Graduate Student Shreesha Pandeya Awarded Prestigious Kentucky View Fellowship
Ms. Shreesha Pandeya, a Kentucky State University (KSU) graduate student, was awarded the prestigious Kentucky View Fellowship for 2024. The Kentucky View Fellowship is a highly competitive award that recognizes students demonstrating exceptional potential in the field of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing applied research on understanding real-world environmental problems in Kentucky. Each year, the Kentucky View Fellowship is awarded to only one graduate student and one undergraduate student conducting their research in Earth and Environmental Science in Kentucky.
“I am very happy that I received this fellowship. This award has motivated me to work better in the field of geospatial science,” said Ms. Pandeya. “I am very grateful for the support of my advisor, Dr. Buddhi Gyawali, and mentors for their support and encouragement.”
Ms. Pandeya is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Environment Studies and mentored by Professor of Geospatial Applications, Human Dimensions, and Climate Studies, Dr. Buddhi Gyawali. Her research focuses on understanding land use and land cover change dynamics and their impact on the ecosystem services in the Big Sandy River Basin, which is a vulnerable region in Eastern Kentucky due to the long history and use of the land for coal mining. By utilizing remote sensing data, GIS, and multiple software, she is examining the status of ecosystem services like carbon storage and surface water quality. Ms. Pandeya plans to publish the findings of her paper in a highly reputable journal in the future.
“This award highlights the outstanding research being conducted by our students in the MES program,” said Dr. Gyawali.