3/4/08

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Romney Hall, Public Affairs Coordinator, UNI Museums, (319) 273-2188
Vicki Grimes, University Marketing & Public Relations, (319) 273-6728

Note to editors/news directors:  A high-resolution image of Sugumaran is available at
http://www.uni.edu/pubrel/newsroom/photos/RamanathanSugumaran.jpg

UNI Museums to host GeoTREE presentation  
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The University of Northern Iowa Museum and Ramanathan Sugumaran ("Sugu"), associate professor of geography and director of the GeoTREE (GeoInformatics, Training, Research, Education and Extension) Center at UNI, will host "GeoTREE at UNI," a presentation on the Center's use of air-borne and satellite remote-sensing data to assist federal, state, local and tribal (FSLT) government agencies, at 7 p.m., Thursday, March 27, at the University Museum, located at 3219 Hudson Road, Cedar Falls.

Sugu will discuss the work and research conducted by the GeoTREE Center and its primary goal of supporting FSLT agencies through education, multi-disciplinary research and outreach activities. The Center's accomplishments, research activities and applications for its data will be addressed.

Current GeoTREE projects include the feasibility of satellite data for water quality in Clear Lake in north central Iowa; the detection of heat loss from University of Northern Iowa campus buildings and underground; the investigation of mosquito abundance and West Nile Virus dynamics at a local and regional scale; the development and validation of a watershed management spatial decision support system (SDSS); and the creation of an eLearning Framework for Optical Remote Sensing Technology (EFFORT) courses.

"GeoTREE Center is funded by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and is unique in bringing NASA and other scientists, academic faculty and member of FSLT agencies together to integrate remote sensing data into GIS (Geographic Information Systems)," says Sugu. "Satellite remote sensing data has moved from research to operational use and is being used in ways it never has before for local and state government applications."             

"GeoTree at UNI” is presented in connection with the University Museum's current featured exhibit, "Earth from Space," a traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian Institution, on display at the University Museum, now through June 28.  “Earth from Space” features detailed satellite imagery of the planet and highlights the technology used to capture the images, as well as the varied applications for the data provided by the photographs.

“Earth from Space” is organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service in collaboration with the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, and the exhibition has been made possible by Global Imagination.  Additional support has been provided by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Smithsonian Women’s committee. The Smithsonian Community Grant program, funded by MetLife Foundation, and John Deere Waterloo Operations, are sponsors of this public program.

Admission to the museum and program is free and open to the public.  University Museum hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 1 to 4 p.m., Saturday.

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