Student/Faculty Spotlight
We Feature Our Visiting Scholars, Derek van Berkel, Sook Jin Kim, Yang Li and Xuesong Zhang:
Derek van Berkel:
Derek is a Post-doc working with Darla Munroe on the Appalachian Forest project.
He is originally from Canada, but the last 7 years he has spent in the European country of the Netherlands. There he received his master's degree in Human geography at Utrecht University. Dereks PhD research was split between Wageningen University and the VU University Amsterdam. His dissertation investigated different methods for understanding and analyzing spatial and temporal factors contributing to rural development and land use. A large component of this included discussing these factors with stakeholders. One of the more interesting studies he did included using photo-realistic manipulations of the landscape to discuss possible changes and development challenges with stakeholders. I also worked with agent-based models to better come to grips with processes of social change and how this influences landscape dynamics. Dereks work has also included the mapping and quantification of ecosystem services. This work has focused on cultural services, which are scarcely investigated in most ecosystem service assessments.
Here at OSU Derek plans to continue his work with Agent-based models using an Appalachian township as a case study area. He is hoping to develop a typology of the different agents that influence the dynamics of the region based on a large scale georeferenced questionnaire. These types will be used to parameterize the model and investigate possible forest land use/function changes. Some of the key issues to be addressed include how power relationships and interests can influence land use changes and ecosystem service delivery.
In Dereks free time he like to run, I enjoy eating good food, concerts and film. I am looking forward to meeting everybody at the department. If you're interested in my work or would just like to have a chat, feel free to visit me in room 1120 (Derby Hall)
Sook Jin Kim:
Sook-Jin is an associate professor in the department of geography at Konkuk University in Seoul, Korea. She received her PhD in 2006 from the University of Minnesota, where she was supervised by Eric Sheppard. Sook-Jin works on economic geography and environmental issues in South Korea and has published in Economic Geography, Antipode, Geoforum and other leading journals. This year she will be a visiting scholar in our department (until January 2014), enjoying her first sabbatical from Konkuk. She plans to use this time to write several research papers. Sook Jin is working with Joel Wainwright. She is located in Derby Hall room 1160.
Yang graduated from Beijing Normal University, China, in July 2008 with a Bachelor's degree in GIS. She is currently a second-year Ph.D student at the Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Title of her thesis is "Determining the spatial-temporal patterns of interprovincial migration in China, 1985-2005". Her main fields of scientific research include migration, GIS and geosimulation. She is now a visiting student in Department of Geography under the supervision of Professor Ningchuan Xiao from March 2012 to March 2014. Yang is located in Derby Hall room 1061.
Xuesong Zhang:
Xuesong is a visiting scholar in the department of Geography where he willwork with Associate Prof Desheng Liu. Xuesong Graduated with a doctor’s degree from Wuhan University in 2004, He has been working as an associate professor at Central China Normal University for seven years. During these years, Xuesong managed a land information system lab, authored one book and two computer software in the field of land use planing, and published twenty papers . His major research interests include GIS, land use planing, and geography information technology in geography teaching. He will stay here until July, 2013. Xuesongs office is Derby 1061 and he is thrilled to join the department of geography at The Ohio State University.
