Dr. Laura M. Moley
Research Assistant Professor
Contact Information
0003 Seaton Hall
785-532-6727
lmoley@k-state.edu
Education
Ph.D., 2004, University of Kansas
Current Research
My research focuses on landscape change over time and on measuring the impact of environmental stressors (including human decision-makers) on vegetation, soils, and water. I am currently working on two projects which examine vegetation in human-driven landscapes, especially in suburban watersheds and other vulnerable environments. One study looks at human responses to invasive species and vegetation diseases affecting built landscapes. The other explores cultural influences on vegetation choices, and community factors driving human interactions with the environment.
Selected Publications
- Moley, L., D. Goodin, and W. Winslow. 2022. Leaf-level spectroscopy for analysis of invasive pest impact on trees in a stressed environment: An example using Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire) in ash trees (Fraxinus spp.), Kansas, USA. Environments 9(4):42.
- Moley, L. and C. Schafer. The politics of park management: Adaptations to policy change in public park systems. Forest Ecology and Management. Current submission.
- Moley, L., Guest Co-Editor. 2021. Monitoring the prairie: Applications of geospatial research techniques to the study of grassland and prairie environments. Applied Sciences Special Issue, MDPI.
- Goodin, D. and L. Moley. 2023. Remote Sensing in the Global Environment: An Interactive Approach. Chicago: Waveland Press. Forthcoming.
Service
- First Generation Student Scholarship Committee
- Chair, Wetlands Division, Soil Science Society of America
- Biogeography Specialty Group, American Association of Geographers
- Mentor, Association for Women Geoscientists
Short Biographical Sketch
Dr. Moley grew up in Ottumwa, Iowa and did her undergraduate work at Coe College before going on to graduate school at Boston College. She earned her Ph.D. in Geography at the University of Kansas, where she grew increasingly interested in how humans, individually and in groups, made decisions to modify the natural environment. Her dissertation research focused on suburban landscape choices in areas of new residential construction. She later served as Co-PI on a USDA grant-funded research project that examined the use and impact of lawn sprinkler systems and other lawn care behaviors by urban, suburban, and small-urban homeowners.
Most recently, Dr. Moley has conducted a multi-year study of invasive pests affecting trees, initially focusing on the Emerald Ash Borer, that has now expanded to apply the methods developed to other trees facing environmental stress. She serves as Chair of the Wetlands Division of the Soil Science Society of America, and is editing an upcoming Special Section of Environmental Quality that focuses on environment health and human impact on vulnerable landscapes.