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Education, Professional Licenses
& Awards
Work Experience
Research Experience
Selected
Publications, Projects and Presented Papers
Recent
Invited Presentations
Skills
Map Portfolio
Web Design
Portfolio
Contact
Tora Johnson
EDUCATION
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 LICENSES
Licensed Captain: US Coast
Guard, Master- Inland, 100 gross tons/ Mate- Near Coastal, 150 gross
tons; Auxiliary Sail and Assistance Towing endorsements.
AWARDS
Center for Applied Human
Ecology Award, College of the Atlantic, 2003
University of Oregon Institute of Marine Biology Alumni Award, 1987
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WORK 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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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WEB DESIGN AND MASTERING
Geographic Information Systems Laboratory & Service Center, University
of Maine at Machias
http://www.umm.maine.edu/academics/GIS
Careers 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.net
Saving 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_home
Geographic Information Systems Laboratory, College of the Atlantic
Please note: I no longer maintain this site.
http://home.coa.edu/gislab/default.htm
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SKILLS