Student Showcase

3D Modeling of Museum Specimens for Automated Ground Beetle Identification

Student:

Blair Mirka

ASPIRE Faculty Advisor:

Christopher Lippitt (UNM)

This research aims to investigate the generation and application of synthetic images produced from 3D models to automate species identification, with a specific focus on ground beetles as a case study. The process starts by creating 3D models of ground beetle specimens (Carabidae) housed in museum collections and the National Ecological Observation Network (NEON) biorepository at Arizona State Un... read more

Drones for Ducks

Student:

Rowan Converse

ASPIRE Faculty Advisor:

Christopher Lippett (University of New Mexico)

Wildlife managers need accurate population counts to ensure habitat and food availability for migratory birds. Drone surveys may produce more precise count data than traditional methods, but will require automated image interpretation to cope with the large volumes of data. ASPIRE is working with the US Fish and Wildlife Service to develop a workflow for using drones for field surveys and AI for ... read more

Identifying Patterns and Factors of Safe Drinking Water Act Violations

Student:

Luke Andrews

ASPIRE Faculty Advisor:

Xi Gong (UNM)

This analysis seeks to identify spatial patterns in the distribution of Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) violations and identify the statistical relevance of several socio-economic factors on SDWA violation occurrence at non-Tribal Community Water Systems (CWSs) across the state of New Mexico at the census tract level. These factors include median household income, the percentage of people living b... read more

InSAR and GNSS Observations of Vertical Deformation in the Valles Caldera, New Mexico

Student:

Savannah Devine

ASPIRE Faculty Advisor:

Eric Lindsey (UNM)

Overview The Valles Caldera is a ~1.2 Mya resurgence volcano in Northern New Mexico There is a shallow magma body that has been imaged by seismic data (Ankeny et al., 1986; Roberts et al., 1991; Wilgus et al., 2023) We use InSAR and GNSS to observe vertical deformation in the Valles Caldera to determine if the magma body contributes significant deformation ... read more

Maternal exposure to metal components of PM2.5 and low birth weight in New Mexico, USA

Student:

Yanhong Huang

ASPIRE Faculty Advisor:

Xi Gong (University of New Mexico)

What is the association between maternal exposure to metal components of PM2.5 and LBW in offspring in New Mexico, 2012-2016?... read more

Researching Environmental Health Impacts from USWD with Native American Communities

Student:

Theodros Woldeyohannes

ASPIRE Faculty Advisor:

Joe Hoover (University of Arizona)

Solid waste disposal remains a challenge for underserved communities throughout the United States, especially in rural and Native American communities. Infrastructure disparities in these communities may contribute to occurrences of unregulated solid waste disposal (USWD) and regular burning of solid waste. USWD leads to: The frequent burning of trash in open pits Environmental contamination Che... read more

Satellite observations and modeling of earthquake hazards in South and Southeast Asia

Student:

Chong Jeng Hann

ASPIRE Faculty Advisor:

Eric Lindsey (University of New Mexico)

Satellite radar imagery is used to monitor ground deformation over time. We found several areas sinking and rising in Bangladesh and India. Our models suggest our observed ground deformation is likely due to ground compression rather than faults. ... read more

Spotted Fever Rickettsiosis Dynamics in the United States

Student:

Murphy John

ASPIRE Faculty Advisor:

Yan Lin (UNM)

Spotted Fever Rickettsiosis (SFR) refers to a group of tick-borne diseases caused by Rickettsia bacteria. Over the past two decades, there has been a significant surge in SFR cases, rising from 495 reported cases in 2000 to a peak of 6,248 in 2017. A significant concentration of SFR is observed in the southeastern United States, with five states contributing to more than 50% of reported instances... read more