Michael N. DeMers is a geographer and

Professor Emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...

at New Mexico State University.

Education and field

DeMers earned his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

in geography from the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

in 1985 and has taught geography and courses related to

Geographic information systems A geographic information system (GIS) is a type of database containing geographic data (that is, descriptions of phenomena for which location is relevant), combined with software tools for managing, analyzing, and visualizing those data. In a br ...

since 1983. He specializes in

Geographic information science Geographic information science or geographical information science (GIScience or GISc) is the scientific discipline that studies geographic information, including how it represents phenomena in the real world, how it represents the way humans unders ...

, applying it to research in real-world problems in fields such as

landscape ecology Landscape ecology is the science of studying and improving relationships between ecological processes in the environment and particular ecosystems. This is done within a variety of landscape scales, development spatial patterns, and organizati ...

as well as researching its theoretical implications. He advocates for geographic education in public schools and has researched employing novel technologies such as

second life ''Second Life'' is an online multimedia platform that allows people to create an avatar for themselves and then interact with other users and user created content within a multi player online virtual world. Developed and owned by the San Fra ...

in the classroom. *GCERT, Online Teaching and Learning, NMSU, 2007 *Ph.D., Geography, University of Kansas, 1985 *M.Phil., Geography, University of Kansas, 1983 *M.S., Geography,

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of ...

, 1980 *B.S.Ed., Earth Science, University of North Dakota, 1974

Career and publications

DeMers served as department head of the geography department at New Mexico State University between 2000 and 2004. He served in the past as President of the National Council for Geographic Education in 2014 (NCGE0). DeMers' research focuses on applying GIS to problems including water resources,

big data Though used sometimes loosely partly because of a lack of formal definition, the interpretation that seems to best describe Big data is the one associated with large body of information that we could not comprehend when used only in smaller am ...

, and species range expansion. He has contributed significantly to literature involving geographic information science and teaching geospatial concepts with novel technologies. He advocates teaching geography in public schools using geographic information systems. He has published over seventy-five research articles and six texts on geographic information systems (GIS), including "GIS for Dummies," "GIS Modeling in Raster," and "Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems." He served as an editor, and contributed significantly to, the Geographic Information Science and Technology Body of Knowledge.

Awards and recognition

In 2010, DeMers was awarded the Anderson Medal of Honor in Applied Geography “for exceptional accomplishments in applied geography education, research, and service to the profession and the wider public." The Anderson Medal of Honor is the highest honor the Applied Geography Specialty Group of the

American Association of Geographers The American Association of Geographers (AAG) is a non-profit scientific and educational society aimed at advancing the understanding, study, and importance of geography and related fields. Its headquarters is located in Washington, D.C. The ...

can give. *

Albert Nelson Marquis Albert Nelson Marquis (January 10, 1855 - December 21, 1943) was a Chicago publisher best known for creating the ''Who's Who'' book series, starting with ''Who's Who in America'' which was first published in 1899.(22 December 1943)Albert N. Marqui ...

Lifetime Achievement Honoree, 2018 * Albert Nelson

Marquis Who’s Who Marquis Who's Who ( or ) is an American publisher of a number of directories containing short biographies. The books usually are entitled ''Who's Who in...'' followed by some subject, such as ''Who's Who in America'', ''Who's Who of American Wome ...

Humanitarian Award, 2018 * New Mexico Geographic Information Council (NMGIC) Wheeler Peak Lifetime Achievement Award, 2018 * Quality Matters (QM) Certification, Geography 481 (Fundamentals of GIS), 2013 * Distinguished Alumni Award, University of North Dakota, 2013 * Teaching Innovation Award, New Mexico State University Teaching Academy, 2011 * James R. Anderson Medal of Honor in Applied Geography, 2010 * Albert Nelson Marquis Who’s Who in America, 2006 * Albert Nelson Marquis Who’s Who in Social Science Education, 2004 * Highest Award for Achievement, Dale Carnegie Training, Fall, 2003.

References

External links

NMSU Geography official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:DeMers, Michael American geographers New Mexico State University faculty 1951 births Living people Geographic information scientists

Education and field

Career and publications

Awards and recognition

See also

References

External links