), GPS software (e.g. Pathfinder Office)

Geostatistics:

• Autocorrelation, kriging

Remote sensing:

• ENVI, ERDAS Imagine, See5 (Data mining - Decision Tree software)
• Hyperspectral data (e.g. AVIRIS), multitemporal data, high resolution data (e.g. Quickbird), LIDAR
• Data mining (e.g. Decision Tree classification), Mixture Tuned Matched Filtering, supervised and unsupervised classifications

Programming: C, IDL
Other software: Adobe Photoshop, Minitab

 

E-mail: smannel@cottey.edu
Phone: (417) 667-8181 ext. 2134