Idaho State University College of Science and Engineering bolsters research profile with three new hires

Three scientists— Kathleen Lohse, Sarah Godsey and Donna Delparte— recently joined departments within Idaho State University's College of Science and Engineering in Pocatello.

Lohse is an assistant professor of soil and watershed biogeochemistry in the biological sciences department and holds a joint appointment with the geosciences department.

She earned a Ph.D. in soil science from University of California, Berkeley.  Before joining ISU, Lohse was an assistant professor in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at University of Arizona.  At ISU, she runs the Lohse Biogeochemistry Laboratory, focusing on biological, chemical and geological processes that shape and transform ecosystems.

Delparte, an assistant professor of geosciences who holds a Ph.D. in geography from University of Canada, Calgary, has an extensive background in geographic information systems and remote sensing.  Her research couples hydrology and biogeochemistry to understand how ecosystems work and respond to human-derived changes. 

Prior to joining ISU in the fall of 2012, she worked at the University of Hawaii, Hilo and played a lead role in developing a data repository for use by researchers and the general public.

Godsey, an assistant geosciences professor, earned a Ph.D. in earth and planetary science at University of California, Berkeley.

A former postdoctoral scholar at Pennsylvania State University's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Godsey’s research interests include how changes in land use and climate affect water resources in mountainous and polar regions. She has also published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and lectured at UC Berkeley and Penn State.

The women were hired through two grants from the National Science Foundation, including a  $15 million National Science Foundation EPSCoR project titled Water Resources in a Changing Climate and a $2 million award Cyberinfrastructure Development for the Western Consortium of Idaho, Nevada, and New Mexico.

Their hires are among 11 new faculty hires statewide at Idaho State University, Boise State University and University of Idaho. The intent of the grants is to develop research infrastructure by investing in personnel who contribute to Idaho’s leadership in teaching and research.

ISU's new faculty additions strengthen the university's research and teaching in key areas, including hydrology, watershed ecology and geotechnology.

"These new faculty members expand our expertise considerably in the areas of Earth surface processes, biology-geology interactions, hydrology, and cyberinfrastructure," said Glenn Thackray, geosciences department chairman.

"These areas of the geosciences are growing rapidly, and provide excellent opportunities for our students and faculty.  They will help us develop our new Ph.D. program in geosciences as well as existing undergraduate and graduate programs which together provide a variety of strong training for a new generation of geoscientists," he said.

For more information, contact the ISU Department of Geosciences at (208) 282-3235.

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