http://www.shsu.edu/~gel_geo/ Sam State University Department of Geography & Geology

Message from the New Interim Chair Inside this issue: The Departmental search for a new agreed to give a presentation Geology and a BS in Physics, then Find out what some of our Chair with GIS background did not (sometime this semester) concerning attending Baylor University where she alumni are doing now work out. Dr. Baldwin‘s three years of her work in Slovenia. You can read a earned an MS in Geology, and is pres- service as Interim Chair is highly little about what she accomplished in ently finishing her doctoral studies in Learn about the depart- commendable and the sacrifices he this semester‘s Heritage magazine. environmental geophysics. We are ment‘s new Masters in made to carry out this service are keeping her busy teaching Geologic Applied Geographic Infor- greatly appreciated. However, enough Dr. Falguni Mukherjee has applied Hazards and Physical Geology, plus mation Systems program is enough, it is time to let Dr. Baldwin Geographic Information Systems to a she is teaching a section of astronomy and meet some of the stu- get back to doing research and having variety of areas and joins our depart- for the Physics Department. dents the time to enjoy his house in France. ment as we launch the Masters Degree So, I volunteered for this duty in Applied Geographic Information We want to extend a warm welcome to Discover the new courses (obviously I never served in the mili- Systems this semester (more infor- our new and our returning members that are being offered in the tary or I would know better) and the mation on this is contained within the of the department. I want to thank Dr. 2010-2011 academic year Board of Regents (see below), in their newsletter). Dr. Mukherjee is cur- Joe Hill for his hospitality in hosting haste, approved my appointment as rently teaching an undergraduate the faculty and staff get-together in Get involved with our stu- Interim Chair. course about advanced GIS applica- August. I also want to thank Dr. Mar- dent organizations tions for local government and a cus Gillespie for his offer to host the Our favorite Newsletter editor, Dr. graduate course to introduce ad- departmental get-together (students Meet our new faculty Velvet Nelson, has returned after vanced GIS techniques to graduate invited) October 6, 2010 at 4:30 p.m. Catch up with existing completing her Fulbright Fellowship to students. She is also teaching an (more information and maps to come). Slovenia, and has kindly consented to online Weather and Climate section. faculty continue serving as the editor with the Dr. Brian Cooper proviso that we only publish one news- Ms. Heidi Estep has returned to Sam [email protected] letter a year. Dr. Nelson has also Houston after having received a BS in

The State University System Board of Regents

Ron Blatchley Trisha Pollard Chairman, Bryan/College Station Bellaire

Charlie Amato Michael Truncale Vice Chairman, San Antonio Beaumont

Kevin J. Lilly Donna N. Williams Houston Arlington

Ron Mitchell Christopher Covo Horseshoe Bay Student Regent, San Marcos

David Montagne Dr. Brian McCall Beaumont Chancellor, Austin

Fall 2010 Newsletter Department of Geography & Geology Page 2

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A Measure of Quality...

In cases where everything is … meas- Some of us think that education is graduates with good environmental Wyoming Field Camp, I believe that I ured, and reduced to rule, love is out about more holistic issues than can be consulting companies. They included was more than well prepared for of the question. covered by even sophisticated tests. Reyna Loosmore (neé De la Cruz) and each geologic discipline practiced (William Godwin*) We are trying to prepare and educate Ian Madison and a number of others in the field. our students to be happy and produc- who are ―still waiting to hear‖. We seem to be living in an era when tive members of society. All the better …Mineralogy/Petrology and Sed/ those who exhibit a particularly tiny if they achieve this while being profes- But even before we come to these Strat were the disciplines I felt I mind subscribe to the idea that the sional geographers or geologists but post-undergraduate placement suc- was best prepared for compared to only things that are really worth that is not the whole point. For some cesses the geologists enjoy further the other students at the camp, and knowing are those that can be meas- the next step in this holistic prepara- scrutiny and sensible evaluation in the I was on par or better with regard ured by some sort of test or quiz – tion will be graduate school and this form of the mandatory field camp that to vocabulary and conceptual un- preferably, so it seems, conducted via year our department had some nota- completes the undergraduate pro- derstanding in all disciplines…‖ some sort of ―inert‖ and hence implic- ble success in placing students in gram. At field camp students use all itly trustworthy (?) medium such as a good graduate programs. The follow- the concepts and skills that they ac- Congratulations to all of our gradu- Scantron™ sheet. So, kids come to ing is a partial list of where a number quired in our classes and labs and ates. Every one of you helps to make universities blessed with an ability to of the class of 2010 were offered then they exercise them with their what we do worthwhile and meaning- memorize for some sort of TEKS, TAKS places: peers from elsewhere, including Ivy ful and your successes bathe us in or TOKS et al… test, but understanding League schools. Simply put, our stu- your reflected glory! More tests are practically nothing, certainly not any- Jeff Cook, Cal. State-Northridge dents uniformly excel. Most make As, a not the only way of knowing how good thing much to do with science. *Initially offered a partial TA-ship, few make Bs, and practically none you are. In our department we pride expanded to full make Cs or lower. Our students come ourselves on knowing our students at And we come eventually even to the out of these external field camps a personal academic level and our merit or effectiveness of whole aca- Nancy Morris, University of Miami frequently having made the highest running experience shows that what demic programs (or at least the merit *Full scholarship grade of the whole class and as a we teach and what we do is going to of the products of said programs.) result some are invited back to act as be of value over the long-haul; not just Some, such as accreditation agencies Ryan Lewis, Imperial College, London TAs for subsequent classes. for the duration of some mindless and their camp followers still insist *Considered by most to be the #1 little test. that we continue with some form of oil geology MA program in the Thinking about this short essay last ―objective‖ testing in order to ascer- World summer I asked Peyton Lisenby to *William Godwin (1756- 1836) ―… tain that we are being effective. But send me some of his reflections on his considered one of the first expo- Lord forbid that you use the actual Jonathon Marshal, Imperial College, experience at the University of Wyo- nents of utilitarianism, and the first exams and scores for the courses in London ming field camp. His comments include modern proponent of anarchism…‖ your demonstration of effectiveness. these observations: He also wrote children‘s books No. You must use some other Peyton Lisenby, University of Mis under the pen name Edward Bald- ―objective‖ test. souri ―…I'm inclined to agree that a good win [Wikipedia] so he must have *Offered a Research Assistantship indication of how our department been a good lad. However our Geography and Geology prepares and educates its students department (and, I think, many others Others, for a variety of reasons, is by their performance at field Dr. Chris Baldwin as well) can offer alternatives to this choose industry over further training camp. It's certainly better than any [email protected] mindlessly mandated testing. and this year‘s class once again was standardized test. From my own significant for the placement of good experience at the University of

Congratulations to the 2009-2010 Student Award Winners

The following students received Reyna De La Cruz—SHAGS Student Peyton Lisenby—Cannan Geological Also recognized were Chris Capps, awards for Geography and Geology Scholarship Scholarship, Houston Geological Soci- Jeff Cook, Ian Madison, Jonathon during the 2009-10 academic year: ety Outstanding Geology Student Marshall, Kyle Spezia and Josh Ryan Lewis—Houston Geological Award Woodall for their contributions to the Cody Coquel—Bounds Geography Society Undergraduate Scholarship, geology program. Award SHAGS Student Scholarship Aaron Morgenroth—Barron Geogra- phy Award Department of Geography & Geology Page 3 http://www.shsu.edu/~gel_geo/

Alumni Updates We encourage all our former students Travel Made Easy (co-authored by Dr. I‘ve been with Marathon for around 7 and lab instructors to let us know Albert and Dr. Tiller) wrote, ―Good years. Lived in Houston, London and what they are doing after they leave news! A publication before you even now Libya. Who knows where next. I the program. We recently heard from join the MA program.‖ really dig expat life. My family and I the following alumni: have been able to visit, France, the UK, Ted Owen, former Geology student, Italy and Malta so far this year, as well Nancy Morris, 2009 Geography grad, lab instructor and assistant on Dr. as a few spots here in Libya (fantastic was recently accepted as a graduate Netoff‘s 1994 field trip to Glen Canyon, Roman ruins). student into the Department of geog- recently wrote: raphy and Regional Studies at the Next time I have some time in the University of Miami. Nancy was Awesome to hear back from you. I states, I‘ll try and make it up to Hunts- awarded a graduate assistantship and went to a three week course this ville. Would love to show the kids my couldn‘t be more excited. Dr. Ira M. summer at Colorado School of old stomping grounds. Sheskin, Professor and Graduate Mines. Great little school. We were Program Director in the Department out climbing around Red Rocks and a Really nice to hear from you… hope of Geography and Regional Studies, on few other places and it took me back you‘re well. hearing about Nancy‘s upcoming pa- to playing pack-mule on Lake Pow- per in The Pennsylvania Geographer ell. What a fantastic trip / time in life Cheers, Ted O. Ted Owen (Left) Glen Canyon, Utah entitled International Date Line: Time that was.

The New Masters Program in Applied Geographic Information Systems

After a lot of hard work and a very Woodlands, and eventually at the Sam Keith Herzog graduated from SHSU Shane Johnson was born in Houston, long wait, the Masters Program in Houston campus in that area. Contact with a B.S. in Geography and was a grew up in Conroe and now lives in Applied Geographic Information Sys- Dr. Jim Tiller ([email protected]; member of the ROTC Program. He New Caney. He works in Houston for tems (GIS) has finally arrived this Fall 936-294-1455) or Dr. John Strait received his military commission as a an engineering pipeline company. His semester and is now operational! The ([email protected]; 936-294-4077) for Second Lieutenant in the United States degree is B.S. Major in Geography department welcomed eight graduate more information on the program. Army on May 13th 2005. During active minors in GIS and Geology. His re- students into the program in its inau- duty he attended the U.S. Army‘s search interests are using GIS and gural semester. The M.S. degree pro- The following are some of our new Engineer Officer Basic Course at Ft. applications in Oil and Gas industry gram was designed to provide partici- graduate students: Leonard Wood, MO, and his first duty use. In remote sensing, he is inter- pants the critical knowledge to suc- station was at ested in extracting data from image ceed in the challenging world of geo- Chandan Guantanamo data sets, particularly Wetlands and spatial technologies. This includes Rasaily Bay, Cuba. He building feature extraction from advanced classes and labs in global graduated made a perma- Raster data sets. positioning systems (Trimble), remote from Trib- nent change of sensing (ERDAS IMAGINE), digital im- h u v a n station in 2007 William Smith was born in Houston, age processing, GIS (ArcGIS) and web- University, to Ft. Bragg, NC TX where he lived until 1994 when he based mapping and spatial analysis. Nepal with and then was moved to Huntsville. He began attend- The applied focus of the program will a B.S. of transferred to ing classes at State enable students to develop skills criti- E n v i r o n - the XVIII Air- University in the fall of 2008, where cal to the application of geospatial mental Science. He worked for Envi- borne Corps Staff to deploy to Bagh- he received his B.S. in Geographic technologies towards a number of ronmental and Public Upliftment(EPU) dad, Iraq 2008-9. There he was in- Information Systems, and a B.S. in fields including the oil and gas indus- Non Governmental Organization (NGO) volved in long range planning for Sociology in 2010. He plans to further try, parcel mapping, resource man- for more than two years. His long military operations. He left active his education by attaining a Ph.D.. His agement, local and regional govern- term goals are to enter a GIS com- duty with an honorable discharge in interests are in disaster/hazard ment, urban planning, national secu- pany or governmental office as a 2009. His interest in GIS stems from research and the use of remote sens- rity and market research. As the consultant, or to earn a Ph.D. with his previous exposure to its many ing (ERDAS) and GIS applications to program develops courses will be- research in Remote Sensing, GIS applications in Dr. Leipnik‘s classes. further understand pre/post mitiga- come increasingly available at The transportation or GIS in Health. He is He is interested in GIS applications in tion efforts and its affect on communi- University Center campus in The currently working as Dr. Leipnik‘s TA. military and foreign relations. ties and social structure. Department of Geography & Geology Page 4

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Changes in the Undergraduate Geography Curriculum New Courses in Geography

Over the course of last year the un- signed for students interested in Dr. Gong is offering two graduate dergraduate geography curriculum orienting their program of study level courses this Fall in our new has been redesigned in order to bet- around the spatial interactions be- Applied GIS Master program. One is ter fit the academic needs of students. tween human society and the physical GEO 534 Spatial Analysis which is The new and improved curriculum environment. The geo-spatial infor- offered online. The other is GEO 535 offers more flexibility and will effec- mation sciences tract is designed for Digital Image Processing which tively prepare students for life beyond students more interested in develop- focuses on the analyzing of remote SHSU, specifically in terms of gradu- ing skills in the application of a variety sensing imageries using ERDAS soft- ate study or employment opportuni- of geo-spatial technologies. Beyond ware. Dr. Gong will offer two more ties. Student majors may choose to the new track system, plans are in the new courses next semester (Spring focus their program within one of works to expand the course offerings 2011): one at the graduate level GEO three tracks, each providing a broad so that the students have opportuni- 537 GIS Programming, and one geographical background yet empha- ties to more intently study specific undergraduate online course GEO 475 sizing different foci of study. The world regions (e.g. Latin America & Transportation Geography. human geography tract is designed the Caribbean, South Asia). for students primarily interested in Contact Dr. Gong ([email protected]; the broad geographical study of hu- Contact Dr. Strait ([email protected]; 936-294-4564) for more information. man or cultural phenomena. The envi- 936-294-4077) for more information. ronmental geography tract is de-

GEO 438—Race, Blues & Rock ‘N’ Roll: Advanced Cultural Geography and Field Experience In August, Dr. Strait directed his an- ity. One notable stop included a spaghetti. On the climatic educational and sounds of blues culture influence nual student field-experience to the stimulating discussion of the Civil evening of the week the group wit- the geography of memory across the Delta as part of the SAM course GEO Rights Movement in Money, the site of nessed Dr. Strait performing his best Delta. Aside from being a student of 438. He and eleven students engaged Emmett Till‘s supposed ―wolf whistle‖ ―rubber band man‖ lesson on the the blues, and a geographer, Dr. Mar- in a six-day trek from Huntsville to on August 24, 1955. The lynching of dance floor of Po‘ Monkey‘s lounge, cus is also a musician. He offered his Memphis, Tennessee, and south this 14-year one of the last gratitude to this year‘s group for through various portions of the Mis- old boy from remaining rural making his first trip to the Delta an sissippi. In Memphis they were joined Chicago and juke-houses. invigorating experience by dedicating by legal and musical consultant ―Cool the trial that the following blues song to the Depart- Davie Lee‖ Strait, and newcomer Dr. f o l l o w e d , Students inter- ment of Geography and Geology: Alan Marcus of Towson State Univer- vividly com- ested in partici- Goin‘ to Mississippi‖ sity. The purpose of this trip was to memorated in pating in the provide the group an authentic field Bob Dylan‘s course and the Going to Mississippi, t'see my friend John Strait experience via direct immersion into song The field experience Gonna barrelhouse at Po'Monkeys, tell him 'don't be late' the very core of blues culture. Death of next year should Emmett Till, is contact Dr. Strait. I'm a witness (at the Lorraine Motel), long ways from home The group visited several sites in viewed as the Dr. Marcus of I'm leaving Beale Street, boy I'm so alone. Memphis – including Beale Street, spark that Towson State is Going down to Clarksdale, with no rider by my side went to Red's this evening, saw Wolfman n'thought Graceland, Stax Soul Studios, Sun set off the planning on joining I'd died Studios, and the National Civil Rights M ove me nt. on the group again Museum at the Lorraine Motel. Upon They visited Broad Street Park in and may be bringing some graduate Red turned to me: 'world can do me no wrong' I've got the blues, just sing it in a song. traveling ―deeper‖ into the Delta the Greenwood, a site from which the cry students in tow. The potential synergy Driving back to Memphis with my friend Cool Davie group ventured to several Mississippi for ―Black Power‖ first exploded into realized with two different student Lee I miss Mississippi, just got these blues can't you sites, including Dockery Plantation, the the national consciousness in 1966. groups sharing such an experience see unofficial birthplace of the blues. The One highlight included a hypnotic live should be very beneficial to all in- Going back to Mississippi next year, tell my friend group also visited the Riverside Hotel, blues performance by Robert volved. For example, this coming year John Strait Stovall Farms, and the crossroads ―Wolfman‖ Balfour in Red‘s Lounge in Dr. Marcus and Dr. Strait will be col- Gonna barrelhouse at Po' Monkeys, tell him to be where Robert Johnson sold his soul to Clarksdale, where the group feasted laborating on a book project that will there and don't be late. the Devil in return for guitar virtuos- on Red‘s famous ribs and barbecue focus on the ways in which the sights [email protected] Department of Geography & Geology Page 5 http://www.shsu.edu/~gel_geo/

Upcoming Guest Lecture Mr. Carl Rosa, Executive Director of For more information about The Japan The Japan-America Society of Hous- -America Society of Houston visit ton, will deliver a guest lecture on http://www.jashouston.org/ November, 8, 2010, from 11:00 to 11:50 mainpage.htm. AM in Room 215 of the Lee Drain Build- ing. His presentation is titled ―The C o n t a c t D r . A l b e r t Fascinating Facts of Japan‖ which ([email protected]; 936-194-1453) integrates Japan‘s struggles with over for more information. population while simultaneously offer- ing a glimpse into daily life.

Geographers of Sam Houston (GOSH) Geographers of Sam Houston is a Vice President – Lonnie Upton – group available for all students who [email protected] are interested in geography and its many aspects. Members will organize Secretary – Matt Shipley – educational trips, outings, social [email protected] events, and even guest speakers. There will be efforts put into geogra- Treasurer – James Scott – phy promotion through Geography [email protected] Awareness Week, Earth Day, and other volunteering opportunities throughout Activities Directors – Haley Hanson the community. Group meetings will – [email protected]; Leah Hughes – be held twice a month, usually on [email protected] Tuesday or Thursday, and will be advertised for the date and location. For more information please contact Community Service Liaison – Cody Coquel. Joshua Munguia – [email protected]

President - Cody Coquel - Sam Houston Association of Geology Students (SHAGS) [email protected]

SHAGS held their elections at the central Texas. They will camp at Inks beginning of the semester. The offi- Lake State Park, near Burnet, Texas cers for this academic year are Kyle the weekend before Thanksgiving, Spezia (President), Joshua Hale (Vice November 19-21. Saturday morning President), Kate Otto (Secretary), and will be spent climbing Enchanted Rock Tiffany Engle (Treasurer). and getting an overview of central Texas geology. Saturday afternoon So far there has been a general meet- and Sunday morning tours of the ing to elect officers, an officers meet- region will give students an opportu- ing, and a general meeting to discuss nity to observe and sample Protero- plans for the semester and to listen to zoic and Paleozoic rocks. There will Dr. Joe Hill‘s presentation on his also be a banquet/dinner near the end current research project. Day trips of the semester. to the Houston/Galveston region (museums) and Lake Whitney (fossil Contact Dr. Cooper collecting) are being worked out. ([email protected]) or Kyle Spezia SHAGS will tag along with Dr. Hill‘s ([email protected]) for more informa- Geology of North America trip to tion. Department of Geography & Geology Page 6

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Faculty Conference Presentations Dr. Gillespie (with Dr. Joan Maier and Delineation with Satellite Imagery.‖ in Seattle, Washington (April) (November); ―Residential Dynamics Mrs. Lori Rose) - ―Pushing Boundaries: The Annual Meeting of the Association among Multi-Ethnic and Multi-Racial A Novel Approach to Teach Geogra- of American Geographers in Seattle, Dr. Nelson—‖R.I.P. Nature Island: The Populations in Honolulu, Hawaii.‖ The phy.‖ The National Council of Geo- Washington (April) Threat of a Proposed Oil Refinery on Annual Meeting of the Association of graphic Education Meeting in Savan- Dominica‘s Identity.‖ The Annual Meet- American Geographers in Seattle, nah, Georgia (October) Dr. Mukherjee—‖Tracing the Historic ing of the Association of American Washington (April) Trajectory of GIS and its Implications Geographers in Seattle, Washington Dr. Gong (with student Joe Hallon- on Modern Practices.‖ The 17th Annual (April) quist) - ―Popuation Growth, Wildland- Mini Conference on Critical Geography Urban Interface, and Wildfire in the at the University of Wisconsin— Dr. Strait—‖The Evolution of Blues Greater Austin, Texas‖; (with Dr. Milwakee (November); ―Complexities in Culture: A Sense of Place and Space in Strait) - ―Census Tract and Spatial GIS Construction and Spatial Knowl- the Mississippi Delta.‖ The 65th Annual Analysis.‖ The 33rd Applied Geography edge Production in Dane County, Wis- Meeting of the Southeast Division of Conference in Dallas, Texas (October); consin.‖ The Annual Meeting of the the Association of American Geogra- ―Improving Wildland-Urban Interface Association of American Geographers phers in Birmingham, Alabama

New Faculty Biographies

Dr. Falguni Mukherjee received her She is currently teaching a course on Ms. Heidi Estep was hired this fall as characterizing water reservoir sedi- Bachelors degree in Civil Engineering Intro to GIS and GIS applications for a geology lecturer. She is currently ment and determining sedimentation from Birla Vishvakarma Mahavidyalaya local government agencies. She will be teaching physical geology, geologic rates, watershed fingerprinting, ero- in India, MS in GIS from UT - Dallas and developing other GIS application hazards, and astronomy (in the phys- sion modeling, and landuse manage- PhD from University of Wisconsin - courses and graduate course on ics department). Her area of exper- ment. Milwaukee. Her research is concerned Internet Mapping. tise is in environmental geophysics. with Social Construction of GIS and She completed her BS in physics and [email protected] she specializes in the process of [email protected] geology at Sam Houston State Univer- spatial knowledge production by local sity, an MS in geophysics at Baylor government agencies. She has worked University, and is currently working on with Dane county officials in Wisconsin her PhD in environmental geophysics to explore the history of their GIS at Baylor University. She is expecting usage and its repercussions on their to complete her PhD in the summer of contemporary GIS knowledge produc- next year. She worked in the petro- tion. Dr Mukherjee is looking forward leum industry a short time as a ge- to working with local government omechanics consultant before pursu- agencies in Walker, Montgomery and ing an academic career. Before ac- Harris County to explore their GIS cepting the current position at Sam, Knowledge production and develop a she was geology coordinator at San comparative case study of the proc- Jacinto College in South Houston. Her ess. research interests include

Congratulations to Dr. Albert

Dr. Donald Albert (second from left) NC), and Tennessee State University was promoted to full professor (Nashville, TN). Dr. Albert currently (Geography) effective September 1, serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the 2010. He joined the Department in International Journal of Applied Geo- 1999 after one-year stints at George spatial Research. Mason University (Fairfax, VA), De- partment of Veterans Affairs (Durham, [email protected] Department of Geography & Geology Page 7 http://www.shsu.edu/~gel_geo/

Updates from the Faculty This summer Dr. Chris Baldwin con- ing pale gray liquid mud which ran tinued his research on the island of down through a rather beautiful ba- Labuan, offshore from Borneo. While nana and coconut grove - marred only working on a geological section a local by man eating mosquitoes in millions if gentleman approached him and asked not billions! if they had seen the mud volcano? This was quite an impressive little active [email protected] cone, periodically and regularly burp-

Dr. Brian Cooper and his kids spent kayak; however, a forty-eight foot anchor buried two feet in sand that part of their summer at Lake Powell. houseboat does not handle quite the was underwater. Overall, the trip was They rented a houseboat for five days same as a kayak. The kids said he did an interesting learning experience, and toured the southern end of the okay, did not hit any other boats dur- they had a good time and found that lake. Finally saw some of the giant ing the entire trip, and only slammed Lake Powell lived up to Dr. Netoff‘s weathering pits that Dr. Dennis Netoff the stern of the houseboat into a dock enthusiastic endorsement. They also has described in several publications one time. They did have some anchor were able to visit Monument Valley and and has photos of in and around his issues their first day, and offer the the North Rim of the Grand Canyon office. As ―captain‖ of the boat, Dr. following advice: do not bury your during this trip. Cooper had a very steep learning anchor too close to the shore when curve when it came to running a the lake level is rising. Apparently it [email protected] houseboat. Dr. Cooper can handle a took them two hours to extract an

Dr. Mark Leipnik, was invited over attracted about 15,000 GIS profes- received some attention, particularly Christmas to present a graduate sionals plus 5,000 software vendors, one made by Steven Provenza that course on GIS at Mahidol University, geospatial technology sellers and rated which European countries were the oldest university in Thailand lo- employees of ESRI, the world‘s top GIS best to live and work in. cated next to the Royal Palace in Company. The highlight of the confer- downtown in Bangkok. This class was ence was the presentation of the Bell presented to 30 faculty and graduate Medal to Roger Tomlinson - the geog- students on use of GIS in public health. rapher who ―invented‖ GIS (if any one The hosts were very hospitable pro- man did) and to Jack Dangermond the viding lavish meals of local delicacies for a month including visits to Kyiv, founder and sole owner of ESRI and when challenged to produce Tbilisi (the Capital of Georgia), and the (below). The Medal is the highest something ―out of the ordinary‖ in the resort city of Batumi on the Turkish award of the National Geographic way of Thai cuisine a bowl of deep border. Dr. Leipnik met with GIS ex- Society and has only been presented 4 fried insects including scorpions, perts in both countries and made a times. Dr. Leipnik brought 8 poster locusts, crickets and silkworm larvae. presentation to students and faculty papers to the conference which were All were reported to be good to eat, at the State University in Tbilisi. He created as class projects by students Dr. Leipnik also made two formal but the crickets were a little mushy. also visited many areas, including in the spring semester in the applied presentations, one on Cadastral De- Jvari a mountaintop monastery dating GIS class (Geo 435). These were ex- velopment in the Ukraine and Baltic to the year 310 on the list of UNESCO hibited in the Map Gallery along with Republics (landownership map devel- world heritage sites. over 1,000 other maps and models. opment in the former Soviet states) SHSU‘s maps were respectable and and another on Issues with ARCGIS Also over the summer Dr. Leipnik Online use in Education in a separate attended the 30th annual Environ- Educational GIS Conference. mental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) International GIS conference. [email protected] This event is the largest gathering of Dr. Leipnik visited the Ukraine and the ―geographers‖ in the world. Held at Republic of Georgia over the summer the San Diego Convention center it Department of Geography & Geology Page 8

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Faculty Updates Continued This summer, Dr. Marcus Gillespie trip was excellent - the weather was SHSU and those trips had a tremen- traveled with his family and seven good everywhere they went and, of dous impact on his life. He hopes that members of his wife‘s family from course, the scenery was amazing. all of the students in the department Thailand on a 23-day, 6000-mile trip Although he thought Yosemite had the will have the opportunity to experi- to 15 national parks and monuments in most impressive vistas, he especially ence these places, because their the Western U.S., including the Grand enjoyed walking among the largest grandeur is awe-inspiring and simply Canyon, Yosemite (top), Sequoia, trees on the planet - some of which can't be captured on film. King's Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Crater are more than 300-feet tall and 1500 Lake (bottom), Death Valley, Guadalupe years old. Dr. Gillespie first went to [email protected] N.P., and Redwood National Park, many of these national parks as an among others. According to him, the undergraduate Earth Science major at

Dr. Velvet Nelson had the opportu- guage, and, since Koper is located After the semester ended and the nity to travel to Novi Sad, Serbia nity to spend the past spring and near the Italian border, Italian is often weather improved, she traveled as (which involved 15 hours by bus, two summer in Central Europe. While the second language much as she could trains and a taxi) to present a paper there, she lived in Koper, Slovenia and spoken.) During the in Slovenia. For at Geotrends – an international con- taught in the Department of Geogra- spring semester, being a country ference on Geoheritage and Geotour- phy, Faculty of Humanities at the she participated in a that is slightly ism research. University of Primorska. Similar to week long field smaller than the here at SHSU, Dr. Nelson taught re- course on urban state of New Jer- Although she misses the view from gional geography, particularly focus- geography in Austria sey, Slovenia has a her classroom at the Faculty of Hu- ing on the Western Hemisphere. She and Germany with tremendous manities (below), she is happy to be taught in English, even though English 30 third-year Slove- amount of geo- back teaching her own classes. is, in many cases, the students‘ third nian geography graphic diversity. language. (Slovene is the first lan- students (left). She While she enjoyed [email protected] was also invited to living across the give lectures to street from the geography students Adriatic Sea, her at Slovenia‘s two favorite place in other public univer- Slovenia is the sities: the University of Ljubljana and Soča River Valley in the Julian Alps. the University of Maribor. She also traveled in neighboring Italy and Croatia and even had the opportu-

Dr. Dennis Netoff continues to work Utah, and a special publication on on weird landforms and sedimentary potential Martian life habitats (top), structures on Earth and their Martian with some 30 co-authors, will be analogs. He and several Departmental released by the Geological Society of colleagues have updated and pub- America sometime in 2011 or 2012. lished new editions of the lab manuals Dennis and his wife Nancy made their for physical geology and for weather annual ‗escape‘ to the Pacific North- and climate, and a new edition of the west over the summer (bottom: Flor- eWeather book will come out in the ence, Oregon). Spring 2011 semester. His research continues to focus on Glen Canyon, [email protected] Department of Geography & Geology Page 9 http://www.shsu.edu/~gel_geo/

Faculty Updates Continued Doing his best to emulate Jack Ker- shop will be entitled ―The Ukulele and discussions focused on the various ouac, Dr. John Strait spent the bulk the Mixed-plate: The Impact of Immi- ways in which migration has been of Summer 2010 ―on the road.‖ The gration on the Hawaiian Cultural Land- responsible for both the Delta‘s unique month of June saw he and his family scape.‖ Ava will be teaching a mini- cultural heritage, and for the impacts visiting the Hawaiian Islands, where course on Environmental Geography this region has had on the wider they vacationed on both Oahu and the using Hawaii as a case study. Daugh- world. Big Island (Hawai‘i). At the onset of ter Memphis and son Prezley will be the trip Dr. Strait participated in the spending their time learning how to One noteworthy topic Dr. Strait intro- International Conference on Social hula and surf, respectively. duced and explored during the course Sciences in Honolulu. Following the of these NEH workshops is the prac- conference, the Strait family visited tice of geophagy – the eating of with plenty of ohana (family), hung ―earth‖, or dirt. This cultural practice loose on the beach, consumed mass is common throughout various parts quantities of local food, and partici- of the world, but specifically diffused pated in the King Kamehameha Festival to portions of the U.S. South via the and parade in Kaapau. Like ―old Chinatown as part of their ongoing relocation of African slaves. The school‖ geographers, Dr. Strait and effort to understand the spatial di- prevalence of geophagy has generally son Prezley spent one exciting morn- mensions of the area‘s racial and declined overtime, yet the practice ing searching off-road for King Kame- ethnic diversity. Their findings will remains somewhat evident within the hameha‘s birthplace along a very inform an ongoing research project Aside from Hawaii, Dr. Strait also Delta. During the course of the work- remote portion of the Kohala coast. focused on neighborhood dynamics visited the Mississippi Delta on three shops Dr. Strait led participants to across the islands. The Straits are separate occasions during the sum- sights within the region where local collaborating with Dr. Gang Gong on mer. On two of these trips he served people continue to ―mine‖ for certain this project. as a Guest Scholar in summer work- clays known for their unique culinary shops in Cleveland, Mississippi co- properties. This exercise in ―tasting During their visit John and Ava made sponsored by the National Endowment terroir‖ led him to be interviewed for arrangements with the headmaster of for Humanities (NEH) and the Delta separate articles in Heritage: The the Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy in Center for Culture and Learning enti- Magazine of SHSU, The Oxford Ameri- Waimea to offer their services next tled ―The Most Southern Place on can, and a dream outlet for cultural summer (2011). Waimea is the largest Earth: Music, Culture and History in geographers – Food and Wine Maga- town in the interior of the Big Island the Delta.‖ These workshops are zine. and lies amidst Parker Ranch, the designed to provide advanced instruc- largest privately-owned cattle ranch tion and curriculum to [email protected] in the U.S. Accordingly, it is the cen- groups of university faculty, teachers, ter of paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy) scholars and other educators. Dr. culture and is well-known for being Strait‘s roles in these workshops the birthplace of the Hawaiian version were to direct field trips and provide of country music. John will be direct- participants geographical perspec- Aside from celebrating their 10th wed- ing a field-oriented workshop focused tives on a wide variety of subject ding anniversary, Dr. Strait and his on understanding the island‘s diverse matter, including civil rights, ethnicity, wife Ava also engaged in an urban field ethnic influences, particularly in re- religion, music and food. He was reconnaissance through Honolulu‘s gards to food and music. The work- particularly responsible for directing Department of Geography & Geology

Box 2148 Huntsville, Texas 77341-2148 Fall Student Get-Together Phone: (936) 294-1451 Fax: (936) 294-4203 The Departmental Student Get- snacks and drinks (non-alcoholic of E-mail: [email protected] together will be held at Dr. Gillespie's course). Dr. Gillespie lives 4 miles http://www.shsu.edu/~gel_geo/ house on Wednesday, October 6th, west of town in Timberwilde subdivi- beginning at 5:00 PM. The goal is to sion across from the Alpha Omega provide a fun, relaxing opportunity for school and County Fairgrounds. (See students and faculty to get to know map and directions below.) We hope one another and it gives students an to see you there! Please e-mail Dr. opportunity to form friendships with Gillespie if you plan to come so that other students in the department. So, he'll know how much food to order. both new students and 'old' students are welcome! We'll have pizza, chips, [email protected]

The Timberwilde subdivision is across from the County Fairgrounds on Hwy 30, going west toward College Station about 5 miles past I-45 and a quarter mile past FM 1791. Timberwilde is on the right side of the road and there is a right turn lane at the entrance. Turn into the subdivision, take the first left on Autumn Way and go down the road to Tanglewood Drive - the only street that intersects Autumn Way. Turn right on Tanglewood, and then go up the road past the stop sign. Dr. Gilles- pie‘s house is at 59 Tanglewood Drive and is the first (and only) house on the left past the stop sign and before the community swimming pool. The house is a two- story house surrounded by trees with a white mailbox.

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