Dr. Alisa Hass

Assistant Professor of Geography

Dr. Alisa Hass
(615) 898-2730
Room 223, Davis Science Building (DSB)
MTSU Box 9, Murfreesboro, TN 37132

Degree Information

  • PHD, University of Tennessee, Knoxville (2019)
  • MS, University of Tennessee, Knoxville (2008)
  • BS, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (2007)

Areas of Expertise

Hazard Climatology, Biometeorology, Applied Climatology, Heatwaves, Climate Change

 

Publications

Hass, A.L., McCanless, K., Cooper, W., Ellis, K., Fuhrmann, C., Kintziger, K.W., Sugg, M., Runkle, J.  2022.  Heat exposure misclassification: Do current methods of classifying diurnal range in individually experienced temperatures and heat indices accurage reflect personal exposure?  International Journal of Biometeorology, 66: 1338-1349.  https://doi:10.1007/s00484-022-02280-8 

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Hass, A.L., McCanless, K., Cooper, W., Ellis, K., Fuhrmann, C., Kintziger, K.W., Sugg, M., Runkle, J.  2022.  Heat exposure misclassification: Do current methods of classifying diurnal range in individually experienced temperatures and heat indices accurage reflect personal exposure?  International Journal of Biometeorology, 66: 1338-1349.  https://doi:10.1007/s00484-022-02280-8 

Hass, A.L., Runkle, J.D., and Sugg, M.M.  2021.  The driving influences of human perception to extreme heat: A scoping review.  Environmental Research, 197:111173.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2021.111173 

Hass, A.L. and Ellis, K.N.  2019.  Motivation for heat adaption: How perception and exposure affect individual behaviors during hot weather in Knoxville, Tennessee.  Atmosphere, 10(10):591.  https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos10100591

Hass, A.L. and Ellis, K.N.  2019.  Using wearable sensors to assess how a heatwave affects individual heat exposure, perceptions, and adaption methods.  International Journal of Biometeorology, 63(12): 1585–1595.  doi.org/10.1007/s00484-019-01770-6 

Bonjour, J.L., Hass, A.L., Huebner, A., Pollock, D.W., and Frost, J.A.  2017.  Bringing NMR and FT-IR Spectroscopy to High Schools.  Journal of Chemical Education, 94(1): 38–43.  https://doi:10.1021/acs.jchemed.6b00406

Hass, A.L., Ellis, K.N., Reyes Mason, L., Hathaway, J.M., and Howe, D.A.  2016.  Heat and humidity in the city: Neighborhood heat index variability in a mid-sized city in the Southeastern United States.  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 13(1): 117.  https://doi:10.3390/ijerph13010117

Long, C.J., Power, M.J., Minckley, T.A., and Hass, A.L.  2014.  The impact of Mt. Mazama tephra deposition on forest vegetation in the Central Cascades, Oregon.  The Holocene, 24: 503–511.  https://doi:10.1177/0959683613520258

[Editorial]  Hass, A.L.  2011.  On Teaching Sustainability.  University of Wisconsin-Platteville Alumni Today Magazine: 2010-2011 UW–Platteville Foundation Annual Report. 

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In the Media

Authored:

Hass, A.L. and Ellis, K.N.  2021.  Why the southern US is prone to December tornadoes.  The Conversation.  https://theconversation.com/why-the-southern-us-is-prone-to-december-tornadoes-173643

  • In Spanish: 
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Authored:

Hass, A.L. and Ellis, K.N.  2021.  Why the southern US is prone to December tornadoes.  The Conversation.  https://theconversation.com/why-the-southern-us-is-prone-to-december-tornadoes-173643

Ellis, K.N. and Hass, A.L.  2020.  Tornadoes that strike at night are more deadly and require more effective warning systems.  The Conversation.  https://theconversation.com/tornadoes-that-strike-at-night-are-more-deadly-and-require-more-effective-warning-systems-132955

 

Interviews:

Is it really fall, y'all? Daily News Journal.  https://www.dnj.com/story/news/2022/09/22/mtsu-assistant-professor-gives-insight-about-this-years-fall-weather/69509373007/

NPR Dialogue: Climate Change and Extreme Weather in Tennessee.  https://www.wuot.org/show/dialogue-on-wuot/2022-03-02/dialogue-climate-change-and-extreme-weather-in-tennessee

A Hot Topic: The Urban Heat Island Effect.  Root Nashville.  https://rootnashville.org/ahottopictheurbanheatislandeffect/

How to not die from heat on a too-hot planet.  Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. https://thebulletin.org/2022/07/how-to-not-die-on-a-too-hot-planet/

Why the same temperature can feel different somewhere else.  FiveThirtyEight. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/heat-index-temperature/

Temperatures Rise in Antarctica to an Alarming Degree.  MTSU Sidelines. https://mtsusidelines.com/2022/04/03/temperatures-rise-in-antarctica-to-an-alarming-degree/

How Flooding Affects Tennessee.  MTSU Sidelines. https://mtsusidelines.com/2022/02/08/how-flooding-affects-tennessee/

Why the Southern US is Prone to December Tornadoes.  Public News Service radio. https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2021-12-15/environment/why-southern-u-s-is-prone-to-december-tornadoes/a76979-1

Landslides are a growing threat in Nashville – Blame climate change and developers.  WPLN Nashville.  https://wpln.org/post/landslides-are-a-growing-threat-in-nashville-blame-climate-change-and-developers/

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Special Projects

CLUE - Climate Literacy in Undergraduate Education
2023-2026 

Funded by NSF. CLUE uses novel wearable temperature and humidity sensor technology to tie general education geoscience students' real-life environmental experiences to the larger discussion of the variations of global climate.

 

Nashville Heat Mapping

Funded by NOAA.  In ...

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CLUE - Climate Literacy in Undergraduate Education
2023-2026 

Funded by NSF. CLUE uses novel wearable temperature and humidity sensor technology to tie general education geoscience students' real-life environmental experiences to the larger discussion of the variations of global climate.

 

Nashville Heat Mapping

Funded by NOAA.  In the media:

Nashville's Heat Mapping Campaign Wraps Up.  News Channel 2 Nashville (WKRN).  https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/nashville/nashvilles-heat-mapping-campaign-wraps-up/

MTSU collaborates with Nashville mayor's office, community on heat data collection to help at-risk populations.  MTSU News.  https://mtsunews.com/nashville-heat-mapping-campaign-data-collection/

An urban heat island: How average summer temperatures keep rising in Nashville.  News Channel 5 Nashville (WVLT).  https://www.newschannel5.com/news/an-urban-heat-island-how-average-summer-temperatures-keep-rising-in-nashville

‘Community scientist’ volunteers needed to collect data for MTSU, Nashville heat mapping project.  MTSU News.  https://mtsunews.com/volunteers-needed-collect-heat-data/

Mayor’s Office Collaborates with Community Partners to Map Heat Distribution Across Nashville.  Metro Nashville press release.  https://www.nashville.gov/departments/mayor/news/mayors-office-collaborates-community-partners-map-heat-distribution-across

Mayor’s office aims to measure heat distribution in Nashville.  News Channel 5 Nashville (WVLT)https://www.newschannel5.com/news/mayors-office-aims-to-measure-heat-distribution-in-nashville

 

Urban Heat Youth Fellows

Funded by an MT-IGO grant.  Awarded Honorable Mention in the EPA's Let's Talk About Heat Challenge.  In the media:

MTSU faculty, students research burning questions on heat, climate change with $17K internal grant.  MTSU News.  https://mtsunews.com/research-burning-questions-heat-climate/ 

Tennessee teens are collecting data on urban heat for new MTSU study.  NPR/WPLN Nashville News.  https://wpln.org/post/tennessee-teens-are-collecting-data-on-urban-heat-for-new-mtsu-study/

 

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Courses

PGEO 1030: Physical Geography

PGEO 3200: Environment, Society, and Hazards

PGEO 4000: Climatology and Climate Change

PGEO 4280: Topics and Problems in Physical Geography

GEOL 4050: Meteorology

GEOL 4090: Problems in Geology

GEOL 6030: Geosciences Colloquium