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Rebecca Ramsey
Research Analyst
Digital Mapping Graduate Student

I grew up in western Kentucky in a place called Murray. During my undergraduate studies at Murray State University I became fascinated with the interconnectedness of aquatic systems no matter their size. It could be the tiniest food web study related to aquatic entomology up to an entire watershed and its associated streams, rivers, and lakes. My curiosity of ecology was fueled by a part time employment position at the University’s associated field station (Hancock Biological Station). While working I was introduced to both the world of professional research and my now husband (bonus!). After conducting an undergraduate research project I decided to pursue a graduate degree at The University of Alabama. My masters thesis focused on reconstructing a vegetation history of three brackish marshes off the coast of Louisiana/Alabama. This time I expanded my intrigue of ecosystems to include a larger factor of time, approximately 2,000 years before present, to be precise. The project was centered around understanding how coastal wetlands persisted in the past to sea-level rise in an effort to make better estimations in how they might respond to future sea-level rise.  

Following Alabama I returned to Kentucky and eventually landed in Lexington where I was hired at an environmental consulting firm. During my employment I was tasked with familiarizing myself with the intricacies of using ArcGIS/ArcMap. After composing many essays through college and research papers I’ve come to appreciate accurate and effective communication of vast data sets in small amounts of space (i.e. maps). My husband and I then took some time to relocate to Georgetown and start our family which now includes two kids, one cat and one dog. We spend our free time with the kiddos performing whatever outdoor activities the weather permits (hiking/biking/canoeing/camping/rock climbing) and indulging in literary or digital media pertaining to science fiction. During my work week I am found in The Critical Zone Pedology Lab as a full time Research Analyst at the University of Kentucky. This position offers me the opportunity to continue researching large interconnected systems and I look forward to being able to use the knowledge and skills of a Digital Mapping M.S. to take the data to the next level!

 

Contact Information
rc.ramsey@uky.edu
Education
B.S. in Biology (Minor in Chemistry) concentration in Aquatic Biology, Murray State University 
M.S. in Biology concentration in Ecology, The University of Alabama

 
Research Interests
  • Remote Sensing
  • Geospatial information
  • web mapping
  • Critical Zone
  • Aquatic Entomology
  • Wetland Ecology
  • Pedology
  • watershed ecologies
  • urban watersheds
  • Socioeconomic and geographic disparities in the United States
  • Environmental Sciences
  • data visualization
  • and Gender Disparities
Affiliations
  • New Maps Plus