What in the World Fall/Winter 2011-2012 Newsletter Geography Awarness Week Pg
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In This Issue: Letter from the Chair Pg. 1 What in the World Fall/Winter 2011-2012 Newsletter Geography Awarness Week Pg. 2 “Geography is a Field Discipline” Pg. 2 Letter from the Chair National Geographic Internship Pg. 3 Dear Alumni and Friends of Geography Notably, Caroline McClure completed a at the Univeristy of Wyoming, NGS internship during the spring semester Regional AAG Meeting in Denver Pg. 3 2011 (see page 3). Awards and Recognitions Pg. 4 Greetings from Laramie and the Department The graduate program in geography at UW of Geography at the University of Wyoming! is also thriving. This year eleven new MA UW Geographers in Ethiopia Pg. 5 As you will see while reading this students joined the program coming from newsletter, the Department Donor Challenge Pg. 6 around the United States of Geography at UW and world. We have two Recent Faculty Publications Pg. 7 continues to be active new students from Nepal, in its teaching, research and another from Thailand. Faculty Highlights Pg. 8 and service missions. Additionally, students from We are fortunate to have Michigan, Illinois, Colorado Heart Mountain Pg. 9 a dedicated faculty, and Oklahoma as well knowledgeable staff and as Wyoming joined our great students. Confirming departmental community. this statement is the number A new class of this size and of awards and recognitions diversity is a testament to received over the past few the quality of our faculty months by our departmental and their willingness to community. develop strong mentoring relationships with our Last spring three of our incoming students. We graduate students, Richard are currently reviewing Vercoe, Suzette Savoie, applications for next year, and Alexa Dugan, were Professor and Chair, Gerald R. Webster and our pool of applicants on the Great Plains-Rocky is again both large and Mountain Division’s World diverse. Geography Bowl Team that won the national competition in Seattle (see page 4). This year If you have contacted the Department graduate student Jill Ottman was one of the recently, you may have chatted with Ms. five high scorers at the regional competition Adrienne Szabady. Adrienne joined the and was placed on the divisional team to Department this past fall semester and participate in the national competition in will be in charge of processing graduate New York this spring. Also four faculty applications, coordinating teaching members Dr. Deborah Paulson, Dr. and advising evaluations, and helping Jacqueline Shinker, Dr. Steve Prager, with the development of departmental and Dr. Roberta Webster have recently publications. Adrienne has several received teaching awards (see page 4). Also years of experience working on the UW in early December we were notified that campus, and we are very fortunate to two of our undergraduates had received have her in our main office see( page 5). View from Medicine Bow Peak of Glacial highly competitive National Geographic Moraine of the Lake Marie Area Society Internships. Pamela Bolan is in I am also pleased to announce that Washington, D.C. for the spring semester Dr. Jacqueline Shinker successfully John “Mac” Blewer Photo 2012 interning at NGS, and Benjamin navigated the tenure and promotion Kessler will follow in the fall 2012 semester. process last spring. As many of you 2 Fall/Winter 2011-2012 What in the World know, Dr. Shinker is an outstanding to present the findings of their research teacher and mentor, and we are very projects. This past fall six of our students GEOGRAPHY IS A pleased we will benefit from her efforts presented research papers at two different in coming years. professional meetings, and another six FIELD DISCIPLINE did so during the spring semester. I I would also like to thank the many attend many of these presentations, and By Dr. John Patrick Harty financial donors to the Department over our students not only reflect well upon the past year. The Department is indeed themselves, but also the Department and fortunate to have friends and alumni the University of Wyoming. Geography is a field discipline. This was willing to make regular contributions a lesson repeatedly emphasized through to support our efforts to provide a well- If you have questions about the the years by my favorite instructors. I rounded educational experience for our Department, please feel free to contact remember counting tree rings on a students. These funds are critical to me via email ([email protected]) cloudy autumn day, taking stream accomplishing our instructional mission, or phone (307-766-3311). If you are measurements in the dead of winter and are used to support class field trips and in Laramie, please feel free to visit the (yes, it was cold!), and visiting historic to supplement the costs of student travel Department – we always enjoy chatting mining districts on a hot summer day. to professional meetings. Geography with our alumni and supporters. Seeing the discipline in action made a is a “field science” and we believe it is lasting impression and made me want to of great educational value to have our Sincerely, explore more of the world around me. students visit nearby sites that are the topics of class lectures. We also impress As an instructor, it is now my turn to pass upon our students the value of becoming the torch of lessons learned in the field professionally active, which frequently Professor Gerald R. Webster, Chair onto the next generation of geographers. means traveling to professional meetings My classes venture into the field on a weekly basis to discuss readings and how the findings can be applied to the local landscape. Our “field walks” (as they are referred to in my classes) include site visits as diverse as St. Lawrence Geography Club and O’Toole Catholic Church (symbolic landscape), Second Story Bookstore Geography Awareness Week (historic landscape (a former brothel)), and Vedauwoo (experiential landscape). By Dr. Carl Legleiter These adventures teach the students that geography is by no means a discipline In April 2011, the University of The biggest event of the fall semester, confined to classroom discussions, but Wyoming’s chapter of the Gamma as usual, was Geography Awareness is instead dynamic and very much alive. Theta Upsilon geographical honor Week, with a theme of “Adventure society inducted several new members – in your Local Community.” The My hope is that these students will congratulations to all of them! Last fall, week’s events were a major success revisit the lessons learned in the field the Geography Club was very active, and included presentations by (1) UW and forever remember that the world benefitting from the able leadership of alum and current National Geographic outside our door is a big one, one that co-presidents Lacey Johnsen and Paul photographer Joe Rees on his travels continually calls on us to explore. Sandler Jr., along with faculty sponsors around the world, including a recent trip John Harty and Carl Legleiter. The to Mongolia; (2) Geography alum Zach Geography Club sent a large contingent Orenczak on the cartography of rock- to the AAG Regional Meeting in Denver, climbing, featuring Vedauwoo and other including a team that competed in the nearby routes; and (3) a discussion on College of Arts and Sciences Geography Bowl. Graduate student Jill community mapping and the Laramie Ottman was one of the top performers Atlas project hosted by WyGISC. The in the Bowl and competed for the Great highlight of the week was the Geography Commencement Plains/Rocky Mountain regional team Bowl, held in the Union Gardens, and Saturday, May 5, 2012 at the national meeting in New York. featuring 16 highly competitive teams. 1:30 p.m. Arena Auditorium Fund-raising activities included T-shirt The Geography Club remains an active sales (bright yellow and featuring our and vibrant part of the Department and a great Geography Department cowboy/ great opportunity for our students to get North America logo) and Geography involved. nights at McCallister’s and Arby’s. 3 What in the World Fall/Winter 2011-2012 WGA welcomes Great Plains/Rocky Mountain Divisional Caroline McClure Meeting back from D.C.! The annual meeting of the GP/RM Yi-Ling Chen, “Housing Affordability Division of the AAG was held in Crises and the Housing Movement in Denver, Colorado, October 6-8, 2011. Taiwan.” The program included 60 papers, sixteen posters and two panels. The Department was well represented by both faculty and students. Eleven students attended the meeting with three presenting research papers and the remaining students participating on the World Geography Bowl. Graduate student Jill Ottman was one of In Spring 2011, Caroline McClure was granted one of the coveted internships with the National Geographic Society. She was given the opportunity to be one of nine geography interns at National Geographic to work in the National Clock wise from top-left: TJ Gajda, Alyssa Enghadi, Jim Geographic Education Foundation and Stafford, JoshGunderman, Heyer, Upendra Julia Stuble, Bom, Trishaand Mac Pettigrew, Blewer. Hannah the Education Programs offices. Caroline worked on the Hill Day reports, a one page document that explains the impact of the John Blewer, “Artifacts of a Vanished, state Alliances on education as well as on Contested Landscape: The Heart Mountain their achievements, events, and outreach Barracks of Park County, Wyoming.” efforts. These documents are part of a “Teaching Geography is Fundamental Gerald R. Webster, “The Sanctification Act” packet that are distributed to all of the Washita Massacre Site.” Alliance Coordinators during their annual meeting on Capitol Hill to meet with John Patrick Harty, “Tracking the Hannah Gunderman (left) and Trisha Pettigrew state representatives. She also directly Footsteps of Legends: Determining the Origins of Paul Bunyan Folklore.” assisted with the Alliance Coordinators (right) Meeting and helped build the “Speak Up For Geography” campaign site (http:// speakupforgeography.org), which is an the high scorers in the bowl, and was outreach for the Teaching Geography is a member of the divisional team at the Fundamental Act.