Yang Yang

Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment
University of Wisconsin-Madison
1710 University Ave., Room 144
Madison, WI 53726 USA
608-890-2514 tel
608-265-4113 fax
yyang72@wisc.edu

Yang Yang is a Ph.D student in the Environment and Resources program, advised by Dr. Mutlu Ozdogan. She is interested in land-use / land-cover change (LUCC) in arid and semi-arid region. Her research focuses on LUCC in Central Asia as well as its environmental impact with particular attention to the hydrologic cycles. By understanding the impact from expansion of irrigation on water resource in arid and semi-arid region, Yang hopes to contribute to a broader understanding of the potential environmental impact of agricultural development in this area. She is carrying out this work through a NASA grant.

Yang received her B.S in Geography from Beijing Normal University and her M.S. in Physical Geography from the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences. During her past studies, she gained experience working with regional land use and natural resource management employing GIS and remote sensing technology. She is fascinated by the clash between social interests and environmental needs. She believes the goal of ER research is to understand and resolve the conflict between environment and society and she hope she can contribute her own effort to this area.

Aside from her academic activities, Yang also enjoys volunteering. In the 2005 World Exposition in Aichi, Japan, she took part in the "how to love diversity" debate as an Asian student representives.

In the summer of 2008, she worked with a most exciting Olympic Volunteers program in the Youth Camp during the Beijing Olympics.