Menu please use the links below to view sections or simply scroll down to browse.
Education, Professional Licenses & Awards
MPhil in Human Ecology, College of the Atlantic, 2003
Graduate Studies in Marine Biology, Oregon Institute of Marine Biology, 1988- 1989
BS in Biology, University of Oregon, 1988
PROFESSIONAL LICENSESLicensed Captain: US Coast Guard, Master- Inland, 100 gross tons/ Mate- Near Coastal, 150 gross tons; Auxiliary Sail and Assistance Towing endorsements.
AWARDSCenter for Applied Human Ecology Award, College of the Atlantic, 2003
University of Oregon Institute of Marine Biology Alumni Award, 1987WORK EXPERIENCE
Director of Geographic Information Systems Laboratory & Service Center/ Instructor of GIS and Marine Studies: University of Maine at Machias, September 2004-December 2004 & January 2006- Present
Courses Taught: Geographic Information Systems Applications 1, Special Topics in Geographic Information Systems, and Senior Seminar in Marine Biology.
Additional responsibilities: Oversee projects serving community partners and foster service learning opportunities, perform laboratory upgrades and maintenance, plan curriculum, build and maintain a website: http://www.umm.maine.edu/academics/GIS/index.shtml.
Adjunct Faculty: College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, ME. January 2001- June 2002 (part time) and September 2002- June 2005 (full time, grant-funded)
Courses Taught: Geographic Information Systems 1; GIS for Arts, Science and Humanities; Piloting and Navigation; Applied Pre-calculus; Geostatistics Graduate Tutorial, Biology 1 and 2; Food Systems; advanced projects and independent studies in GIS and marine studies for undergraduates and a small number of graduate students.
Additional responsibilities: Develop and implement new geographic information systems, navigation, and mathematics curriculum incorporating hands-on and service-learning; advise graduate students and senior undergraduates on thesis projects and advanced independent studies in GIS, marine, and community studies; evaluate GIS laboratory programs and recommend changes and upgrades; work with laboratory director and Center for Applied Human Ecology to implement recommendations and oversee laboratory expansion; conduct on-going administration and maintenance of GIS laboratory.
Special Project: Re-imagining a Carolina Landscape: Intensive, advanced course on people and place, including a study trip to South Carolina to work with students from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in an on-going community development project. Course culminated in a gallery exhibition of student work in winter 2005.
Visiting Professor, Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, Brewster, MA:
January- June 2006 (upcoming)By invitation, develop and teach a graduate level course on conflict, resolution and solutions in marine environmental issues; graduate credit through Framingham State College.
Consultant/ Writer/ Cartographer, May 1995- present
Selected recent clients:
Spoleto Festival USA, Charleston, SC: By invitation, collaborate with a team of artists, landscape architects, and writers on a long-term project addressing challenges posed by rapid coastal development in and near African-American communities in the South Carolina Lowcountry, with special focus on the Phillips Community of Mt. Pleasant, March 2004- present;
Marine Advanced Technology Education Center at Monterey Peninsula College, Monterey, CA: Develop and pilot a web-based course on careers in marine fields, November 2005- present;
Sumner Adult Education, Sullivan, ME: Develop and teach mathematics and navigation curriculum for adults, (upcoming) January- May 2006;
School of the Art Institute of Chicago, IL: Provide technical support and training to faculty for new geographic information systems curriculum in community-based art courses, March 2005;
Cape Cod Community College Environmental Technology Program, West Barnstable, MA: Assist program coordinator in funding and developing new curriculum, courses, and certificate programs in water technologies, alternative energy technologies, and geographic information systems; provide advice and assistance on green campus initiatives for energy conservation, waste management, forest and trail stewardship, and new construction; teach GIS workshops for teachers and municipal employees; September 1998- August 2002.
Adjunct Professor of Geographic Information Systems: University of Maine at Machias. September 2004-December 2004 & (upcoming) January 2006- June 2006
Courses Taught: Geographic Information Systems Applications 1 and Special Topics in Geographic Information Systems.Adjunct Professor of Environmental Technology: Cape Cod Community College, Barnstable, MA. September 1998- August 2002
Courses Taught: Introduction to Environmental Science; Physical Oceanography & Coastal Structures; Introduction to Water: Concepts & Technology; Geographic Information Systems, Survey of Environmental Technology.Adjunct Professor of Environmental Science: Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Buzzards Bay, MA. September- December 2000
Course Taught: Wastewater Treatment Laboratory.Shipboard Education Coordinator: Schooner Ernestina, New Bedford, MA. May- September 1995 & March - June 1996
Job Description: Develop and implement shipboard education programs for children and adults; supervise education staff and volunteers; serve as a deck officer.Program Associate: The Catskill Center for Conservation and Development. Arkville, NY. February 1994- May 1995
Job Description: Develop and implement Streamwatch curriculum in area schools; write grants for and coordinate Kid’s Watershed Summit project; conduct outreach and ad-hoc education on aquatics and water quality in local communities; coordinate the writing of regional proposal for United Nations Biosphere Reserve Status; lobby state and local legislators regarding local environmental issues.Education Specialist: Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Poughkeepsie, NY. March 1992- December 1993
Job Description: Develop and implement shipboard education programs for children and adults; coordinate education staff and volunteers; write grants; serve as deck officer.
Special project: Kid’s Clean Water Petition: Participation-in-government program for children.Director, Shipboard Coastal Ecology Program: Voyager Cruises, Mystic, CT. March 1990- October 1991
Job Description: Develop and implement shipboard education programs for children and adults; write and administer grants; hire and supervise education interns; serve as deck officer.Commercial Fisherman, F/V Peppermint John, Ketchikan, AK. July- September 1991
Marine Science Assistant: Williams College-Mystic Seaport Maritime Studies Program, Mystic, CT. September 1989-June 1990
Graduate Teaching Fellow in Invertebrate Zoology: Oregon Institute of Marine Biology, Charleston, OR. June- August 1989 & June- August 1990
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
“Saving Seas: Conflict, Resolution and Solutions in the Marine Realm,” a multi-disciplinary, results-based effort to understand and combat counter-productive conflict over ocean policy and marine resources in maritime communities. Independent research in association with College of the Atlantic; seminar course funded by Cape Cod Museum of Natural History and International Fund for Animal Welfare; June 2005- June 2006.
Entanglements: The Intertwined Fates of Whales and Fishermen, a human ecological assessment of US and Canadian plans to reduce whale entanglement in fishing gear and ship strikes of whales in the Northwest Atlantic, considering biological, financial, cultural and political implications. College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, ME; March 2001- June 2005.New Telemetry Analysis Tools for Entangled Whales, geographic information systems analysis protocols for satellite telemetry tracking of entangled whales. College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, ME, in cooperation with Center for Coastal Studies, Provincetown, MA; January 2002- present.
Transoceanic dispersal mechanisms of neritic phytoplankton: the role of ballast water in the distribution of coastal and estuarine diatoms. Research Assistant to Dr. James T. Carlton: Oregon Institute of Marine Biology, Charleston, OR; June 1988- September 1989.
Effects of oyster culture on the benthic infauna of a National Estuarine Research Reserve (South Slough). Assistant to Dr. Gregory Ruiz: Oregon Institute of Marine Biology, Charleston, OR; February- June 1989.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS, PROJECTS, AND PRESENTED PAPERS
Entanglements: The Intertwined Fates of Whales and Fishermen. University Press of Florida , 2005. Chosen by Barnes and Noble for their Discover Great New Writers list for fall, 2005.
"In and Out of Place." Co-curator with Dru Colbert, gallery exhibition of advanced, multi-disciplinary student work in community development, geographic information systems, cartography, and installation art, March 2005.
Collaboration on Design of Great Garden in Lincoln Park, Chicago, IL. With Frances Whitehead (principal artist), as part of Chicago’s Art in the Garden Program. Included four 20ft. X 50ft. maps of Lake Michigan made entirely of living flowers. 2004.
"No Boundaries: A Multidisciplinary, Project-Based GIS Curriculum for Higher Education." Proceedings of the ESRI Education Users Conference. August 2004.
"Places with a Future: The Edisto River to the Santee River, South Carolina." 40ft. X 30ft. map displayed at Spoleto Festival USA (attendance: 85,000) as part of a collaborative art installation entitled "Water Table" created for the Evoking History Program. May 28- June 13, 2004.
"Entanglements: Understanding Conflicts and Contradictions in Efforts to Reduce Incidental Take of Whales in Fishing Gear." With Sean K. Todd, poster presented at the 15th Biennial Conference of the Society for Marine Mammalogy, December 2003.
"New Telemetry Analysis Tools for Entangled Whales." With Robert Bowman and Edward Lyman, paper presented to the 15th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, December 2003. (Powerpoint available upon request)
"Entanglements: Understanding Conflicts and Contradictions among Fishers and Whale Advocates in the Eastern United States and Canada." With Sean K. Todd, published in the Proceedings of People and the Sea II: Conflicts, Threats and Opportunities, second international conference sponsored by the Centre for Maritime Research, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, September 2003. (PDF available upon request)
"'Churchill': The story of right whale #1102" in Prototype Biophysical Maps of the Gulf of Maine. Census of Marine Life, Gulf of Maine Area Program, 2003.
"Entanglements: The Intertwined Fates of Whales and Fishermen." Paper presented to the Society for Human Ecology Northeast Regional Conference, April 2002. (Powerpoint available upon request)
"Marine Report," bi-weekly column and freelance articles on boats, shipping, and marine environmental topics for The Martha's Vineyard Times, Sept. 1998 through May 2000.
"The Shellfish Game." With photos by Betsy Corsiglia; Times of the Islands Magazine, Winter 1999/2000.
Guide to Freshwater Animals Without Backbones. With Arlene de Strulle, The Catskill Center, 1997. (Now being reprinted; available soon from the Catskill Center)
“Toxics in Catskills Groundwater.” The Catskill Center News, Fall 1995.
“Environmental Education Programs for Youth at Risk.” Presented to the Annual Conference of Connecticut Environmental Educators Association, 1992.
"Long Island Sound: A Study in Coastal Ecology." Field curricula for at-risk and special education students developed and piloted at Voyager Cruises Coastal Ecology Program. Grant funded by Connecticut Dept. of Environmental Protection, 1991.
"Transoceanic dispersal mechanisms of neritic phytoplankton: the role of ballast water in the distribution of coastal and estuarine diatoms." Presented to Northwest Algal Symposium, 1989, and Pacific Ecology Conference, 1989.
RECENT INVITED PRESENTATIONS
Williams College, Williamstown, MA. "Entanglements: Racing to Save Endangered Whales and Endangered Fisheries in the Atlantic and Pacific." December 2, 2005
Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center, MA. "Entanglements: The Intertwined Fates of Whales and Fishermen." December 1, 2005
University of Maine at Machias. "Entanglements: The Intertwined Fates of Whales and Fishermen." October 24, 2005.
Ocean and Coastal Law Journal and Environmental Law Society, University of Southern Maine School of Law. "Entanglements: The Intertwined Fates of Whales and Fishermen." September 28, 2005.
The Working Waterfront Festival, New Bedford, MA. "Entanglements: The Intertwined Fates of Whales and Fishermen." September 25, 2005.
Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies Summer Lecture Series, Provincetown, MA. "Entanglements: The Intertwined Fates of Whales and Fishermen." July 26, 2005.
Maria Mitchell Observatory and the Nantucket Historical Association at the Nantucket Whaling Museum, Nantucket, MA. "Entanglements: The Intertwined Fates of Whales and Fishermen." July 19, 2005.
Massachusetts Audubon Society's South Shore Sanctuary Morning Lecture Series, Duxbury, MA. "Entanglements: The Intertwined Fates of Whales and Fishermen." July 19, 2005.
Women's Fisheries Network. "Entanglements: The Intertwined Fates of Whales and Fishermen." May 5, 2005.
International Women's Writing Guild Big Apple Writing Workshop & Open House, New York, NY. Panelist in discussion on the experiences of women writers. April 17, 2005.
College of the Atlantic Human Ecology Forum Lecture Series, Bar Harbor, ME. "Whither the Endangered Right Whale? Asking hard questions about mandates, dogma and polarity in US ocean policy." April 12, 2005.
Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, lecture sponsored by Wildlife, Aquatics, Zoos and Exotics. "Entanglements: The Intertwined Fates of Whales and Fishermen." April 6, 2005.
Bowdoin College Environmental Studies Program in Brunswick, ME. "Entanglements: The Intertwined Fates of Whales and Fishermen." April 5, 2005.
Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY. "Entanglements: The Intertwined Fates of Whales and Fishermen." March 24, 2005.
Hood College Marine Studies Program, Frederick, MD. "Entanglements: The Intertwined Fates of Whales and Fishermen." March 23, 2005.
Williams College-Mystic Maritime Studies Program at Mystic Seaport, CT. "Entanglements: The Intertwined Fates of Whales and Fishermen." March 22, 2005.
Duke University Marine Laboratory in Beaufort, NC. "Entanglements: The Intertwined Fates of Whales and Fishermen." March 21, 2005.
WEB DESIGN AND MASTERING
Geographic Information Systems Laboratory & Service Center, University of Maine at Machias
http://www.umm.maine.edu/academics/GISCareers in Marine Science and Technology, Marine Advanced Technology Education Program, Monterey Peninsula College, California
Please note: This link leads to the course welcome page: http://www.oceancareers.com/careers_course/index.htm. I can provide guest access to the course materials upon request.Tora Johnson's professional website
http://www.svbetsy.com/Entanglements: The Intertwined Fates of Whales and Fishermen: Website for the book published by University Press of Florida, 2005
http://www.entanglements.netSaving Seas: Resolving Conflict and Finding Solutions in the Marine Realm: Website for a 2006 seminar series and graduate course, Cape Cod Museum of Natural History
http://www.entanglements.net/saving_seas_homeGeographic Information Systems Laboratory, College of the Atlantic
Please note: I no longer maintain this site.
http://home.coa.edu/gislab/default.htmSKILLS
- Geographic Information Systems, including advanced geoprocessing, raster analysis, field data collection, spatial statistics, and project management
- GIS laboratory software and hardware maintenance and upgrade, including large format printing
- Database management and maintenance, including a wide variety of geographic data formats
- Computer network maintenance and troubleshooting
- Advanced coastal piloting and navigation
- Ship handling, sailing and marlinspike seamanship
- Interview and participant observation techniques
- Facilitative leadership and conflict mediation
- Water quality monitoring, water supply and wastewater technologies
- Ecological field and laboratory techniques
- Math instruction up to college precalculus level
- Cartographic design for multiple media
- Basic web design and web mastering
- Writing for grants and public education
- Proficient in Spanish
SOFTWARE
- Full line of ESRI ArcGIS products, including Spatial Analyst, 3D Analyst, Geostatistical
- Analyst, License Manager, and system administration utilities
- Large variety of third-party extensions and utilities for GIS
- Multispec remote sensing analytical software
- Multiple GPS/GIS interoperability packages
- Adobe Photoshop/Adobe Image Ready
- Macromedia Dreamweaver
- Microsoft Office Applications
REFERENCES AVAILABLE ON REQUEST
