Contact: LinkedIn Website ORCID
Geology Student & GIS-Based Landscape Change Researcher — Indiana University Northwest GIS-Based Historical Landscape Reconstruction | Great Lakes Coastal Systems | Wetland Restoration & Infrastructure-Driven Environmental Change
I investigate landscape change using GIS-based historical reconstruction, coastal geomorphology, and restoration-scale ecological fieldwork across Great Lakes and federally managed wetland environments. My work includes demographic monitoring of Cirsium pitcheri with the U.S. Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center, participation in the Bumble Bee Rapid Monitoring Network, and multi-site wetland and prairie restoration projects with the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. My current research examines infrastructure-driven displacement and geomorphic change along the I-80/94 corridor in northwest Indiana using georeferenced historical aerial imagery and spatial analysis workflows in ArcGIS Pro. I am preparing for graduate study in geobiology and coastal geomorphic systems, with particular interest in biological–sedimentary interactions across changing hydrologic landscapes.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-7576-9785
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherdonaldsmith
Geology (B.S.), Indiana University Northwest
Research Interests: Coastal wetland hydrology, marsh evolution, Great Lakes geomorphology, GIS-based landscape change
Coastal wetland hydrology, marsh evolution, Great Lakes geomorphology, geomorphic–ecological system interactions, GIS-based historical landscape reconstruction, infrastructure-driven geomorphic and hydrologic change, and restoration-scale dynamics in coastal Great Lakes environments.
This project investigates infrastructure-driven geomorphic transformation along the Borman Expressway corridor using georeferenced historic aerial imagery (1938–1967) and ArcGIS-based spatial analysis. The work evaluates displacement patterns, floodplain modification, and long-term surface-process change across the Calumet region, with emphasis on how transportation infrastructure reshaped wetland and urban geomorphic systems.
Smith, C. D. Assessing the Environmental Impact of the Borman Expressway in the Calumet Region Poster presentation, Indiana University Northwest Student Research Conference, Indiana University Northwest, 2026
This GIS-based research reconstructs landscape change and residential displacement associated with construction of the Frank Borman Expressway (I-80/94) using georeferenced historical aerial imagery (1938–2023). Results indicate infrastructure impacts occurred as a multi-phase transformation extending beyond the original mid-twentieth-century construction footprint. Ongoing work supports development of an ArcGIS Story Map and future conference presentation.
Christopher_D_Smith_Frank_Borman_Poster_2026.pdf
Geospatial Analysis ArcGIS Pro · ArcGIS Online · historical aerial georeferencing · feature extraction · landscape-change mapping
Remote Sensing & Historical Data USGS EarthExplorer · historic aerial photo interpretation (1938–1967) · georeferencing workflows · temporal landscape reconstruction
Field Methods permanent transects · quadrat sampling · vegetation inventory plots · threatened-species monitoring protocols
Laboratory Techniques
UHPLC–MS calibration · chromatographic peak integration · perchlorate regolith simulation workflows