Santonu Goswami

Position:

• Ph.D student in Environmental Science and Engineering.

Primary Research Project:

• Biocomplexity Associated with the Response of Tundra Carbon Balance to Warming and Drying Across Multiple Spatial and Temporal Scales.

Contact details:

Started at UTEP:

Education:

Research Interests:

• Climate change in polar region, GIS and Remote Sensing, Ecoinformatics, Technological Innovation in the field of Environmental Science.

Teaching:

• Mathematics Combination Teacher:

  • 2004 - 05: Bassett Middle School, El Paso, 7th grade.

• Teaching Assistant, University of Texas at El Paso:

  • Engineering Physics

  • Physics for Biology Students

  • Thermal Physics

  • Introductory Astronomy

  • Physics for High School Science Teachers

• Undergraduate Student Mentoring - Mechanical Engineering:

  • Spring, 2007: Eli Vasquez, Jorge Chacon, Guillermo Portillo, Michael Barron, Emmanuel Saucedo. Project: An aerodynamic robotic tram for measuring hyperspectral reflectance from a semi-permanent tram system.

  • Fall, 2007: Hiram Villalobos, Christian Villalobos. Project: A sensor arm for measuring the Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) from a robotic cart system.

  • Spring, 2008: John Gomez, Christopher Sanchez, Allen Almeda. Project: A portable setup for measuring the Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) at the plot level.

• Undergraduate Student Mentoring - Electrical Engineering:

  • Eliseo Tapia, Carlos Beas. Project: Development of a low cost sensor for measuring plant and ecosystem-relevent spectral indices such as NDVI, PRI, WBI and EVI (ongoing).

• Undergraduate Student Mentoring - Computer Science:

  • Senior Software Engineering Class, 2006 - 2007: Database and Graphical User Interface (GUI) for accessing automatic weather station data.

  • Senior Software Engineering Class, 2006 - 2007: Database, GUI and trust and optimization algorithms for hyperspectral reflectance measurements made from a robotic tram system in northern Alaska.

• Other:

  • Kuldeep Matharasi, MS Student in Bioinformatics. Project: Design and development of a postgre sql database for hyperspectral reflectance data and digital images collected from a robotic tram in northern Alaska.

Grants and Fellowships:

• National Merit scholarship in India for undergraduate studies.

Favorite Technologies:

• Robotic Tram System for Automated Ecosystem Monitoring
• Remote Sensing and GIS
• Postgre SQL database

Favorite Field Site:

• Barrow, Alaska.

Hobbies:

Ambitions:

• Develop Innovative technologies and instrumentations for Improved Environmental Monitoring.

• Establish a permanent ecosystem monitoring station in the Himalayan Ecosystem to study the climate change effects in the Himalayas.

• Increase environmental awareness among youths in society.

• Lead an interdisciplinary research team sometime in the future.

Personal Statement:

• I grew up in the beautiful state of Assam in the North East India which is famous for its rich flora and fauna. The place is famous for its tea and also known as the only remaining natural habitat for one horned rhinoceros.
• After my master’s degree in Physics from UTEP, I was on the lookout for an opportunity to work on real world problems which led me to join the Systems Ecology Lab in Spring, 2006. Without any doubt I can claim that I am one of the luckiest persons in this world working with so many wonderful people here at SEL. My doctoral research is giving me the opportunity to work in real world problems and hence creating opportunities for me to develop newer capacities for improved environmental monitoring collaborating with colleagues from across disciplines locally and around the world.

Miscellaneous:

• Personal website
  
• Check out pictures from my trip to Antarctica as part of the IPY-ROAM expedition.