Staff

Ramanathan Sugumaran - Founder of the GeoTREE Center 

Dr. Ramanathan Sugumaran (Sugu) founded the GeoTREE Center in 2006 and served as the director until 2012. Dr. Sugumaran moved on to the University of Iowa and John Deere subsequently. He tragically assed away on January 25, 2017. Sugu left a lasting legacy at University of Northern Iowa through his mentorship, enthusiasm, and positive influence. A passionate advocate for applying geospatial technologies to real-world problems, he inspired students, colleagues, and employees at the GeoTREE Center. His family established a scholarship in his honor which has funded many students working in the GeoTREE Center and pursuing a Geography or related major. 

John DeGroote - GeoTREE Director 

John DeGroote has been the Director of the GeoTREE Center since 2012, after serving as a (Senior) Research Associate from 2006 to 2012. With over two decades of experience in geospatial technologies, John leads the Center's training, research, education, and outreach efforts. Mr. DeGroote holds a BS in geography from the University of Iowa and an MS in Natural Resources from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. 

Email: john.degroote@uni.edu 

Phone: (319) 273-6158

Affiliated Faculty

The GeoTREE Center works with many groups, departments, and faculty and students on campus including collaboration across all UNI Colleges. The Center collaborates closely with faculty in the School of Community & Geographic Innovation (SCGI, formerly Geography and Sociology).  Dr. Bingqing Liang is a collaborator on many projects including being the lead scientist on the Iowa High Resolution Land Cover Mapping project. The Center continuously works with other faculty in the SCGI such as they did with Dr. Andrey Petrov (Arctic Center) and Dr. Mark Welford on the COVITA project. 

Staff and Student Research Assistants

The GeoTREE Center operates in a team environment with involvement of all members on almost all Center activities and projects. The team is composed of Director John DeGroote, administrative assistance (Sue Davis, Ann Crawford), part-time application developer Jonathan Voss, part-time research associates (Ruth Ohaka presently) and student research assistants. Student research assistants are hired as 'in-house' interns gaining real-world experience working on applied projects. The students are undergraduate and graduate students studying for majors in GIS or Geography or pursuing a GIS Certificate. More than 70 students have worked in the GeoTREE Center with many going on to work in federal, state, or local government or the private or non-profit sector in Iowa or beyond.