Laura L. Knight received her undergraduate and master’s degrees from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Business and Environmental Public Policy respectively. She completed her doctorate at the University of Georgia in Geography with a specialization in Marine Science and GIS/Remote Sensing. Her research interests include water quality management and policy through quantitative measurement of habitat disruption and species mortality potentially linked to regional disasters and climate change. She has actively engaged in project management and environmental assessments that have included everything from tagging/monitoring marine life off the coast of Georgia and South Carolina to providing consulting sevices for streamlining data management in the fields of engineering, healthcare and multimedia communications. Dr. Knight’s prior research investigated the water quality and habitat of the endangered shortnose sturgeon in the Savannah River. Her research used both qualitative and quantitative methods by employing mid-range frequency side-scan and high frequency DIDSON SONAR to examine the uniqueness of specific habitat features. Her projects have contributed to the refinement of Emergency Management rediness initiatives, Southeastern cultural resource management policy and mediation/MOUs with Native American tribal governments throughout the Southwest. Dr. Knight's International interests have included the development and training for Hazardous Materials Management/Emergency Response and Heath and Safety Policy development in the US, Canada and, the Bahamas. Her studies abroad have taken her to Brazil, China, Thailand, Hong Kong and Singapore, enriching her appreciation for cultural diversity in the development of mediated solutions.She is currently the CEO of Knightworks, LLC, a consulting firm primarily engaged in bringing new data acquisition/development techniques for emerging opportunities in engineering and healthcare.