WKU News

Analytics and Information Systems, Associate Professor, Dr. Lily P. Zhuhadar presents at the 31^st International Scientific Conference in Burgas, Bulgaria.

Dr. Zhuhadar presented “The Impact of AmeriCorps Members in Invasive Species and Wildfire Fuels Mitigation”. This research is based on a grant of ($156,000) from the Corporation for National and Community Service. This study is led by Dr. Allie McCreary (Principle Investigator) and Dr. Zhuhadar (Co-Principle Investigator). The study aims to assess AmeriCorps members’ impact on reducing invasive species and minimizing wildfire fuel loads on public lands.

 In this presentation, Dr. Zhuhadar introduced preliminary results of the evaluation method (Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) quasi-experimental design) used to assess the impact of AmeriCorps members on natural and recreation resource enhancement. These results demonstrate members’ efficacy in improving trails and habitats on public lands, enhancing recreational access and experiences, reducing fire risk, and decreasing invasive plant cover resulting in improved ecological conditions for native species. 

Dr. Zhuhadar is an Associate Professor of Analytics and Information Systems and the Director of WKU Center for Applied Data Analytics. For more information, please visit https://www.wku.edu/da/zhuhadar