Geography Professor Scott Sheridan has been named a recipient of the 2020 Outstanding Research and Scholarship Award (ORSA). Sponsored by the University Research Council and the Division of Research and Economic Development, this award honors Kent State’s exceptional researchers and scholars. Recipients are selected based on the quality of their research and scholarship, and its impact on society.
“Faculty chosen by the University Research Council to receive an ORSA represent those who go above and beyond their significant teaching responsibilities to pursue their passions in research, creative arts and scholarship,” said Paul DiCorleto, vice president for Research and Economic Development at Kent State. “While doing so, they provide highest quality experiential learning for students, generate inspiration and novel ideas and build the national reputation of Kent State.”
Meet Scott Sheridan, Ph.d.
A graduate of the University of Delaware, Dr. Sheridan chairs the Kent State Department of Geography. His research centers on bioclimatology, climate change and synoptic climatology. He has investigated the sustainability of biometeorology and the effects of extreme heat on human health.
“Perhaps foremost, I’ve worked on addressing the problem of heat vulnerability through a number of different avenues, from survey work on heat perception, to the development of over 30 heat-warning systems across the globe, and projections of future vulnerability,” he says. “I am also interested in all other aspects of applied climatology, including climate and crime, atmospheric composition, and agriculture.”
His work on heat vulnerability led to the development of heat warning system technologies that have been implemented by health authorities to assist in decisions for heat mitigation. These technologies have been adopted in several countries, including the United States, Canada, Italy and China.
A recipient of multiple NOAA grants, Professor Sheridan currently serves as editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Biometeorology. He has published over 100 research articles and been cited in 4,400 separate studies. The renowned science journals that have published his work include Climate Change, Environmental Research, The American Journal of Public Health, and The International Journal of Climatology.
Dr. Sheridan earned his Ph.D. in Climatology from the University of Delaware and joined the Kent State Department of Geography in 2000. Since then, he has been listed as an investigator on grants totaling $4 million and has graduated numerous Ph.D. and MA students from the Department of Geography.
Study with the Experts at Kent State.
Professor Sheridan leads the diverse and accomplished faculty of Kent State’s online graduate programs in geographic information science. Read more to learn about his research into the life-saving capability of blue sky flood simulation.
