Curriculum Vitae
(updated 05-18-2009)


Stephen P. Scheidt

EDUCATION / HONORS AND AWARDS /PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT / TEACHING
FIELD EXPERIENCE / COMPUTING / VOLUNTEER & ORGANIZATIONS
/ ABSTRACTS / PUBLICATIONS


EDUCATION:

Ph.D. Candidate, (GPA = 3.964), 2004 - (August 2009, expected graduation)
University of Pittsburgh, Department of Geology and Planetary Science

Dissertation Topic: Multispectral TIR data analysis of large eolian systems in order to trace the sediment transport pathways and the effects of dust on atmospheric properties
Advisor: Dr. Michael Ramsey. Committee: Dr. Nicholas Lancaster (DRI); Dr. Mark Abbott; Dr. Michael Rosenmeier, Dr. Rosemary Capo
.

M.S. Geological Science, (GPA = 3.625), 1999 - 2002
University of South Carolina, Department of Geological Sciences

Masters Thesis Title: “Temporal Trends and Spatial Distribution of Wet Deposition of Mercury in the Southeastern United States.” Examined relationships between complex variables such as mercury chemistry, precipitation amount, synoptic weather type and modeled deposition.
Advisor: Dr. Venkat Lakshmi. Committee: Dr. Alicia Wilson; Dr. Helen Power (Department of Geography); Dr. Charles Fiegley (Environmental Health Sciences).

B.S. Environmental Sciences, Graduated Cum Laude (GPA = 3.315), 1995 - 1999
University of Toledo, Department of Earth, Ecological & Environmental Sciences

Undergraduate Internships
Center for the Inland Bays (C.I.B.) & University of Delaware Internship
Full Time, Field Assistant, Marine Ecology, Conservation and Education, May 1999 – July 1999

U.S. EPA, Office of Air and Radiation, Washington, DC
Full Time, Science Advisor Assistant, Feb 1999 – May 1999

President’s Council on Sustainable Development
Full Time Assistant, Jan 1999 – Mar 1999

Toledo Water Division Internship
Part Time, Water Sampling and Testing, Oct 1998– Dec 1999

HONORS and AWARDS:

NASA Earth System Science (ESS) Graduate Student Fellowship Award Recipient, Using multi-sensor data fusion to estimate dust aerosol composition and its affect on longwave radiative forcing., Sept 2006 - Aug 2009.

1st Place Prize, "Best Poster Contribution", Arts and Sciences Graduate Student Organization (ASGSO) Grad Expo, University of Pittsburgh, Mapping the sands of the Gran Desierto, Sonora, Mexico using thermal infrared remote sensing, Mar 2, 2006.

PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT:

Shield Environmental Associates, Inc.
Staff Geoscientist, Mar 2003 – June 2004

Duties included field work for groundwater sampling programs, remediation site oversight, literature review, quarterly groundwater reports, data analysis, some soil vapor extraction (SVE) remediation system modeling, and field equipment management. Wrote contributions to a mineral exploration plan and mineral evaluation reports. Certifications (no longer current): CPR, First Aid and 40 Hour Hazardous Waste Site Training (29 CFR 1910).

Research Planning, Inc.
Field Geologist, Sept 2002 – Feb 2003

(See FIELD EXPERIENCE for project description)

Geologist and Field Team Supervisor: Supervised one (of five) international field teams in the collection of geological, biological and chemical data focused on determining the extent of exposed and buried oiled sediments, ecological effects, and the chemical composition and weathering of petroleum hydrocarbons. Responsibilities include site selection, establishing transect lines, carrying out the sampling plan, maintaining chain-of-custody on samples, QA/QC, download and management of digital data, and the site health and safety plan.

GPS Technician: My original assignment was operating a Trimble GPS for positional and navigational information in the field. Promoted to field team supervisor and geologist after the first six weeks on project.

Biologist: Occassionally substituted for this position - Responsible for surveying the presence of invertebrate species living in the intertidal zone of marshes, beaches, tidal flats and rocky shores, and assessed the health of these ecological systems impacted by oil contamination. Assisted in writing reports, figures and tables.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE:

Graduate Research and Instructional Teaching Assistant, June 2004 – May 2006
Department of Geology and Planetary Science, University of Pittsburgh

Geology 0820 - Natural Disasters. Development of new recitation exercises, including interactive group activities on hazards such as wildfire, hurricanes, earthquakes, desertification, and others.

Graduate Research and Instructional Teaching Assistant, Jan 2000 – May 2002
Department of Geological Sciences, University of South Carolina

Environment 101, Geology 101 and 103. Taught concepts of environmental sciences to undergraduates conducting labs, leading field trips, and assisting in lectures. Curriculum development and the production of lab and lecture materials for the following courses.

Graduate Research Assistant, May 2001 – Aug 2001
College of Science and Mathematics, University of South Carolina

Conducted research and development of case studies for a science-based business course in the Professional Masters degree program. Interviewed local environmental firms and government offices and utilized web-based research. (Link)

Graduate Assistant, Aug 1999 – Jan 2000
Sustainable Universities Initiative, University of South Carolina

Campus community research on local campus watershed and environmental issues.

FIELD EXPERIENCE:

Reservoir Characterization and Modeling Workshop sponsored by ExxonMobil in La Jolla, CA, Oct 13-17, 2008

Exercises in the interpetation of deepwater stratigraphy of the Capistrano Formation using outcrop observations, stratigraphic sections and seismic data. Examined how variance in facies, texture, porosity and permeability estimates affect reservoir models and flow simulation.

Sample Collection from the Gran Desierto of Sonora, Mexico, Dec 2004 and Mar 2005

Field validation of remote sesning data from the ASTER instrument. Collection of sand, soil and rock samples. Arranged logistics, prepared sampling routes and locations, managed field equipment and gear, provided in-the-field GIS support, established local research contacts with CEDO and the Mexican Biospere Reserve Park Office.

Oiled Shoreline Survey with Research Planning, Inc., Sept 2002 - Apr 2003

Project limited position for an environmental assessment/remedial investigation to determine the fate and effects of oil spilled from the 1991 Gulf War that impacted 500 miles of coastline of the Arabian Gulf. Trained for all field team positions, data management, and O&M activities. See this website for full project description.

Soil Moisture Experiment (SMEX 2002) in Ames, IA, June - July 2002

Field validation of remote sensing of soil moisture by AMSR, PSR, PALS and AIRSAR instruments. Collected daily samples for gravimetric soil moisture, measured in-situ soil moisture and the soil temperature profile and collected Leaf Area Index (LAI) and reproductive stage data for corn and soy crops.

Volunteer Fieldwork at U. of South Carolina

Assisted research projects in coastal geomorphology: Surveyed topography of salt marsh tidal channels and an undisturbed barrier island in South Carolina. Assisted in setting up field experiment on sediment transport due to precipitation in a South Carolina tidal marsh.

Environmental Remediation & Sampling with Shield Environmental, Inc.

Low-flow groundwater sampling, monitoring well installation, pump tests, multimedia sampling for remedial investigations (soil, water and sediments) and economic mineral exploration, soil excavation oversight, chlorinated solvent field screening, air monitoring for health & safety, surveying using Total Station Set 3B, GPS and some geologic mapping.

COMPUTER SKILLS:

ENVI/IDL
GIS - Acrview/ArcMap
MS Office
Surfer 7.0
Webdesign ~ HTML/Dreamweaver
Adobe Photoshop 7.0
Statistical Analysis Software (SAS)
Basic Unix
GPS & Pathfinder Office

VOLUNTEER & ORGANIZATIONS:

American Geophysical Union (AGU), 2007 - current

Geological Society of America (GSA), 2004 - current

Sigma Gamma Epsilon, University of Pittsburgh, 2004 - current

Volunteer Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS), Natural Hazards Workshop, 2005

Habitat for Humanity Hurricane Relief Volunteer in Homestead, FL (1996) and Boca Delray, FL (1997)

ABSTRACTS:

Scheidt, S., Ramsey, M.S., and Lancaster, N., Thermal remote sensing of sand transport systems, in Planetary Dunes Workshop: A Record of Climate Change, Lun. Planetary Instit. No. 1403, p. 62, 2008.

Scheidt, S., Ramsey, M.S., and Lancaster, N., Integration of ASTER TIR data and the Google Earth application to examine the relationships between sand transport pathways and dust emission hotspots, Eos Trans. AGU, 88(52): Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract NG41C-0667, 2007.

Scheidt, S.P. Composition of potential dust source areas in the Sahara Desert using ASTER TIR, 30th ASTER Science Team Meeting, Pasadena, CA, December 7, 2006.

Scheidt, S.P. Comparison of ASTER 15-band spectral classification to field survey and TIR linear deconvolution compositional mapping, 30th ASTER Science Team Meeting, Pasadena, CA, December 7, 2006.

Scheidt, S.P., Ramsey, M.S., and Lancaster, N. Fusion of multitemporal/multispectral satellite data for the Gran Desierto: Implications for long distance sand transport,Sixth International Conference on Aeolian Research Meeting (ICAR), University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, July 24 – 26, 2006.

PUBLICATIONS:

Scheidt, S., Ramsey, M.S., and Lancaster, N., Image mosaic generation of ASTER thermal infrared data: An application to extensive sand sheets and dune fields, Rem. Sens. Environ., 112, 920-933, doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2007.06.020, 2008.

Katra, I., Scheidt, S., and Lancaster, N. Changes in active eolian sand at northern Coachella Valley, California, Geomorphology, 105, p. 277-290, doi: 10.1016/j.geomorph.2008.10.004, 2008.