Introducing the PI and co-PI’s Director/PI: Vincent A. DiNoto, Jr serves as the Principal Investigator and Director of the National GeoTech Center of Excellence located in Louisville, Kentucky. Mr. DiNoto handles the daily responsibilities of the National GeoTech Center. Vince is Dean of College and Systemic Initiatives and a Professor of Physics, Astronomy and Geosciences at Jefferson Community and Technical College. He received his M.A. and B.S. from Indiana State University in Terre Haute, IN and was on the faculty at Indiana State University and Indiana University Southeast prior to coming to Jefferson. He is currently PI of the GeoTech Center and co-PI of the National Supply Chain Technology Education Center and has been co-PI of the National Information and Computer Center and director and co-PI of Kentucky Information Technology Center. His current research interests include education technologies, mapping of historical Civil War Battlefields and Water Powered Industries. He authored numerous courses and has offered them in an online delivery mode. He has written and presented numerous professional articles most recently published a work on the Two Great Armories of the United States. Vince is responsible for Goal 3 of the GeoTech Center. Associate Directors/co-PI’s: The Associate Directors are responsible for one of the Goals of the GeoTech Center as well as the Objectives and Activities of the goal. In addition the Associate Directors advise and assist the Director in the overall direction of the Center. Rodney Jackson. Rodney received an MA in Geography from East Carolina University (ECU) in 1992 and his GIS Professional certification in 2007. He became coordinator of Johnston Community College’s GIS program in 1998, took a faculty position within the Department of Geography at ECU in 2001, arrived at Central Piedmont Community College in 2006 and worked within the Geomatics & Sustainability Division. Rodney is currently the Director of Emerging Technologies at Edgecombe Community College. In addition, he is a Co-Principal Investigator of the National Geospatial Technology Center and serves on the GIS Certification Institute’s Certification Committee and its Examination Working Group. Rodney is responsible for Goal 5 of the GeoTech Center. Ann Johnson. Ann’s background includes a Bachelor and Master of Science degree in Geology. While teaching Earth Sciences, she became interested in how GIS can be used as a tool in geology and education. After attending an NSF funded workshop to help college faculty learn GIS, she developed a GIS Certificate Program at San Bernardino Valley College. In 1997 she joined ESRI as Higher Education Manager helping colleges and universities develop GIS programs. She has been Co-PI on several NSF Grants related to GIS and twoyear colleges and is a co-editor for the UCGIS Body of Knowledge and a lead on the development of the GTCM curriculum outlines for Model Courses. Ann also serves as coPI on the iGETT NSF grant to provide faculty education in remote sensing. She lives in Salmon, Idaho with husband, Robert, a dog, Siv and 4 chickens – a great place for fishing, geology and GIS. Ann is responsible for Goal 2 of the GeoTech Center. Christopher J. Semerjian. Chris is an Associate Professor of Physical Geography & GIS and the Associate Director of the Lewis F. Rogers Institute for Environmental & Spatial Analysis at the University of North Georgia. He holds a master’s degree in Physical Geography & GIS from Georgia State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Geology from the University of Georgia. He has served as a Co-PI for the GeoTech Center since its inception and has been PI on other geospatial projects. He developed the methodology used with the Geospatial Technology Competency Model to create courses and was co-lead on the first two courses. Chris is responsible for Goal 4 of the GeoTech Center.
Contact Information Members of the GeoTech team can be reached at the following email addresses: Vince DiNoto: vince.dinoto@kctcs.edu 502-213-7280 Rodney Jackson: jacksonr@edgecombe.edu 252-823-5166, ext. 113 Ann Johnson: ann@baremt.com 208-894-4541 Chris Semerjian: csemerjian@gmail.com Ken Yanow: kyanow@swccd.edu 619-421-6700, ext. 5720 The GeoTech Center website is: http://www.geotechcenter.org This material is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation (DUE #1304591). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors(s) and not necessarily those of the National Science Foundation. The GeoTech Center is a virtual center comprised of a Director, four Associate Directors, and nine Assistant Directors from institutions across the nation. The central office is located at Jefferson Community and Technical College in Louisville, KY. Jefferson Community & Technical College 1000 Community College Drive Louisville, KY 40272 (502) 213-GEOT GeoTech@kctcs.edu
Ken Yanow. Ken is a Professor of Geographical Sciences, and has been at Southwestern College for the past 12 years where he teaches Physical Geography, Earth Science, GIScience, and Remote Sensing. He received his Bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Barbara in Physics, and two Master degrees (Astronomy and Geography) from San Diego State University. Professor Yanow’s primary research focus has been the recruitment and retention of underserved and underrepresented populations into geospatial technology courses and programs. Ken is responsible for Goal 1 of the GeoTech Center and the senior editor of the GeoTech Newsletter.
Next issue: Meet the Assistant Directors/Senior Team 2