ASD Awards Creative Spectroscopy Projects

The seven Alexander Goetz Instrument Support Program award recipients for 2012, named this week by ASD Inc., received recognition for research ranging from hyperspectral analysis to noninvasive identification of artistic materials.

The award is named for ASD Inc. co-founder and chief scientist Dr. Alexander Goetz, a pioneer in the fields of remote sensing and imaging spectrometry, who played a critical role in developing portable instrumentation for field spectroscopy research applications.

The 2012 award winners, all PhD and master’s candidates, were selected for their creative research projects applying reflectance spectroscopy to advancing understanding in their fields of study. “ASD pioneered high-performance analytical instrumentation solutions used in the field and labs around the world more than 20 years ago, and one of the ways we continue to drive this innovation is through supporting student researchers,” Goetz said.

The Goetz Program will provide the winners with temporary use of field instrumentation. Additionally, recipients are eligible to receive up to $500 toward publication charges for completed papers accepted by an approved journal. They may also be eligible for travel costs for oral or poster presentation of an accepted abstract at a relevant scientific conference.

Now in its sixth year, the Goetz Program is co-sponsored by ASD Inc. and the Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (GRSS), a member organization of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE).

Winners of the 2012 Goetz Award and their research topics include:

Barbara Rasaiah, PhD candidate

Institution: Geospatial Sciences, RMIT University
Proposal Title: “The Role of Hyperspectral Metadata in Hyperspectral Data Exchange”

Chandi Witharana, PhD candidate

Institution: Center for Integrative Geosciences, University of Connecticut
Project: “Bridging the Knowledge Gaps on Applications of Advanced Earth Observation for Ecosystem Conservation Efforts Among Developing Nations”

Kurt Prospere, PhD candidate

Institution: Environmental Biology, University of the West Indies
Project: Establishment of Spectral Libraries for the Identification of Wetland Vegetation in the Black River Lower Morass, Jamaica

Anuradha Pallipurath, PhD candidate

Institution: Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge
Project: “Non-invasive Identification of Artists’ Materials on Illuminated Manuscripts by Fiber Optics Reflectance Spectroscopy”

Angela Erb, MSc student, and Kiran Gurm, MSc student

Institution: Specialized Master’s Program in Environmental Sciences, University of Zurich
Project: “Changing Vegetation Composition in the Arctic: Towards Quantifying Climate Feedbacks Through Shortwave Energy Fluxes and Methane Emissions”

Elizabeth Burakowski, PhD candidate

Institution: Earth and Environmental Science, University of New Hampshire
Project: “Spectral Surface Albedo of Forested and Cleared Land”

David Browning, masters of science candidate

Institution: Department of Geological Sciences, University of Idaho
Project: “Hyperspectral Remote Sensing In Mineral Exploration Applications: Using Ammonium-Illite as a Pathfinder for Gold”

For more information, visit: www.asdi.com