Southeast Asia Research and Capacity Building Initiatives
Buffalo State College
Kim N. Irvine, Professor and Chair, Department of Geography and Planning (irvinekn@buffalostate.edu) – Dr. Irvine’s research interests include sampling and modeling urban runoff and sewer system quantity and quality; assessing efficiency of wetlands in sustainably treating wastewater discharge; automated monitoring of water quality on the Mekong/Tonle Sap Lake system (particularly dissolved oxygen dynamics); drinking water quality assessment in rural areas; pesticide and fertilizer use in rural areas.
Dr. Tao Tang, Associate Professor, Department of Geography and Planning – (tangt@buffalostate.edu) – Dr. Tang’s research interests include GIS and remote sensing applications in water quality and urban planning investigations. He also has led the GIS component of three training workshops in Cambodia.
Dr. Vida Vanchan, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography and Planning – (vanchav@buffalostate.edu) – Dr. Vanchan’s research interests include industrial competitiveness and competitive characteristics of firms within the service industry sector; technology and innovation; economic, social, and regional development; and economy of Southeast Asia. She also has an interest in Geographic Education at the high school level in Cambodia.
Dr. Stephen Vermette, Associate Professor, Department of Geography and Planning – (vermetsj@buffalostate.edu) – Dr. Vermette’s research interests include meteorology and climatology in Cambodia; urban and regional air quality assessment; surface and drinking water quality assessment; Geographic and environmental education at the high school level.
Dr. Mickey Sampson, Country Director, Resource Development International – Cambodia (mickey@rdic.org) – In addition to directing a local NGO (RDIC) in Cambodia, Dr. Sampson is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Geography and Planning at Buffalo State. Dr. Sampson’s research and work interests include sustainable development of water resources (including drinking water and sanitation) in Cambodia; development of appropriate technologies for clean water; health education and outreach; sustainable agricultural practices; and support of rural education programs. RDIC also maintains one of the best chemistry laboratories in Cambodia.
Dr. Tom Murphy, recently retired from Environment Canada but remains an adjunct professor at Buffalo State (tompatmurphy@gmail.com). In June 2007 he moved to Cambodia and has based his work from Phnom Penh. His principal research interests are in mercury and arsenic contamination, but he also has interests as diverse as thalassemia analysis and treatment (Kean Svay anemia) and carbon trading in agricultural settings as a measure to reduce climatic warming.
Links and Collaborators
Resource Development International – Cambodia: www.rdic.org
Royal University of Phnom Penh - http://rupp.edu.kh/rupp_wsite/
Chiang Mai University, Department of Geography - http://www.soc.cmu.ac.th/%7Egeo/index_e.htm
Chiang Mai University, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine - http://www.med.cmu.ac.th/dept/parasite/Default.htm
Dr. Thammarat Kootatep, Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok - http://www.asdu.ait.ac.th/faculty/FacultyByID.cfm?FacultyID=643
Water Utilization Program, Finland (Lower Mekong River) - http://www.eia.fi/wup-fin/
PAPUSSA (Production in Aquatic Peri-urban Systems in Southeast Asia) project - http://www.papussa.org/
Dr. Doug Graber Neufeld, Department of Biology, Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisburg, Virginia- http://www.emu.edu/personnel/people/show/neufeldd?ssi=biology
Dr. Jeffrey Richey, School of Oceanography, University of Washington - http://boto.ocean.washington.edu/seasia/index.html