Cynthia Schmidt
Associate Program Manager
Follow Anne
Affiliation: Bay Area Environmental Research Institute, NASA Ames Research Center
Division: Earth Science Division
Branch: Biospheric Branch
Email: Cynthia.L.Schmidt@nasa.gov
Proffesional Bio
Dr. Cindy Schmidt is a Senior Research Scientist with the NASA Ames Cooperative for Research in Earth Science and Technology (ARC–CREST) and employed by the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute (BAERI). She is currently an Associate Program Manager for NASA’s Applied Science Ecological Conservation program, coordinator for NASA Earth Science Division Partnership program, and acting Disaster Coordinator for NASA Ames. She is also a member of the US Arctic Observing Network board (US AON).
Cindy has over 30 years of experience in using remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology for natural resource management, species conservation, biodiversity and human health risk assessment. She has extensive experience in capacity building including teaching remote sensing at local community colleges as well as conducting numerous remote sensing training workshops, both online and in-person. Cindy also started the Indigenous Peoples Capacity Building program in 2016 and was the lead for Land Management trainings for NASA’s Applied Science Remote Sensing Training program (ARSET) for over 10 years.
As an Associate Program Manager for the Ecological Conservation, Cindy helps manage the portfolio of projects funded and conducting a variety of outreach and communication activities such as presentations to K-12 and college students, media interviews, and conference presentations. As a coordinator for NASA’s Earth Science Partnership program, Cindy works closely with personnel from Conservation International and NASA teams to focus on the use of remote sensing for assessing Blue Carbon in African and water resources in Brazil.
Education
- PhD, Environmental Studies, University of California Santa Cruz, March 2014.
- Master’s Degree, Urban and Regional Planning, San Jose State University, December 1992.
- Post Graduate Diploma “with distinction”, Urban Survey and Human Settlement Analysis, International Institute for Aerospace Survey and Earth Sciences (ITC), The Netherlands, June 1988.
- B.S., Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning, University of California, Davis, June 1984.
Awards & Honors
Partners in Conservation Award, US Department of Interior, January 2014
NASA Group Achievement Award for the DEVELOP internship program, April 2006
NASA Ames Contractor Honor Award, September 2004
NASA Ames Contractor Council Excellence Award, October 1993.
Select Publications
Prados, A., Carleton-Hug, A., Gupta, P., Mehta, A., Blevins, B., Schmidt, C., Barbato, D., McCullum, A., Hook, E. , Podest, E., Follette-Cook, M., Hudson-Odoi, S., Kinsey, T. (2019). Impact of the ARSET Program on Use of Remote Sensing Data, ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf, 8, 261.
Brink, A.B., C. Schmidt, Z. Szantoi. (2018) “Introduction to Remote Sensing for Conservation Practitioners” in Leidner,A.K., G. M. Buchanan (eds.)
Satellite Remote Sensing for Conservation Action: Case Studies from Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecosystems,Cambridge University Press. pp. 26-53
Schmidt, C., J. Allen (2018), Key Considerations in Federal/Tribal Collaboration, Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing 84(4): 179-180
Nguyen, A., C. Mueller, E. Essoudry, A. Brooks, E. Kislik, C. Schmidt, C. Ramirez. (2014) Implementing a decision support system for the Sierra Nevada to monitor, report and forecast ecological conditions, Ecological Society of America Annual Convention proceedings
Websites
Cindy Schmidt: Finding a Career in Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems
NASA Applied Sciences Ecological Conservation Program
https://appliedsciences.nasa.gov/what-we-do/ecological-conservation