Monitoring Arctic Change from Space: A New Student Research Opportunity

Today I had the opportunity to present a proposed undergraduate research project through the CREST undergraduate research program.

The project, Monitoring Arctic Change from Space: Remote Sensing Indicators of Permafrost Thaw Risk, introduces students to an interdisciplinary area that combines environmental science, remote sensing, data visualization, and data science. The project will explore publicly available environmental datasets related to Arctic change, including temperature, snow cover, vegetation indices, and other satellite-derived measurements.

Preparing this presentation was a rewarding learning experience. While my background is in mathematics, machine learning, and data science, developing this project allowed me to learn more about permafrost, Arctic environmental systems, and the growing role of satellite observations in monitoring environmental change.

Monitoring Arctic Change from Space: Remote Sensing Indicators of Permafrost Thaw Risk. Presentation prepared for the CREST Undergraduate Research Program. Image credit: NASA/GSFC/Jeff Schmaltz/MODIS Land Rapid Response Team.

I am excited to mentor a student through this project and to explore together how mathematical thinking, data analysis, visualization, and computational tools can help us better understand complex environmental processes.

One of the aspects I enjoy most about undergraduate research is that every project becomes an opportunity for both mentor and student to learn something new. This summer's journey will take us from mathematics and data science into the fascinating world of Arctic environmental data.

I look forward to seeing where this project leads over the coming months.