(6) Research Programmer, Biome

Research Programmer, Biometrics

Matter of [Name not Provided], File No. [Not Provided] (AAO Jan. 21, 2004) (NIW denied)


The AAO dismissed an appeal of a NSC denial of an NIW petition filed by a research programmer in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). The researcher, who received his Ph.D. in biometrics at UIUC, developed a new ecological model estimation method.

Evidence Submitted

The petitioner submitted several witness letters from professors at institutions including the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the State University of New York, and experts in the field, including a project manager and research biologist for the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers’ Research and Development Center in Champaign, Illinois. Each witness praised the ecological model estimation method that the petitioner developed. One professor wrote:

As witnessed by a strong record of publications in leading, international, peer-reviewed professional journals, [the petitioner’s] research represents a substantial contribution to ecological modeling and, in turn, a significant input to the development of sustainable practices for ecosystem management.

In another witness letter, a UIUC professor noted the novelty of the petitioner’s paper:

The work was a major step forward in parameterization of complex models. This is the first time that calibration of complicated models of complex ecosystems has been based on realistic, objective, and systematic information.

The petitioner supplied evidence that he had published four articles in internationally circulated journals and presented six articles at international and national conferences based on his research. The petitioner also submitted evidence that one of his papers had been cited three times.

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• (6) continued -1 -NIW_2004- ♀ (1082 bytes) () 11/02/2004 postreply 11:26:33

• (6) continued - 2 -NIW_2004- ♀ (1082 bytes) () 11/02/2004 postreply 11:27:06