Welcome to the Department of Geography's Web site!
Whether you are a prospective student interested in learning what our department has to offer, a current undergraduate or graduate student, a parent/guardian, alumni, or other interested party, we want you to find what you are looking for when you visit this site. We welcome suggestions for additions/revisions; please e-mail Administrative Associate Amy Meeks or Chair and Associate Professor Dr. Timothy G. Anderson.
The Ohio University Department of Geography is a dynamic department with 150 undergraduate majors and a graduate program that has expanded to 25. Faculty in the department offer coursework and conduct research on topics that bring together the Earth's human and physical components and focus on issues from local to global scales. Our mission is to create, disseminate, and apply the highest forms of geographical knowledge and scholarship.
The department offers six degree programs and a graduate and undergraduate certificate program in GISc. These innovative programs provide multiple perspectives and tools to understand the relationships between people and their environments and solve problems related to local and global change. Undergraduate Chair Dr. Harold Perkins and Graduate Chair Dr. Geoffrey Buckley are available to answer questions about our programs. Harold can be reached at perkinsh@ohio.edu or 740-593-9896. Geoff can be reached at buckleyg@ohio.edu or 740-593-9846. If you are a prospective student or parent/guardian of a prospective student and would like to schedule a visit with the department chair, Tim can be reached at anderst1@ohio.edu or 740-593-1138.
In addition, we want to take this opportunity to thank alumni and benefactors for their generous gifts and support! Your support significantly enhances our teaching, research, and service activities. Your gifts support a variety of student-centered activities, such as internships, graduate student recruitment activities, and the departmental scholarships that we award to our best and brightest students. The scholarships that we award annually (and which are funded solely by gifts and endowments) are as follows:
- The Regina L. Bloemer Scholarship in Geography (undergraduate)
- The Olive Emler Ross Scholarship in Geography (undergraduate)
- The Hubert and Constance Wilhelm Geography Scholarship (undergraduate)
- The Robe Scholarship in Geography and Geology (undergraduate; alternate years)
- The David Keirns Award for Outstanding Public Service (undergraduate meteorology)
- The Isaac Sindiga Memorial Scholarship (graduate)
We also award several Outstanding Graduating Senior awards, and two Outstanding Teaching Assistant (one to a first year student; one to a second year student) awards on an annual basis that are funded by Foundation funds. If you would like to contribute to any of these scholarship funds or the department’s general Foundation fund, details about giving to the department are available here.
NEW COURSE OFFERING!
GEOG 336/536 Religious Space and Place
Geography Fraternity Interest Meeting
The Geography Fraternity, or GTU, is holding a meeting for all students interested in joining on Thursday, January 28 at 7pm in Clippinger 103. The meeting will cover GTU recruitment, programming for Winter Quarter, and fees. Membership in GTU is open to anyone who has taken at least 3 geography courses and has at least a 3.0 overall GPA. Membership is open to all majors. Contact Michael Goldman at mg120106@ohio.edu with questions. We hope to see you there!
Geogram
The Department of Geography alumni newsletter, Geogram, is available for your perusal.
Dr. James Lein named a member of the editorial board for Applied Geography
The Department of Geography is proud to announce that Professor James Lein has been named a member of the editorial board for Applied Geography. Additionally, Professor Lein has also been elected President of the Eastern Great Lakes Region of the ASPRS. He began serving a one-year term on February 1, 2010.
Dr. Geoffrey Buckley appointed to sustainability council
The Department of Geography is proud to announce that Associate Professor Geoff Buckley has been appointed to serve on the Presidential Advisory Council for Sustainability Planning. Congratulations Geoff! Further details available in the Outlook.
Elbie Bentley is headed to National Geographic
Read about the Department of Geography's own Elbie Bentley, graduate student, on the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs' Web site.Geofest 2009
Geofest 2009, the Department of Geography awards and honors celebration held Saturday, May 9, 2009 at The Dairy Barn Arts Center in Athens was enjoyed by students, faculty, staff, guests, and parents. View a slideshow of photographs taken during this special event as well as the awards and honors 3'x7' poster that recognizes students' accomplishments. The Department would like to take this opportunity to wish graduating undergraduate and graduate students all the best in their future endeavors–we will miss you–and to returning students. . .have a terrific summer and we look forward to your return in Fall 2009-10!Undergraduate Brian Wiitanen awarded internship with Department of State
The Department of Geography congratulates Brian Wiitanen, undergraduate student majoring in Urban Planning, for being selected as an intern for the Department of State in the Office of Geography and Global Issues. Brian will be in Washington, DC from June through August. The department is especially thankful to have Brian as their very own student worker for the past four years. Congratulations and thank you, Brian, for all the work you do for our faculty and staff!Loredana Suciu wins second prize at the 9th Annual Ohio University Student Research and Creative Activity Expo
Congratulations to Loredana Suciu for winning second prize among Arts & Sciences students at the 9th Annual Ohio University Student Research and Creative Activity Expo. Loredana presented a poster based on her thesis research, which is focused on prescribed forest fires in southeastern Ohio. Loredana first applied remote-sensing techniques to map the radiative energy of the fire, then used 
GIS to explore topographic and micro-climatic controls of fire behavior. Judges at the Expo evaluated student entries based on the content and presentation of the posters, and also on the students’ responses during an interview. Obviously Loredana’s poster and presentation made a very good impression! Kyle May, urban planning major, also presented his research on neighborhood changes in American suburbs.Emily Bacha selected to intern with Food and Water Watch and their Fish Program this summer in San Francisco!
The Department of Geography would like to congratulate Emily Bacha for being selected to intern with the Food and Water Watch and their Fish Program with summer in San Francisco. The Fish Program challenges the privatization of oceans, educates the public about sustainable seafood consumption, and works with small fisherman and fishing communities to deliver safe seafood. I will be working as an advocate and researcher for the Fish Program including coordinating campaign events, assisting in media outreach, producing online and printed materials, researching new issues, and working in Bay area communities to recruit new allies. Congratulations, Emily!Lawrence "Woody" Wood (geographer in Information and Telecommunication Systems) received this year’s Class of 1950 Faculty Excellence Award
Congratulations, Woody!Geoffrey Buckley Awarded Faculty Distinguished Service Award
Department of Geography Associate Professor Geoffrey Buckley has been awarded the ONCA Distinguished Service Award from the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards. This award reflects the deep commitment and hard work that Geoff has demonstrated on behalf of Ohio University students both this year and in past years. Congratulations Geoff!Nicole Grams Selected as 2009 Ernest F. Hollings Scholar
The Department of Geography would like to congratulate Nicole Grams for her selection as an Ernest F. Hollings Scholar! Nicole was one of only 101 out of more than 600 applicants nationwide to be selected for this prestigious award funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship Program was established to honor retiring Senator Ernest F. Hollings (D), South Carolina. This award comes with an $8,000.00 award for two academic years and a paid internship during the summer at a NOAA facility. The department's Scalia Laboratory for Atmospheric Analysis has now had successful Holling’s applicants for five consecutive years beginning with Jon Harvey, 2005; Nicholas Engerer, 2006; Jeffrey Waters, 2007; Darren Snively, 2008; and now our newest scholarship winner, Nicole Grams. Congratulations Nicole!Emily Bacha Selected as 2009 Morris K. Udall Scholar
The Department of Geography is pleased to announce that Emily Bacha has been selected as a 2009 Morris K. Udall Scholar! Emily is one of 80 students selected from a highly competitive pool of 515 students from over 200 institutions across the United States. This year’s Udall Scholars were selected according to the Udall Foundation “on the basis of commitment to careers in the environment, health care or tribal public policy; leadership potential; and academic achievement.” Clearly Emily’s many significant achievements in working on environmental issues make her standout among her peers working on similar issues across the country. Congratulations Emily!Congratulations to Molly Shea for being selected as 2009 Morris K. Udall Scholar Honorable Mention!
The Department of Geography is pleased to announce that Molly Shea has received honor mention as a 2009 Morris K. Udall Scholar! Of the 515 applicants to the Udall Scholar program this year, 50 received honorable mention. Molly is very actively involved in OU’s Office of Sustainability, the local Community Food Initiatives (CFI) and is the current off-campus representative to the Student Senate. She also volunteers for several organizations working on local environmental issues. Congratulations Molly!Students Present Research @ AAG in Las Vegas
Ben Shender, Eliza Clarke Thrush, and Andrew Giguere presented their research at the Association of American Geographers (AAG) Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, NV. Ben's talk was entitled, "Nature's Blueprints for Environmental Planning." Eliza's was entitled, "Environmental Degradation and Landscape Change: A Comprehensive Study of a Proposed Cleveland Clinic Site, Twinsburg, OH." Andrew's was entitled "'Living under the gun:' the development of Baltimore's 'Highway to Nowhere." Loredana Suciu presented a paper session: 5238 Ecological Responses to Landscape Variability; Abstract Title: "Landscape Analysis of Prescribed-Fire Behavior in Southeastern Ohio."Congratulations Associate Professor James Dyer
On March 30, 2009, Associate Professor James Dyer was awarded a grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for his project entitled "Hemlock Stands in Ohio: Mapping Their Extent and Establishing Baseline Ecological Conditions Before the Arrival of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid." Congratulations Jim!Congratulations Professor James Lein
On February 27, 2009, Professor James Lein was elected vice president of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing Eastern Great Lakes Region. He will serve a one year term and then succeed to the position of president in the following year. Founded in 1934, the American Society for Photogrammetry & Remote Sensing (ASPRS) is a scientific association serving over 10,000 professional members around the world. Their mission is to advance knowledge and improve understanding of mapping sciences to promote the responsible applications of photogrammetry, remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), and supporting technologies. Congratulations Jim!Congratulations to our department's most recent Gamma Theta Upsilon (GTU), the national geography honors society, inductees!
Andrew Ford, Mason King, Dina Rouff, Lauren Maransky, Leanne Cozad, Jillian Bolino, Lisa Moore, Geoff Watson, Hank Lilienthal, Samantha Lilienthal, Emily Bacha, Nicole Grams, Brandon Garman, Brandon Bowser, Scott PrueteThe requirements: 2.7 overall GPA; 3.0 Geography GPA; at least 8 hours of Geography at OU.
Congratulations Associate Professor Yeong Kim
The National Geographic Society's Committee for Research and Exploration has awarded
Associate Professor Yeong-Hyun Kim a grant in support of her proposed project "Collapse of the Third Korea?: Return Migration of Ethnic Koreans and Those Left Behind in Northeast China."
Congratulations Yeong!
Congratulations Assistant Professor Edna Wangui
PLECserv (People, Land Management and Ecosystem Conservation) is a well-known electronic list among those who are interested in rural development and conservation. They choose one or two high-quality research projects every month to promote on their listserv and Web site. Assistant Professor Edna Wangui's work on Maasai women has been chosen for this month's work. You could read it at c3.unu.edu/plec. Congratulations, Edna, on the recognition!New Faculty Publications
Assistant Professor Harold Perkins recently published: "Green Spaces of Self Interest within Shared Urban Governance." Geography Compass (a peer reviewed journal that publishes papers concerning the status of certain debates in the field). "Turning Feral Spaces into Trendy Places: A Coffee House in Every Park?" Environment and Planning.
Professor Dorothy Sack recently published: "Hemiarid lake basins: Hydrographic patterns". In Parsons, A.J., and Abrahams, A.D. (eds.). Geomorphology of desert environments. Springer, Dordrecht, Netherlands, pp. 471-487 (with Currey, D.R.).
"Hemiarid lake basins: Geomorphic patterns". In Parsons, A.J., and Abrahams, A.D. (eds.). Geomorphology of desert environments. Springer, Dordrecht, Netherlands, pp. 489-514 (with Currey, D.R.).
"Evidence for climate change from desert basin palaeolakes". In Parsons, A.J., and Abrahams, A.D.(eds.). Geomorphology of desert environments. Springer, Dordrecht, Netherlands, pp. 743-756 (with Currey, D.R.).
Associate Professor Brad Jokisch recently published: “Ecuadorian International Migration," pp.350-358, The Ecuador Reader: History, Culture, Politics Edited by Carlos de la Torre and Steve Striffler, Duke University Press. (with David Kyle)
Professor James Lein recently published: "Assessing wildfire potential within the wildland-urban interface: A southeastern Ohio Example." Applied Geography 29, 2009: pp 21-34. (with Nicole Stump)
"Implementing Remote Sensing Strategies to Support Environmental Compliance Assessment: A Neural Network Application", Environmental Science and Policy.
Associate Professor James Dyer recently published: "Assessing topographic patterns in moisture use and stress using a water balance approach" Landscape Ecology 24: 391-403. 2009.
Follow the Journeys of Samuel Champlain
Listen to Maine Public Radio's broadcast interview of our very own Assistant Professor Margaret Pearce and University of Maine colleague Michael Hermann describing their 5' by 3' historical map of Champlain's travels.Listen to Maine Public Radio's broadcast interview with our very own Assistant Professor Margaret Pearce and University of Maine colleague Michael Hermann, describing their 5' by 3' historical map of Champlain's travels.
