About

Professor Lisa M. Kennedy is associated with the Center for Geospatial Information Technology (CGIT) at Virginia Tech, which collaborates across research, education, and outreach with a transdisciplinary approach, addressing complex problems with geospatial science. Her work involves applying geospatial science to improve quality of life, environment, and community through smart decision making. The center utilizes extensive knowledge in Geographic Information Systems to develop powerful geospatial tools with user-friendly interfaces, transforming spatial data into secure, intuitive decision-making tools that empower agencies, researchers, and communities across the Commonwealth. Her research focuses on creating decision-making tools that fuse geospatial science, software engineering, and user experience design to develop applications that translate complex datasets into practical insights. These tools support decision-makers in mapping risk, tracking infrastructure, forecasting change, and enhancing safety, efficiency, and strategic planning. Key projects include redesigning the DMV Geocoding Tool, developing the Virginia State Police Crash Analysis Dashboard, and creating statewide broadband and environmental initiatives. Her contributions help turn data into decisions that drive Virginia forward, advancing the science of data-driven decision-making for a more informed, resilient, and secure future.

Research topics

• Archaeology
• Geography
• Ecology
• Cartography
• Forestry
• Geology
• Stereochemistry
• Chemistry
• Organic chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Physical geography
• Remote sensing
• Biology
• Environmental chemistry
• Environmental science

Selected publications

• Synthesis and Toxicity Evaluation of <i>p</i> -Phenylenediamine-Quinones

  Environmental Science & Technology · 2025-04-08 · 27 citations

  article

  N-(1,3-Dimethylbutyl)-N′-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine-quinone (6PPD-Q), the tire rubber-derived transformation product of 6PPD, was recently discovered to cause the acute mortality of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch). Aiming to identify potential replacement antiozonants for 6PPD that do not produce toxic quinones, seven PPD-quinones with distinct side chains were synthesized to investigate their structure-related toxicities in vivo using rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). While 6PPD-Q exerted high toxicity (96 h LC50 = 0.35 μg/L), toxicity was not observed for six other PPD-quinones despite their similar structures. The fish tissue concentrations of 6PPD-Q after sublethal exposure (0.29 μg/L) were comparable to the other PPD-quinones, which indicated that bioaccumulation levels were not the reason for the selective toxicity of 6PPD-Q. Hydroxylated PPD-quinones were detected as the predominant metabolites in fish tissue. Interestingly, a single major aromatic hydroxylation metabolite was detected for the alternate PPD-quinones, but two abundant OH-6PPD-Q isomers were detected for 6PPD-Q. MS2 spectra confirmed that hydroxylation occurred on the alkyl side chain for one isomer. The structurally selective toxicity of 6PPD-Q was also observed in a coho salmon (CSE-119) cell line, which further supports its intrinsic toxicity. This study reported the selective toxicity of 6PPD-Q and pinpointed the possibility for other PPDs to be applied as potential substitutes of 6PPD.

  PublisherDOI

• Inventory and Assessment of Wisconsin's Baraboo Hills Country (USA) as an Aspiring UNESCO Global Geopark

  Geoheritage · 2025-09-17 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract We analyzed the Baraboo Hills in south-central Wisconsin (USA) as a first step in consideration of its potential for UNESCO Global Geopark designation. Well over 200 Geoparks exist around the globe; presently none are in the USA. The basis for designation is a geographical area that contains geological heritage of international significance, but a Geopark’s fuller mission according to UNESCO is to “explore, develop and celebrate the links between that geological heritage and all other aspects of the area’s natural, cultural, and intangible heritages.” The Baraboo Hills, bisected by the boundary between glaciated and unglaciated landscapes, offer a surprising level of geodiversity with dramatic peaks, canyons, cliffs, waterfalls, and massive exposures of the somewhat rare and certainly ancient Baraboo quartzite. The Hills, with a broad array of land managers on public and privately owned land, have already garnered national designations. We followed a published approach that combined qualitative and quantitative methods to inventory and assess 62 sites within the region for their scientific, educational, and touristic merit, along with degradation risk. We expanded on that method in two significant ways. First, we combined those four established metrics into a meaningful summary metric (Importance) to improve intra-site comparisons. We also applied geospatial modeling (Kernel Density Surface) across the study area to examine spatial relationships in our data and to determine a perimeter to encompass the area that would benefit from unified protection—a strategy that could enhance future Geopark proposals. This research highlights the significant geological heritage of the Baraboo Hills and documents the region’s potential for Geopark designation.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• CAN SEDIMENT CARBON ISOTOPES DETECT LONG-TERM CHANGES IN FOREST-GRASSLAND DYNAMICS OF THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY, CENTRAL VIRGINIA?

  Abstracts with programs - Geological Society of America · 2025-01-01

  article
  PublisherDOI

• CAN INSECT CARBON STABLE ISOTOPES IN TEMPERATE, C3 DOMINATED ENVIRONMENTS IDENTIFY LONG-TERM VEGETATION CHANGES?

  Abstracts with programs - Geological Society of America · 2025-01-01

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Structurally Selective Ozonolysis of p-Phenylenediamines and Toxicity in Coho Salmon and Rainbow Trout

  ChemRxiv · 2024-04-17 · 2 citations

  preprintOpen access

  The tire rubber-derived ozonation product of N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N'-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (6PPD), N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N'-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine-quinone (6PPD-Q), was recently discovered to cause acute mortality in Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch). para-Phenylenediamines (PPDs) with variable side chains distinct from 6PPD have been identified as potential replacement commercial antioxidants, but their structure-related ozone reactivities and toxicities remain unexplored. We herein tested the multiphase gas-surface ozone reactivity of four select PPDs and evaluated the toxicity of their reaction mixtures in Coho Salmon and Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). 6PPD and N-Isopropyl-N'-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (IPPD) were found to rapidly react with ozone to form 22 and 16 transformation products, respectively, including PPD-Qs. No significant multiphase ozone reactivity was observed for N,N'-Diphenyl-p-phenylenediamine (DPPD) or N-Cyclohexyl-N'-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (CPPD) despite their structural similarity to 6PPD. The viability of Coho Salmon CSE-119 cells was strongly affected by the ozonolysis products of 6PPD, but not by those of the other three PPDs. The cytotoxicity of the 6PPD reaction mixture increased with ozonolysis time, with the strongest toxicity being observed after 7 days of oxidation by 100 ppb of ozone. As with Coho Salmon cells, acute mortality was only observed in juvenile Rainbow Trout that were exposed to the oxidized 6PPD reaction mixture, suggesting a common mechanism of toxic action in the two salmonid fish species. Compound- and regio-selective formation of hydroxylated metabolites of 6PPD-Q were detected in Rainbow Trout exposed to the 6PPD reaction mixture, which may be related to its selective toxicity. This study reports the structurally selective ozone reactivity of PPDs, and the unique toxicity of 6PPD ozonolysis mixtures, which demonstrates that other PPDs are potential alternative antioxidants.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Structurally Selective Ozonolysis of <i>p</i> -Phenylenediamines and Toxicity in Coho Salmon and Rainbow Trout

  Environmental Science & Technology · 2024-11-23 · 21 citations

  article

  The tire-rubber-derived ozonation product of N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N′-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (6PPD), N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N′-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine-quinone (6PPD-Q), was recently discovered to cause acute mortality in coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch). para-Phenylenediamines (PPDs) with variable side chains distinct from 6PPD have been identified as potential replacement antioxidants, but their toxicities remain unclear under environmentally relevant ozone conditions. We herein tested the multiphase gas-surface ozone reactivity of four select PPDs [6PPD, N-isopropyl-N′-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (IPPD), N,N′-diphenyl-p-phenylenediamine (DPPD), and N-phenyl-N′-cyclohexyl-p-phenylenediamine (CPPD)] and evaluated the toxicity of their reaction mixtures in coho salmon, rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), and fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas). 6PPD and IPPD were found to rapidly react with ozone, while no significant multiphase ozone reactivity was observed for DPPD or CPPD. The viability of coho salmon CSE-119 cells was strongly affected by the ozonolysis products of 6PPD but not by those of the other three PPDs. Acute mortality was only observed in juvenile rainbow trout that were exposed to oxidized 6PPD, suggesting a common mechanism of toxic action in the two salmonid fish species. This study reports the structurally selective ozone reactivity of PPDs and the unique toxicity of 6PPD ozonolysis mixtures, which demonstrates that other PPDs are potential alternative antioxidants.

  PublisherDOI

• Human-driven fire and vegetation dynamics on the Caribbean island of Barbuda from early indigenous to modern times

  The Holocene · 2024-04-19

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  We present a multiproxy analysis of a sediment core from Freshwater Pond, Barbuda, one of just a few inland paleoenvironmental records from the Lesser Antilles. Our results shed light on the relative contributions of climate variability and Pre- and Post-Columbian human activities to vegetation and fire dynamics on Barbuda. The presence of macroscopic charcoal and pollen of ethnobotanically-useful and disturbance-indicator plant taxa in the sediment record suggests that Pre-Columbian subsistence activities occurred within a few kilometers of the pond between ~150 BCE and ~1250 CE. Our record extends anthropogenic fires back into the early Ceramic (500 BCE–1500 CE) and possibly late Archaic Ages (3000–500 BCE) adding evidence to the timing of arrival of the island’s earliest inhabitants. The history of island-wide biomass burning inferred from microscopic charcoal fragments showed heightened fire activity between ~540 and ~1610 CE followed by a period of quiescence that reflected the transition from Pre- to Post-Columbian land-use practices associated with European colonization of the region. The British established a permanent settlement on Barbuda in the 1660s, but given Barbuda’s unsuitability for large-scale agriculture, timber harvesting, small-scale farming, and livestock rearing, activities that left no detectable charcoal footprints likely dominated post-colonial land use. The lack of any clear correspondence between the reconstructed histories of fire and effective moisture at Freshwater Pond supports the idea that Late-Holocene fire activity on Barbuda was driven primarily by human activity.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Preliminary Bat Guano Isotope Evidence for Past Vegetation and Climate Change in Southwest Virginia

  Bulletin of the Florida Museum of Natural History · 2023-02-16

  articleOpen access

  The Appalachian Mountains, one of the most biologically diverse regions in the temperate world, have been heavily altered by human activity for millennia yet the relative roles of human and other disturbances and climate change in creating modern landscapes are not well understood. Holocene paleoenvironmental records could provide a window into past Appalachian landscapes, but are restricted by a dearth of appropriate sites, such as natural lakes. Recent research suggests that bat guano deposits can serve as valuable archives of past environmental change. Carbon isotope (δ13C) values of guano from insectivorous bats can reflect the relative abundance of forest (C3) versus grassland (C4) vegetation at a regional scale, while guano nitrogen isotope (δ15N) values have been linked to landscape-scale N-cycling and precipitation. To investigate the paleoenvironmental history of an Appalachian site in southwest Virginia, we collected a 170 cm guano core from a limestone cave on Salt Pond Mountain. Bats are no longer active in the cave, but recovered bones indicate the past presence of Myotis species. Preliminary results show clear trends of increasing δ15N values and decreasing δ13C values from deep in the core toward the surface. δ13C and δ15N values are also significantly negatively correlated (R2=0.6, p=5.6e-15). The increase in δ15N values may signal a moistening climate toward the present, a finding consistent with regional Holocene pollen records. Higher δ13C values deep in the core likely indicate a greater prevalence of C4 grassland vegetation on the landscape, which could be linked to drier climate, indigenous burning, or both. Increased variation in δ13C and δ15N values below about 65 cm may indicate more variable climate or increased disturbance during the time represented. Forthcoming radiocarbon dates will anchor these trends in time and inform correction for the Suess effect, while other proxies could help disentangle the drivers of landscape change.

  PublisherDOI

• Synthesis and Toxicity Evaluation of Tire Rubber-Derived Quinones

  2023 · 20 citations

  • Chemistry
  • Stereochemistry
  • Biochemistry

  N-(1,3-Dimethylbutyl)-N'-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine-quinone (6PPD-Q), the tire rubber-derived transformation product of 6PPD, was recently discovered to cause the acute mortality of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch). Aiming to identify a potential nontoxic replacement antioxidant for 6PPD, we herein synthesized seven PPD-quinones with distinct side chains to investigate their structure-related toxicities in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). While 6PPD-Q exerted strong toxicity (96 h LC50 = 0.64 µg/L), toxicity was not observed for six other PPD-quinones despite their similar structures. The fish tissue concentrations of 6PPD-Q after exposure (0.8 µg/L) were comparable to the other PPD-quinones, which indicated that bioaccumulation levels were not the reason for the selective toxicity of 6PPD-Q. Hydroxylated PPD-quinones were detected as the predominant metabolites in fish tissue. Interestingly, a single major aromatic hydroxylation metabolite was detected for nontoxic PPD-quinones, but two abundant OH-6PPD-Q isomers were detected. MS2 spectra confirmed that hydroxylation occurred on the alkyl side chain for one isomer. Based on this fact, we suggested a ‘dual-action’ model wherein OH-6PPD-Q was generated by an enzyme with a high regioselectivity, which further attacks an unknown protein to cause lethality. This study reported the selective toxicity of 6PPD-Q and pinpointed the possibility for other PPDs to be applied as safe replacements of 6PPD.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Assessment of Canopy Health with Drone-Based Orthoimagery in a Southern Appalachian Red Spruce Forest

  Remote Sensing · 2022 · 15 citations

  • Geography
  • Remote sensing
  • Forestry

  Consumer-grade drone-produced digital orthoimagery is a valuable tool for conservation management and enables the low-cost monitoring of remote ecosystems. This study demonstrates the applicability of RGB orthoimagery for the assessment of forest health at the scale of individual trees in a 46-hectare plot of rare southern Appalachian red spruce forest on Whitetop Mountain, Virginia. We used photogrammetric Structure from Motion software Pix4Dmapper with drone-collected imagery to generate a mosaic for point cloud reconstruction and orthoimagery of the plot. Using 3-band RBG digital orthoimagery, we visually classified 9402 red spruce individuals, finding 8700 healthy (92.5%), 251 declining/dying (2.6%), and 451 dead (4.8%). We mapped individual spruce trees in each class and produced kernel density maps of health classes (live, dead, and dying). Our approach provided a nearly gap-free assessment of the red spruce canopy in our study site, versus a much more time-intensive field survey. Our maps provided useful information on stand mortality patterns and canopy gaps that could be used by managers to identify optimal locations for selective thinning to facilitate understory sapling regeneration. This approach, dependent mainly on an off-the-shelf drone system and visual interpretation of orthoimagery, could be applied by land managers to measure forest health in other spruce, or possibly spruce-fir, communities in the Appalachians. Our study highlights the usefulness of drone-produced orthoimagery for conservation monitoring, presenting a valid and accessible protocol for the monitoring and assessment of forest health in remote spruce, and possibly other conifer, populations. Adoption of drone-based monitoring may be especially useful in light of climate change and the possible displacement of southern Appalachian red spruce (and spruce-fir) ecosystems by the upslope migration of deciduous trees.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Collaborative Research: Long-Term Dynamics of Caribbean Maritime Forest Ecosystems in the Context of Major Disturbance Events: The Role of Hurricanes and Fires

  NSF · $186k · 2010–2014

Frequent coauthors

• Sally P. Horn

  17 shared

• Kenneth H. Orvis

  University of Tennessee at Knoxville

  8 shared

• Patricio I. Moreno

  4 shared

• Danièle Colombaroli

  Royal Holloway University of London

  4 shared

• Patrick J. Bartlein

  4 shared

• Hermann Behling

  University of Göttingen

  4 shared

• James A. Spotila

  4 shared

• J. Brooke Marshall

  Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA (United States)

  4 shared

Labs

• Center for Geospatial Information TechnologyPI

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