BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Robert E. Griffin, Assistant Professor | GIS & RemoteSensing
Atmospheric Science Department | Earth System Science Program | University of Alabama in Huntsville
320 Sparkman Drive, National Space Science and Technology Center 3046, Huntsville, Alabama 35899
256.961.7783 | | nsstc.uah.edu/gis/
Nationality: USAMarital Status: Single
Date of Birth: January 20, 1980Birth place: Princeton, NJ
Languages: English, Spanish (conversational and written), French (written)
(a) Professional Preparation
University of VirginiaAnthropologyB.A. 2002
Pennsylvania State UniversityAnthropology M.A. 2005
Pennsylvania State UniversityAnthropologyPh.D. 2012
(b) Appointments
Assistant Professor, Atmospheric Science, UAHuntsville 2012-present
Research Associate II, Earth System Science Center, UAHuntsville2010-2012
Instructor, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, UAHuntsville 2010-2012
Visiting Professional, NASA-MSFC (USRA), Huntsville 2007-2010
Graduate Teaching Assistant, Dept. Anthropology, Penn. State Univ. 2003-2007
(c) Areas of Research Interest
land cover land use change; tropical deforestation causes and consequences; satellite and low-altitude aerial remote sensing; agriculture, demography, and ancient settlement patterns; environmental archaeology; applied earth sciences for decision-making
(d) Areas of Technical Expertise
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in social and natural sciences; satellite remote sensing of earth surface processes; satellite image processing; field survey and in situ data collection
(e) Publications & Reports
In Press.Agriculture, Deforestation, and Drought Severity. In The Great Maya Droughts in Cultural Context, G. Iannane (ed.). University of Colorado Press (2012: In Press) (R. Griffin, T. Sever, R. Oglesby, U. Nair)
Submitted. Multispectal Remote Sensing the Ancient Maya Landscape Around San Bartolo: Results from 2002-2007. University of Colorado Press: Boulder. (R. Griffin, T. Sever, W. Saturno)
Subm.Paleoenvironments and Ancient land Use around San Bartolo, Peten, Guatemala. University of Colorado Press: Boulder. (N. Dunning, E. Akpinar, C. Carr, J. Chmilar, R. Griffin, J. Jones, A. Miller, J. Prater)
2009Investigaciones de geoarquelogía y paleoambeinte en la Zona Mayor de Tikal. In: Lentz, D. Grazioso Sierra, L., Dunning, N. P., Scarborough, V. (eds), Proyecto de Silvacultura y Manejo de Aguas de los Antiguos Mayas de Tikal: Temporada de 2009. DirecciónPatrimonio Cultural y Natural de Guatemala, Guatemala City, pp. 50-65. (Dunning, N. P., Griffin, R., Jones, J. G., Carr, C., Lane, B., Thomas, B., Weaver, E.)
2008InvestigacionesRegionales: Canales AntiguoscercadelIxcan Rio. In: ProyectoArqueológico San Bartolo: InformePreliminar No. 7, Septa Temporada 2008, edited by M. Urquizú and W. Saturno, W., Report submitted to the Dirección de Patrimonio Cultural y Natural de Guatemala, Guatemala City. (N. Dunning and R. Griffin)
2007ReconocimientoBotanicoalrededor de San Bartolo. In: ProyectoArqueológico San Bartolo: InformePreliminar No. 6, Sexta Temporada 2007, edited by M. Urquizú and W. Saturno, W., Report submitted to the Dirección de Patrimonio Cultural y Natural de Guatemala, Guatemala City.
2005Experimental Investigation Agricultural Potentials in the Maya Lowlands. Report submitted to the Research in Graduate Studies Office, College of Liberal Arts, Penn State University. (D. Webster and R. Griffin)
2005Reconocimientodentro de la Delimitacion de San Bartolo. In: ProyectoArqueológico San Bartolo: InformePreliminar No. 5, Quinta Temporada 2005, edited by M. Urquizú and W. Saturno, W., Report submitted to the Dirección de Patrimonio Cultural y Natural de Guatemala, Guatemala City. (R. Griffin and J. Kwoka)
2005Excavaciones en Rasgos de Pedernalalrededor de San Bartolo In: ProyectoArqueológico San Bartolo: InformePreliminar No. 5, Quinta Temporada 2005, edited by M. Urquizú and W. Saturno, W., Report submitted to the Dirección de Patrimonio Cultural y Natural de Guatemala, Guatemala City. (J. Kwoka and R. Griffin)
2004InvestigacionesRegionales: Excavaciones en el sitioChajK’ek’ Cue. In: ProyectoArqueológico San Bartolo: InformePreliminar No. 4, Cuarta Temporada 2004, edited by M. Urquizú and W. Saturno, W., Report submitted to the Dirección de Patrimonio Cultural y Natural de Guatemala, Guatemala City.
2003Excavaciones en la Plaza Mayor de San Bartolo, Peten, Guatemala. In: ProyectoArqueológico San Bartolo: InformePreliminar No. 3, Tercera Temporada 2003, edited by M. Urquizú and W. Saturno, W., Report submitted to the Dirección de Patrimonio Cultural y Natural de Guatemala, Guatemala City.
2000Matthew Stirling’s Archaeological Expeditions in Central America. HSFA/NAA “What’s New” Reference Collection Reports. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
(f) Professional Papers
2012Akalche: On the Origins and Maya Use of PetenBajo Soils. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, April 2012. (N. Dunning, K. Tankersley, R. Griffin, J. Jones, T. Beach, S. Luzzader-Beach)
2011Socio-Environmental Impacts of Land Cover Change in the Panama Canal Watershed. Paper presented at the 62nd International Astronautical Congress, Oct. 2011, Cape Town, SA. (Z. Langford, C. Calamaio, R. Griffin, S. Christopher, T. Keeton)
2011Protecting the Panama Canal Watershed through the Exchange of Geospatial Data. Paper presented at the 62nd International Astronautical Congress, Oct. 2011, Cape Town, SA. (Z. Langford, C. Calamaio, R. Griffin, S. Christopher)
2011Life on the Edge: Tikal and the Bajo de Santa Fe. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society of American Archaeology, April 2011, Seattle, WA. (N. Dunning, R. Griffin, J. Jones, C. Carr, K. Magee)
2010Employing Space-Based Data and Observations for Understanding Climate Change and Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean. Paper invited to the 61st International Astronautical Congress, Sept. 2010, Prague, CZ. (S. Christopher, J. Horack, R. Griffin, E. Sempris, Z. Danon)
2009Agriculture, Deforestation, and Drought Severity. Paper invited to Society of American Archaeology session, ‘The Great Maya Droughts Reconsidered’, March 2009, Atlanta. (T. Sever, R. Griffin, U. Nair, M. Welch)
2008Paleoenvironment and land use at San Bartolo. Poster presented at the Association of American Geographers, Boston. (N. Dunning, D. Lentz, R. Griffin, E. Akpinar, A. Miller, C. Carr, J. Prater)
2008Ancient Maya Canals in the Bajo de Azucar, Petén, Guatemala. Paper presented in the session, “Hydraulic Constructions in Archaeological Contexts” at the 73rd Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology (N. Dunning, T. Sever, R. Griffin)
2008La Vision 2010 Para el Proyecto NASA-SERVIR: Su Desarrolloalrededor de ProductosAutomatados. Paper given at the CAFTA-DR1 SERVIR Training Workshop. Santiago, Dominican Republic.
2007Lending a Hand: The Organization of Labor during the Middle and Late Preclassic at San Bartolo, Guatemala. Paper given at the 3rd Maya Lithics Conference, Guatemala City. (J. Kwoka, R. Griffin)
2007Ground truthing of satellite images: Tropical forests and Preclassic Maya agricultural terraces in the vicinity of San Bartolo, Guatemala. Paper given at the Society for Economic Botany, Chicago, IL. (D. Lentz, C. Carr, R. Griffin, N. Dunning)
2006Remote Sensing Chert Exploitation Zones around San Bartolo, Peten, Guatemala. Paper given at the 2006 Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology conference, Fargo, ND. (R. Griffin, J. Kwoka, and T. Garrison)
2006Putting Us on the Map: Remote Sensing the Ancient Maya Landscape around San Bartolo, Peten,Guatemala. Paper given at the 2006 Society for American Archaeology conference, San Juan, PR. (R. Griffin, W. Saturno, and T. Sever)
(g) Invited Papers/Outreach
2012Building a GIS/Remote Sensing Program at UAHuntsville. Paper presented at the Annual GEOHuntsville Meeting, November 2012.
2011A History of Global Deforestation and Why You Should Go Plant a Tree. Earth Day talk, University of Alabama, Huntsville.
2010A History of NASA Space Archaeology and Current Research. Brownbag given at University of Alabama, Dept. of Anthropology, Tuscaloosa AL.
2010Deforestation, Climate, and the Archaeology of Human Response. National Park Service Research Lecture Series. June 2010.
2010Space Archaeology at NASA: Landcover Change and Humans and SERVIR: The Regional Visualization and Monitoring System. Earth to Sky IV (NASA, NPS, NFWS) Conference, Harpers Ferry WV.
2008Maya Agriculture and Settlement Patterns: A Remote Sensing Perspective. Brownbag given at NSSTC-NASA-UAH. February 2008.
2008EstudiosRecientes en la NASA alrededor de los Mayas y suColapso. Paper given at the CAFTA-DR Guatemala SERVIR Workshop, Univ. Fr. Marroquin, Guatemala City CA. March 2008.
(h) Synergetic Activities
Collaborated with NASA’s SERVIR Program (servirglobal.net) for satellite data and product visualization and environmental applications
Collaborated with Smithsonian’s Tropical Research Institute (STRI) for historialairphotolandcover change project in Panama.
GEOHuntsville Education Committee, collaborative working group for geospatial industry
development in North Alabama region
Science advisor for NASA-DEVELOP student internship program
(i) Teaching
Courses Taught (UAH):
Introduction to GIS & IP, ESS 413/513; Geospatial Applications, ESS 414/514; Advanced GIS, ESS 415/515; Climate Change and Sustainability in Latin America, ESS 490/499
Courses in Development
ESS 103, Environmental Earth Science Foundations and Applications; ESS 610, Land Use Applications and Sustainability; ESS 612, Advanced GIS for Earth and Atmosphere Problems
(j) Funding
2013Research Infrastructure Grant (RIF) w/ T. Sever - $36,000; UAH OVPR: “Proposal to Establish the Human Dimensions, Discovery, and Decision-Making Lab (HD3)”
2012Public Programming Grant w/ A. Alexander - $2,000; UAH Humanities Center: Speaker for “UAH Latin America Cultures and Environments Seminar Series”
2010URII, w/ S. Christopher - $45,000; UAH OVPR: “Land cover change study and historical airphoto digitization, Panama Canal Watershed”
2006-8Graduate Student Research Fellowship - $42,000; NASA, MSFC
2006Hill Foundation Pre-comprehensive Fellowship - $2,000; PSU, Dept of Anthropology
2003-6Graduate Research Assistantship - $76,000; PSU, Dept of Anthropology
2005Research Grant - $1,500; PSU, Research in Graduate Studies Office
2000Summer Research Stipend - $2,000; National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian
(k) Collaborators & Other Affiliations
N. Dunning (Univ. Cincinnati); D. Irwin (NASA-SERVIR); D. Lentz (Univ. Cincinnati); U. Nair (UAHuntsville); R. Oglesby (Univ. Nebraska); W. Saturno (Boston University); E. Sempris/E. Cherrington (CATHALAC); T. Sever (UAHuntsville); D. Webster (Pennsylvania State Univ.)