Area of Interest
Wetlands, landscape ecology, basic habitat suitability, watershed analysis, salt marsh ecology, historical analysis, climate/wetness indexes and remote sensing.
Bio
Greetings! I’m Alejandro Prieto and I was born and raised in Connecticut but performed my undergraduate studies at St. John’s University in Queens, New York. There, I found my interest in Ecology and Wetland ecosystems, especially the impacts of human dimensions. This helped me land a position as an educator and steward of the Hudson River Park Trust where we focused on Estuarian environments and the fauna within them. We performed a lot of work, and still do, on the Eastern Oyster in conjunction with the Billion Oyster project. Shortly after, I began my Master’s program at the University of New Haven in Environmental Science with GIS applications. Here, I worked further on ecological research projects that incorporated GIS such as populations of the invasive tree species to the Bahamas, Casuarina equisetifolia. My thesis was on a marsh mussel, Geukensia demissa, and its population related to sea level rise on high marsh environments. More recently, I’ve been an adjunct at both SJU and UNH as well as a seasonal employee for the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection in the Forestry Division, aiding in habitat suitably for Oak/Hickory. I’ve also worked on a farm on/off for the past few years. I was recently accepted to a PhD program at Vanderbilt University in Earth and Environmental Science with a concentration in Paleoecology.
From my experience, I do a little bit of everything and I consider myself more of a generalist. Some interests I have include, but are not limited to; ecology, geology, geomorphology, wetlands, salt marshes, natural resources, forestry and paleoecology.
Why students should study GIS
GIS is a great way to enhance technical computer skills as well as give an edge to spatial analysis. There are many different ways to use GIS, which makes this class versatile for students from diverse academic backgrounds. Many job opportunities always like to see proficiency with computer data and analysis which makes GIS a viable skill for many to pursue.