Dr. Loftin is currently studying the spatial analysis of pollination deficit and bee community assessment associated with blueberry fields in Maine. This role includes editing available land cover maps to reflect current landscapes surrounding Maine’s blueberry fields, assessing change in field distribution since the base map was produced, and compiling other spatial data sets to be used in the landscape analysis. Dr. Loftin has been working with the Maine team in the Pollinator Security for Northeastern Crops project to develop the spatial
forms of the variables identified in the multivariate discriminate model of pollination deficit to apply in a spatially explicit model. Model predictions will be assessed with ground-truthing to variables and their modeled relationships adjusted based on the performance assessment.
Dr. Loftin also will develop the spatial scale analysis of landscape variables and pollination deficit and will collaborate with project scientists from the other teams to develop similar spatial analyses where appropriate spatial data are available. Dr. Loftin will integrate aspects of the spatial analysis as demonstrations in a graduate level Geographical Information Systems course (GIS), providing both a learning opportunity for students as well as an outreach opportunity to blueberry growers who will receive the analysis products for their farm.
Contact Information:
email: Cynthia.Loftin@maine.edu