Melanie Kay Vanderhoof

Melanie Kay Vanderhoof

Melanie Kay Vanderhoof

Clark University, Geography Department

Jefferson Academic Center, Room 220

950 Main Street, Worcester, MA 01610

EDUCATION

CLARK UNIVERSITY Current GPA: 4.05 Worcester, MA
PhD Student, Geography Department8/10 – Present
SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITYSan Francisco, CA

Master of Arts in GeographyGRE: Quant 800/800, GPA: 4.05/07

  • Concentration: Natural Resources and Environmental Planning
  • Thesis: Distribution Patterns of Perennial Pepperweed, Lepidium latifolium, in the San Francisco Bay
CORNELL UNIVERSITYIthaca, NY

Bachelor of Science in Biology and SocietyGPA: 3.6 cum laude5/04

  • Honor: 2004 Award of Academic Excellence in Biology and Society – Highest Cumulative

GPA in Major

  • Semesters Abroad: School for Field Studies, Kenya (Fall 2002), Massey University, New Zealand

(Fall 2003)

  • Dean List: Spring 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004, College of Agriculture and Life Science 11/09

ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE

CLARK UNIVERSITY, GEOGRAPHY DEPARTMENTWorcester, MA

Graduate Research Assistant, Chris Williams, PhD 5/10 – Present

SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY, URBAN STUDIES PROGRAMSan Francisco, CA

Graduate Research Assistant9/05 – 5/06

CORNELL UNIVERSITY, DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY Ithaca, NY

Plant Research Assistant5/02 – 8/02

RESEARCH INTERESTS

I am interested in the affect of disturbance events and climate change on forest ecosystems, particularly in terms of carbon, energy, and water dynamics, and seek to utilize field work, modeling, remote sensing, and the eddy covariance technique to answer relevant research questions.

PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS

Vanderhoof, M., C.A. Williams, J.W. Munger, J. Hadley & D.R. Fitzjarrald. 2011. Comparative analysis of carbon, water, and energy exchanges post clear-cut, Harvard Forest, MA. Association of American Geographers, 12-16 April, Seattle, WA.

Vanderhoof, M. , B. Holzman & C. Rogers. 2009. Predicting the distribution of perennial pepperweed, Lepidium latifolium, San Francisco Bay Area, California. Invasive Plant Science and Management. 2(3): 260-269.

Vanderhoof, M. & C. Rogers. 2007. Distributional patterns of perennial pepperweed, Lepidium latifolium, in the San Francisco Bay, a CalFed project. CAL-IPC Symposium, 20-22 September, San Diego, CA.

Vanderhoof, M. 2006. Disturbance trends for harbor seals, Phoca vitulina richardii, at PRNS, CA: 1997-2005. 8th Annual Conservation Biology Symposium, 4 February, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA.

AWARDS

2011 NASA Earth and Space Science (NESSF) Fellowship (C. Williams, P.I.)

“Albedo and evapotranspiration consequences of bark beetle outbreaks as detected by remote sensing in coniferous forests, Rocky Mountains, USA” $30,000

2011 Geller Student Research Award$2,250

“Woody debris decomposition dynamics in a post-harvest chronosequence”

Libbey Summer Graduate Fellowship Award (2010)$4,000

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

MICHAEL BAKER JR., CORPORATIONMoon Township, PA

Environmental Associate8/08 – 5/10

  • Maintained compliance with relevant federal, state and local environmental policies and regulations by assessing the health of aquatic resources, monitoring water quality, and surveying flora and fauna at active project sites.
  • Successfully managed environmental review processes for multiple projects. Obtained relevant permits, allowing multiple projects in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio and Iowa to proceed as planned.
  • Managed field survey teams and served as biological task manager for projects up to 1200 acres in size.
  • Prepared budgets and scopes of work in response to Requests for Proposal (RFP). Successfully secured contracts of up to $500,000 for the provision of environmental services.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATES (ESA)Oakland, CA

Associate Biologist5/06 – 8/08

  • Analyzed the biological impacts of commercial and utility development projects. Worked with clients to mitigate impacts and bring projects into compliance with applicable federal, state and local environmental regulations.
  • Conducted protocol level surveys and habitat assessments for special status wildlife species including: San Joaquin kit fox, burrowing owl, California red-legged frog, California tiger salamander, and northern spotted owl.
  • Delineated aquatic resources for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and California Department of Fish and Game.
POINT REYES NATIONAL SEASHORE / AMERICORPSOlema, CA

Wildlife Monitoring Specialist9/04 – 9/05

  • Supervised park-wide monitoring of harbor seal and northern elephant seal populations. Analyzed the data collected during monitoring and published a report on the breeding success, and impact of human-caused disturbances, on those populations.
  • Recruited, trained and coordinated volunteers for the park’s marine mammal monitoring program.

NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATIONStony Brook, NY

Wildlife Technician6/04 – 8/04

  • Monitored least tern, common tern, and piping plover populations on behalf of DEC biological researchers. Performed intensive population management to maintain the viability of vulnerable shorebird populations.
  • Conducted public outreach activities and responded to public concerns regarding wildlife issues.

SCHOOL FOR FIELD STUDIESKenya

Wildlife Management Student9/02 – 12/02

  • Completed an on-going research project which assessed the feasibility of a community-run wildlife sanctuary to be located adjacent to Amboseli National Park in Kenya.
  • Performed fieldwork with fellow student researchers to address issues crucial to Kenya’s wildlife and communities.

TRAININGS AND SKILLS

WETLAND TRAINING: ORAM Wetland Training (OH EPA, 2009); Wetland Training and Delineation (Ron Tiburon Center, 2007); and Wetland Restoration Ecology (Ron Tiburon Center, 2007).

WILDLIFE TRAINING: Rare Pond Species Survey Technique Training (Laguna Foundation, 2008); Biology and Conservation of the Alameda whipsnake (ACCP, 2007); and California Tiger Salamander Workshop (ACCP, 2007).

COMPUTER SKILLS: ESRI GIS applications including ArcView 9.1- 9.3, MatLab, SPSS, SAS, and Dreamweaver.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS: Association of American Geographers, American Geophysical Union,

Top View