Dr. Hawthorne Earns Top Research Honor at UCF
Congratulations to Dr.Timothy Hawthorne, our founding research director, for being named a 2019University of Central Florida Reach forthe Stars Awardee. The Reach for theStars Award is the highest research distinction junior faculty can achieve atUCF. According to UCF Faculty Excellence, “The UCF Reach for the Stars Award honors and rewards highlysuccessful research and creative activity accomplished by early-careeruniversity professionals.”
Dr.Hawthorne is a public scholar broadly trained inhuman geography with expertise in Geographic Information Systems, critical GIS,Participatory GIS, mixed methods, STEM education, Belize and citizen science.
Dr. Hawthorne’s work as a publicscholar at America’s Partnership University supports the UCF Collective ImpactPlan by creating undergraduate and graduate research opportunities through over$4 million in NSF grants and high-impact publications in top journals like the Annals of the American Association ofGeographers; crafting an international research agenda with work in Belize;fostering diverse research teams (his NSF REU Sites have over 70% participationfrom underrepresented populations); and engaging multiple community partners inhis research and teaching.
Dr. Hawthorne notes that this researchdistinction is a direct result ofpartnership and collaboration with everyday, extraordinary citizens thatlive in the communities of Central Florida and Belize, and because of thetenacity and dedication of the students he works with.
“This award to me celebrates the powerof public scholarship and the possibilities of what can happen when science and society work together.We’re stronger together, and I am delighted that UCF recognizes the value ofpublic scholarship. UCF is the ideal place to do this type of work, and I lookforward to what the future holds for Citizen Science GIS at this incredibleuniversity,” said Hawthorne.
This award builds from the internationalrecognition of the CitizenScience GIS research team led by Hawthorne. Thegroup was one of four higher education groups worldwide to receive the 2017Esri Special Achievement in GIS Award for their novel public scholarship withmaps, apps and drones.
Congratulations, Dr. Hawthorne!