Aleksander Berg
PhD Student at University of Colorado Boulder
Born and raised in California, I am all too familiar with the effects of wildfire. I use quantitative tool-set fused with a theoretical framework from economic geography to advance research essential to prepare society for the imminent threats of climate change and related natural hazards. I am currently working on quantifying the economic implications of urban expansion into high wildfire risk areas. There is a need to understand how society’s decisions, like housing development into high wildfire risk wildland areas puts not only those communities at risk but adds an externalized burden on all of society. My unique technical skills including the integration of big data like satellite imagery and large social surveys allow me to unlock novel social science insights.
Contact & Socials
Current Affiliations
Background
Education
PhD Student in Geography
University of Colorado Boulder
M.A. in Geography
Arizona State University (ASU) - 2022
B.A. in Geography and Environmental Studies
Minor in Geographic Information Systems and Technology (GIS&T)
University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) - 2021
Technical Skills
Programming:
R (Fluent)
Data cleaning
Data mining
Spatial statistics
Python (Working knowledge)
ArcPy
Tensor Flow
Applications:
ArcGIS (Fluent)
QGIS (Working knowledge)
Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom (Working knowledge)
Microsoft Office Suite (Fluent)
Platforms:
Microsoft Windows
Apple Mac OS
Very Large Computing Environments (ASU Research Cluster - AGAVE)
Publications
Berg, A. K, Connor, D. S., Kedron, P. J., Frazier, A. E.. Remapping California's Wildland Urban Interface: A Property-Level Time-Space Framework, 2000-2020. Applied Geography. (Accepted).
Connor, D. S., Berg, A. K, Kemeny, T., & Kedron, P. J. (2023). Who gets left behind by left behind places? Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society. https://doi.org/10.1093/cjres/rsad031
Notable Awards & Grants
Chancellor’s Service Award: University of California Los Angeles
Spring 2021 - The highest, non-academic, award given to graduating students. A highly selective honor recognizing a student’s significant contributions to the UCLA or wider Los Angeles Community through a continued record of leadership and service
Graduate College Fellowship: Arizona State University
2021 and 2022 - A $5,000 a semester award given to selected graduate students partaking in studies within the Graduate College at ASU
Alfrey Blue and Gold Scholarship: University of California Los Angeles
Fall 2017 - A $5,000 a year academic scholarship covering tuition and other academic expenses of high achieving students matriculating to UCLA from Los Angeles County high schools. The Blue and Gold Scholarship program requires students to complete at least 20 hours of community service annually that benefits other Los Angeles area students