Ryan W. Kirk

Assistant Professor
Department of History & Geography
Department of Environmental Studies

Office: 112-A Lindner Hall
Phone: 336-278-6477

Fax: 336-278-2855
Email: rkirk2  @   elon.edu
Address:
Campus Box 2335
Elon, NC 27244

Curriculum Vitae (pdf)

Teaching Philosophy
Information for Advisees
Student Evaluations

Education

PhD, Natural Resources Science & Management, 2009
University of Minnesota
Dissertation: Land Use and Terrestrial Carbon Storage in Western North Carolina from 1850-2030 (pdf, defense slides)

MS, Forestry, 2005
University of Minnesota
Thesis: Regional-Scale Forest Production Modeling Using Process-Based Models and GIS (pdf)

BS,  Management Information Systems, 1996
William Jewell College, Liberty, MO

Primary course offerings:

100-level:

GEO131: World Regional Geography (pdf)

GEO1XX: Intro to Spatial Analysis (new 2013?)

GEO1XX: Cartography (new 2014?)

200-level:
ENS200: Strategies for Environmental Inquiry (pdf)

ENS250/GEO250: Introduction to GIS (pdf)

GEO2XX: GIS and Gov't Applications (pdf)

GEO2XX: GIS Applications in Your Discipline (new 2013?)

 300-level:

ENS340/GEO340: Water Resources Management (pdf)

GEO360: Geography of North America (pdf)

ENS377/GEO377: Environmental History (pdf)

GEO3XX: Appalachia (new: Winter Term 2013?)

Research Interests:

My research interests fall under the following overlapping categories:

1) Environmental geography of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. The Appalachian Mountains are a fascinating area for studying the interrelationships between humans and the natural environment. My Appalachian research is focused on historic and current land use change and evaluating the ecological legacy of land use decisions. Current projects are focused on spatially reconstructing land use since 1850 in 21 counties of Western North Carolina and quantifying the effect of this land use change on the terrestrial Carbon storage. Newer research I am beginning will evaluate the extent of historic agriculture in the Southern Appalachians and studying the effects of land use change on water quality.

2) Water resources management in the Piedmont. Water is a vital natural resource, and the stresses on the historically-abundant water resources of the Piedmont region has increased in recent decades due to population growth and drought cycles. I am working with colleagues in local and regional government agencies to better understand stressors on water quality and identifying ways to mitigate those stresses. My current project focuses on spatially estimating changes in impervious surfaces in the Haw River watershed.

3) Forest ecology in the Elon University Forest. The Elon University Forest is a 56-acre reserve on campus that was established in 2010. A group of 9 faculty members, along with several students, are beginning long term monitoring of this mixed-disturbance, mixed-forest type area that is so characteristic of the patchwork of Piedmont landscapes. Current projects include writing the environmental history of the site, establishing baseline forest vegetation surveys, and developing a water budget in the Elon Forest's watershed.

4) Applications of GIS. GIS is my primary research tool, and I greatly enjoy collaborating on any variety of projects that use GIS or GIS-based cartography. In my time at Elon I have collaborated with a political scientist, multiple historians, a wildlife biologist, an artist, a communications professor, and several environmental studies faculty. Please contact me if you have ideas for collaborations.

Student Collaborations:

I am very interested in student-faculty collaborative research. If you have interests in environmental management, water resources, forest ecology, urban and regional planning, or GIS and spatial analysis, please let me know. I have ongoing projects in the Appalachian Mountains, new projects in the Piedmont, and am very open to discussing other possibilities. There are lots of wonderful opportunities waiting for motivated students. If you are interested, please send me an e-mail or stop by my office any day of the week.

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