List of Past Projects

The list below shows the diverse research projects carried out by the LASERS lab under the principal leadership of Dr Sorin Popescu.

• NASA ROSES: ICESat-2 Science Definition Studies to Measure Forest Structure. Supported by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 2012 – 2016.
• Updating the 12 km CAMx Domain Land Cover Dataset and High-Resolution Urban Vegetation Maps. Funded by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) 2015-2016 
• NSF IDR: Development of a monitoring system using UAVs for forest management. Funded by the National science Foundation 2010 – 2014 
• NASA New Investigator Program in Earth Sciences. Supported by NASA 2008 – 2014 
• National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Food and Agricultural Sciences, National Needs Graduate and Postgraduate Fellowship, 2009 – 2014, A Graduate Program in Forest Resources: Developing Integrated Expertise in Forest Resource Management, Conservation, and Restoration. Funded by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) 2009 – 2014 
• Satellite and airborne profiling laser sensors for multiscale vegetation assessment. Funded by NASA 2008 – 2011 
• Lidar-assisted Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA). Funded by USDA Forest Service 2009 – 2012 
• Urban Vegetation for Biogenic Emissions. Funded by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) 2011 
• Spatial Analysis of Vegetation in Eastern Texas via Hyperspectral Imagery and LiDAR. Funded by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) 2010 – 2011 
• Brush to biogas: potential for converting rangeland woods to biogas. Funded by Texas Bioenergy Initiative 2009 
• Biomass Availability and Feedstock Transport Logistics of Rangeland Woody Plants for Bioenergy Uses. Funded by Texas Bioenergy Initiative 2009 
• Expansion of Texas Land Use/Land Cover Through Crosswalking and Lidar Parameterization of Arboreal Vegetation. Funded by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) 2009
• Texas Land-use/Land-cover mapping – Phase II. Funded by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) 2008
• Airborne lidar for Environmental Applications.  Funded by NASA 2008
• Mapping Southern Pine Beetle Risk. Funded by National park Service 2007 – 2008
• Airborne LIDAR for Natural Resources Applications Award. Funded by NASA 2004 – 2007
• LiDAR Remote Sensing of Forest Fuel Loads and Fire Risk Assessment in Texas. Funded by the Texas Forest Service 2003 – 2006
• Forest Resources and Fire Risk Assessment Using Remote Sensing Project. Funded by McIntire-Stennis 2003 – 2011