to: from: dr. · raton, florida. august 2013 to present. faculty assignment teaching earth science...

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Charles E. Schmidt College of Science Department of Geosciences Science and Engineering 456 777 Glades Road Boca Raton, FL 33431 tel: 561.297.3250 Internet: http://www.geosciences.fau.edu To: Dr. Janet Blanks, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science From: Dr. Zhixiao Xie, Chair of Geosciences Department R e : Nominate Dr. Tobin Hindle for 2016 Distinguished Mentor of the Year Award Dr. Tobin Hindle has been active in mentoring undergraduate students (UG) for many years and at multiple capacities. He first got involved with UG mentoring in 2009 when he became the faculty leader for a Sustainability Freshman Learning Community. In teaching SLS 1412 for three years, he mentored about 60 new students and helped guide them in developing their academic career. Since 2009, he has been teaching the Geography capstone course GEA 4275, Human- Environment Interactions in South Florida. He added an individual project component and worked closely with each student to help them develop their own research question, identify data sources, create a method of analysis and then carry out the research to develop results and conclusions. He also added an Academic Service-Learning requirement to help students get involved with NGOs and government DJHQFLHV RXWVLGH RI WKH FODVVURRP WR KDYH D ³UHDO ZRUOG´ UHVHDUFK DQG LQTXLU\ H[SHUience. In 2013, the research pedagogy in this course was further developed through a FAU Curriculum Grant award that he was a co-investigator on. Most recently, he applied for, and received, the new Research Intensive course designation for GEA 4275. Over the years in GEA 4275, he mentored about 150 students. While not required, he encouraged students to participation in the FAU undergraduate Research Symposium to present their class research at. Each term about 1-3 students participated and several won poster presentation awards at the Symposium. The two most accomplished students, Josh Scholl and Kelsey Doyle, not only presented and won awards at the FAU Symposium, but also were able to get their research published in the FAU Undergraduate Journal. Tobin actively carried out UG mentoring through Directed Independent Study, taken on 2-4 undergraduate students per year. He emphasized research and inquiry in DIS. Many of those were continuation of their GEA 4275 research, through diverse topics such as Sustainable Transportation, Naturescaping, Equine Pasture Sustainability, Fire and Deer Dispersal, Gopher Tortoise/Vegetation Relationships, Burrowing Owl Population Survey, GIS Mapping of Organic Foods, Mapping Critical infrastructure with GPS, and etc. Tobin has also been involved with a number of UG mentoring related faculty development and service opportunities. He both participated and led Faculty Learning Communities in Advanced Topics Online Teaching/Learning, Sustainable Pedagogy, and Challenges and Opportunities to Distance Learning. He volunteered most years to help judge at the FAU Undergraduate Symposium and was a judge at the College of Science Research Day during the years it was put on. Then, about two years ago, he applied for and was selected as the Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry College Liaison. At that capacity, he has involved with a number of University wide UG research activities as well as advocating UG research within the College. For example, he serves on the University Undergraduate Research Curriculum Committee and has been able to present and talk about UG research and inquiry to College Dean, Department Chairs, as well as a number of College faculty with interests in UG research and mentoring.

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Page 1: To: From: Dr. · Raton, Florida. August 2013 to present. Faculty assignment teaching Earth science and Human-Environmental Interactions courses, developing and promoting eLearning

Charles E. Schmidt College of Science Department of Geosciences

Science and Engineering 456 777 Glades Road

Boca Raton, FL 33431 tel: 561.297.3250

Internet: http://www.geosciences.fau.edu

To: Dr. Janet Blanks, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science

F rom: Dr. Zhixiao Xie, Chair of Geosciences Department Re: Nominate Dr. Tobin Hindle for 2016 Distinguished Mentor of the Year Award

Dr. Tobin Hindle has been active in mentoring undergraduate students (UG) for many years and at multiple capacities. He first got involved with UG mentoring in 2009 when he became the faculty leader for a Sustainability Freshman Learning Community. In teaching SLS 1412 for three years, he mentored about 60 new students and helped guide them in developing their academic career.

Since 2009, he has been teaching the Geography capstone course GEA 4275, Human-Environment Interactions in South Florida. He added an individual project component and worked closely with each student to help them develop their own research question, identify data sources, create a method of analysis and then carry out the research to develop results and conclusions. He also added an Academic Service-Learning requirement to help students get involved with NGOs and government

ience. In 2013, the research pedagogy in this course was further developed through a FAU Curriculum Grant award that he was a co-investigator on. Most recently, he applied for, and received, the new Research Intensive course designation for GEA 4275. Over the years in GEA 4275, he mentored about 150 students. While not required, he encouraged students to participation in the FAU undergraduate Research Symposium to present their class research at. Each term about 1-3 students participated and several won poster presentation awards at the Symposium. The two most accomplished students, Josh Scholl and Kelsey Doyle, not only presented and won awards at the FAU Symposium, but also were able to get their research published in the FAU Undergraduate Journal.

Tobin actively carried out UG mentoring through Directed Independent Study, taken on 2-4 undergraduate students per year. He emphasized research and inquiry in DIS. Many of those were continuation of their GEA 4275 research, through diverse topics such as Sustainable Transportation, Naturescaping, Equine Pasture Sustainability, Fire and Deer Dispersal, Gopher Tortoise/Vegetation Relationships, Burrowing Owl Population Survey, GIS Mapping of Organic Foods, Mapping Critical infrastructure with GPS, and etc.

Tobin has also been involved with a number of UG mentoring related faculty development and service opportunities. He both participated and led Faculty Learning Communities in Advanced Topics Online Teaching/Learning, Sustainable Pedagogy, and Challenges and Opportunities to Distance Learning. He volunteered most years to help judge at the FAU Undergraduate Symposium and was a judge at the College of Science Research Day during the years it was put on. Then, about two years ago, he applied for and was selected as the Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry College Liaison. At that capacity, he has involved with a number of University wide UG research activities as well as advocating UG research within the College. For example, he serves on the University Undergraduate Research Curriculum Committee and has been able to present and talk about UG research and inquiry to College Dean, Department Chairs, as well as a number of College faculty with interests in UG research and mentoring.

Page 2: To: From: Dr. · Raton, Florida. August 2013 to present. Faculty assignment teaching Earth science and Human-Environmental Interactions courses, developing and promoting eLearning

Tobin K. Hindle

3376 NW 24 Terrace., Boca Raton, FL. 33431

Phone: 561-479-0446, Email: [email protected]

Education

Doctor of Philosophy, Comparative Studies, Environmental Studies concentration, Florida

Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida. August 2006. Dissertation: The Regeneration of

Nature: an alternative to ecological restoration. Advisor: Dr. Robin N. Fiore.

Graduate Certificate, Environmental Studies, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida.

August 2006.

Master of Science, Biology, Geographical Information Systems emphasis, Florida Atlantic

University, Boca Raton, Florida. G.P.A. 4.0/4.0, August 1997. Thesis: Determination of

Wetland Impact Due to Groundwater Drawdown: the application of aerial photo-interpretation,

GIS analysis, and groundwater modeling. Advisor: Dr. Alex Marsh.

Bachelor of Science, Limnology, Minor in Computer Science, University of Central Florida,

Orlando, Florida. G.P.A. 3.4/4.0, December 1986.

Academic and Professional Experience

Associate Scientist and Faculty, Department of Geosciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca

Raton, Florida. August 2013 to present. Faculty assignment teaching Earth science and Human-

Environmental Interactions courses, developing and promoting eLearning activities and supporting

departmental research and teaching activities, including its technology and Geographical

Information Systems infrastructure.

Director of Doctoral Program, Department of Geosciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca

Raton, Florida. August 2016 to present.

Assistant Scientist and Faculty, Department of Geosciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca

Raton, Florida. August 2006 to August 2013. Faculty assignment teaching Earth science and

Human-Environmental Interactions courses, developing and promoting eLearning activities and

supporting departmental research and teaching activities, including its technology and

Geographical Information Systems infrastructure.

Graduate Program Director, Department of Geosciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca

Raton, Florida. August 2011 to present.

Coordinator, Research Programs and Services, Department of Geography and Geology, Florida

Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida. May 1996 to August 2006. System administration of the

department’s Windows and Linux computers and servers. Technical and research support for GIS,

GPS/DGPS systems, Remote Sensing and Computer Modeling labs.

Professional Training Instructor, Department of Geography and Geology/Center for Geo-

Information Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida. January 2002 to June 2004.

Provide professional training through the Center for Geo-Information Science utilizing custom

developed ArcView GIS course materials.

Adjunct Instructor, Department of Geography and Geology, Florida Atlantic University, Boca

Raton, Florida. January 1998 to June 2003. Taught GLY 3870, a Geoscience Computer

Applications course covering computer skills, HTML, GIS, GPS, and computer modeling.

Page 3: To: From: Dr. · Raton, Florida. August 2013 to present. Faculty assignment teaching Earth science and Human-Environmental Interactions courses, developing and promoting eLearning

Esri Authorized Instructor, Department of Geography and Geology, Florida Atlantic University,

Boca Raton, Florida. January 2001 to March 2003. Provide professional training through the

Center for Geo-Information Science utilizing ESRI’s Introduction to ArcView GIS course

materials.

Project Manager, Department of Geography and Geology, Florida Atlantic University, Boca

Raton, Florida. January 1998 to January 2001. Identify, secure and manage funded research

projects for the Hydrological Modeling Center. Provide technical expertise in GIS and DGPS.

Specialist, Computer Applications, Department of Geology, Florida Atlantic University, Boca

Raton, Florida. August 1994 to May 1996. System administration and network management of

computer modeling and Geographic Information System labs consisting of both UNIX and

Windows platforms. Programming support of applications using FORTRAN and Arc/Info Arc

Macro Language (AML).

Laboratory Manager, Department of Geology, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida.

August 1993 to May 1996. Maintain lab and field equipment, oversee inventory, manage resources;

Curator of rock/mineral/fossil collections; Operate field research boats and four wheel drive

vehicle; Help initiate and assist in departmental research; Supervise subordinate staff and employed

students.

Secondary School Science Teacher, various public and private schools, August 1987 to May

1992.

(Items related to Undergraduate Mentoring are in bold and underlined)

Undergraduate Research and Inquiry Highlights

Mentored approximately 120 undergraduate students on individual research projects and

Academic Service –Learning projects for their capstone course.

Mentored 15 undergraduate students on directed independent study projects

Mentored approximately 60 undergraduate students in Freshman Learning communities

Awarded $404,701 for 15 internally funded grants to support undergraduate learning and

research

Co-authored with two undergraduate student publications in the FAU Undergraduate

Journal

DTD faculty liaison, College of Science

FAU Provosts Undergraduate Research Advisory committee

Member of the Undergraduate Research Curriculum Committee

FAU Faculty Senate DiSL Committee

FAU eLearning Advisory board member

Facilitator and participant in 3 Faculty Learning Communities

Faculty judge for the FAU Undergraduate Symposium

Attend all Freshman Convocations

Page 4: To: From: Dr. · Raton, Florida. August 2013 to present. Faculty assignment teaching Earth science and Human-Environmental Interactions courses, developing and promoting eLearning

Instructional Activity

Courses Taught

GLY 6931 – Thesis Seminar, 2013 to present.

GEA 6277 - Human-Environmental Interactions, 2009 to present

GEA 4275 – RI: Human-Environmental Interactions in South Florida, 2017 to present

GEA 4275 – Human-Environmental Interactions in South Florida, 2009 - 2016

GEO 6920 - Geosciences Colloquium Series, 2009-2012

ESC 2070 – The Blue Planet, 2007-present

SLS 1412 - The Learning Community Experience, 2009-2012

GLY 6934/ESC 6206 – Earth Science for Educators, 2007-2009

GLY 3870 – Geoscience Computer Applications, 1998-2001

Undergraduate Research Projects supervised in GEA 4275 Capstone Course

Research Paper Title Name Semester

How does Phosphorous Play a Role in Lake Okeechobee's Water Quality?

Nader Abed Spring 2016

Do Socioeconomic Conditions affect the Locations of Organic Farms and Markets?

Devon Morton Spring 2016

Has the Flood Frequency of Miami Increased Over the Last decade?

Cody Bandura Spring 2016

What Effects does Boating have on Manatees? Briana Bird

Spring 2016

An Overview of the Re-development of Ocean Mall and Beach Park, Riviera Beach, Florida to Prevent Marine Turtles Disorientation

Simoni Castro Spring 2016

Food Deserts in Palm Beach County Rafael Hauge

Spring 2016

Lionfish Invasion throughout the Boca Raton Region Christian Rodriguez

Spring 2016

Lionfish Invasion on Artificial and Natural Coral Reefs in South Florida Waters

Delicia Pop Spring 2016

An Examination of Wildlife Crime on the Treasure Coast: Do Crime Detection Rates differ in Conservation Lands

Kelsey Doyle Spring 2016

Availability of Organic Produce in Florida Paige Perez

Spring 2016

Sex Determination in Loggerhead Marine Turtle Populations in South Florida

Salvador Rio de la Loza

Spring 2016

The Frequency of the Wood-Boring Isopod within Red Mangroves

Alexandra Hoffart

Spring 2016

Page 5: To: From: Dr. · Raton, Florida. August 2013 to present. Faculty assignment teaching Earth science and Human-Environmental Interactions courses, developing and promoting eLearning

Burmese Python Populations in South Florida Samantha Morrone

Spring 2016

Observing Changes in Water Quality of Lake Okeechobee in Response to Restoration

Matthew Menendesz

Spring 2016

What is the solar power potential of FAU? Mackenzie Long

Spring 2016

How has the Florida Panthers habitat been affected by urbanization?

Dylan Murphy Spring 2016

What are the effects of algae blooms in the Indian River Lagoon?

Tiana Robinson

Spring 2016

Does encroaching on natural sea wall have an adverse effect on beach erosion, and how does the development on natural barriers correlate to beach renouishment?

Kyle Arp Spring 2015

How are invasive fish species distributed in respect to temperature ranges of south Florida?

Nicolas Baldwin

Spring 2015

How are invasive fish species distributed in respect to three different habitat types of south Florida?

Nicholas Brandimarte

Spring 2015

Can the habitat provided by the Juno Dunes Natural area and surrounding community support a Florida panther?

Kathleen Bratager

Spring 2015

To what extent can the GRACE Satellite gravitational data be used to estimate saltwater intrusion of the Biscayne Aquifer?

Laura Casale Spring 2015

Is the use of Grass Carp a viable way of managing Hydrilla and other noxious Plants in South Florida?

Jake Cerar Nickol

Spring 2015

What is the spatial relationship between wealth distribution and natural protected areas in Palm Beach County?

Parker Devoe Spring 2015

What effects have urban expansion and had on The Everglades?

Veshaal Dial Spring 2015

Can the success rate of the hatchlings in this area be effected by surrounding beach renourishment?

Melanie Gannon

Spring 2015

Is the Asian Citrus Psyllid attracted to a certain age group of orange trees?

Andrea Hendricks

Spring 2015

How does the volume and distribution of anthropogenic trash change with proximity to accessible, maintained areas in parks?

Daniele Leoce Spring 2015

Does the construction of street lights preserve or destroy native animal species populations?

Briana McDonnell

Spring 2015

What type of South Florida landscape appeals most to the general population?

Rachel Palmer Spring 2015

Is the lack of a managed burn hurting the biodiversity of the FAU Preserve?

Anthony Reyes

Spring 2015

Page 6: To: From: Dr. · Raton, Florida. August 2013 to present. Faculty assignment teaching Earth science and Human-Environmental Interactions courses, developing and promoting eLearning

Determining the distribution of pineland croton (Croton linearis) in the Pine Rocklands of the Miami Rock Ridge by measuring GPS location, and densities of surrounding shrub

Chelsea Rioux Spring 2015

How do Mayan Cichlid populations vary based on Canal Morphology?

Andrew Tabaque

Spring 2015

Is the amount, and size of reserved green spaces in South Florida communities positively related to the affluence of those communities?

Garfield Williams

Spring 2015

Attitudes toward Dredging offshore in Palm Beach County

Morgan Worley

Spring 2015

Is a golf course in urban South Florida a benefit or a detriment to the environment?

Dylan Ammeson

Spring 2014

What threat does the invasive Burmese Python pose to the Florida Everglades?

Anthony Balbachan

Spring 2014

Does the presence of exotic pet stores in South Florida increase the risk of invasive species being introduced into the environment such as the Green Iguana and the Python, two easily bought animals at pet stores, and Why would such a correlation exist, if any?

Nicholas Bauder

Spring 2014

What invasive plant species are affecting mangroves? Brandie Caldwell

Spring 2014

How can natural area be used to mitigate noise pollution?

Sabiha Chowdhury

Spring 2014

What are the effects of sprawling land development on patterns/distribution of vegetation in the Everglades over the past 15 years?

Erica Duboff Spring 2014

Does sea grass density vary from human dominated areas and "pristine" federally protected areas?

Nicole Gamboa

Spring 2014

Determine whether or not the tourism industry has had a negative impact on the near shore ecosystems.

Luis Guerrero Spring 2014

How much has the Bartram's scrub hairstreak habitat of the pine rocklands declined due to development?

Tiffany Harmon

Spring 2014

How can natural and/or urban (suburban) areas be used to mitigate light pollution?

Armando Hernandez

Spring 2014

How does runoff effect the water chemistry in South Florida's Intracoastal?

Laurie Herrick Spring 2014

How does nature deficit affect humans? Michael Mahoney

Spring 2014

Does light pollution near the coast lead to increased sea turtle emergence disorientation?

Courtney Mcarthur

Spring 2014

Urban blight and its effect on regeneration of an environment

Samantha Powers

Spring 2014

Page 7: To: From: Dr. · Raton, Florida. August 2013 to present. Faculty assignment teaching Earth science and Human-Environmental Interactions courses, developing and promoting eLearning

How do the number of natural area fires vary between the wet and dry seasons in South Florida?

Sarah Shaughnessy

Spring 2014

How does human nature effect coral reefs? Jacob Stephen

Spring 2014

Urbanization and the effects it has on surrounding groundwater

Ramon Suarez Spring 2014

Do loggerhead sea turtles prefer beaches in Palm Beach County that have not been renourished within the last five years versus a beach that has been renourished?

Caroline Tapley

Spring 2014

What effect does South Florida's mass transit have on CO2 emissions for Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties?

Justin Voet Spring 2014

What impact water restriction have during water shortage?

Carly Wagner Spring 2014

Are manatee deaths directly correlated to the different seasons we experience?

John Wiborg Spring 2014

Are Wellington canals being polluted with bacteria from equine waste runoff?

Jennifer Ackner

Spring 2013

Do prescribed burns have a long term effect on White Tail deer population dispersal?

Daniel Beard Spring 2013

How has man-made ditches and ditch filling affected Jonathan Dickinson state park.

Ryan Chapman

Spring 2013

What are the main prey/ predators of the burrowing owls on the FAU campus and how to they differ from those off campus?

Bennett Decima

Spring 2013

Is the predation of sea turtle nest effected by the development of the local coastline?

Danelle Dumhart

Spring 2013

What are the effects of noise pollution from motorsport facilities in South Florida?

Luis Guerrero Spring 2013

The Pacific Lionfish has on growth and development of Florida's coral reef systems

John Harbilas Spring 2013

How have the population dynamics of Uca spp. (fiddler crabs) within a recently restored salt marsh changed over a one-year time period?

John Hart Spring 2013

How significant of an effect do the STA's in south Florida have on nitrate and phosphate levels?

Sean Kennon Spring 2013

To what extent can residential irrigation water use in Palm Beach County be reduced through xeriscaping/native planting?

Kyle Krakow Spring 2013

How has the owl population and burrow density changed over time as FAU has developed?

Kerriann Lawrence

Spring 2013

Does an increase number of people on the beaches disturb the turtles nesting patterns and locations?

Alexandria Martinez

Spring 2013

Page 8: To: From: Dr. · Raton, Florida. August 2013 to present. Faculty assignment teaching Earth science and Human-Environmental Interactions courses, developing and promoting eLearning

Is the increasing scarcity of potable water in Salt encroached areas of South Florida accurately reflected by the costs of water/sewer in these areas?

Sunnie McAllister

Spring 2013

How has the owl population and burrow density changed over time as FAU has developed?

Kelly McKinley Spring 2013

What is the invasive species dispersion correlation to campsites in Corbett WMA?

Melissa Michael

Spring 2013

How effective are the results of prescribed burning regarding invasive plant species in scrub habitat?

Evan Myers Spring 2013

Is beach replenishment necessary for vegetated/undeveloped beaches in south Florida?

Emily Olson Spring 2013

What type of artificial reef construction material is good for creating a diverse fish population in Florida?

Sean Perigord Spring 2013

What will the salient environmental and infrastructural consequences of sea level rise be in the Florida Keys by 2050, in lieu of current data projections and forecasts?

Andrew Plonskier

Spring 2013

Gulf coast oil spill with effects towards fisheries and wildlife

Stefanie Resillez

Spring 2013

What is the impact of a 60cm sea level rise on home values in low income neighborhoods?

Jefferson Romais

Spring 2013

What is the success or failure of removing invasive trees from Palm Beach County's coastal watersheds

Diego Salcedo Spring 2013

Are there long-term consequences to recreational mountain biking in South Florida's natural parks?

Kevin Simon Spring 2013

How has water quality and flow in Grassy Waters Preserve been effected by the new fly over bridge on Northlake Blvd?

Kelli Tolleson Spring 2013

How do the weather conditions affect the visitor's rate at Everglades National Park?

Eliska Vydrova Spring 2013

Effectiveness of South Florida high school curriculums on youth knowledge of local environmental facts and issues.

Sarah Young Spring 2013

How much do Broward County residents know about invasive plant species in their local parks?

Lisa Baig Spring 2012

How much land is lost in Indian River County due to Ocean levels Rising?

Corey Barbour Spring 2012

Do boater compliance zones in Palm Beach County reduce deaths of the west indian manatee?

Brenden Beard

Spring 2012

To what extent has the introduced plant species, (either Australian Pine or Melaleuca), taken over the (proposed study area) in South Florida?

Justin Callahan

Spring 2012

Page 9: To: From: Dr. · Raton, Florida. August 2013 to present. Faculty assignment teaching Earth science and Human-Environmental Interactions courses, developing and promoting eLearning

Can green urban land use/ land cover patterns reduce ecological footprints while increasing environmental productivity?

Andrew Capra Spring 2012

How does the weight of removed fibropapilloma tissue correlate with survival rate of green sea turtles in the south Florida region.

Keith Dawson Spring 2012

How are Gopher Tortoises managed in Urban areas within South Florida?

Jodilyn Duggan

Spring 2012

Did channelization of the Kissimmee River create suitable habitat for the burrowing owl?

Amber Graham

Spring 2012

How can invasive lionfish in South Florida be controlled and managed?

Danielle Harangody

Spring 2012

Does high volume of recreational boating in the Dania Cutoff Canal cause the mortality rate of manatees to increase.

Nicole Kesler Spring 2012

What is the extent of fertilizer contamination of the ground water in south Florida?

Lawrence Latona

Spring 2012

How do Lake, Coastal and Inland archaeological sites differ in the West Palm Beach area?

Jaymee Norman

Spring 2012

What relationships exist between demographic factors, such as race and income, and the location of parks in Palm Beach County?

Jaclyn Nowak Spring 2012

What is the spatial relationship between burrowing owls, gopher tortoises, and man-made objects?

Bethany Resnick

Spring 2012

Does Pomacea insularum (island snail) have a higher caloric value per unit milligram than Pomacea paludosa (apple snail)?

Alexandra Samuel

Spring 2012

What effects have conservation and restoration programs had on Florida panther populations?

Hannah Shuman

Spring 2012

How does the decrease in mangroves in South Florida contribute to coastal erosion?

Chelsea Spara Spring 2012

What are some of the benefits and problems that have occurred from the integration of Texas Panthers brought in for breeding purposes with the Florida Panthers in the Everglades?

Stacy Tinker Spring 2012

What land use area do the curly tailed lizards populate either rural or urban, and did their movement from East-West/North-South help in determining these locations?

Kenneth Wagner

Spring 2012

Page 10: To: From: Dr. · Raton, Florida. August 2013 to present. Faculty assignment teaching Earth science and Human-Environmental Interactions courses, developing and promoting eLearning

Directed Independent Studies Supervised

Jonathan Dickenson Internship, GEO 4905, Fall 2016

Sustainable Transportation, GEO 4905, Summer 2016 and Fall 2016

Investigating GIS, GEO 4905, Fall 2015

Environmental Sensors, GEO 6908, Summer 2015

South Florida Habitats, GEO 4905, Spring 2015

Terrestrial Laser Scanning, GEO 6908, Spring 2015

Naturescaping, GEO 6908, Fall 2014

3D printing, GEO 6908, Summer 2014

Equine Pasture Sustainability, GEO 4905, Summer 2013

Fire and Deer Dispersal, GEO 4905, Summer 2013

MacArthur Beach Internship, GEO 4905, Summer 2013

Examining Gopher Tortoise/Vegetation Relationships, GEO 4905, Fall 2012

Burrowing Owl Population Survey, GEO 4905, Fall 2012

GIS Mapping in Organic Foods, GEO 4905, Summer 2012

REACH Project, GEO 6908, Summer 2012

Map Critical infrastructure w/ GPS, GEO 4905, Summer 2011

Spatial Data Mining, GEO 6908, Summer 2011

Internet & Mobile GIS Applications, GEO 4905, Fall 2010

GIS Field Experience, GEO 4905, Fall 2010

GIS Investigation of an Endangered Plant Species, GEO 4905, Fall 2010

Graduate Student Mentoring

Current – Dissertation/Thesis Advisor

Rebecca Clark, PhD, expected completion Fall 2020

Jing Liu, PhD, expected completion Fall 2019

Sudan Uprety, PhD, expected completion Fall 2018

Kimberly Ferran, PhD, expected completion Spring 2017

Completed – Dissertation/Thesis Advisor

Keren Bolter, Ph.D., "Comparing Perceived Risk versus Actual Risk to Sea Level Rise: A Case

Study for Broward County, Florida," Fall 2014

Amanda Mulcan, M.S., "Environmental Siting Suitability Analysis For Commercial Scale Ocean

Renewable Energy: A Southeast Florida Case Study," Summer 2014

Current – Committee Member

Carolyn Reiland-Smith, MS Environmental Sciences, Spring 2018

Jeanmarie Steckler Buck, MS Anthropology, Fall 2017

Ripu Kunwar, Ph.D., expected completion Fall 2017

Page 11: To: From: Dr. · Raton, Florida. August 2013 to present. Faculty assignment teaching Earth science and Human-Environmental Interactions courses, developing and promoting eLearning

Completed – Committee Member

Delores Forbes, Ph.D., "Augmented Reality/GIS: An Analysis of its Efficacy as an Educational

Tool in the Geosciences," Fall 2014

John Zahina, Ph.D., “Attitudes and perspectives about backyard food gardening : a case study in

South Florida,” Spring 2013

Augliere, Bethany, M.S., “Home on the range: spatial ecology of Atlantic spotted dolphins

(Stenella frontalis) in the Bahamas,” Fall 2012

Mary Crider, M.S. Thesis “The social and environmental effects of shrimp mariculture: Case

studies of two coastal villages in Ecuador,” Spring 2012

Pitti, Joseph, M.S. Thesis “Mapping and analyzing the Florida reef tract in Palm Beach County in

relation to major storm events in a GIS database,: Spring 2012

Jason Whitman,M.S., Variations in Model Discretization Methodology in Groundwater

Modeling. (1999)

Refereed Works

Journal publications

Doyle, K and Hindle, T. 2016 An Examination of Wildlife Crime on the Treasure

Coast: Do Crime Detection Rates Differ on Conservation Lands? Accepted for

publication in Florida Atlantic Undergraduate Research Journal.

Mulcan, A.; Mitsova, D.; Hindle, T.; Hanson, H.; Coley, C. Marine Benthic Habitats and

Seabed Suitability Mapping for Potential Ocean Current Energy Siting Offshore Southeast

Florida. J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2015, 3, 276-298.

Scholl, P., Hindle, T., Frazier, E., “Population Structure and Burrow Placement of

Gopherus polyphemus in a Small, Declining Southeast Florida Conservation Area.” FAU

Undergraduate Research Journal, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2012

Raines, T., Ricci, P., Brown, S., Eggenberger, T., Hindle, T., and Schiff, M. "Cheating In Online

Courses: The Student Definition,” Journal of Effective Teaching 11.1 (2011): 80-89.

Presentations

Scholl, P., Calle, L., Frazier, E., Hindle, T., “Distribution and habitat use of the gopher

tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) in a declining southeast Florida conservation area.” 96th

ESA Annual Meeting, Austin, TX. August 2011.

Lewis, S., Hindle, T., and Peterson, C. “Using GIS to investigate environmental factors

contributing to the presence of an endangered plant (Campanula robinsiae).” 75th Anniversary

Meeting of the Florida Academy of Sciences Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida.

March 2011

Hindle, T., "Enhancing Inquiry Based Learning Through Environmental Academic Service

Learning", conference poster presentation, Earth System Science Education Alliance (ESSEA)

annual conference, Ithaca, NY August 9th – 12th, 2010.

Page 12: To: From: Dr. · Raton, Florida. August 2013 to present. Faculty assignment teaching Earth science and Human-Environmental Interactions courses, developing and promoting eLearning

Hindle, T., "Human Environmental Interactions in Southeastern Florida: Opportunities for Earth

System Science Investigations", conference poster presentation, Earth System Science Education

Alliance (ESSEA) annual conference, Biosphere II, AZ June 15th – 18th, 2009.

Root, T. and Hindle, T., "Teaching Earth Science for Educators to Students with Diverse

Backgrounds: Challenges, Successes, and Student Perceptions," conference presentation at the

Earth System Science Education Alliance (ESSEA) annual conference, Charleston, SC June 16th

– 19th, 2008.

Hindle, T., “Regenerative Ecosystem Concept for Storm Water Retention Areas,” Second

Annual South Florida Environmental Ethics Conference, April 2003.

Other publications

Hindle, T. "Everglades Restoration." Encyclopedia of Geography. 2010. SAGE Publications. 1

Oct. 2010. <http://www.sage-ereference.com/geography/Article_n401.html>.

Contract or Grants Received

Funded

3-D Geovisualization Lab upgrades. Florida Atlantic University technology grant, 2015.

Principle Investigator. The purpose of this tech fee grant was to upgrade our existing 20 seat

stereo 3-D workstation labs with high performance CPUs and SSD data storage. Funded

$38,920.

Collaboration Station for Geosciences. Florida Atlantic University technology grant, 2015.

Principle Investigator. The purpose of this tech fee grant was to design and implement a state

of the art collaboration station utilizing a 65-inch touch screen display, PTZ camera with

software based video conferencing, and wireless connection of up to four laptops. Funded

$13, 834.

Large Format Printing and Scanning. Florida Atlantic University technology grant, 2015.

Principle Investigator. The purpose of this tech fee grant funded a HP large format

scanner/printer to support graduate students and faculty poster printing for academic

conferences as well as digitization of maps for classroom use and research. Funded $8,100.

vGPU Enhancements for VDI Lab. Florida Atlantic University technology grant, 2014.

Principle Investigator. The purpose of this tech fee grant was to upgrade our existing 42 seat

Citrix Lab VDI infrastructure with NVidia Grid vGPU technology by purchasing four

NVidia Grid K1 GPUs. Funded $8,800.

High Performance Storage Server for eLearning courses. Florida Atlantic University

technology grant, 2014. Principle Investigator. The purpose of this tech fee grant was to fund

a high performance storage server and internal network switch to support our expanding

eLearning technical courses and upcoming fully online degree program. Funded $11,805.

3D Printing in the Geosciences. Florida Atlantic University technology grant, 2014. Principle

Investigator. The goal was to train students in the acquisition and creation of 3D data and

information. Funded $3,750.

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FAU QEP Distinction Through Discovery Curriculum grant, “Expanding the Student-

Centered Undergraduate Research Culture Across the Curriculum”. 2013. This project

proposes to improve the student-centered undergraduate research experience in several

programs across multiple colleges, specifically, Civil engineering and Geomatics Engineering

(College of Engineering and Computer Science) and Geology and Geography (College of

Science). The proposal involves both revision of existing courses/programs and also new

courses. Funded $20,000.

Video conferencing for eLearning. Florida Atlantic University technology grant, 2013.

Principle Investigator. Project to implement live video conferencing to Geosciences’ rapidly

expanding eLearning capabilities. Funded $37,500.

Mobile GIS to promote Undergraduate Research in the Geosciences. Florida Atlantic

University technology grant, 2013. Principle Investigator. Project designed to enhance and

increase the use of mobile GIS (Geographic Information Systems) into many of our

undergraduate and graduate courses as a primary tool of data acquisition and analysis to

support both class projects and student research. Funded $14,800.

Dell Education Support Donation grant. Dell donation to fund technology infrastructure at

FAU. Proposed budget $9,000.

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Computer Lab, Florida Atlantic University technology grant,

2012. Principle Investigator. Design and implement a fifty seat undergraduate teaching lab

with thin client based virtual machines (VDI) using Citrix XenDesktop to serve more than

850 students per week in discussion sections of World Geography, Weather and Climate and

a variety of other Geography courses. Funded $46,500.

Raster Based Image Processing Virtualization, Florida Atlantic University technology grant,

2012. Principle Investigator. Design and implement server hosted raster images processing

for undergraduate and graduate online courses in Geographic Digital Image Analysis,

GIS 4037C and GIS 5033C that require the use of professional level photo image

software. Funded $9,000

Enhancing eLearning in the Sciences, Florida Atlantic University technology grant, 2011.

Principle Investigator. The purpose of this grant is to enhance eLearning in the Geosciences

department by dramatically improving and expanding its eLearning programs to provide

state-of-the-art asynchronous and synchronous courses in a pedagogically sound and exciting

way for both majors and non-major general education students. Funded $32,940.

Remote Education and Assessment of Critical Habitats (REACH), Florida Atlantic

University technology grant, 2011-2014. Co-Investigator. This grant will implement

technology for an interdisciplinary, experiential learning project called Remote Education

and Assessment of Critical Habitats (REACH) on the FAU campus. The REACH project

will utilize state-of-the-art technologies to bring real-time and near real-time environmental

data from the ecological preserve (also known as the “Conservation Area”) on FAU’s Boca

Raton campus into a wide variety of classes to promote student learning and awareness in

topics of environmental and earth sciences, conservation, and sustainability. Funded $74,155.

Stereo 3-dimensional (3D) computer analysis and visualization technology project, Florida

Atlantic University technology grant, 2010–2013. Principle Investigator. Develop and

implement stereo 3D Geovisualization technologies into existing and future undergraduate

and graduates courses in the Department of Geosciences, Boca Raton, Florida. Funded

$59,625.

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Internet and Mobile GIS Applications Project (IMAP), Florida Atlantic University

technology grant, 2010–2013. Principle Investigator. Develop and implement Internet and

Mobile Geographic Information System technologies into existing and future undergraduate

and graduates courses in the Department of Geosciences, Boca Raton, Florida. Funded

$24,972.

FAU interdisciplinary Cross-College Research Pre-Proposal on Climate Change submitted

to FAU Division of Sponsored Research, 2010. Collaborator. The cross-disciplinary FAU

Climate Change Group will facilitate the implementation of 1) the Integrative and

Collaborative Climate and Energy (ICCE) research Program, a South Florida based climate

initiative, and 2) foster cross-college climate change interdisciplinary research and

engineering teams that can assess climate change impacts, and assist in mitigation and

adaption strategies on a national and global scale. Proposal accepted with internal FAU

funding.

Earth System Science Education Alliance partnership, a National Science Foundation GEO-

Teach project, funded through the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies. 2007 – 2009. Co-

Principle investigator. Develop new learning modules for the ESSEA program and teaching

ESSEA courses to educators. Funded $40,000.

Automated Crash Notification System, Florida Atlantic University/Center for Geo-Science

Information research grant. January 2001 – June 2001. Collaborator. Provide technical and field

support/staff training of ArcGIS and Trimble DGPS systems for research project developing a

wireless vehicle tracking and event notification for six hundred vehicles in the greater Boca Raton,

Florida. Funded.

Palm Beach County Health and Social Service Information Utility, Florida Atlantic

University/Center for Geo-Science Information research grant. October 2000 – August 2001.

Collaborator. Responsible for implementing a GIS based Internet map service web site on a Dell

PowerEdge server utilizing Windows 2000 Advanced Server, Microsoft SQL 2000 and ESRI

ArcIMS. Funded.

Historical Review of Kissimmee River Habitat, (contract No. C-5319): Florida Atlantic

University/SFWMD research grant. November 1994 to December 1995. Co-Investigator. Part of

a three-person team responsible for collecting vegetation data for the Kissimmee River from the

1800's to the 1940's and summarizing the data in text, paper maps, and GIS layers. Funded.

Everglades Historical Map Synthesis, (contract No. C-5240): Florida Atlantic

University/SFWMD research grant. July 1994 to January 1994. Collaborator. Provided UNIX and

Arc/Info technical support to students digitizing Everglades soils maps into GIS layers. Funded.

Not Funded

Spatial Analysis of Vegetation Community Changes in Response to Variations in Hydrology

at the A.R.M. Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge, Proposal for the FAU Environmental Sciences (ES)

Everglades Fellowship Initiative funded by the National Park Service to facilitate restoration of the

Everglades ecosystem. 2014.

Tortuga Trail: A Sacred Place Promoting Interdependence Among All, Open Spaces Sacred

Places: The Healing Power of Nature, National Awards Program for Integrated Research

and Design Projects Proposal Abstract. OSSP Committee Member. This OSSP proposal will

serve to promote well-being through facilitations of a deeper awareness of our

interdependence. The goal is to provide engagement with nature in ways that raise awareness

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of our interdependence, transforming our lives at the individual and larger contextual levels.

Proposed budget $456,000.

QEP Pre-Proposal: Engaging Students through Academic Service-Learning (AS-L). 2011.

Collaborator. This pre-proposal was selected to move forward as full QEP proposal but not

selected for final funding.

ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp (EMBHSSC), submitted to The Harris

Foundation, November 2010. Co-Investigator. The purpose of the proposed project is to create a

two-week residential camp hosted at FAU. The camp will provide 48-54 promising middle school

grade level students the opportunity to enhance their proficiency in Science, Technology,

Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. Not funded.

NSF-WSC 10-524. #L02118061, submitted to the National Science Foundation, April 2010.

Collaborator. The purpose of the proposed project is to advance the biophysical and social

sciences related to the hydrological consequences of sea level rise and other climate change

impacts and provide comprehensive forecasting and planning tools to help coastal regions

optimize their resilience to global climate change. Not funded.

A New Generation: Educating Climate Change Scientists, Engineers and Technicians, submitted by IGES to NSF under the Climate Change Education Partnership (CCEP) Program,

NSF 10-542. 2010. Collaborator. This Phase I Program Solicitation is intended to integrate

ESSEA materials that best address climate change concepts into 5-12 education. Not funded.

Environmental Academic Service Learning at Florida Atlantic University, submitted to the

Environmental Protection Agency, December 2009. Co-Investigator. Budget $18,000.

Currently under review. Goal is to develop and implement an Environmental Academic

Service Learning (EASL) program at FAU that promotes critical and reflective thinking

about the environment by combining academic instruction with community based, hands-on

projects, addressing local environmental issues. Not funded.

Educator Development for Climate Change and Earth System Science, submitted to NASA

Proposal Number 09-GCCE-0054, August 2009. Co-Investigator. Budget $492,824. Florida

Atlantic University's Department of Geosciences in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science

proposes to collaborate with FAU's College of Education and the Palm Beach and Broward County

school districts to design and implement an educator development program to improve both teacher

and student literacy in climate change science. Not funded.

Transforming Engineering Education in Secondary Schools submitted to NASA K-12 CAN,

NNG09Z13001, September 2009. Collaborator. Budget $1,482798. This project is a collaboration

between The Palm Beach County School District, Florida Atlantic University College of

Engineering and Computer Science, and Broward County Public Schools. It addresses NASA's

goal to strengthen educator skills in teaching Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

(STEM) content and provide academic and hands-on opportunities for high school students. Not

funded.

Investigating Earth System Science (IESS), submitted as an IGES proposal for NASA’s K-12

CAN (number NNG09Z13001), September 2009. Collaborator. Budget undisclosed. Not Funded.

Non-Refereed Works

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Presentations

Hindle, T. "Geography Education: Online Teaching," panel speaker at the Annual

Southeastern Division of the American Association of Geographers (SEDAAG), Savannah,

GA, 2011.

Hindle, T. "Issues and Obstacles in eLearning," panel speaker at the Fall 2010 Teaching

with Technology Showcase, FAU Center for Teaching and Learning.

Hindle, T. "Challenges and Opportunities to Online Teaching," panel speaker at the Fall

2009 Teaching with Technology Showcase, FAU Center for Teaching and Learning.

Hindle, T., “The Regeneration of Nature: an alternative to ecological restoration,” Second

Annual PISA Conference: Arts, Culture and Society: Memory, Community and Public Value,

2004.

“Ecological Regeneration” Plenary speaker at the Public Intellectuals Student Association

Symposium: Can We Build an Emerald City in the Ivory Tower, 2003.

Publications

Hindle, T., “The Regeneration of Nature: an alternative to ecological restoration,” Doctoral

Dissertation, Florida Atlantic University. 2006

Harlin, J. and Hindle, T., “Weather and Climate Lab Manual: A GIS Approach,” Pearson

Publishing, 2005.

Harlin, J. and Hindle, T., “Intermediate ArcView GIS,” Student laboratory manual, Pearson

Publishing, 2003.

Hindle, T., “Determination of Wetland Impact Due to Groundwater Drawdown: The Application

of Aerial Photo-interpretation, GIS, and Groundwater Modeling,” Master's Thesis, Florida Atlantic

University. 1997.

Professional Development

FSG annual meeting, Florida Society of Geographers 2013, 2014, 2016

CEL1001R: eLearning Designer/Facilitator Certification Course, 128-hour training

program provided by the FAU Center for eLearning. Fall 2011

SEDAAG annual meeting, Southeastern Division of the Association of American Geographers.

2010, 2011, 2012

Teaching with Technology Showcase, FAU Center for Teaching and Learning, 2009, 2010,

2011

ESSEA annual meeting, Earth System Science Education Alliance, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

Faculty Learning Community, Advanced Topics Online Teaching/Learning, member,

2010/2011

Citrix virtualization seminar “From Wow to How”, 2010, 2012

GIS Expo, 2007, 2010

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Faculty Learning Community, Sustainable Pedagogy, Facilitator, 2009/2010

Web conference on developing a Carbon Action Plan for universities, 2009.

Faculty Learning Community, Challenges and Opportunities to Distance Learning, 2009

Teaching Learning Center and The Center for Civic Engagement and Service workshop:

Implementing Academic Service-Learning - Part I and II, 2008

ESRI International User Conference, 2007

Professional Service

Departmental

Director of the PhD program, 2016 - present

Graduate Program Director, 2011-present

Technology Manager, 2007-present

eLearning coordinator, 2006-present

ESRI/FAU site license coordinator, 2006 – present

Geosciences Webmaster, 2002-present

GIS Center, 2007-present

Graduate Student Endowed Scholarship Fund committee, 2012

Undergraduate honors program committee, 2012

Human Environmental committee, 2011

Department of Geosciences’ display session host at SEDAAG annual conference, 2010, 2011

Master’s program advisor, 2009-2011

Latham Scholarship committee, 2009

New Course Development – ESC 6206 and ESC 6702: In collaboration with Dr. Tara Root,

developed a new, distance learning graduate course – Earth Science for Educators I and II. 2008

Undergraduate student advisor, 2008-2009

Ph.D. planning equipment subcommittee, 2007

College

Charles E. Schmidt College of Science computing committee, 2006-present

Charles E. Schmidt College of Science Graduate Programs committee, 2012

Science Olympiad judge, 2008 - 2016

Graduate Research Day poster judge, 2011

Invited panel judge for student projects in EGN 2935, 2009

Invited speaker for EGN 2935, Sustainability Leadership in Engineering, Fall 2009

Search committee, Department of Engineering’s Geomatics Engineering Assistant Professor

selection committee, 2008

Search committee, Department of Engineering’s Geomatics Engineering Instructor position, 2007

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University

FAU Faculty Senate DiSL Committee, 2015 - present

FAU eLearning Advisory board member, 2015 - present

FAU Provosts Undergraduate Research Advisory committee, 2015 - present

URRC committee member, 2017 - present

OURI Liaison to the College of Science, 2014 - present

Freshman Convocation, Fall 2009 - 2016

Search committee, FAU Associate Director Student Success/Learning Community Director, 2011

FAU Conservation committee, 2010-present

FAU Earth Day planning committee, 2010, 2012

FAU Sustainability committee, 2007-present

Academic and Research sub-committee of the FAU Sustainability committee, Chair, 2008-2010

FAU Freshman Living Learning Community steering committee, 2009-2012

Focus the Nation conference steering committee, 2009

FAU Graduation Commencement, Summer 2008, Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Spring 2010

SLS 1412 volunteer instructor, Freshman Learning Community Experience, 2008-2012

FAU Freshman Living Learning Community (LLC): Globally Reshaping the Environment

(GReEn). Chair/Faculty sponsor 2008-2012.

FAU Community Garden committee, 2010

Outside Organizations

South Eastern Division of Association of American Geographers, 2012-present

Florida Society of Geographers’ (FSG) webmaster, 2007-present

Represented FAU at several board meetings for the non-profit organization Hurricane Warning!

at the Disaster Survival House, 2008

Co–coordinator and presenter for the South Broward High School GIS field trip to FAU.

February, 2007

Coordinated and conducted a 5th grade filed trip for students from Morikami Elementary school.

The field trip topic was on how global air pollution affects Florida’s environment, 2007

Journal and Grant Referee

Journal of Coastal research, Ref.: Ms. No. JCOASTRES-D-12-00144. Coastal ecological

landscape planning and management for Yalova-Armutlu Peninsula (Turkey) Journal of Coastal

Research

National Science Foundation Reviewer, Geoscience Education (GeoEd) program solicitation

[NSF 12-512], ad-hoc reviewer, February 2012

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National Science Foundation Reviewer, Geoscience Education (GeoEd) program solicitation

[NSF 11-512], ad-hoc reviewer, January 2011.

National Science Foundation Reviewer, Geoscience Education (GeoEd) program solicitation

[NSF 10-512], ad-hoc reviewer, February 2010

AWARDS and CERTIFICATIONS

Quality Matters certification for the online course GEA 6277, 2013

Academic Service-Learning (A S-L) STEM Stipend award, 2011

State of Florida secondary teacher professional certification in Science, 1990-present

Royal Palm Audubon Society Environmental Fellowship, 2003-04

Florida Atlantic University Employee Grant-in-Aide Award, 2003-04

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Page 22: To: From: Dr. · Raton, Florida. August 2013 to present. Faculty assignment teaching Earth science and Human-Environmental Interactions courses, developing and promoting eLearning

Tobin Hindle Philosophy of Undergraduate Student mentorship

"The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating

them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to

create themselves." Steven Spielberg

Mentoring undergraduate students has become one of the most fulfilling parts of my career

here at FAU. I first became involved with UG mentoring in 2009 when I was asked to be the faculty

leader for the Sustainability Freshman Living-Learning Community and teach SLS 1412, The Learning

Community Experience. In the three years I was involved in the FLC program, I had a chance to interact

with about 60 new Freshman students. What I quickly discovered was that these students did not just

need a teacher or faculty leader, they needed a mentor to help guide them in developing their academic

career. In the SLS course I learned it was not just teaching them about issues in sustainability, it was

also coaching them in developing their academic skills, facilitating their growth by sharing resources and

contacts that I had available, challenging them to do more than what they were comfortable with and

providing an environment that would foster their development as a whole person. This experience

shaped my understanding of what it was to be a mentor. Mentoring was not about me and my

knowledge, instead, mentoring was about the student and what they could become. Thus my

philosophy of mentorship became “helping each individual student to find their own particular

interests, become excited about those interests and then grow in knowledge and skills related to their

interests.”

Also starting in 2009, I was assigned to teach the Geography capstone course GEA 4275, Human-

Environment Interactions in South Florida, which I still teach currently. When I took over this course, it

had a group research project assignment. However, based on my experience from the FLC, I decided

this course would be another great place that I could not just teach, but mentor undergraduates. I

changed the course group project to an individual project where the focus was on what each student

individually was interested in rather than what the group or I was interested in. I decided I would work

closely with each student to help them develop their own research question, identify data sources,

create a method of analysis and then carry out the research to develop results and conclusions. Along

the way I would coach them on needed skills, provide resources and contacts that could help them, and

challenge them to think critically. To help foster the students’ growth I added an Academic Service-

Learning, AS-L, component that involves them with NGOs and government agencies outside of the

classroom to have a “real world” research and inquiry experience. The AS-L component also gives

students the opportunity to meet other mentors to help them grow and serve as future contacts and

references. In 2013, the research pedagogy in this course was further developed through a FAU Cross-

College Curriculum Grant award that I was a co-investigator on and more recently, I applied for, and

received, the new Research Intensive course designation for GEA 4275.

Over the years in GEA 4275 I have been fortunate to be able to mentor more than 120 students.

Particularly rewarding were the highly motivated students each term that I got to work very close with.

While not required, I encourage participation in the FAU undergraduate Research Symposium to present

their class research at. Each term about 1-3 students rise to that challenge and I have had several of

those students win poster presentation awards at the Symposium. Then there are the exceptional

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students who have the drive to really pursue research and inquiry. The two most accomplished students

that I have had the pleasure of mentoring were Josh Scholl and Kelsey Doyle. Both of these students not

only presented and won at the FAU Symposium, but they both were able to get their research published

in the FAU Undergraduate Journal. Josh is now in a PhD program at the University of Arizona. Kelsey

has found her niche in natural resource management as she is now starting her new career.

Another opportunity for UG mentoring that I have sought out over the years is through Directed

Independent Study. I usually take on 2-3 undergraduate students per year to mentor through DIS.

Whenever I accept a UG DIS student, I emphasize research and inquiry and apply my philosophy that it is

the student’s interests that are most important. Because of this philosophy, I have had the pleasure to

mentor students as they developed their research skills through such diverse topics as Sustainable

Transportation, Naturescaping, Equine Pasture Sustainability, Fire and Deer Dispersal, Examining Gopher

Tortoise/Vegetation Relationships, Burrowing Owl Population Survey, GIS Mapping of Organic Foods,

Mapping Critical infrastructure with GPS, and GIS Investigation of an Endangered Plant Species.

I also try to impart on my mentees the importance of life-long learning. This is something I

practice myself as I have sought out a number of professional development and service opportunities

related to undergraduate in general and mentoring specifically. I have both participated and led Faculty

Learning Communities in Advanced Topics Online Teaching/Learning, Sustainable Pedagogy, and

Challenges and Opportunities to Distance Learning. I volunteer most years to help judge at the FAU

Undergraduate Symposium and was a judge at the College of Science Research Day during the years it

was put on. About two years ago I applied for the Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry College

Liaison position. I was fortunate enough to be selected and I am now in my second two-year term. The

liaison position has been extremely rewarding as I am able to be involved with a number of University

wide UG research activities as well as help encourage UG research within my College. For example, I

serve on the University Undergraduate Research Curriculum Committee and have been able to present

and talk about UG research and inquiry to our College Dean, all of the College Department Chairs, as

well as a number of College faculty with interests in UG research and mentoring.

Finally, since one of the key elements of mentoring for me is “facilitating their growth by

sharing resources and contacts that I have available,” I have successfully been awarded over $400,000 in

internal FAU grants to provide not just my mentees, but all undergraduate students in my department

the technical resources they need to develop and carry out both learning and research. Some of the

funded resources I have obtained for our undergraduate students include: Internet and mobile mapping

equipment like GPS units; high performance stereoscopic workstations, servers and virtualized desktops

for data analysis; a department plotter for internal printing of research posters; a 3D printer for

visualization of computer designed projects; and a dedicated collaboration station with a 65” touch

screen for group work.

In conclusion, I am honored to have been nominated for the OURI Distinguished Mentor of the

Year Award, and I am very thankful for the opportunity to mentor so many undergraduates though both

curricular and co-curricular activities and to be at a University that is highly committed to UG mentoring

and research activities.