Online connection from NASA to MAKÜ: Understanding forests with space data

The Nanotechnology Community hosted Dr. Atticus Stovall, a researcher from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and University of Maryland, at an international online seminar held via Zoom.

Remote sensing scientist Dr. Stovall, in his presentation titled “Understanding Post-fire Disturbance Forest Recovery in Mediterranean Ecosystems using GEDI,” explained the scientific innovations offered by LiDAR (laser scanning) data obtained from the GEDI (Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation) mission in understanding post-fire forest recovery in Mediterranean ecosystems. The event was held with great interest from faculty members, undergraduate and graduate students, and participants from various institutions.

The opening speech of the seminar was made by the community's academic advisor Prof. Dr. Ahmet Çiçek . Prof. Çiçek emphasized the increasing importance of remote sensing technologies in areas such as climate crisis and land management, highlighting that examining the impacts of natural disasters on ecosystems with measurable data has become critical.

In his presentation, Dr. Stovall stated that LiDAR technology reveals the three-dimensional structure of forests with high accuracy; indicators such as canopy height, biomass, and carbon stocks provide reliable information in pre- and post-fire comparisons. He shared examples from their research on the speed, spatial patterns, and resilience of the recovery process of fires using global laser measurements obtained from the GEDI mission.

Dr. Stovall also emphasized that the Mediterranean region is a critical area for testing GEDI data due to frequent forest fires . He conveyed that this data provides an important scientific infrastructure for reforestation planning, identifying risky areas, and carbon monitoring studies.

At the closing of the seminar, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Çiçek thanked Dr. Stovall for his contributions and stated that scientific events will continue throughout the year. He thanked everyone involved in organizing the event, especially the community president Eylül Gücenmez.  Prof. Dr. Çiçek expressed that direct interaction of students with expert researchers in their field strengthens interdisciplinary perspectives.