Item talk:Q49171

usgs_staff_profile:

 meta:
   status_code: 200
   timestamp: '2023-09-30T17:32:13.432134'
   url: https://www.usgs.gov/staff-profiles/donald-schoolmaster
 profile:
   abstracts: []
   affiliations: []
   education: []
   email: schoolmasterd@usgs.gov
   expertise_terms:
   - biodiversity
   - ecological competition
   - ecological processes
   - ecosystem diversity
   - environmental assessment
   - forest ecosystems
   - grassland ecosystems
   - wetland ecosystems
   - mathematical modeling
   - mathematical simulation
   - statistical analysis
   honors: []
   intro_statements:
   - Don Schoolmaster is an Ecologist at WARC in Lafayette, LA.
   name: Donald Schoolmaster, Ph.D.
   name_qualifier: null
   orcid: 0000-0003-0910-4458
   organization_link: https://www.usgs.gov/centers/wetland-and-aquatic-research-center
   organization_name: Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
   personal_statement: RESEARCHDon Schoolmaster's research focuses on the use quantitative
     tools to combine ecological theory and data to address important applied questions.
     Two major avenues his work takes is 1) Using theory in inform causal networks
     (such as structural equations) that can be tested with data. His work in this
     area included both the development of methods, such as advanced methods for
     Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and applying these method to address ecological
     problems. 2) Using ecological theory to inform tools of ecological assessment.
     The methods used to develop quantitative tools such as Ecological Indicators
     (EI) and Multimetric Indices (MMI) often imply causal assumptions. The usefulness
     of the final assessment tool will often depend critically on how well these
     assumptions are met. Schoolmaster works to develop quantitative assessment methods
     that have causal assumptions that are met by ecological theory and expert opinion
     to insure a match between the assessment tool and understanding of how the systems
     works.
   professional_experience: []
   title: Ecologist