Congratulations to Dr. Jia Lu of Geosciences, she received a grant from the National Science Foundation ($149,999)!The project will train students from Valdosta State University with advanced spatiotemporal computing research and technology skills to fulfill such needed skills set in critical service activities such as telecommunication and software design for geospatial applications. The grant will fund 10 students working with faculty on real-world geospatial research projects. Students  will present projects during an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., receive an NSF Training Certificate, and publish with faculty. Building a spatiotemporal thinking and computing skill is of critical importance for timely responses to regional and global challenges and providing life-saving information to first responders by analyzing spatiotemporal data related to a hurricane.

Dr. Jai Lu has a PhD in City & Regional Planning with minors in Geography, GIS, Quantitative Analysis & Urban Economics from Ohio State University. She teaches Regional Planning and Environmental Management, Urban Community Planning, World Regional Geography, Introduction to Land Forms, and GIS Applications in Planning. Her research interests include population and employment analyses, urban modeling, spatial analyses, GIS applications in planning and transportation, geography of China, city planning and urban development, as well as environmental analyses.

For more details contact Dr. Lu jlu@valdosta.edu. 229.333.7065. For a brief synopsis on the internship, read more on the NSF Research Internship Page.