{"id":78700,"date":"2026-08-27T07:45:53","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T11:45:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/?p=78700"},"modified":"2026-08-27T08:25:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T12:25:28","slug":"utc-students-take-geospatial-research-to-chile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/utc-students-take-geospatial-research-to-chile\/","title":{"rendered":"UTC students take geospatial research to Chile"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Three

Dr. Azad Hossain (front) poses with students Adam Williams, Itzayana Torres Martinez and Samuel Jayroe. Photo courtesy of Dr. Gretchen Potts.<\/p><\/div>\n

Every night of a two-week trip to Chile, students Adam Williams and Samuel Jayroe <\/span>would look<\/span> up at a sky so dark they could see the Milky Way.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Along with a group of University of Tennessee at Chattanooga students and faculty researchers, they stayed in a remote astrocamp tucked away in Chile\u2019s countryside.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

During the day, they hiked among shrubs and rocky hills as they collected environmental data that could help researchers better understand the degu\u2014one of <\/span>Chile\u2019s<\/span> most recognizable native animals.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The June trip gave the students <\/span>the<\/span> opportunity to join a research project that has <\/span>been ongoing<\/span> for more than 20 years.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Loren Hayes, a professor in UTC\u2019s Department of Biology, Geology and Environmental Science, began studying degus in 2005. His research examines the rodents\u2019 complex social behavior and how changing environmental conditions affect their populations.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

About four years ago, Dr. Azad Hossain, associate professor and environmental geoscientist in the department, joined the project to add a geospatial science component.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Williams\u2019 and Jayroe\u2019s opportunity began in Hossain\u2019s introductory geographic information systems (GIS) class.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe first thing that Dr. Hossain said was that there was a Chile trip that he was going to be doing,\u201d said Jayroe, a rising junior majoring in environmental science with a minor in GIS. \u201cThe very first thing that I wrote down in my notebook was \u2018Chile trip,\u2019 and I circled it.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Both students followed up after class and spent the next several months preparing for the trip, meeting with Hossain to <\/span>learn the field techniques they would use.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t really know anything about it,\u201d said Williams, also a rising junior environmental science major and a Brock Scholar in the UTC Honors College. \u201cBut the thought of getting to study abroad over the summer was just so cool.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Two

Adam Williams and Samuel Jayroe work in the field.<\/p><\/div>\n

The research team stayed at <\/span>Viento Sur Astrocamping<\/span> in the rural community of Peral Ojo de Agua, <\/span>a 30-minute drive from the nearest main road and 20 minutes from the study site.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe would get up, fix breakfast and plan what we were going to do that day,\u201d said Williams, who hails from La Vergne, Tennessee.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After a short drive, the team spread out across the study site.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Biology students trapped, measured and tracked the degus, while Williams and Jayroe focused on the landscape.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was doing environmental data,\u201d Williams said. \u201cOne day I might collect soil moisture samples. Another day I might collect ground temperature and air temperature to see how that varied across the study site. We also looked at things like shrub canopy and what percentage of the ground was covered by vegetation.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Those measurements are what researchers call \u201cground truth\u201d data\u2014information collected in the field that can be compared with high-resolution satellite imagery.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jayroe, who came to UTC from Dyersburg, Tennessee, focused on the vegetation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He used ArcGIS Field Maps to map different plant communities throughout the study area. The information will be used to train a model capable of identifying vegetation types across the landscape using satellite imagery.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI would physically walk around as many different types of vegetation as possible, create polygons and record information about each one,\u201d Jayroe said. \u201cThen I\u2019ll be able to train a model that can identify those different vegetation types.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The geospatial component is a new addition to Hayes\u2019 project.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He approached Hossain after realizing years of GPS data collected from radio-collared degus could be viewed in an entirely different way.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA geospatial component led by Azad allows us to ask new questions about how environmental factors influence degu social living,\u201d Hayes said. \u201cIn particular, we are able to determine how geospatial features influence where degus live. In the coming years, we hope to use geospatial tools to better understand social interactions inside of burrows.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A

A degu in a radio collar. Photo courtesy of Dr. Loren Hayes.<\/p><\/div>\n

The work is especially important because degus are found only in Chile, where a prolonged megadrought has altered the landscape over the past 15 years.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With over 20 visits to Chile, Hayes saw these changes firsthand.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Among the discoveries from his <\/span>two decades of research<\/span>, Hayes said one degu population collapsed following an extraordinarily dry year. His team has also found that female degus benefit from living in groups during environmentally challenging years, while the animals\u2019 social groups are far less stable than researchers once believed.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a need to understand how the habitat of the degus changes over time, or how the environment is affected by changing weather conditions,\u201d Hossain said. \u201cThere is a lot of satellite data out there that we can use. We can look not only at the current situation, but how things have changed over time so that we can predict the future habitat for degus.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hayes said the National Science Foundation\u2019s International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) program has allowed students like Williams and Jayroe to participate in international research for years.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNSF IRES and other federal funding programs catalyze innovative and student-centered programs like this long-term project on degus in Chile,\u201d he said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hossain said creating these opportunities for students is just as important as the research itself.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted the students to see the work in person,\u201d Hossain said. \u201cThey had never been on a trip like this. They are getting in-depth research and it\u2019s a very exciting thing for students at an undergraduate level.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Williams and Jayroe are continuing to analyze the data they collected in Chile as part of their departmental honors research.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Williams, who had never traveled outside of the United States prior to the trip, said the experience made the research all the more interesting.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just such a crazy experience, especially getting off the plane,\u201d Williams said. \u201cStepping out of the airport, it\u2019s like, \u2018Wow, I am on the other side of the world right now.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"UTC

From left: Dr. Loren Hayes, Samuel Jayroe, Dr. Azad Hossain, Adam Williams and Itzayana Torres Martinez<\/p><\/div>\n

Learn more<\/h4>\n

UTC Biology, Geology and Environmental Science<\/a><\/p>\n

Visit UTC<\/a><\/p>\n

How to apply<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo gallery courtesy of Dr. Gretchen Potts<\/h4>\n
\"A <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"A <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"UTC <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"UTC <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every night of a two-week trip to Chile, students Adam Williams and Samuel Jayroe would look up at a sky so dark they could see the Milky Way. During the day, they hiked among shrubs and rocky hills as they collected environmental data that could help researchers better understand the degu\u2014one of Chile\u2019s most recognizable native animals. <\/p>\n

Continue Reading <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2000,"featured_media":78712,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_slider":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_featurette":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[122313,70,123865,12746,61,122493,7712,12745,48007,661],"tags":[127443,127445,117132,70424,70425,122539,127069,127072,8284,70426,83592,127444],"class_list":{"0":"post-78700","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-academics","8":"category-biology-geology-and-environmental-science","9":"category-brock-scholars-honors-college","10":"category-college-of-arts-sciences","11":"category-education","12":"category-experiential-learning","13":"category-faculty-and-staff","14":"category-honors-college-2","15":"category-research-academics","16":"category-students","17":"tag-adam-williams","18":"tag-arcgis","19":"tag-azad-hossain","20":"tag-chile","21":"tag-degus","22":"tag-gis","23":"tag-goal-1-2-enhance-learner-success-strategic-plan-2030","24":"tag-goal-3-1-innovative-and-impactful-research-strategic-plan-2030","25":"tag-gretchen-potts","26":"tag-loren-hayes","27":"tag-national-science-foundation","28":"tag-samuel-jayroe","29":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nUTC students take geospatial research to Chile | UTC News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Every night of a two-week trip to Chile, students Adam Williams and Samuel Jayroe would look up at a sky so dark they could see the Milky Way. 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During the day, they hiked among shrubs and rocky hills as they collected environmental data that could help researchers better understand the degu\u2014one of Chile\u2019s most recognizable native animals.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/utc-students-take-geospatial-research-to-chile\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UTC News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UTChattanooga\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-27T11:45:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-27T12:25:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/08\/degu-72.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"625\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"469\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Peyton Schultz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@UTChattanooga\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@UTChattanooga\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Peyton Schultz\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/utc-students-take-geospatial-research-to-chile\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/utc-students-take-geospatial-research-to-chile\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Peyton Schultz\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ca60ab887fd5cad0ce4234a6c82b21af\"},\"headline\":\"UTC students take geospatial research to Chile\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-27T11:45:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-27T12:25:28+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/utc-students-take-geospatial-research-to-chile\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1077,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/utc-students-take-geospatial-research-to-chile\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/app\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/9\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/degu-72.jpeg?fit=625%2C469&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"Adam Williams\",\"ArcGIS\",\"Azad Hossain\",\"Chile\",\"Degus\",\"GIS\",\"Goal 1.2 - Enhance Learner Success - Strategic Plan 2030\",\"Goal 3.1 - Innovative and Impactful Research - Strategic Plan 2030\",\"gretchen potts\",\"Loren Hayes\",\"national science foundation\",\"Samuel Jayroe\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Academics\",\"Biology, Geology, and Environmental Science\",\"Brock Scholars\",\"College of Arts and Sciences\",\"education\",\"Experiential Learning\",\"Faculty and Staff\",\"Honors College\",\"Research\",\"Students\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/utc-students-take-geospatial-research-to-chile\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/utc-students-take-geospatial-research-to-chile\\\/\",\"name\":\"UTC students take geospatial research to Chile | UTC News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/utc-students-take-geospatial-research-to-chile\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/utc-students-take-geospatial-research-to-chile\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/app\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/9\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/degu-72.jpeg?fit=625%2C469&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-27T11:45:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-27T12:25:28+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ca60ab887fd5cad0ce4234a6c82b21af\"},\"description\":\"Every night of a two-week trip to Chile, students Adam Williams and Samuel Jayroe would look up at a sky so dark they could see the Milky Way. 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