My goal is to generate the ecological knowledge necessary to address plant-related public health problems. To do so, I measure ecological processes using field studies, scale from individual plants to landscapes with remote sensing, and combine these into models related to ecosystem services and disservices.
My current research focuses on modeling airborne pollen concentrations by quantifying plant location and size, pollen production, flowering phenology, and atmospheric dispersion. Specific projects include assessing allergenic pollen concentrations at local scales in Detroit, creating a regional model of Ashe juniper pollen (the cause of 'cedar fever') in Texas, and developing airborne pollen models at national scales. This interdisciplinary work includes methods from ecology, remote sensing, Bayesian statistics, citizen science, engineering, and epidemiology.
My current research focuses on modeling airborne pollen concentrations by quantifying plant location and size, pollen production, flowering phenology, and atmospheric dispersion. Specific projects include assessing allergenic pollen concentrations at local scales in Detroit, creating a regional model of Ashe juniper pollen (the cause of 'cedar fever') in Texas, and developing airborne pollen models at national scales. This interdisciplinary work includes methods from ecology, remote sensing, Bayesian statistics, citizen science, engineering, and epidemiology.
