Welcome!

Steve Prager

Welcome to my personal home page. This page contains an assortment of information that you may or may not find useful. In the event that you cannot find something you need in these pages, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

I am currently an assistant professer in the Department of Geography at the University of Wyoming. My research here is predominantly in the area of GIScience, but I maintain ties to my long-term interests in the area of sustainable developement. The linked pages detail some of my current research, some of the courses that I teach and some of my long-term research goals.

I am also currently chair of the Education Committee for the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science. My responsibilities with UCGIS include developing education program for the annual summer meeting, working to forward the educational objectives of the organization, and contributing to the Geographic Information Science and Technology Body of Knowledge, one of the UCGIS flagship publications.

A Quick History

Everything you never knew you wanted to know.

I recieved my PhD in Geography from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia in 2002 following nearly seven years of time split between the Puget Sound area and Vancouver, BC. Towards the latter part of this time period I began working, initially as a contractor and then later in a full  capacity, for the Advanced Simulation Center, a division of Lockheed Martin Simulation, Training and Support. Though my time at LM put some distance between my degree and my first tenure track position, this was very valuable in that I was able to hone a variety of skills ranging from software engineering to project management. In addition, I was involved in cutting edge research and development which was ultimately a segue into my current GIScience position.

Current Students

 

Updated June 2009.
I currently have several active graduate students. Among them is:

Picture Soon!Patrick Dammann is currently on exchange from the Hochschule Karlsruhe - Technik und Wirtschaft. He is working on issues regarding the representation and visualization of network concepts for purposes of creating complex functional networks (e.g., multi-modal transportation networks serving a specific purpose).


Picture Soon!Grant Gardner is currently analyzing his data collected this summer in the Madrean Sky Islands in Arizona. Grant is interested in using GIS-based modeling to understand the potential effects of climate change and development on bird biodiversity.


Picture Soon!Matt Salava is in his second year in our program. Matt's research is examining the use of geospatial technologies in supporting the US Bureau of Land Management visual resource management process. Matt's research was previously funded through a cooperative agreement with the BLM is currently funded by a Wyoming NASA Space Grant.

Please visit our graduate admissions page for more information about our graduate program.

Recent Graduates

Updated November 2007.

I have recently graduated several students who have gone on to bigger and better things:

Tom Storey (with Ramesh Sivanpillai as co-chair) graduated in the summer of 2007, completing a successful thesis on the use of remote sensing and ancillary data for evaluating  sage cover in disturbed areas. Tom is currently working for the Office of State Lands and Investments for the state of Wyoming as a GIS Analyst.

Ben Yanda (co-chaired with Deb Paulson) graduated last spring with the defense of his thesis on the political ecology of land tenure and conflict in the Rukwa Valley of Tanzania. Ben is currently working for Permits West, a firm emphasizing  EIA and NEPA work located in Santa Fe, NM.

Greg Veregin (with Jeff Hamerlinck as co-chair) finished in the summer of 2007 with the defense of his thesis on the integration of approaches to spatial decision support that incorporate both biological-based planning issues and community/economic planning issues. Greg, also hailing from SFU, is currently employed by Encana in Denver, Colorado.

Please contact me if you are interested in the work of any of these students. Students are frequently interested in hearing about job opportunities or graduate school options in thier areas of exerptise.


Graduate Opportunity

Geography Logo

We award a graduate assistantship to a talented incoming or continuing student every year to support our GIScience curriculum. The responibilities of this position include serving as the teaching assistant for one class a semester (usually Intro and Advanced GIS) and includes a full waiver of tution and fees along with the student stipend. This is a challenging position and requires a unique balance of teaching skills (or potential) and deep understanding of ArcGIS. If you are sharp, skilled with GIS, and think you have what it takes, please contact me or see our graduate admissions page.

Useful

 Links