Mary McKenney Easterling

302 Walker Building
Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA 16802
Telephone: 814.863.5415
FAX: 814.863.7943
E-mail: mme2@psu.edu

education:

University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA - M.S.Environmental Sciences
Goucher College, Towson, MD - B.S. Biology

professional activities:

Ms. Easterling has a broad-based background in the environmental sciences, with an emphasis in landscape ecology. She has provided research and management support for a wide range of projects in academic, non-profit, and private settings. Projects have typically been multi-institutional and inter-disciplinary in scope. Current research activities include:

Investigating large scale factors leading to the rapid expansion of an invasive species in coastal marshes of Maryland;
Examining the potential impacts of climatic and land use change on the hydrology of freshwater wetlands in the Susquehanna River Basin;
Developing a classification system for assessing vulnerability and restoration potential of watersheds in the mid-Atlantic Highlands region; and
Developing and testing indicators of aquatic ecosystem health for mid-Atlantic watersheds.

Past activities include:

Examining the potential impacts of climatic change on forests of the mid-Atlantic region;
Developing methods for evaluating the environmental, economic, and social impacts of selected community-based forestry initiatives in the U.S.;
Modeling the potential biological and economic impacts of climatic change on agriculture in the mid-western U.S.; and
Supporting clients in their compliance with various environmental regulations through, e.g., preparation of NEPA documents and performing wetland delineations.

selected professional employment:

2002–present: Research Assistant/ Senior Research Assistant, Cooperative Wetlands Center, Penn State University
2000–2001: Research Assistant, Institute for Policy Analysis and Research, Penn State University
1997–1999: Research Assistant, Center for Integrated Regional Assessment, Penn State University
1996: Research Technologist, Department of Biological Systems Engineering, University of Nebraska
1992–1996: Environmental Scientist, EA Engineering Science and Technology, Lincoln, NE
1987–1992: Research Assistant/ Research Associate, Resources for the Future, Washington, DC

professional organizations

Ecological Society of America
American Institute of Landscape Ecology

selected publications:

Myers, W., M. McKenney-Easterling, K. Hychka, B. Griscom, J. Bishop, G. Rocco, R. Brooks, G. Constantz, G. P. Patil, C. Taillie. 2006. Cross/ contingent clustering in a spatial context for watershed classification in the Mid-Atlantic region. Environmental and Ecological Statistics. In press.

Rheinhardt, R., M. Brinson, R. Brooks, M. McKenney-Easterling, J. Rubbo, J. Hite, and B. Armstrong. Development of a reference-based method for identifying and scoring indicators of condition for Coastal Plain riparian reaches. Ecological Indicators. In press.

Wardrop, D.H., J.A. Bishop, M. Easterling, K. Hychka, W.L. Myers, G.P. Patil, and C. Taille. 2005. Use of landscape and land use parameters for classification and characterization of watersheds in the Mid-Atlantic across five physiographic provinces. Environmental and Ecological Statistics, in press.

McKenney-Easterling, M.S., D.R. Dewalle, L.R. Iverson, A.M. Prasad, and A.R. Buda. 2000. The potential impacts of climate change and variability on forests and forestry in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Climate Research 14: 195-206.

Easterling, W.E., C.J. Hays, M. McKenney-Easterling, and J.R. Brandle. 1997. Modeling the effect of shelterbelts on maize productivity under climate change: an application of the EPIC model. Agriculture, Ecosystems and the Environment 61: 163-175.

McKenney, M.S. and N.J. Rosenberg. 1993. Sensitivity of some potential evapotranspiration estimation methods to climatic change. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 64: 81-110.

Easterling, W.E., P. Crosson, N.J. Rosenberg, M.S. McKenney, L.A. Katz, and K.M. Lemon. 1993. Agricultural impacts of and responses to climate change in the Missouri-Iowa-Nebraska-Kansas (MINK) region. Climatic Change 24: 23-61.