John L Schnase
The Invasive Species Forecasting System Project

Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Building 3 Auditorium - 3:30 PM
(Refreshments at 3:00 PM)

The Invasive Species Forecasting System (ISFS) project is a multi-year effort to provide light-weight, practical decision support capabilities to resource managers in the Department of Interior who must deal directly with the threat of invasive species. We're wrapping up the project this year with operational deployments in selected National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management locations. It's been an interesting experience. I'd like to take this opportunity to share some of our ISFS experiences with colleagues at Goddard, including an overview of the project's history, its rationale, sociotechnical surprises good and bad, disappointments, and accomplishments. I'd particularly like to discuss what I've come to believe are the most important outcomes from this effort. To show my comfort with risk, I may even attempt a real-time demonstration of the ISFS system and invite critical review from the audience.

John is a Senior Computer Scientist in the Office of Computational and Information Science and Technology (CISTO). His work focuses on the development of new information technologies, with with a particular emphasis on biodiversity and the environment. John's scientific and technical expertise is in bioinformatics, avian ecology, ecosystem modeling, the human/computer interface, and computing environments of the future. Over the past twenty-five years, he has taught, lead research teams, conducted basic and applied research, and advised on issues related to these areas of interest. Most recently, John has lead the Applied Sciences Program's Invasive Species Forecasting System (ISFS) project. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), a former member of the Biodiversity and Ecosystems Panel of the President's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), and a current Commissioner of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). When not writing proposals, he's likely to be rehabing a house, swimming, or diving.

IS&T Colloquium Committee Host: James Tilton