Heumann, Benjamin

Benjamin Heumann is a broadly trained geographer who has worked on projects in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and North America. His research has examined a broad range of topics including remote sensing of vegetation, modeling historical land cover, modeling human-environmental interactions, mapping wetlands with drones, and creating regional classifications along urban-rural gradients. He has also supported student research by supervising undergraduate summer scholars, masters’ students, and Ph.D. students in Geography, Biology, and Earth and Ecosystem Science. He has co-authored 10 book chapters and peer-reviewed journal articles and over a dozen posters or presentations with students. Dr. Heumann has also been featured or quoted in several media outlets including Science Magazine, Environment Report (NPR), Boston Globe, and Times Higher Education.

Dr. Heumann is an InSciTE Teaching Fellow and works to integrate evidence-based prelogical practices that increase student engagement and learning outcomes. He teaches Sharing STEM Knowledge in the InSciTE program and Fundamentals of Remote Sensing, Advanced Cartography, Sustainability and Environmental Policy, and Geography Capstone in the Geography and Environmental Studies Department. Past students have won state and national awards for their cartography and GIS projects. Dr. Heumann enjoys inviting alumni back to CMU to share their wisdom and project students an opportunity to see how classroom knowledge translates into future careers.

Dr. Heumann believes in the value of service and is particularly interested in curricular development. He has contributed to developing several new programs such as Undergraduate Certificates in Cartographic Design, Drones, Marketing Environmental Sustainability, and Integrating Science and Technology. He has also led efforts to revising programs like the Sustainability, Environment, and Society major and the Sustainability and Environmental Policy Minor. At the university level, Dr. Heumann has co-led revisions of the B.A. and B.S. degrees and the General Education Program at CMU. He also serves on several interdisciplinary committees including the Drones Lab, Neithercut Woods, and InSciTE council. Since 2013, Dr. Heumann has also reviewed well over 100 journal articles in the fields of remote sensing, geography, and ecology including Global Chance Biology, Remote Sensing of the Environment, Landscape Ecology, and Progress in Physical Geography.