Name: Michael Parent
Major(s): Environmental Sciences and Economics
Research Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Michael worked with waveform and discrete aerial LiDAR datasets of Table Mountain National Park in Cape Town, South Africa. His research was part of the BioSCape project to analyze vegetation structure and map biodiversity in the Greater Cape Floristic Region. During his research, he refined vegetation structure analysis from the discrete LiDAR using code from his thesis work last summer at the University of Notre Dame Environmental Research Center.
Michael says, "This experience was great to have a taste of international conservation work and work in a non-forested ecosystem. The experience reaffirmed my interest in forests more than other types of ecosystems."