The University of Idaho Team
Alistair M.S. Smith is a Professor of wildland fire science in the College of Science at the University of Idaho. He is currently a Section Editor of Fire and is an associate editor on the International Journal of Wildland Fire. He is currently the chair of the Department of Earth and Spatial Sciences.
Alistair has a BSc in Physics from the University of Edinburgh and a MSc in Physics from the University of London (King's College London). He also has a doctorate in Geography from the University of London (King's College London). He has been researching fires for over 20 years and regularly collaborates with people across the gamut of wildland fire science. He was most recently a Professor of wildland fire science in the College of Natural Resources at the University of Idaho.
Alistair has a BSc in Physics from the University of Edinburgh and a MSc in Physics from the University of London (King's College London). He also has a doctorate in Geography from the University of London (King's College London). He has been researching fires for over 20 years and regularly collaborates with people across the gamut of wildland fire science. He was most recently a Professor of wildland fire science in the College of Natural Resources at the University of Idaho.
Dr. Aaron Sparks is an Assistant Professor in the College of Natural Resources at the University of Idaho.
Aaron's work at the combustion lab includes better understanding the mechanisms of fires affected by heat from plants. He is also investigating scaling of fire behavior and impacts on carbon dynamics from laboratory fires to regional scales. He also conducts considerable research into using LiDAR to assess forest structure and the improvement of growth and yield models through incorporating stressors.
Aaron's work at the combustion lab includes better understanding the mechanisms of fires affected by heat from plants. He is also investigating scaling of fire behavior and impacts on carbon dynamics from laboratory fires to regional scales. He also conducts considerable research into using LiDAR to assess forest structure and the improvement of growth and yield models through incorporating stressors.
Dr Eva Strand is an Associate Professor and Acting Associate Dean in the College of Natural Resources at the University of Idaho. Visit her website for more information.
Dr. Strand focuses on geospatial analysis, remote sensing, landscape and spatial ecology, rangeland ecology, and fire science.
Dr. Strand focuses on geospatial analysis, remote sensing, landscape and spatial ecology, rangeland ecology, and fire science.
Grant Harley is an Associate Professor in the College of Science at the University of Idaho. Visit his website for more information.
Dr. Harley focuses on Quaternary landscape dynamics and paleoenvironmental reconstruction. He uses a variety of research methods, tools, and techniques to investigate the spatiotemporal variability of landscape-scale vegetation dynamics (those influenced by people or natural processes).
Dr. Harley focuses on Quaternary landscape dynamics and paleoenvironmental reconstruction. He uses a variety of research methods, tools, and techniques to investigate the spatiotemporal variability of landscape-scale vegetation dynamics (those influenced by people or natural processes).
Dr. Mark Kimsey is an Research Associate Professor in the College of Natural Resources at the University of Idaho. Visit his website for more information.
Dr. Kimsey's research is focused on forest and soil productivity, geospatial modeling, and sustainable forest practices.
Dr. Kimsey's research is focused on forest and soil productivity, geospatial modeling, and sustainable forest practices.
John Anderson is a Professor in the College of Art and Architecture at the University of Idaho. Visit his website for more information.
John Anderson develops decision support software and virtual reality environments that help researchers and practitioners visualize complex systems. John leads interdisciplinary communities of virtual design experts, scientists, engineers, educators, and artists where the focus is the incorporation of virtual technologies in all aspects of education, research, modeling and simulation.
John Anderson develops decision support software and virtual reality environments that help researchers and practitioners visualize complex systems. John leads interdisciplinary communities of virtual design experts, scientists, engineers, educators, and artists where the focus is the incorporation of virtual technologies in all aspects of education, research, modeling and simulation.
Stephen Fillmore - PhD Student
Stephen D. Fillmore has been directly involved in fire and fuels management for almost 20 years, working in three different fuels management positions in both California and Idaho. He is active in wildland fire training, prescribed fire, and incident operations. He holds NWCG qualifications including RXB1, ICT3, DIVS, FOBS and FEMO, and serves on a federal Type 2 Incident Management Team. He started his Doctoral program in January, 2018, and is interested in researching fire manager decision making in the context of alternative fire management strategies.
Stephen D. Fillmore has been directly involved in fire and fuels management for almost 20 years, working in three different fuels management positions in both California and Idaho. He is active in wildland fire training, prescribed fire, and incident operations. He holds NWCG qualifications including RXB1, ICT3, DIVS, FOBS and FEMO, and serves on a federal Type 2 Incident Management Team. He started his Doctoral program in January, 2018, and is interested in researching fire manager decision making in the context of alternative fire management strategies.
Hannah Funke - PhD Student
Hannah is working on understanding how fires impact the productivity of culturally important plants, such as huckleberries.
Hannah is working on understanding how fires impact the productivity of culturally important plants, such as huckleberries.
Douglas Hardman - PhD Student
Doug is researching how embers are generated when shrubs and trees burn and how we can modify construction materials to prevent them the embers igniting them.
Doug is researching how embers are generated when shrubs and trees burn and how we can modify construction materials to prevent them the embers igniting them.
Alexander Blanco - PhD Student
Alexander is researching how different doses of fire intensity impact the survivability of Western White pine and Douglas fir during Laboratory fires.
Alexander is researching how different doses of fire intensity impact the survivability of Western White pine and Douglas fir during Laboratory fires.
Our National Partners
Dr. Henry Adams - Visit his website at Washington State University.
Dr. Adam's research focuses on Global change ecology, including forest responses to global change, Physiological ecology of trees and plants, Drought-induced tree mortality, Pyro-ecophysiology (using tree physiology in wildfire research), and Dryland ecohydrology.
Dr. Adam's research focuses on Global change ecology, including forest responses to global change, Physiological ecology of trees and plants, Drought-induced tree mortality, Pyro-ecophysiology (using tree physiology in wildfire research), and Dryland ecohydrology.
Dr. Daniel Johnson - Visit his website at the University of Georgia
Dr. Johnson's research centers around the physiology and ecology of trees and other woody species. We are particularly interested in water transport in plants, which is essential for plant survival. Plant water transport properties are directly related to plant distributions and plant carbon capture (and many other things).
Dr. Johnson's research centers around the physiology and ecology of trees and other woody species. We are particularly interested in water transport in plants, which is essential for plant survival. Plant water transport properties are directly related to plant distributions and plant carbon capture (and many other things).
Dr. Joseph O'Brien - Visit his website at the USFS
Dr. O'Brien's research is focused on developing new ways of measuring fuels and fire, and in integrating these concepts into understanding ecosystem function and guiding management.
Dr. O'Brien's research is focused on developing new ways of measuring fuels and fire, and in integrating these concepts into understanding ecosystem function and guiding management.
Dr. Wade Tinkham - Visit his website at Colorado State University
Dr. Tinkham's research focuses on a combination of field inventories, remote sensing, GIS, and forest growth/landscape change models to characterize and address a wide array of applied forest management questions. This work is building towards a new suite of spatially aware decision support tools and methods for characterizing, monitoring, and projecting changes in resources across multiple scales.
Dr. Tinkham's research focuses on a combination of field inventories, remote sensing, GIS, and forest growth/landscape change models to characterize and address a wide array of applied forest management questions. This work is building towards a new suite of spatially aware decision support tools and methods for characterizing, monitoring, and projecting changes in resources across multiple scales.
Dr. James (Jim) Lutz - Visit his website at Utah State University
Dr. Lutz' research focuses on studying ecosystems of western North America to contribute to science-based conservation and management of our natural resources in the face of changing climate and demography. His interests include the demography and spatial patterns of primary forests, especially the causes of tree death, and how fire shapes old-growth forest communities.
Dr. Dylan Schwilk - Visit his website at Texas Tech University
Dr. Schwilk research studies plant ecology and evolution with a focus on semi-arid and fire-prone ecosystems. His work encompasses field, garden, and greenhouse studies; comparative methods; and theoretical models. |
Former Students of Dr. Alistair Smith
Completed Students as Major Professor:
PhD:
Raquel Partelli Feltrin (PhD, Natural Resources), 2020 Aaron Sparks (PhD Natural Resources), 2017 Wade Tinkham (PhD Natural Resources), 2013 MS (Thesis): Anjel Tomayko (MS Natural Resources), 2019 Wade Steady (MS Natural Resources), 2019 Darko Veljkovic (MS Natural Resources), 2018 Lindsay Grayson (MS Natural Resources), 2015 Aaron Sparks (MS Natural Resources), 2014 Nolan Brewer (MS Forest Resources), 2012 Wade Tinkham (MS Forest Resources), 2010 Hongyu Huang (MS Forest Resources), 2010 Joshua Hyde (MS Forest Resources), 2010 |
Non-Thesis:
Corinne Magnusson (MS Environmental Science), 2021 Austin Smith (MS Environmental Science), 2021 John Dodd (MS Natural Resources), 2021 Heather McIntyre (MS Environmental Science), 2020 Courtney Garnett (MS Environmental Science), 2020 Anne Dell'isola (MS Environmental Science), 2020 Mikayla Geomaat (MS Environmental Science), 2020 Keith Watson (MS Environmental Science), 2020 Skylar Watson (MS Environmental Science), 2020 Philip Roth (MS Natural Resources), 2020 Toby Hamilton (MS Environmental Science), 2019 Audrey Harris (MS Environmental Science), 2019 Cole Joulson (MS Natural Resources), 2019 Jeffrey Keenum (MS Environmental Science), 2019 Silas Whitley (MS Natural Resources), 2019 Kevin Maier (MS Environmental Science), 2018 Patrick Mahoney (MS Natural Resources), 2018 Brandyn Gartelman (MS Environmental Science), 2018 Jeff Seebach (MS Environmental Science), 2017 Everard Baker (M.N.R.), 2017 Jacob Wessen (MS Environmental Science), 2016 |
Completed Students as Committee Member:
PhD:
Brandon McNellis (PhD Natural Resources), 2020 Chris Bowman-Prideaux (PhD Natural Resources), 2019 Nuria Sanchez Lopex (PhD Natural Resources), 2019 Eric Walsh (PhD Natural Resources), 2018 Jack Cohen (PhD Natural Resources), 2015 Jarod Blades (PhD Natural Resources), 2014 Chad Kooistra (PhD - Transferred to OSU in 2014) Javier Naupari (PhD Rangeland Ecology and Management), 2010 Zachary Holden (PhD Natural Resources), 2008 |
MS Thesis:
Zethnouneay Dubois (MS Architecture), 2020 Andrea Stuen (MS Natural Resources), 2018 Carrie Minerich (MS Natural Resources), 2018 Devin Yeatman (MS Natural Resources), 2017 Ryan McCarley (MS Geography), 2016 Ryan Jacobson (MS Natural Resources), 2015 Kevin Satterberg (MS Natural Resources), 2015 William Matthews (MS Natural Resources), 2015 Nate Weiner (MS Natural Resources), 2014 Ashley Wells (MS Natural Resources), 2013 Donovan Birch (MS Natural Resources), 2013 Christopher Bernau (MS Natural Resources), 2012 Ian Leslie (MS Soil Science), 2012 Diana Carson (MS Forest Resources), 2010 Jessica Xu (MS Rangeland Ecology and Management), 2010 Heather Heward (MS Forest Resources), 2009 Chris Powell (MS Forest Resources), 2008 Jan Eitel (MS Forest Resources), 2005 |