About the NDMC

Staff

Deborah Bathke, Climatologist
phone: (402) 472-6199
e-mail: dbathke2@unl.edu

In 2008, Dr. Bathke relocated from New Mexico to join the NDMC, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s School of Natural Resources and Department of Geosciences. Bathke spent the previous three years as the assistant state climatologist in New Mexico, where she chaired the state’s Drought Monitoring Working Group. She represented New Mexico in the Climate Assessment for the Southwest program, or CLIMAS, which is one of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Regional Integrated Science Assessment programs. Among the projects she collaborated on were adapting the Dynamic Drought Index for Basins in the Carolinas to the Southwest; implementing a western version of the AgClimate Tools developed by the Southeast Climate Consortium; and convening technical workshops on tree-ring reconstructions of streamflow. Bathke is supervising ongoing student research on urban landscaping and drought, and is on the Program Implementation Team of the National Integrated Drought Information System.

Education:
Ph.D. in 2004 in atmospheric sciences from The Ohio State University
M.S. in 1998 in geoscience from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
B.S. in 1995 in meteorology/climatology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Tonya Bernadt , Research/Outreach Specialist
phone: (402) 472-2712
e-mail: tbernadt5@unl.edu

Hello. My name is Tonya Bernadt. I joined the National Drought Mitigation Center in January of 2009 as a Research and Outreach Specialist. Areas of focus include educating and gathering input from community leaders, residents, agricultural producers, and other stakeholders about drought related issues; developing content for websites to assist stakeholders in their drought management and planning; and assisting with other projects within the Center.

I have been fortunate to experience a variety of sectors in my career, which has given me a diverse outlook on the professional world. After receiving a Bachelor of Science with a major in Environmental Studies from UNL in 2000, I started working at the Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Department on East Campus. While working at EHS as the Waste Minimization Coordinator I obtained a Master of Science in Leadership Education in 2004.

After four years at UNL, I moved onto a nonprofit organization called WasteCap Nebraska, where my main responsibilities consisted of membership recruitment and maintenance, workshop development, and assisting businesses in setting up recycling programs. In 2005 Midland Recycling approached me with a job as the Business Relations Manager for their Lincoln branch so I decided to see what the corporate sector had to offer. It opened my eyes to a new way of looking at how businesses work.  

My passion for the environment has been a core part of each job that I’ve had. Each one has given me new experiences in regards to environmental sustainability and protection. I look forward to more opportunities at the National Drought Mitigation Center and School of Natural Resources.    

Karin Callahan, GIS/Remote Sensing Specialist
phone: (402) 472-7556
e-mail: kcallahan2@unl.edu

Karin joined the NDMC in 2007 as a GIS /remote sensing specialist supporting research in developing drought monitoring and prediction tools. Before coming to Lincoln, Karin served as the GIS coordinator for the Playa Lakes Joint Venture (PLJV), a member of the Great Plains GIS Partnership. Her work there centered on habitat modeling in the central and southern Great Plains in support of PLJV’s regional bird conservation planning efforts. She has also worked in the Southeast’s forestry industry as a remote sensing specialist.

Education:
• M.S. in 2002 in geography with a specialization in GIS and remote sensing from Utah State University.
• B.A. in 1997 in geology with a minor in cartography from Kent State University.

Ya Ding, Economist
phone: (402) 472-6740
e-mail: yding2@unl.edu
vita: long

Dr. Ding joined the NDMC in 2006. Her responsibilities include the development of a methodology to quantify the economic impacts of drought and the construction of decision-support tools for decision makers such as agricultural producers, natural resources managers, and policy makers to reduce the risk associated with drought.

Education:
• Ph.D. in 2005 in agricultural economics from Kansas State University.
• B.A. in 1999 in international trade from Renmin University of China, Beijing.

Ann Fiedler, Administrative Assistant
phone: (402) 472-6707
e-mail: afiedler2@unl.edu

Ms. Fiedler joined the National Drought Mitigation Center on a part-time basis in July 2000 and full-time in January 2004. She has more than 20 years of experience in secretarial and office support positions. Responsibilities include providing clerical support; routing telephone inquiries; maintaining mailing lists, publication and library files, and drought planning contact lists; and assisting with organization of workshops and meetings.

Brian Fuchs, Climatologist
phone: (402) 472-6775
e-mail: bfuchs2@unl.edu

Brian joined the NDMC in 2005. Before coming to the NDMC, he worked for 5 years for the High Plains Regional Climate Center as a regional climatologist. Brian worked extensively with weather/climate data during this time. He worked extensively on development of the ACIS (Applied Climate Information System) and applied data products.

Brian’s responsibilities with the NDMC include working as a climatologist for the center, with various duties related to this position. Brian participates with other NDMC staff in the production of the U.S. Drought Monitor, and he serves as a media contact for climate- and drought-related topics.

Education:
• M.S. in 2000 in geosciences with a specialization in climatology from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Thesis examined the diurnal variations of winter precipitation events in the Central Plains.
• B.S. in 1997 in geography with a major in meteorology/climatology from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

Denise D. Gutzmer, Drought Impact Reporter Moderator
phone: (402) 472-6726
e-mail: dgutzmer2@unl.edu

Denise joined the NDMC team in August 2006.  Her responsibilities include documenting drought impacts throughout the country in the Drought Impact Reporter. 

Education:
• M.S. in natural resource sciences with a specialization in climate assessment and impacts from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln in 2006.
• B.S. in meteorology with minors in physics and German from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln in 2004.

Tonya Haigh, Research Specialist
phone: (402) 472-6781
e-mail: thaigh2@unl.edu

Tonya Haigh began working with the National Drought Mitigation Center in February 2009 as a Research Specialist. She has worked for sustainable agriculture and environmental conservation organizations as a program director, community organizer, and grant writer over the last fifteen years.  Since moving to Lincoln with her family in 2008, Tonya has also been taking courses in environmental planning and natural resource management at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  Her interests include permaculture, local food systems, resiliency, and spending time gardening, reading, and in the great outdoors with her husband and two daughters.

Education:
• M.S. in 1998 in rural sociology from South Dakota State University
• B.S. in 1992 in human and physical ecology from Hamline University

Dr. Cody L. Knutson, Water Resources Scientist
phone: (402) 472-6718
e-mail: cknutson1@unl.edu
vita: long

Dr. Knutson originally served as a Water Resources Specialist with the NDMC for three years beginning in May 1997. After a two-year break to complete his doctoral coursework, he rejoined the NDMC in November 2002. In addition to his work with the NDMC, Dr. Knutson has previously been employed by, and consulted for, private and public agencies, including development consulting firms, mining companies, the USDA–Black Hills National Forest, and the Department of the Interior–U.S. Geological Survey.

Dr. Knutson serves as the NDMC’s social scientist, developing information about the human component of drought planning, and as a water resources scientist, providing relevant technical and research support for a variety of other NDMC activities. Specialties include: drought risk analysis, human dimensions, and water resources policy.

Education:
• Ph.D. in 2004 from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in geography with applied, human, and environmental specializations. Dissertation: Rural Water Development in Marginal Regions: A Case Study of South Dakota’s Mni Wiconi Rural Water Supply System.
• Certification in Public Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation in 2001 from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Political Science Department.
• M.A. in 1997 from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in anthropology, specializing in applied/development anthropology.
• M.S. in 1996 from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in geological engineering, specializing in water resources and environmental quality.
• B.S. in 1993 from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in geological engineering, specializing in ground water.

Jun Li, Programmer
phone: (402) 472-9180
e-mail: jli4@unl.edu

Jun joined the NDMC in 2006. Jun’s responsibilities with the NDMC include developing software tools based on ACIS (Applied Climate Information System) to create spatial products such as SPI and PDSI automatically, providing customized spatial products to meet specific requirements of the climatologists at the NDMC, and other programming tasks.

Education:
• M.S. in 2003 in Computer Science from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
•B.S. in 1992 in Environmental Science from Nankai University, Tianjin, China.

Jeff  Nothwehr, GIS and Research Specialist
Phone: (402) 472-8293
Email: jnothwehr2@unl.edu

Jeff joined the National Drought Mitigation Center as an employee in summer 2008, having completed an M.S. in Natural Resource Sciences with a Climate Assessment and Impacts specialization in 2007. Jeff has experience with several of the NDMC’s products and tools, including the Drought Monitor, the Standardized Precipitation Index, the Drought Impact Reporter, and the Drought Atlas. He is also helping with NDMC contributions to the National Integrated Drought Information System.

Education:
M.S. in 2007 in natural resource sciences with a climate assessment and impacts specialization from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

B.S. in 2005 in geography with minors in history and math from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Chris Poulsen, Geospatial Analyst
phone: (402) 472-8828
e-mail: cpoulsen2@unl.edu

Chris joined the National Drought Mitigation Center in September 2008 as a Geospatial  Analyst. His primary area of focus will be the Vegetation Drought Response Index (VegDRI), which combines satellite data with many other variables to depict drought’s effect on vegetation. He brings a wealth of experience in developing GIS applications for various clients, including water-managing agencies such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Nebraska’s Central Platte Natural Resource District.

He earned a B.A. in Geography and History from the University of Nebraska-Omaha in 1994, and an M.A. in Geography from UNO in 2004.

Jae Ryu, P.E., Hydrologist/Climate Management Specialist
phone: (402) 472-1483
e-mail: jryu2@unl.edu
vita: long

Dr. Ryu is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, American Geographic Union, and American Water Resources Association.

Education:
• Ph.D. in 2006 in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Washington. Dissertation: The Management of Water Resources Using a Mid-Range Climate Forecast Model.
• M.S. in 2001 in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Washington.
• M.S. in 1998 in agricultural engineering from Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea.
• B.S. in 1996 in agricultural engineering from Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea.

Toshihiro Sakamoto, Visiting Scientist
phone: (402)472-6416
e-mail: tsakamoto2@unl.edu

The NDMC in November 2008 welcomed visiting scientist Toshihiro Sakamoto in November 2008, who will be part of the GIScience and Analysis program area for two years. Sakamoto is from Japan’s National Institute for Agro-Environmental Science, where he works in the Ecosystem Informatics Division. His time in the U.S. is supported by a fellowship from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. Japan imports soybeans, wheat, and maize for the U.S., so Sakamoto is studying Japanese food security by increasing understanding of U.S. agriculture and climate change. Sakamoto’s primary work will be using time-series vegetation index data from the MODIS satellite sensor to develop new methods to map and monitor agricultural land-use practices for the Corn Belt and Great Plains. Sakamoto is also interested in how ground-based remote sensing can validate satellite data, and has experimented with using ground-based cameras on timers at night to measure the volume and height of growing plants.

Education:
• Ph.D. in 2008 from Kyoto University in remote sensing.
• B.S. in 2002 from Kyoto University.

Soren Scott, GIS Specialist
phone: (402) 472-6717
e-mail: sscott5@unl.edu

Soren joined the NDMC in 2006. Before coming to the NDMC, she worked for 4 years at the University of Arizona. She worked extensively on a joint project (AGWA: the Automated Geospatial Watershed Assessment tool) between the University, the USDA Agricultural Research Service, and the US EPA creating a GIS-based watershed modeling application.

Education:
• M.S. in 2005 in natural resources studies from the University of Arizona. Thesis involved the development and verification of several watershed modeling components for AGWA.
• B.F.A. in 2000 in studio art with an emphasis on printmaking and visual communications from the University of Arizona.

Kelly Smith, Science Communicator
phone: (402) 472-3373
e-mail: ksmith2@unl.edu

Ms. Smith rejoined the NDMC in 2006, hoping to help scientists and policy makers work together to improve living conditions around the world. She spent the intervening years working with Lincoln’s Sudanese refugee and African immigrant populations on behalf of various non-profit and faith-based organizations, and earning a degree in Community & Regional Planning. Ms. Smith also has a background in journalism. Before serving the NDMC as a science communicator from 1994 to 2000, she worked as a newspaper reporter and in corporate public relations.

Education:
• M.C.R.P. in 2005 in Community & Regional Planning from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
• M.S.J. in 1985 from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
• B.A. in 1984 in history, minor in French, from Bryn Mawr College.

Mark Svoboda, Climatologist
phone: (402) 472-8238
e-mail: msvoboda2@unl.edu
vita: long or short

Before joining the NDMC in June 1995, Mr. Svoboda worked for two years with the Midwest National Technical Center of the USDA–Soil Conservation Service in Lincoln as a GIS/Climate Specialist. He served as regional coordinator for the center’s Global Positioning Systems program, and worked extensively on agro-climatic modeling.

Responsibilities with the NDMC include providing expertise on climate and water management issues, working closely with state and federal agencies as well as the private sector, providing technical support for applied research projects, and developing data products to meet users’ needs. He also helps with the NDMC’s home page development and maintains the NDMC’s drought monitoring activities.

Education
• M.A. in 1992 in geography with remote sensing, climatology, and GIS specialization from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Thesis examined the relationships between AVHRR satellite imagery and vegetative response to rainfall, using the normalized difference vegetation index.
• B.S. in 1989 in geography with a specialization in climatology and a minor in meteorology–climatology.

Dr. Tsegaye Tadesse, Climatologist
phone: (402) 472-3383
e-mail: ttadesse2@unl.edu
vita: long

Dr. Tadesse joined the NDMC in August 1998 as a graduate research assistant pursuing his Ph.D. at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. From July 2002 to May 2005, he served as a research associate in a collaborative research project, “Drought monitoring through integration of satellite and climate data”, with the National Center for Earth Resources Observation & Science (EROS) in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Dr Tadesse has served as a climatologist at the rank of Assistant Geoscientist (faculty position) with the NDMC since June 2005. His responsibilities include establishing a research program on the development of drought monitoring tools in support of other monitoring activities of the NDMC and other collaborating organizations using satellite- and climate-based data and employing data mining techniques as appropriate; collaborating with NDMC faculty and staff and scientists at other institutions in the conduct of research on the drought climatology of Nebraska, the region, and the nation; and playing a significant role in conducting scientific research to help educate students and the public about drought management and planning issues. His research interests include identifying drought characteristics and their association with satellite and oceanic indices using data mining techniques.

Education
• Ph.D. in 2002 from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in agronomy, specializing in agricultural meteorology and data mining techniques. Dissertation: Identifying Drought and Its Associations with Climatic and Oceanic Parameters Using Data Mining Techniques.
• M.S. in 1998 from the International Space University, Strasbourg (France), in space studies, specializing in remote sensing application to drought.
• B.S. in 1982 from Addis Ababa University (Ethiopia) in physics.

Nicole Wall, Public Participation Specialist
(402) 472-6776
e-mail: nwall2@unl.edu

Nicole Wall joined the NDMC in August 2008 to focus on public participation and outreach to stakeholders. She brings seven years’ experience from the Heartland Center for Leadership Development in Lincoln, Nebraska, where she worked on projects such as getting non-profit boards to work together better, and on public participation for some of the City of Lincoln’s water-related projects. Nicole also worked for the University of Nebraska Medical Center for two years, writing materials to foster a team-based approach to diagnostic skills in medical students. As adjunct faculty for the College of St. Mary, she taught physiology and forensic science. She is interested in learning more about how drought affects all aspects of people’s well-being, and, as a Ph.D. student in the School of Natural Resources, she is interested in further exploring connections between climate and forensic science.

Education:
Master’s in Forensic Science in 2003, Nebraska Wesleyan University
B.A. in Anthropology in 1998 from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Dr. Brian Wardlow, Remote Sensing Specialist
phone: (402) 472–6729
e-mail: bwardlow2@unl.edu
vita: long

Dr. Wardlow joined the NDMC in 2006 as a remote sensing specialist. His responsibilities include developing drought monitoring tools through the integration of remote sensing, climate, and biophysical datasets; investigating the use of new remote sensing datasets and data mining techniques for drought monitoring and land cover characterization; helping to organize and conduct workshops and conferences; writing technical reports related to the NDMC’s drought monitoring products; and collaborating with researchers and scientists at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and other academic institutions as well as at various state and federal agencies to develop new drought monitoring applications using geospatial technologies.

Before joining the NDMC, Dr. Wardlow served as a NASA Earth System Science Graduate Research Fellow at the Kansas Applied Remote Sensing (KARS) program. While at KARS, his Ph.D. dissertation research focused on the development of regional-scale crop mapping and monitoring protocol for the U.S. Central Great Plains using time-series MODIS 250-meter vegetation index data. Dr. Wardlow also worked as a remote sensing scientist for the National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD) program at the U.S. Geological Survey’s EROS Data Center. His specific research interests include land use/land cover mapping and monitoring, climate-vegetation interactions, biogeography, and remote sensing/GIS applications for agriculture and natural resource management and assessment.

Education:
• Ph.D. in 2005 in geography from the University of Kansas, specializing in remote sensing and plant ecology. Dissertation: An Evaluation of Time-Series MODIS 250-Meter Vegetation Index Data for Crop Mapping in the U.S. Central Great Plains.
• M.A. in 1996 in geography from Kansas State University, specializing in remote sensing and GIS. Thesis: Temporal Monitoring of Suspended Sediment Patterns Using Landsat Thematic Mapper Imagery—A Study of Tuttle Creek Reservoir, Kansas.
• B.S. in 1996 in geography and geology from Northwest Missouri State University, specializing in environmental geography and geology.

Melissa Widhalm, Climatologist
phone: (402) 472-3172
e-mail: mwidhalm3@unl.edu

Melissa Widhalm joined the National Drought Mitigation Center as of November 1, 2008, as a climatologist. Since coming to the NDMC in fall 2004 as a graduate student, she has gained extensive experience with the NDMC’s core mission and has worked on the Drought Impact Reporter in many capacities. She’ll continue her work on the Impact Reporter, and will also be working on a new Drought Ready Communities project, a methodology for collecting economic impacts, and other projects, as needed and feasible. Melissa is also working with NDMC founding director Donald A. Wilhite, who is now director of the School of Natural Resources, to develop a campus-wide Climate Change Initiative program of excellence.

Education:
• M.S. in 2006 in Natural Resources with a specialization in Climate Assessment and Impacts from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
• B.S. in 2004 in Meteorology from Northern Illinois University.

Deborah Wood, Publications Specialist
phone: (402) 472-6705
e-mail: dwood1@unl.edu

Ms. Wood joined the Department of Agricultural Meteorology at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 1981 as a project research assistant, with responsibilities including editing and library research. Ms. Wood provides editing, graphics, and design support for the NDMC. She has been with the International Drought Information Center since 1988, with responsibilities including editing, layout, and design of Drought Network News, conference proceedings, and other publications; creating graphics for various presentations and publications; and editing various materials. Other responsibilities include redesigning and reorganizing the NDMC’s website.

Education
• M.A. in 1980 in history from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
• B.A. in 1978 in history from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

Donna Woudenberg, Drought Management Specialist
phone: (402) 472-8287
e-mail: dwoudenberg2@unl.edu

Dr. Woudenberg joined the NDMC in January 2007. Her interests are meteorology and climatology, sociology, psychology, and anthropology (particularly as related to women, children, and minorities), and she has a strong interest in interdisciplinary research. Dr. Woudenberg is currently assisting in social, economic, and environmental drought impact-related NDMC research at local, state, national, and international levels. She has been working with UNL faculty to create new interdisciplinary coursework and will co-teach a new course of her design, “Gender and Cultural Perspectives on the Environment,” during the fall 2007 semester. Dr. Woudenberg is involved in preliminary discussion on the development of an interdisciplinary climate change course designed for the non-major, slated to be offered during the spring 2008 semester. She is also interested in public education and outreach, and is integrally involved in the development of several K-12 educational publications and outreach projects related to Nebraska’s water resources and to climate, climate variability, and climate change.

Education
• Ph.D. in 2006 in natural resources, with a human dimensions specialization, from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (first person from UNL to receive that specialization).
• M.S. in 2002 in natural resources, with a climatology focus, from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
• B.S. in 2000 in natural resources, with an environmental studies major, from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

Back to About the NDMC