Hello Readers!
I’m Emma, and I’m an assistant professor in Ohio. My primary research and Extension program area is forage agronomy, which builds on my past work in Florida where I did nutrient cycling research and Extension. My favorite part of my job is mentoring graduate students on their research and career goals, and I love finding ways to develop creative research and outreach efforts that support farmers.
I did my PhD at the University of Wisconsin- Madison in Agronomy. Most of my research in WI was about using farmer generated data and other alternative data sources to evaluate fertilizer recommendations. I’m originally from Ohio, and I received my MS in Crop Science and my BS in Forestry, Fisheries, and Wildlife at Ohio State.
My early research experiences at Ohio State included measuring neonicotinoid drift and observing honey bee foraging. These projects furthered my interest in GIS, which became a core part of my research ever since. As I was developing my research skills, I found that there was a gap in educational materials about GIS that were appropriate for folks with research and data management skills but limited spatial data handling experience.
This blog started in 2018 as a place for me to save and share resources I found helpful as someone who utilizes geospatial data in my research, but is not a GIS specialist. It has since also become home for my musings (some of which have aged better than others), and a bit of a time capsule about projects, tools, and interests for me since beginning Spatially Challenged.
There are lots of places to keep up with my work, both spatial data related and others. You can subscribe to Spatially challenged on the home page of the website, or follow me on Twitter (@EGmatcham). I also have a lab twitter account, which focuses more on student and Extension activities (@MatchamLab), and a Google Scholar profile that highlights published research. Thanks for reading!
Spatially Challenged 