Ross Guida

Associate Professor
Environmental Science Lead Advisor
Physical Geography and Environmental Modeling

I have been interested in the physical landscape, water, and understanding more about the world around us since I was a kid growing up near Lake Michigan. That water-related and physical-environmental-human interface continues to be a main focus today and was a central theme throughout my undergraduate work in Wisconsin and my graduate work in Nevada and Illinois.

My research is interdisciplinary with methods grounded in physical geography, GIS, and environmental modeling. My main interests are in flood modeling and assessing how we can become more resilient to large floods as they are becoming more frequent. I also enjoy applying available climate data to these questions and have experience using climate data for biogeographic modeling. Recently, I’ve also become more involved in researching geoscience and STEM education.

Previous projects have included: coring lake sediment in Northern Wisconsin; assessing sediment remobilization on a tributary to Lake Powell, Utah; modeling Mojave Desert vegetation; surveying Nevada residents on climate change perceptions; and assessing floodplain reconnection scenarios along the Illinois River and Tisza River (Hungary). My current work focuses on flooding issues and rivers in southeast Texas, coupling GIS data with hydrologic, hydraulic, and hazards models. I have also been actively working with high school students and teachers to understand how we can integrate more geoscience concepts in the classroom and recruit students to study geography, geology, and environmental science to help fill a number of available jobs. Future plans include assessing hydrologic, hydraulic, and channel changes in the San Jacinto River Basin and at SHSU’s Pineywoods Environmental Research Lab (field station).

I enjoy working with and advising students and teaching physical geography and human-environment courses that contribute to our Environmental, Culture, and Development, Environmental Science, GIS, and Geology degrees.

When I’m not at Sam, I love spending time with my family and following my favorite Chicago sports teams.