In the School of Earth, Environment, and Sustainability at the University of Iowa, I work at the intersection of machine learning, remote sensing, and ecology to understand our functioning natural environment. The ability to capture high temporal, spatial, and spectral resolution imagery has advanced much more rapidly than algorithms for processing, visualizing, and interpreting these images. In my work, I aim to develop algorithms and methodologies for image processing that transform the data into manageable and applicable information for future applications.

My position is as a senior systems administrator focusing on all things geospatial, where I provide GIS support to the School of Earth, Environment, and Sustainability, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the university as a whole. My interests are in the application of cutting-edge technologies to the practice of data collection and/or analysis of geospatial information. I am particularly interested in exposing our students to these tools as preparation for the requirements of the modern geospatial job market.

Dustin Swarm is a high-energy astrophysicist who studies the extreme conditions of the universe: hot gas, massive stars, explosive events, and extreme gravitational and magnetic fields. He also works in technology development for X-ray and gamma ray telescopes. Swarm is designing telescope mirrors that will focus light from positron annihilation in our galaxy. Because these events are incredibly energetic, conventional telescopes are unable to focus the light they produce.