Dr. J.M. Shawn Hutchinson
Professor and Director, Geographic Information Systems Spatial Analysis Laboratory; Director, NRES Secondary Major
Contact Information
3018 Seaton Hall
785-565-4134 (Mobile) or 785-532-6727 (Department Office)
shutch@k-state.edu
Education
- Ph.D., 2000, Kansas State University
- Certified Geographic Information Systems Professional (GISP), GIS Certification Institute (#50908)
Current Research
I am a geographer and environmental scientist who seeks to maximize the power of GIS, remote sensing, and computational methods for near real-time environmental monitoring, evaluating and forecasting landscape metrics characterizing the sustainability of working lands, and assessing agricultural biosecurity hazards at regional and national scales. My students and I are currently evaluating long-term trends in grassland phenology and near-surface soil moisture conditions across the Great Plains ecoregion with a future goal of integrating these measures into improved estimates of grassland ecosystem services.
Selected Publications
- McDonough, K.R., S.L. Hutchinson, and J.M.S. Hutchinson. 2020. Declining soil moisture threatens water availability in the U.S. Great Plains. Transactions of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers 63(5):1147-1156. doi.org/10.13031/trans.13773
- Muche, M., S.L. Hutchinson, J.M.S. Hutchinson, and J.M. Johnston. 2019. Phenology-adjusted dynamic curve number for improved hydrologic modeling. Journal of Environmental Management 235:403-413. doi.org/10.1016/ j.jenvman.2018.12.115
- Jacquin, A., M. Goulard, J.M.S. Hutchinson, T. Devienne, and S.L. Hutchinson. 2016. A statistical approach for predicting grassland degradation in disturbance-driven landscapes. Journal of Environmental Protection 7(6):912-925. doi.org/10.4236/jep.2016.76081
- Hutchinson, J.M.S., A. Jacquin, S.L. Hutchinson, and J. Verbesselt. 2015. Monitoring vegetation change and dynamics on U.S. Army training lands using satellite image time series analysis. Journal of Environmental Management 150:355-366. doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2014.08.002
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Margosian, M.L., K.A. Garrett, J.M.S. Hutchinson, and K.A. With. 2009. Connectivity of the American Agricultural Landscape: Assessing the National Risk of Crop Pest and Disease Spread. BioScience 59(2):141-151.
Service
- Director - Academic Programs, Institute for Digital Agriculture and Advanced Analytics, Kansas State University
- Director, Geographic Information Systems Spatial Analysis Laboratory (GISSAL)
- Director, Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences Secondary Major
- Director, Undergraduate Certificate in GIS, Kansas State University
- Director, Graduate Certificate in GIScience, Kansas State University
- Member, Environmental Science Program Advisory Board
- Delegate, University Consortium for GIScience
Short Biographical Sketch
Shawn Hutchinson, professor of geography and director of Kansas State University's Geographic Information Systems Spatial Analysis Laboratory, studies issues related to grassland and military training land sustainability, surface water resources, and agricultural biosecurity with an increasing emphasis on real- and near-real time environmental monitoring.
He received his bachelor's degree in wildlife biology from Colorado State University in 1990. He earned his master's degree in 1997 and doctorate in 2000 from Kansas State University. He is also a certified Geographic Information Systems Professional (GISP). His work has been published in peer-reviewed journals more than 60 times and he has been an investigator on extramurally-funded research grants totaling more than $8 million from agencies including the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Interior, and U.S. Geological Survey.
In addition to teaching and research, Hutchinson developed K-State’s B.S. in Geographic Information Science & Technology degree program as well as the university’s successful undergraduate and graduate GIS certificate programs. He also serves as the current director of the Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences Secondary Major, co-director of the K-State Institute for Digital Agriculture and Advanced Analytics, and was part of the multidisciplinary team which developed the B.S. in Environmental Science at Kansas State University.
Following his undergraduate training, Hutchinson served as a combat engineer officer in the U.S. Army’s 1st Infantry Division from 1990-1995 where he was awarded the Army Achievement, Army Commendation, and Meritorious Service medals.