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Dr. Cothren is a graduate of the Air Force Academy and spent eleven years in service at the National Air Intelligence Center moving from a scientific analyst to a Photogrammetric Engineer. This experience in the rapidly growing field of Geospatial Sciences led him to The Ohio State University where he attained his MS and Ph.D. in Geodetic Sciences serving as a Graduate Assistant in the Center for Mapping where he would develop projects in Rapid Digital Elevation Mapping and Mobile Mapping Programs focused on Centerline Tracking. During this time, Dr. Cothren would perform consulting work with Spatial Integrated Systems, Inc. Silver Springs, MD.
After this, Dr. Cothren returned to Arkansas and moved from Research Assistant to Assistant Professor (Geosciences) to Director of the UA’s Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies (CAST) and the Director of the Advanced Research Computing Collaborative (ARCC). In 2017, the University named him a full Professor in the Department of Geosciences.
He has also served as a Director for the Central Region Board of Directors (2009-2015) and the National Board of Directors of the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (2004-2009). He is a member of the Arkansas Land Board having been appointed by Governor Beebe in 2009. In 2010, Dr. Cothren was named a Fulbright Specialist where he developed and delivered training in 3D recordation and analysis in Eleusis, Greece partnering with the National and Kapodistrian University at Athens in partnership with the University of Kent, UK, and the Initiative for Heritage Conservancy in Eleusis.
Jack has been a Principal or Co-Principal Investigator in projects from private sources and agencies including the Department of Defense, NASA, The Department of the Interior, The National Science Foundation, The Department of Justice, The Department of Homeland Security, The State Department, The National Endowment for the Humanities, NOAA, The Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Transportation. These projects represent over $20 million in awards. He is also the author of over 120 publications and presentations.