New Faculty Join the Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences Department

Ashley Grupenhoff

Assistant professor, wildland fire management  

For Ashley Grupenhoff, what began as a love of ecology and the desire to understand the natural world, led to a focus on applied ecology which ultimately led to a focus on the issue of wildfire in the Western U.S. “Seeing how collaboration and science could have such a direct impact on the landscape made me realize that fire was more than just a research interest for me, it was a passion,” Grupenhoff said. 

Bringing her passion and experience in wildland fire management, Grupenhoff joined the department in January 2024. She hit the ground running, teaching and securing a half million dollar grant in partnership with UC Davis to study delayed forest reestablishment in areas that have experienced high burn intensity. She’s also developing a new undergraduate course to bring prescribed fire to a CSU campus for the first time. 

Grupenhoff earned a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and a doctorate from UC Davis in ecology, with a focus on prescribed fire effectiveness across California’s dry conifer forests. Her work with the USDA Forest Service and Cal Fire gave her valuable research and industry experience in addition to publishing research in numerous journals and earning certifications as a USDA Forest Service Fire Fighter.

The highlight of her first year at Cal Poly was organizing the inaugural SLO Prescribed Fire Training Exchange (TREX) this fall. “The TREX model is unique and brings together diverse fire practitioners of all backgrounds for hands-on burning experience,” said Grupenhoff. “I am really excited to bring this model to our classes at Cal Poly, especially in the new prescribed fire class that will be offered next fall.”

To learn more, visit Dr. Ashley Grupenhoff’s webpage. 

Aakash Ahamed

Assistant professor, geospatial sciences

By Lea Graham, Environmental Management and Protection, ‘26

Growing up in a forested community in New Jersey, Aakash Ahamed gained an early appreciation for the natural world. He credits much of his passion to his mentors, who pushed him to be curious in his pursuit of knowledge and guided him to projects that helped him make an impact. “While I always had some deep rooted (pun intended) interests and curiosities about the natural world, I had no idea that I wanted to be an earth scientist until my early 20’s,” Ahamed said.

Specializing in earth science and remote sensing technology, Aakash Ahamed joined the department in September to teach various geospatial classes and further develop geospatial coursework.

Ahamed earned a master’s degree in earth and environmental sciences at Boston College, as well as a doctorate in geophysics at Stanford University.  He has previously conducted geospatial research at the World Wildlife Fund and NASA. With several guest lectures, field research expeditions and peer-reviewed publications under his belt, Ahamed has been nothing short of ambitious and well-rounded in his career.

Ahamed said the highlight of his first quarter at Cal Poly is reflection of the generosity of his colleagues and superb students who have made it a true joy. He said, "the students make it easy and fun to bring energy and enthusiasm every time I step into the classroom, since they are ready to match my energy, while engaging with the material and learning about their interests.” 

To learn more, visit Ahamed’s webpage.

 

---

Read more stories in the Fall 2024 Newsletter