Amber Bloechle
GIS Online Coordinator, Instructor and Advisor

Education: M.S. Environmental Science, UWF 2007; Graduate Certificate in GIS, UWF, 2006; B.S. Environmental Studies (Policy), UWF 2005
Specialty: GIS for Coastal and Environmental Applications
Phone Number: 850-857-6121
Email: abloechle@uwf.edu
Office: Bldg. 13 Rm. 313 - Pensacola Main Campus
Instructs: GIS 4043 - Introduction to GIS and GIS 4048 - Applications in GIS

About me: Before I was the coordinator of the Online GIS Certificate Program at UWF, I worked as a GIS analyst for both private and federal government sectors. Examples of experience include using Lidar data to help determine the Sensitivity of Post-Hurricane Beach and Dune Recovery to Event Frequency, compiling a slew of nutrient data for the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Project for GIS modeling purposes as a student contractor for EPA, and working on various GIS projects across the Gulf coast region ranging from beach berm analysis, flood mapping, hurricane impact analyses and inundation mapping as a contractor with Gulf Coast GIS, LLC. I’ve been involved with the Online GIS Certificate Program from the time of its conception in 2004, working under its founder Stuart Hamilton, PhD at various capacities from TA, GA, course developer, instructor, and finally to coordinator in 2008.

Currently, I manage the Online GIS Certificate Program as a whole including curriculum, hardware, admissions, staff and student advising. I also oversee CEU GIS course offerings through Continuing Education. I develop relationships with internal and external agencies to support Online GIS at UWF and place student interns. When I’m not attending to the needs of the program, I’m sharing GIS capabilities with local schools, clubs, and professional groups. It’s a personal goal of mine to involve GIS in area K-12 schools and to increase the use of GIS in area businesses. I also like to day dream about new GIS applications.

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time outdoors with my family at beautiful locations the Florida Panhandle has to offer. We like to travel whenever possible too; mostly to parks and especially beaches.

Trisha Holtzclaw - Instructor

Education: Graduate Certificate in GIS, University of West Florida 2006; M.S. Environmental Science, University of Texas at San Antonio, 2000; B.S. Geography, Texas A&M University, 1995
Specialty: GIS for Environmental Applications
Email Address: tholtzclaw@uwf.edu
Office: Remote
Instructs: GIS3015 - Cartographic Skills and GIS4930 - Special Topics in GIS
About me: Before working at the University of West Florida, I taught at Montgomery College located in Rockville, MD. I have also worked as an Environmental Scientist for both public and private entities across the country. Originally, I learned DOS ARC/INFO but also completed the GIS Certificate Program in order to stay current as well as prepare myself to teach for this program.

My spouse recently retired from the military; therefore I have had the distinct pleasure of living and working all over the United States. When not traveling all over the world with my family, I can be found most of the time watching my children's sporting events.

Kathryn Leah Lewis, GISP- Assistant Coordinator/Instructor

Education: M.S. Environmental Science, UWF, 2011; Graduate Certificate in GIS, UWF, 2010; B.A. Geography, Auburn University, 2003; Certified GIS Professional, (GISP).
Specialty: Urban & Regional Planning, GIS Applications for the Environmental Industry, GIS Education and Career Training Programs
Phone Number: 850-857-6121
Email Address: klewis3@uwf.edu
Office: UWF Bldg. 13 Room 313
Instructs: GIS 4944 - GIS Internship and GIS Training Academy Courses
About me: I have over a decade of experience using GIS, most of which was in private environmental consulting. Previous projects include transmission line siting studies for major utilities in Florida and highest/best-use analysis for a large timber corporation. Interests include GIS applications in industry, cartographic design, spatial analysis, land use planning, and most importantly GIS education.

As a graduate student, my focus dealt with land management of the Florida manatee using a pairwise comparison model and GIS. I enjoy taking real-world applications from my previous work-experience and spinning them into online GIS exercises. When not at my computer, I am a busy mother of two small boys and enjoy spending time outdoors.

Brian Fulfrost - Instructor

Education: M.S. Anthropology, University of Arizona
Specialty: GIS for Sustainable Planning and Urban Design
Email Address: bfulfrost@uwf.edu
Office: Remote
Instructs: GIS4035 with Lab - Photo Interpretation and Remote Sensing
About me: Brian is currently founding principal at Brian Fulfrost and Associates in Oakland, CA. For nearly 20 years, he has been using and teaching the use of geospatial technologies in natural resource management and conservation, as well as in sustainable planning and urban design. Brian obtained his master’s degree in Anthropology from the University of Arizona, where he utilized GIS and remote sensing for Native American tribal governments on a range of natural and cultural resource management projects. Before moving to Oakland, Brian taught GIS in the Environmental Studies department at UC Santa Cruz (UCSC) and is currently an adjunct lecturer at San Francisco State University and at the University of West Florida.

Brian has been a strong advocate for the use of GIS, remote sensing and related technologies to assist decision makers, land and resource managers and urban planners to make more informed decisions. As a result of this commitment, Brian has also served on a number of advisory committees throughout his career (both for government and non-profits) where his experience with utilizing technology to meet conservation and sustainability goals has provided assistance in helping those organizations meet their own goals. Brian is currently using multispectral Ikonos satellite imagery to map changes to marshes and sediment for the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project in San Francisco Bay, the largest tidal wetland restoration project outside of the Everglades.

Theron Terhune - Instructor

Education: Ph.D., Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, 2008; M.S. Wildlife Science, Auburn University, 2004; B.S. Wildlife Science, Auburn University, 1998
Email Address: tterhune@uwf.edu
Office: Remote
Specialty: I am interested in individual-, population-, and landscape-level ecological processes, particularly among upland game birds and other early-succession habitat obligates. My interests, more specifically, deal with pragmatic habitat management: the effects of habitat loss, fragmentation, and the influences of habitat structure and modification on demographic, both deterministic and stochastic, processes. Much of my research, to date, has been evaluating the efficacy of translocation to restore and/or bolster bobwhite populations as related to recent habitat restoration and, as such, I continue to have a dedicated interest in refining translocation and related release-system techniques.

I also have a keen interest in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and quantitative (e.g. computation and statistical) modeling. As such, I believe strongly in interdisciplinary research and aim to integrate these techniques to accomplish future research objectives, such as developing habitat conservation models to facilitate conservation of avian species among fragmented systems.

About me: I enjoy upland bird hunting and, more recently, training my bird dog, Gerti. I am passionate about traditional (longbows and recurve bows) bow hunting and enjoy crafting my own wooden arrows to take the elusive white-tail deer. When hunting season has been exhausted, I take respite in fly-fishing, fly-tying, and fly-rod building. I also enjoy spending time with my wife leisurely bird watching, backpacking, hiking, and camping as well as exploring novel waters by canoe in N. Florida and beyond.

Aside from wildlife-related ventures, I enjoy training for triathlon in particular the Olympic and Half-Ironman (70.3) distances. At the top of my bucket list is competing in and completing a full Ironman.

Scott Palumbo - Instructor

Education: Ph.D. Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh, 2009; M.A. Anthropology, University of Florida, 2004; B.A. Anthropology, University of Connecticut, 2001
Email Address: spalumbo@uwf.edu
Office: Remote
Instructs: GIS 4990/5990 - GIS Applications for Archaeology, GIS 499x/599x - Special Topics in GIS for Archaeology

Specialty: I am an archaeologist specializing in the comparative study of small complex societies, particularly those found in southern Central America and northern South America. My research deals with understanding how political organization developed, persisted and waned over time. Besides GIS applications, I specialize in quantitative techniques, household archaeology and regional survey.

About me: I have worked as an archaeologist in both contract (CRM) and academic capacities. I currently conduct research in Panama, Costa Rica and Illinois, but I have also worked in Peru, New England and Florida. Prior to my current position, I taught at Oglala Lakota College and the University of Pittsburgh.

Archaeology has allowed me to pursue what would ordinarily be my outside-of-work interests, which are travel, hiking and camping. I love visiting amazing places, collaborating with interesting people and pursuing fascinating research questions. Archaeology is a team effort, and I encourage interested students to contact me for more details regarding fieldwork opportunities. Having grown up in Connecticut, I now reside in northern Illinois with my wife, son and two cats.

Zhiyong Hu - Assistant Professor

Education: Ph.D., University of Georgia
Specialty: Dr. Zhiyong Hu specializes in applications of geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing, spatial analysis and modeling in urban land use/cover dynamics, environmental studies, and environmental health.
Phone: 850-474-3492
Email Address: zhu@uwf.edu
Office: UWF Bldg. 13 Room 320
Web: http://www.uwf.edu/zhu/

Instructs (for Online GIS): GIS 5100 - GIS Applications, GIS 5935 - Special Topics in GIS and GIS 5945 -GIS Internship

Penelope Bishop Mitchell - GIS Analyst & Developer

Education: M.S. Environmental Science, UWF, 2011; B.S. Environmental Science, UWF, 2007.
Specialty: GIS & Ecosystem Restoration
Email Address: pbishop@uwf.edu
Office: Remote

About me: I am a graduate of the UWF Environmental Studies B.S., GIS certificate, and Environmental Science M.S. programs. I worked for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Ecosystem Restoration Section for 5 years. While with DEP, I used GIS as a valuable tool in performing land use analyses to determine site suitability for various habitat restoration projects. Post DEP, my husband and I traveled around the world volunteering on projects ranging from rain water harvesting infrastructure in the Andes, organic farming in Argentina, to sheep farming and wetland restoration in New Zealand. Upon our return, we took up residence at my husband's family's farm in Luverne, Alabama. Here we are interested in sustainable living practices and working to convert parts of the farm back to the native longleaf pine ecosystem. I am enjoying working with the UWF GIS Certificate Program as it is a valuable program that is constantly being reinvented and improved upon by the ever creative and perseverant UWF GIS Team.

Tanya Gallagher - GIS Analyst & Instructional Assistant

Education: M.S. Environmental Science, 2012
Specialty: Urban Climatology
Email Address: tgallagher1@uwf.edu
Office: UWF Bldg. 13 Room 313
GIS Lab Guru for: GIS3035, GIS4048/5100, GIS4930/5935
About me: I am a native to Pensacola, Florida and grew up enjoying the area's lovely white beaches. I received my undergraduate degree in Environmental Science and my GIS certificate from UWF in May of 2010. During my time as an undergraduate, I had several internships in which I used GIS to help further understand the dynamic of coastal environments. GIS is a wonderful tool to supplement the study of not only environmental concerns, but issues in most any field of research.

I am the teaching assistant for the Intro to GIS course, Applications in GIS, and Special Topics in GIS courses. In addition to GIS I also am a guitar instructor at a local performing arts studio in Pensacola. You can often find me playing my acoustic tunes on the weekends at restaurants on Pensacola Beach.

Friedrich Langerfeld - Graduate Assistant

Education: B.S. Environmental Studies (Natural Science), UWF, 2009; M.S. Environmental Science, UWF, anticipated spring 2013
Specialty: Remote Sensing, Pedagogy
Phone: 850-462-8975
Email: fml1@students.uwf.edu
Office: UWF Bldg. 13 Room 313
GIS Lab Guru for: GIS3035 L, GIS4043 and more
About me: I'm a graduate student who has been studying and working with GIS since 2007. I began work on my master's degree at UWF in 2009, concentrating on GIS and teaching. I've spent much of my time in grad school learning to develop and edit instructional material for courses in GIS, remote sensing, geology, and aquatic biogeochemistry, including an experimental course designed to study the effect of advanced technology on student learning outcomes. I also work as a copy editor for the school's student newspaper.

While I do enjoy teaching students directly, both in person and online, I also find editing and designing course material behind the scenes to be a rewarding and important job. I plan to spend most of my time this year working behind the scenes, mostly on lab exercises, but also on other aspects of the program, such as rubrics, surveys and videos. I expect to continue working for the GIS Online program after I graduate this summer, and hope to continue with a career in the broad realms of GIS and instructional design, either for industry or the education system. 

Outside of the workplace, I enjoy running and hiking the UWF nature trails - especially during dewberry and blackberry season - landscaping, gardening and cooking with my wife, and singing traditional Anglican choral music.

Brittney Markle - Graduate Assistant

Education: M.S. Environmental Science, UWF, anticipated spring 2015; B.S. Earth Science (Geography), University of Memphis, 2011.
Specialty: GIS & Remote Sensing
Email address: bmm32@students.uwf.edu
Office: UWF Bldg. 13 Room 222
GIS Lab Guru for: GIS3015 GIS4043, GIS4102/5103, GIS4930/5935
About me: I am currently in my first semester of graduate school pursuing my master's degree in Environmental Science. I received my undergraduate degree in Earth Sciences with a concentration in Geography in 2011 from the University of Memphis (Go Tigers Go!). While pursuing my undergraduate degree I held an internship position with the Center for Partnerships in GIS at the University of Memphis and continued to work with CPGIS as a GIS technician following graduation. GIS is an exciting technology that can be applied to a large range of disciplines. My experience with GIS has involved working with community partners on projects geared towards solving and understanding real world problems.

I am assisting the teaching assistants for the Intro to GIS and Cartography courses and the TA for the GIS Programming course. When I'm not perfecting my GIS skills you can find me relaxing in my hammock with a good book, listening to live music, or on some kind of outdoor adventure with my bike, kayak, or hiking boots.

Sharon Cobb - Online Campus Coordinator

Sharon enrolls all online GIS students in our Certificate Program courses.
E-mail: scobb@uwf.edu
Phone: 850-474-2056
Office: Bldg. 77, Room 158

About me: Hello, my name is Sharon Cobb. I have worked at UWF for the past 20 years & started assisting with the GIS Online Certification Program since the time of its conception in 2004. It has been a joy to watch this program develop & grow over the years. I am responsible for getting the GIS students cleared & registered for the GIS classes each semester. When I am not at work, I enjoy reading & watching my grandchildren grow.