Bio
Dr. Amélie Davis is a geospatial scientist and data analyst by training, as well as an educator, mentor, and supervisor. Amélie's expertise lies in solving sustainability issues that require a data analytics approach. She has extensive experience in leading and managing projects, as well as providing GIS and statistical support and expertise. She instructs college and graduate level courses in GIS, urban planning, sustainability and resilience.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy, Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana (2005-2009)
Master of Science, Oceanographical Remote Sensing, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware (2002-2004)
Bachelor of Arts, Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana (1998-2001)
Professional Certifications
ENVISION Sustainability Professional, Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (2022-2023)
GISP Certified – #99246 (2017-2023)
Remote Pilot for sUAS (Small Unmanned Aircraft System) Certification #3984109, FAA (2017-2023)
Courses Taught (at USAFA)
Sustainability in Practice
Urban Planning
Cartography
Cultural Geography
Geospatial Science Capstone
Professional Experience
Assistant Professor of Sustainability, Planning, and Geospatial Science, Department of Economics and Geosciences, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado (2023 – Present)
Project manager for special projects at Environmental Solutions AQ (2022-2023 Part-time and remote)
Urban and Sustainability Planner II, Buildings + Places, AECOM, Denver/Colorado Springs, Colorado (2022 Part-time)
Distinguished Visiting Professor, Department of Economics and Geosciences, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado (2021-2022)
Associate Professor, joint appointment between Department of Geography and Institute for the Environment and Sustainability, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio (2019-2023)
Assistant Professor, joint appointment between Department of Geography and Institute for the Environment and Sustainability, Miami University, Oxford Ohio (2013-2019)
Post-Doctoral Research Associate. NSF and U.S. Forest Service Urban Long-Term Research Area Exploratory (ULTRA-EX) Grant, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois (2011-2013)
Post-Doctoral Teaching Fellow. Mellon Foundation and Associated Colleges of the South Fellowship, Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina (2009-2011)
Honors & Awards
Honor Award for Sustainability and Environmental Planning from the Colorado Chapter of the American Planning Association for SustainableBreck Plan (with AECOM), 2023
Student Recognition of Teaching Excellence Award, 2020
Center for Teaching Excellence Teaching Commendations, Miami University, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021.
Institute for the Environment and Sustainability Fellow, Miami University, 2015
Purdue University Graduate Student Award for Outstanding Teaching, Purdue University, 2009
Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award in the Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, 2008
NASA-MSU Professional Enhancement Award, US-International Association for Landscape Ecology, 2008
Honorable Mention, Forestry and Natural Resources graduate student symposium, Purdue University, 2007
Phi Beta Kappa, Earlham College, 2001
College Honors, Earlham College, 2001
Intercollegiate Tennis Association, Scholar-Athlete All American, 2001
Kathryn Weber Senior Scholar-Athlete Award, Earlham College, 2001
Lucy Moore Grave Marine Biology Award, Earlham College, 2000
Research and Scholarly Interests
Amélie's professional interests include contributing to research in human-environment interactions with an emphasis on ecosystem services, landscape ecology, urban and landscape planning, land change science, and sustainability. Her research focuses on urban and agricultural systems.
Publications
h-index of 12,797 citations, 488 since 2018 according to Google Scholar (* undergraduate student co-author, ** graduate student co-author)
Davis, A.; Stoyko**, J. Barriers to Native Plantings in Private Residential Yards. Land 2023, 12, 114. https://doi.org/10.3390/land12010114.
Bracken J., A. Davis, S. Walls, K. O’Donnell, W. Barichivich, and T. Jezkova. 2022. Maximizing species distribution model performance using historical occurrence data across environmental variable sets of varying persistency, Ecosphere.
Leveridge M.**, A. Davis, and S. Dumhyan. 2021. Evaluating attitudes towards large carnivores within the Great Bear Rainforest. Sustainability.
Smith D., A. Davis, C. Hitaj, E. Lonsdorf, D. Hellerstein, A. Preslicka**, E. Kirkpatrick**, and D. Mushet. 2021. The contribution of land cover change to the decline of honey yields in the Northern Great Plains. Environmental Research Letters.
Davis A., O. Herron*, and S. Dumyahn. 2021. Uncovering the potential for exurban properties and small working farms in the midwestern United States to provide food and refuge for pollinators. Urban Ecosystems, 24(5), 1047-1060.
Davis A., A. Freund*, S. Dumhyan, R. Mendoza*, A. Muñiz, and M. Boone. 2021. Exurban ponds as socio-ecological systems. Land, 10, 448.
Hellerstein D., Hitaj C., Smith D., and A. Davis. 2017. Land use, land cover, and pollinator health: a review and trend analysis. Economic Research Report (ERR-232). United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
Davis A., E. Lonsdorf, K. Matteson, C. Shierk, J. Taylor, S. Lovell, and E. Minor. 2017. Enhancing pollination in an urban ecosystem through landscape modifications. Landscape and Urban Planning.
Davis A., J. Jung, B. Pijanowski, and E. Minor. 2016. Vegetation volume and “greenness” affect urban air temperature. Applied Geography 71: 106-114.
Mayer A., J. Bossenbroeck, B. Buma, A. Davis, J. Franklin, S. Gagne, M. Krawchuk, J. Littell, E.L. Loudermilk, R. Scheller, F. Schmiegelow, and Y. Wiersma. 2016. Landscape Ecology’s contribution to global change policy. Bioscience 66(6): 458-469.
Lonsdorf E., J. Lyons, S. Jacobi, T. Jones, B. Tavernia, K. Luke, A. Davis, and W. Thogmartin. 2016. A generalizable energetics-based model of avian migration to aid large-scale conservation planning and spending. Ecological Applications 26(4): 1136-1153.
Davis A., N. Malas*, and E. Minor. 2014. Substitutable habitats? The biophysical and anthropogenic drivers of an exotic bird’s distribution. Biological Invasions 16(2): 415-427.
Westphal L., A. Davis, C. Copp, L. Ross, M. Bouman, and C. Fisher. 2014. Characteristics of Stewardship in the Chicago Wilderness Region. Cities and the Environment 7(1): Article 3.
Davis A., J.A. Belaire**, M. Farfan**, D. Milz**, E. Sweeney**, S. Loss, and E. Minor. 2012. Green infrastructure and bird diversity across an urban socioeconomic gradient. Ecosphere 3: art105.
Davis A., B. Pijanowski, K. Robinson* and P. Kidwell. 2010. Estimating Parking Lot footprint in the Upper Great Lakes Region of the USA. Landscape and Urban Planning 27(2): 255-261.
Davis A., B. Pijanowski, K. Robinson* and B. Engel. 2009. The environmental and economic cost of sprawling parking lots in the United States. Land Use Policy 96(2): 68-77.
Olson, J., G. Alagarswamy, J. Andresen, D. Campbell, J. Ge, A. Davis, M. Huebner, B. Lofgren, D. Lusch, N. Moore, B. Pijanowski, J. Qi, P. Thornton, N. Torbick, and J. Wang. 2007. Integrating Diverse Methods to Understand Climate-Land Interactions in East Africa. Geoforum 39(2): 898-911.
Pijanowski, B., J. Olson, C. Washington-Ottombre, D. Campbell, A. Davis and K. Alexandridis. 2007. Pluralistic modeling approaches to simulating climate-land change interactions. MODSIM 2007 International Congress on Modelling and Simulation, Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand, pp636-642 (peer reviewed).
Davis, A., and X.-H. Yan. 2004. Hurricane forcing on chlorophyll-a concentration off the northeast coast of the United States. Geophysical Research Letters 31, L17304, doi: 10.1029/2004GL020668.
Book chapters (peer-reviewed)
Davis A., and S. Strack**. 2022. Environmental Impacts of Exurban Development in the United States. In Pathways to Research Sustainability Reader. EBSCO.
Kirkpatrick E.**, A. Davis, and B. Pijanowski. 2018. Estimating the Environmental Impacts of Sprawling Parking Lots in the United States: Two Case Studies. In D. Shoup (Ed.), Parking and the City. American Planning Association: Planners Press.
Minor E., J.A. Belaire, A. Davis, M. Franco*, and M. Lin**. 2016. Socioeconomics and neighbor mimicry drive urban yard and neighborhood vegetation patterns. In R. Francis (Ed.), Urban Landscape Ecology: Science, Policy and Practice. Abington: Routledge.