Contact Information
Phone: 608-262-6416
Fax: 608-265-2595
Email: sventura@wisc.edu
Office: 433 King Hall
Program Affiliations
Department of Soil Science
Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies
Land Information and Computer Graphics Facility
Education
BA Zoology, 1978, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
MS Environmental Monitoring, 1983, University of Wisconsin-Madison
PhD Land Resources, 1989, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Teaching and Research Overview
In the fall, I teach Soils/Environmental Studies capstone - an applied problem-solving course typically centered on a problem of soil resource management. In the spring, I alternate between Assessment of Environmental Impact (even years) and Applications of GIS in Natural Resources (odd years). The former covers the environmental impact process, with emphasis on natural resources and agricultural systems. The latter provides a broad overview of GIS applications and techniques in a variety of environmental and resource management applications.
Current research includes:
- mapping of opportunities and constraints in the siting of biofuels facilities and production of bioenergy feedstocks
- analysis of the built environment and how it affects energy expenditure and obesity
- assessment of soil infiltration rates to predict countywide impacts of development on aquifer recharage
- development of tools for local land use planning
Selected Publications
Chi, G., and S.J. Ventura. 200x. A spatio-temporal examination of population change: Demographics, livability, accessibility, desirability, and developability. Population and Environment. In review.
Carrel, A.L., J.S. Sledge, S.J. Ventura, R.R. Clark, S.E. Peterson, and D.B. Allen. 2007. Measuring aerobic cycling power as an assessment of childhood fitness. J. Strength and Conditioning Research 21(3):685-688.
Ventura, S.J. 2006. Crossing the divide: A case study of the penetration of spatial information technologies in Middle America. GIS Development 10(5):28-33.
Arrington, K.E., J.M. Norman, A. Roa-Espinosa, and S.J. Ventura. 2004. Implementing a thermal urban runoff model. Chap. 20, p. 427-458. In W. James (ed.) Innovative Modeling of Urban Water Systems. CHI, Guelph, Ontario.
Arrington, K.E., S.J. Ventura, J.M. Norman, and A. Roa-Espinosa. 2003. Protecting cold water streams in urbanizing watersheds. J. Soil Water Cons. 58(3):62-65.
He, H., S.J. Ventura, and D.J. Mladenoff. 2002. Effects of different spatial aggregation approaches on landscape patterns using Landsat TM satellite imagery. International Journal of Geographical Information Science 16(1):93-109.
Ventura, S.J., T. Miller, and G. Barry. 2002. Community engagement in land use planning through web-based technologies. Chap. 5, p. 87-98. In Geertman, S and J. Stillwell (eds.) Planning support systems in practice. Springer-Verlag, New York.
Awards and Honors
2005 Distinguished Service Award, Urban and Regional Information Systems Association
2005 Hammer Award, National Partnership for Reinventing Government, "Shaping Dane's Future NSDI Community Demonstration Project |
