WHAT’S INSIDE 2 From the Chair department of STUDENT PROFILES 4 Tony Liu 7 Adeyemi Olatunde 10 Maia Call 10 Pavithra Vasudevan 11 Lily Herbert GEOGRAPHY ALUMNI PROFILES 2 Dr. E. Joan Miller SPRING 2016 3 Dr. William E. Easterling, III 8 David Crawford FACULTY PROFILES 6 Erika Wise 8 Charles E. Konrad NEWS & HIGHLIGHTS 5 Faculty & External Grants 7 Undergraduate 7 Graduate Student External Grants This newsletter is produced by the Information Committee, which consists of faculty members Banu Gökarıksel (Co-Chair and Editor), Jun Liang (Co-Chair), Steve Birdsall, Christian Lentz, and graduate student Chris Jones. THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL geography.unc.edu Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3220 NC Hill, Chapel Carolina Hall, Campus Box 3220 Box Campus Hall, Carolina Permit Number 177 Number Permit UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL CHAPEL AT CAROLINA NORTH OF UNIVERSITY Chapel Hill, NC Hill, Chapel GEOGRAPHY PAID POSTAGE US Organization Profit Non department of department Liu, studying abroad at the National and spreads in Africa. This newsletter for their FROM University of Singapore; Lily Herbert, highlights two PhD students, Pavithra financial focusing her studies on the former Vasuvedan and Maia Call. Pavithra’s support. We Soviet Union, and Adeyemi Olatunde, project focuses on environmental depend on alumni the CHAIR striving to make cities sustainable using justice in Warren County, North and friends like geographic information systems meth- Carolina. Maia’s research is further you to help meet our ever-increasing ods. The ways we teach at UNC are afield, focusing on relationships be- needs. Your gift to the Department Arriving in Chapel Hill 10 changing with innovative classrooms tween environmental degradation and of Geography can help us meet many and teaching methods that engage stu- household livelihoods in rural Uganda. years ago, I’ve grown to love the goals. Online giving is easy and secure: dents through technology and experi- And we feature three of our alumni log onto geography.unc.edu/make-a- university, the community, and ential learning, described in the feature in this newsletter: David Crawford, a gift-to-geography/ for information our beautiful campus. on Professor Erika Wise. Professor 2012 graduate from our joint degree and links. You can use the envelope Chip Konrad’s work as Director of the program with the National University attached to this newsletter as well. I’m pleased to bring to you this first NOAA Southeast Regional Climate of Singapore who received a Master’s Please feel free to email or call me to annual newsletter highlighting the Center, housed in our department, is degree in International Development talk about our programs. And if you impressive work of undergraduate also featured. This center provides a and worked with the United Nations are ever in Chapel Hill, please visit us. and graduate students and faculty, valuable service to the public and pres- on refugee issues; Dr. Bill Easterling, as well as reports on three alumni. I ents opportunities for our students to currently Dean at Pennsylvania State hope you will also visit our website contribute to climate science. University and co-recipient of a Nobel regularly (geography.unc.edu) for Peace Prize; and Dr. Joan Miller, a Our graduate students are studying updates on the exciting work of our generous alumna from the depart- such diverse topics as climate impacts students and faculty. ment’s earliest years. on human migration, the political ecol- Michael Emch This newsletter highlights three ex- ogy of oil extraction in South America, The Department of Geography is Professor and Chair, ceptional undergraduate majors: Tony and how drug resistant malaria forms grateful to its alumni and friends UNC-CH Department of Geography that freedom to develop my hypothesis.” DR. E. JOAN MILLER Miller and Eyre kept in touch, and he encouraged Leaving a legacy of love for Chapel Hill her in the 1960s to ask ISU for the promotion and By Mary Moorefield tenure she deserved, citing her published works. “He gave me enough courage to stand up,” she said. “It was because he was so You might leave Chapel Hill, but clubs,’ where we just sit on the stone accomplishments included many understanding: in fact, he was a flying Dr. E. Joan Miller can attest that wall and chat and take life slowly.” publications, notably two articles buttress that supported me.” about the Ozark Mountains in Born in England, Miller, now 93, is an Chapel Hill never leaves you. the Annals of the Association of Eyre also prompted her to give back to Y emerita professor of geography with the University and the College of Arts Miller spent two years at UNC American Geographers. “These came Illinois State University in Normal, and Sciences. With deep appreciation of completing her Ph.D. in geography from the Ph.D. dissertation at UNC, Ill. She retired as a tenured full- her experience, she has designated part in 1965 and developed a deep love for completed in 1965,” Miller said. professor after a 31-year-career and of her estate to Carolina for geography the school and the town that she still teaching 9,000 students. She travelled Miller touts the acceptance and scholarships to be used in ways that carries. extensively and did field work in the influence of Carolina’s first chair benefit the students most. “My two years in Chapel Hill were the U.S. and Europe. Her professional of the department of geography, Dr. Michael Emch, professor and chair of happiest time of my life, truly,” she Doug Eyre as a driving force in her geography, admires Miller’s contribution said. “Everybody was so welcoming, career and devotion to the University. MY TWO YEARS IN CHAPEL to the University. encouraging and happy … and slower. His acceptance of her hypothesis that You had time to sit and talk to people. HILL WERE THE HAPPIEST folklore material of the Ozarks can be “Dr. Miller devoted all of her life to It was a different culture, a different TIME OF MY LIFE, TRULY. used as historical evidence allowed geographic education,” he said. “Her way of life.” She fondly recalled this —Dr. E. Joan Miller Miller to pursue her research. “He life is an inspiration to all geography culture as being one of “‘stone wall took an interest. He let me have all educators.” 2 Scholar & co-recipient of Nobel Peace Prize WILLIAM E. EASTERLING By Dr. Steve Birdsall, Geography faculty Those of us who remember Dr. William (Bill) E. Easterling from the days when he was in the Department of Geography pursuing one of his degrees at Carolina GEOGRAPHY IS A T(B.A. 1976, M.A. 1980, Ph.D. 1984) are not surprised at the array of professional DISCIPLINE THAT LETS achievements and recognitions he has accrued. But the scope and scale of ONE PEEL BACK ALL THE accomplishments were not something we could anticipate. ASSUMPTIONS OF CURRENT THINKING AND ANTICIPATE With more than 100 scholarly as Dean of the College of Earth and WHAT IS AHEAD. publications, as many lectures at the Mineral Sciences in 2007. Before —Dr. William Easterling national level including testimony and arriving at Penn State, among other briefings in front of U.S. House and positions he was Interim Director U.S. Senate committees, plus three of the National Institute for Global dozen presentations at international Environmental Change, Director of will find familiar. Initially a history Robinson, received a large multi-year venues, Bill has also been the Principal the Great Plains Regional Center major as an undergraduate, he says grant and began looking for a research Investigator or co-PI on more than two for Global Environmental Change, he discovered geography when he assistant, Bill’s facility with statistics dozen research grants. And that is only a Fellow in the Climate Resources happened to take a course taught by and quantitative reasoning made him a the beginning! Program at Resources for the Future, John Florin. After another course natural choice. and held several staff research with Florin and then more from other This series of serendipitous A faculty member at The Pennsylvania positions at the National Academy faculty in the department, he was interactions at UNC led Bill into State University since 1997, he served of Sciences/National Research soon a double major in history and a field in which his scholarly and as Director of the Penn State Institutes Council. Even setting aside his geography. “I began to realize that interpersonal talents could flourish. As of Energy and the Environment from scholarly activities, several features geography was the perfect discipline he put it recently, “Geography allows us 2001 to 2007 before his appointment of this series of responsibilities stand to bring together complex human to study human aspirations and human out. Bill is adept at leadership and and environmental interactions. activities as they relate to the scientific management. He makes the groups Being fluent in the languages of many study of the environment. Geography with which he works function better. disciplines dealing with humans OVER 100 SCHOLARLY is a discipline that lets one peel back all 100 He was Coordinating Lead Author on and the environment has proven to PUBLICATIONS the assumptions of current thinking two IPCC Assessment Reports, the be especially useful and important.” and anticipate what is ahead.” A MORE THAN 136 NATIONAL AND second one addressing food security His path into climate science was 136 serious scholar committed to work on INTERNATIONAL PRESENTATIONS and climate change and earning him a not direct, apparently. He worked some of the biggest questions facing share of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. with Barry Moriarty on his Master’s 24 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR FOR thesis which dealt with aspects of the earth’s future, the Department of MORE THAN TWO DOZEN GRANTS Easterling’s path toward becoming industrial location.