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Chestnut Chat Series: Habitat Modeling for American Chestnut
Friday, April 15, 2022 at 11:30AM (EDT)
Join us this Friday, April 15, 2022 at 11:30AM (EDT) for TACF's next LIVE Chestnut Chat! This month we will discuss Habitat Modeling for American chestnut. We will be joined by Jennifer Santoro, a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Geography and the Environment at Villanova University, and Alec Hendersen, a senior at Villanova Univsertiy with a major in Envrionmental Science and a minor in Computer Science. 

Together they will describe their research for modeling and mapping suitable chestnut habitat in Pennsylvania and show how analyses like this can be useful for chestnut restoration efforts. In this talk, Jen and Alec will discuss research to model and map suitable chestnut habitat in Pennsylvania and show how analyses like this can be useful for chestnut restoration efforts.

Jennifer Santoro is a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Geography and the Environment at Villanova University. She interned for TACF in 2013 and has been on the hunt for chestnuts ever since. At Villanova, Jen's research focuses on using geospatial analysis and statistics to understand patterns and trends in forested ecosystems. This includes analyzing disturbance events, invasive species, and of course American chestnuts. She holds Masters of Forestry and Masters of Environmental Management degrees from Duke University and is on track to earn her Ph.D. in applied forest ecology from the University of Vermont.

Alec Hendersen is a current senior at Villanova University with a major in Environmental Science and a minor in Computer Science. Most of his research focuses on geospatial analysis and he started working on American chestnut modeling two years ago as a sophomore. This project evolved into his senior thesis of modeling American chestnut habitat suitability in Pennsylvania. After graduating, Alec is flying up to Sitka, Alaska for the summer to work as a wildlife interpreter for the Alaska Raptor Center.
Participants can join one of two ways:

  • Computer (via Zoom Webinar): The meeting will open 15 minutes prior to start time to allow an audio and video test. You will be prompted to enter an email address once you click here. (Entering an email is a formality of Zoom Webinar and will not be used for solicitation. If you do not want to provide your email, you can choose to use a fake address.)
  • Phone: +1-646-876-9923. When prompted, enter this webinar ID#: 9818 656 5424
  • International numbers available by clicking here.

Not able to join the live session? All chats are recorded and available at this page on our website. (Recordings will be available prior to the next live Chat.)