IEE Personnel
Douglas Alsdorf
Interim Director
Institute for Energy and the Environment
Associate Professor
School of Earth Sciences
College of Biological, Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Director, Climate, Water and Carbon Program
Professor Alsdorf is an Associate Professor in the School of Earth Sciences. He conducts research in hydrology, tropical wetlands and geophysics. Dr. Alsdorf's analysis of satellite radar data has shown that small scale changes in water levels beneath vegetation provides new and valuable insights into water flow across flood plains. This study is focused on floodplain levels in the lowland Amazon and Congo River systems.
Currently he is leading the U.S. segment of an international satellite mission to study the elevation and circulation of water within bodies of freshwater and the oceans. The Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission was one of only 14 approved by the National Academy for NASA to launch in the decade of 2010 to 2020.
Previously he was an Adjunct Assistant Professor and an Assistant Research Scientist in the Department of Geography at the University of California, Los Angeles. He was also an Assistant Research Scientist and Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of California, Santa Barbara's Institute for Computational Earth System Science.
He has been the lead author of 21 papers, co-author on an additional 21 papers, and has published in a variety of journals including Science, Nature, Reviews of Geophysics, and Geophysics Research Letters.
Kathryn (Kate) Bartter
Associate Director
Institute for Energy and the Environment
Special Assistant to the Senior Vice President for Research
Kate Bartter joined the Office of Research at The Ohio State University in March of 2007. She serves as both the Special Assistant to Senior Vice President for Research Robert McGrath and as Associate Director of the OSU Institute for Energy and the Environment (IEE).
As Associate Director of the IEE, Kate is responsible for developing the strategic plan and operational goals that support the IEE's mission of advancing The Ohio State University's national role and success with solving the global energy issues while promoting environmental sustainability.
Prior to joining OSU, Kate served as the Chief Policy Advisor and Director of Cabinet Affairs for Governor Bob Taft. In that capacity, she managed the Governor's policy staff, directed cabinet relations, coordinated inter-agency issues including strategic planning, and oversaw the operation of Governor Taft's Washington, D.C. office.
R. Scott Potter
Senior Energy Advisor
Institute for Energy and the Environment
Energy Research Specialist
College of Engineering
Scott has over 17 years of private and public sector utility experience, with expertise in energy markets, policymaking, energy supply arrangements, energy demand-response programs, and regulatory frameworks. He has testified before local, state, and federal legislative and judicial bodies. Scott periodically provides his expertise to the Battelle Memorial Institute on energy projects for other state and federal government entities including the Ohio National Guard, the U.S. Department of Defense, and NASA.
Prior to joining the IEE, Scott served as the Senior Energy Researcher at the National Regulatory Research Institute, as well as the Director of Utilities at The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO). During his eight years and many roles at the PUCO, he was responsible for the development of electric, gas, water, and telecommunications policy recommendations.