Research Projects in the United States of America
Current funded research and education projects in the United States
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (A.49 of NRA NNH21ZDA001N-EEJ, entitled Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES-2021) Equity and Environmental Justice program: “Green infrastructure solutions to support flood mitigation and adaptation in coastal low-lying disadvantaged communities”. PI: Narcisa G. Pricope. Co-Is: Joanne Halls and Leah Mayo (UNCW). Amount awarded: $149,750. Period of performance: Sept. 2022 – March 2024.
National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation (MSF MRI) program: “MRI: Acquisition of a novel multi-sensor equipped unmanned aerial system (UAS) observatory for coastal mapping”. PI: Pricope, N.G. Co-PIs: Eulie, D., Leonard, L., Bresnahan, P. and Halls, J. Amount awarded: $850,863. Period of performance: August 2022 – August 2026.
North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT): Demonstrating the Capabilities of UAS Topobathymetric LiDAR Mapping in Support of DOT Project Planning, Monitoring and Modeling. PI: Narcisa Pricope. Amount awarded: $326,838. Period of performance: August 2022 – August 2024.
North Carolina Prescribed Fire Council research award: Prescribed fire needs assessment for North Carolina. PIs: Monica Rother (UNCW-EVS) and Narcisa Pricope. Amount awarded: $10,000. Period of performance: August 2021 – May 2022.
Past funded research and education projects in the United States
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Coastal Management and Sea Grant Karl Havens Memorial South Atlantic Regional Research Competition: Costs, Benefits, and Connectivity: Assessing Options for Flood Resilient Transportation Upgrades in Four Southeastern Coastal Communities. PI: Jason Evans (Stetson University, Florida), North Carolina PI: Narcisa G. Pricope. March 2020 – February 2022. Award amount: $440,000 (amount awarded to UNCW: $100,000).
North Carolina Department of Transportation (NC DOT): Fusing multi-source UAS-derived data to improve project planning and the NCDOT Wetlands Prediction Model. PI: Narcisa Pricope, Co-PI: Joanne Halls. Amount awarded: $300,411. August 2019 – August 2021.
The University of North Carolina Wilmington Research Momentum Funds: Exploring Spatiotemporal Variability in Carbon Dioxide Fluxes in Wilmington’s Tidal Creeks Via Novel Sensor/Drone/Satellite Integrations. PI: Phil Bresnahan, Co-PIs: Joanne Halls and Narcisa Pricope. Amount awarded: $5,000.
University of North Carolina Wilmington Office of Community Engagement award: Enhancing harmful algal bloom monitoring efforts and public engagement in the Chowan River and Albemarle Sound, North Carolina. PI: Pricope; Graduate student supported: Hunter Synan. Amount awarded $3,500. Performance period: May – August 2019.
University of North Carolina Wilmington Office of Community Engagement award: Enhancing socio-ecological resilience in low elevated coastal zones subject to recurrent inundation. PI: Pricope, Co-PI: Halls, Graduate student supported: Christopher Hidalgo. Amount awarded $5,000. Perfomance period: Jan. 2019 – Dec. 2019.
University of North Carolina General Assembly, Stage 2 Inter-Institutional Planning Grant: Synchronous Mapping of Coastal Habitat Change Using Multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. PI: Pricope (UNCW) and Co-PI Akella (UNCC). Amount awarded $75,000. Performance period: Aug. 2018 – June 2019.
Through a recently-awarded University of North Carolina Wilmington Community Engagement Grant for the proposal entitled "Assessment of Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources in New Hanover County, NC, under Various Sea Level Rise and Storm Surge Scenarios", PI Narcisa G. Pricope and undergraduate students Sydney Bohn and Evan Hill are working with the City of Wilmington Planning Division on modeling the effects of sea level rise and inundation associated with storm surges on critical infrastructure in New Hanover County, NC.
National Science Foundation HRD Award No. 1533592: “Targeted Infusion Project: Building an interdisciplinary geosciences and geospatial intelligence curricula through applied training in mapping and spatial reasoning”. PIs: Camelia Kantor, Narcisa G. Pricope and Camelia Knapp. In response to an increased emphasis on geospatial literacy in many career fields thanks to rapid rise of consumer-use mobile devices and Geographic Information Systems’ growing utilization, the proposed project will contribute to the development of a more integrated, innovative, and project-based learning environment at Claflin University, a Historically Black College and University in South Carolina. This will be achieved by congruently offering interdisciplinary and synergistic human-physical geography pilot training to a group of thirty students majoring in STEM, social sciences, or education, and by designing a new special topics course in Applied Mapping and Spatial Reasoning. Therefore, the proposed project’s overall goal is to foster, advance, and strengthen interdisciplinary development and applied training in geosciences and geospatial intelligence of a diverse workforce. The goal will be reached by achieving the following cognitive, affective, and behavioral objectives: learn principles and methods for describing physical and human earth features; decode, comprehend, analyze and place maps in their proper spatial and chronological contexts; utilize modern technologies to collect web-based and field data and; create and interpret discipline specific maps; be sensitive and aware of a map’s spatial, chronological, and cultural context to identify possible bias; value the role of geospatial literacy in today’s job market; understand and appreciate the relevance of minority involvement in geospatial decision-making and; have positive feelings toward geoscience and geospatial intelligence; interact with geospatial phenomena in their natural state; incorporate geospatial concepts and skills into one’s career and; utilize acquired know-how for community decision-making.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (A.49 of NRA NNH21ZDA001N-EEJ, entitled Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES-2021) Equity and Environmental Justice program: “Green infrastructure solutions to support flood mitigation and adaptation in coastal low-lying disadvantaged communities”. PI: Narcisa G. Pricope. Co-Is: Joanne Halls and Leah Mayo (UNCW). Amount awarded: $149,750. Period of performance: Sept. 2022 – March 2024.
National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation (MSF MRI) program: “MRI: Acquisition of a novel multi-sensor equipped unmanned aerial system (UAS) observatory for coastal mapping”. PI: Pricope, N.G. Co-PIs: Eulie, D., Leonard, L., Bresnahan, P. and Halls, J. Amount awarded: $850,863. Period of performance: August 2022 – August 2026.
North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT): Demonstrating the Capabilities of UAS Topobathymetric LiDAR Mapping in Support of DOT Project Planning, Monitoring and Modeling. PI: Narcisa Pricope. Amount awarded: $326,838. Period of performance: August 2022 – August 2024.
North Carolina Prescribed Fire Council research award: Prescribed fire needs assessment for North Carolina. PIs: Monica Rother (UNCW-EVS) and Narcisa Pricope. Amount awarded: $10,000. Period of performance: August 2021 – May 2022.
Past funded research and education projects in the United States
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Coastal Management and Sea Grant Karl Havens Memorial South Atlantic Regional Research Competition: Costs, Benefits, and Connectivity: Assessing Options for Flood Resilient Transportation Upgrades in Four Southeastern Coastal Communities. PI: Jason Evans (Stetson University, Florida), North Carolina PI: Narcisa G. Pricope. March 2020 – February 2022. Award amount: $440,000 (amount awarded to UNCW: $100,000).
North Carolina Department of Transportation (NC DOT): Fusing multi-source UAS-derived data to improve project planning and the NCDOT Wetlands Prediction Model. PI: Narcisa Pricope, Co-PI: Joanne Halls. Amount awarded: $300,411. August 2019 – August 2021.
The University of North Carolina Wilmington Research Momentum Funds: Exploring Spatiotemporal Variability in Carbon Dioxide Fluxes in Wilmington’s Tidal Creeks Via Novel Sensor/Drone/Satellite Integrations. PI: Phil Bresnahan, Co-PIs: Joanne Halls and Narcisa Pricope. Amount awarded: $5,000.
University of North Carolina Wilmington Office of Community Engagement award: Enhancing harmful algal bloom monitoring efforts and public engagement in the Chowan River and Albemarle Sound, North Carolina. PI: Pricope; Graduate student supported: Hunter Synan. Amount awarded $3,500. Performance period: May – August 2019.
University of North Carolina Wilmington Office of Community Engagement award: Enhancing socio-ecological resilience in low elevated coastal zones subject to recurrent inundation. PI: Pricope, Co-PI: Halls, Graduate student supported: Christopher Hidalgo. Amount awarded $5,000. Perfomance period: Jan. 2019 – Dec. 2019.
University of North Carolina General Assembly, Stage 2 Inter-Institutional Planning Grant: Synchronous Mapping of Coastal Habitat Change Using Multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. PI: Pricope (UNCW) and Co-PI Akella (UNCC). Amount awarded $75,000. Performance period: Aug. 2018 – June 2019.
Through a recently-awarded University of North Carolina Wilmington Community Engagement Grant for the proposal entitled "Assessment of Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources in New Hanover County, NC, under Various Sea Level Rise and Storm Surge Scenarios", PI Narcisa G. Pricope and undergraduate students Sydney Bohn and Evan Hill are working with the City of Wilmington Planning Division on modeling the effects of sea level rise and inundation associated with storm surges on critical infrastructure in New Hanover County, NC.
National Science Foundation HRD Award No. 1533592: “Targeted Infusion Project: Building an interdisciplinary geosciences and geospatial intelligence curricula through applied training in mapping and spatial reasoning”. PIs: Camelia Kantor, Narcisa G. Pricope and Camelia Knapp. In response to an increased emphasis on geospatial literacy in many career fields thanks to rapid rise of consumer-use mobile devices and Geographic Information Systems’ growing utilization, the proposed project will contribute to the development of a more integrated, innovative, and project-based learning environment at Claflin University, a Historically Black College and University in South Carolina. This will be achieved by congruently offering interdisciplinary and synergistic human-physical geography pilot training to a group of thirty students majoring in STEM, social sciences, or education, and by designing a new special topics course in Applied Mapping and Spatial Reasoning. Therefore, the proposed project’s overall goal is to foster, advance, and strengthen interdisciplinary development and applied training in geosciences and geospatial intelligence of a diverse workforce. The goal will be reached by achieving the following cognitive, affective, and behavioral objectives: learn principles and methods for describing physical and human earth features; decode, comprehend, analyze and place maps in their proper spatial and chronological contexts; utilize modern technologies to collect web-based and field data and; create and interpret discipline specific maps; be sensitive and aware of a map’s spatial, chronological, and cultural context to identify possible bias; value the role of geospatial literacy in today’s job market; understand and appreciate the relevance of minority involvement in geospatial decision-making and; have positive feelings toward geoscience and geospatial intelligence; interact with geospatial phenomena in their natural state; incorporate geospatial concepts and skills into one’s career and; utilize acquired know-how for community decision-making.