UTK GEOGRAPHY Newsletter of the University of Tennessee Department of Geography Spring 2006 Growth and Change by Bruce Ralston

The Depart- research relationships with excellent faculty ment of members in several other departments at UT. Geography is We have been able to increase our scholar- going through ship, improve our curriculum, and continue our a significant outreach programs. I have enjoyed basking in growth spurt. the glow of the hard work of others. We will add I also have learned many new things two new in the past six years. Among the most impor- faculty mem- tant have been aspects of human nature bers at the start of the next academic year. (mostly my own), the importance of liberal Dr. Liem Tran, who works in GIS and envi- arts education, and the central role we can ronmental geography, has accepted an ap- play in that endeavor. The University of pointment as an Assistant Professor. He Tennessee is populated by many extraordinar- already has research projects with our col- ily gifted and dedicated people, some of the leagues at ORNL and TVA. Also joining our best of whom are in this department. Working faculty will be Dr. Ronald Kalafsky. Dr. with the students, faculty and staff of the Kalafsky is a leader in the study of global Department of Geography has reinforced my trends in industrial geography. His work is belief that cultures of excellence and civility fascinating and appeals not only to geogra- need not be mutually exclusive. For this I will phers but also to anyone interested in the always be grateful. changing global economy. We are thrilled to have Drs. Tran and Kalafsky join our faculty. Another area of growth is in external funding. The TGA Turns 20 Drs. Sally Horn and Ken Orvis, along with The Tennessee Geographic Alliance Lynn Champion of the College of Arts and was created in 1986 by Dr. Sid Jumper as one Sciences, have been awarded a $1.97 million of seven pilot Alliances under the newly grant for earth science outreach from the established Geography Education Program of National Science Foundation. That program the National Geographic Society. Mr. Gilbert will start this semester. Grosvenor, President and Chairman of the Change is also in the offing, as this Board of the National Geographic Society, had marks my sixth and final year as Department created the Geography Education Program to Head. The past six years have witnessed address the alarming state of geographic substantial growth in the Department. When I illiteracy among the nation’s youth, as well as became Department Head, we were just among its adult population. Mr. Grosvenor moving into the Burchfiel Geography Building. offered a small amount of start-up funding Over the past six years, the number of majors ($6,000), and a promise of matching up to has increased by at least a factor of four, the $50,000 in support obtained from state govern- Dept. of Geography 304 Burchfiel Bldg. amount of externally funded research has ments and other sources to help fund Alliance Knoxville, TN 37996 risen sharply, we have added three new programs focused on K-12 geography literacy. faculty lines, our students have won numerous Opportunities were also provided through the awards, and we have developed collaborative NGS Geography Education Program for the Continued on Page 2 TGA...Continued from Page 1 education, and provided 42 Tennessee Alliance to select some seven workshops of teachers in 1986, five in 1987, and four during one to four ensuing years, to attend four-week all-expenses- weeks in paid geography institutes at the National Geo- duration to graphic Society in Washington, DC. Those who 1,061 teachers. attended the NGS institutes in 1986, 1987, and Through beyond, have joined hands with others complet- partnering ing Tennessee Alliance institutes to provide a with organiza- core of excellent and dedicated Teacher Con- tions such as sultants which continues to grow and mature. the Population The Tennessee Alliance, initially operating Reference only within the Knoxville area, decided that its Bureau, the first task should be to go directly to experienced United States teachers for information about their needs. In Geological response to a randomly distributed invitation to Survey, Ameri- local area schools, a surprisingly large turnout of Sid Jumper can Geophysi- 123 teachers attended an exploratory meeting on cal Union, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville campus Public Education Foundation and the Great during the spring of 1986. The teachers were Smoky Mountains National Park, the Alliance virtually unanimous in asking for help in acquir- has been able to offer unusually creative and ing geographic content, and in asserting an beneficial programs for teachers. Moreover, already sufficient background in teaching in 1997, Mr. and Mrs. J. Harrison Livingston methods. They also asked for help in acquiring donated $250,000, which was matched by the maps and teaching materials. Thus came the National decisions of the Alliance to emphasize content Geographic over method, to provide as rich an array of Society materials to teachers as possible, to treat Education teachers as first class professionals, and to Foundation provide continuing opportunities for them to (NGSEF) to interact with distinguished university and private establish a sector geographers. The Alliance has also been $500,000 guided by a philosophy that promotes self- endowment for learning, that encourages development of the Alliance. “learning frameworks” rather than memorization Additional sums of places and facts about places, that provides were provided for active student involvement in their own for the endow- learning, that emphasizes analytical processes ment (and through which students can adequately interpret matched by the dynamic world in which they live, and that NGSEF) by the views the desired end product of education as family of Bruce an open door to discovery rather than “knowing” Ted Schmudde Ralston, and a particular set of facts and figures. Emphasis through contri- is given to an understanding of utilizing the butions from teachers who had benefited from “geographic perspective” rather than memoriza- Alliance programs, to raise the endowment tion of places and facts about those places. total to some $740,000. Later, after declines Under the leadership of Sid Jumper and in the stock market resulted in erosion of the Ted Schmudde, who served as co-coordinators endowment to approximately $600,000, the through the late 1990s, and now under the National Geographic Society (NGS) trans- guidance of Kurt Butefish, the Alliance has ferred $400,000 into the Tennessee Alliance grown to over 5000 members with area chapters endowment from the Williams Fund, a major in eight cities around the state. The organization has expended over $3.5 million on geography Page 2 Continued on Page 4 Investment Opportunities in Geography

Gifts to the Geography Department may be designed for a specific purpose or fund or given to the department’s Enrichment Fund as discretionary funding. Be assured that it will make a difference! Existing funds are shown below. Please contact Bruce Ralston if you would like more information or if you would like to target your gift for a purpose not shown. The Development Offices of the College and University would be pleased to have you ask about other forms of giving, such as bequests, charitable lead trusts, and gifts of the remainder interest in a personal residence or farm, and they are set up to help you evaluate the tax ben- efits of different gift options. All contributors making gifts of a hundred dollars or more are eligible for University recognition via the Gift Club.

The Tennessee Geography Education Fund – Robert G. Long Outstanding Graduate This endowment began in 1997 with gifts from Student Award Fund – The Robert G. Long J. Harrison Livingston and the Tennessee Award, established to honor Professor Long Geographic Alliance that were matched by the who retired in 1979, honors one or two gradu- National Geographic Society. Another endow- ate students each year for superior scholarship ment is being established and the National and service to the department. The students are Geographic Society can match an additional recognized on a plaque and receive checks of $500,000. $50.

Stewart K. McCroskey Memorial Fund – Geography Department Scholarship Fund – Established by the McCroskey family after This fund provides one or more tuition scholar- Stewart’s death. This fund supports field ships to outstanding undergraduate geography research and professional travel by Geography majors. students and faculty. The Geography Department Enrichment Sid Jumper Teachers’ Scholarship Fund – Fund – This fund may be used to meet special Established in 1995 when Sid Jumper stepped needs as determined by the department faculty. down from the role of Head of the department, In recent years, it has supplemented our this fund supports graduate training for K-12 operating budget and provided travel support to teachers. professional meetings for faculty and students.

Bill & Donna Cobble Geography Enhance- The Geography Technological Enrichment ment Endowment – Proceeds from this fund, Fund – Established in 1995 by two anonymous established in 1995 by Bill & Donna Cobble in donors, the funds are used to provide our support of undergraduate education in Geogra- computer research labs and classrooms with up phy at UTK, are used to enhance the educa- to date equipment and software. tional experiences of undergraduate students. Geography Endowment Fund – Donations are Edwin H. & Elizabeth H. Hammond Endow- invested by the university. The principal ment Fund in Geography – Established to generates quarterly interest to the Geography honor Professor Hammond, who retired in 1987 Enrichment Fund. and who continues to match gifts to the fund, this endowment brings a distinguished lecturer to the department each year.

Please send your gift to: Department of Geography, 304 Burchfield Geography Building, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-0925. Make checks payable to: University of Tennessee, but also use the memo line on the check to indicate “Geography” and, if you wish, to indicate a specific fund. Page 3 TGA...Continuued from Page 2 was that during the semester each student would attempt to publish at least one piece in gift to NGS through a trust fund established by the public press. At our last session, all a former resident of Knoxville. participants in the seminar mailed off a final With funding from the National draft of an article to the editor of a popular Geographic Society Education Foundation that magazine. covers travel expenses and resource materi- Within days of the end of the semes- als, The Alliance is currently providing two- ter, Paul McDaniel, who studies migration and week programs that help teachers prepare for immigration issues in the American South, the Geography PRAXIS exam and meet No announced that on December 20th he had Child Left Behind “Highly Qualified” stan- published an OpEd piece, “Enforcement-Only dards. This program is in addition to bi-annual Immigration Bill Ignores Underlying Issues,” offerings such as spring and fall chapter at the avowedly conservative opinion web-site, programs and statewide Geofest conferences. OpinionEditorials.com. Let’s hope in the near As the result of gifts from generous benefac- future the work of UT Geographers will be tors, the Alliance also sponsors two geography read in airline magazines, in newspapers, on teacher of the year awards, one for grades K- websites, and in other popular venues where 6 and one for grades 7-12, and an outstanding geographers have heretofore feared to tread. geography lesson plan of the year award. Lydia Pulsipher was * Information for portions of this history of the Alliance recognized as a National was taken from Dr. Sid Jumper's article Geography at the Council for Geographic University of Tennessee that appeared in the manuscript The Role of the South in the Making of American Education Distinguished Geography: Centennial of the AAG, 2004, Edited by James Mentor at the November, O. Wheeler and Stanley D. Brunn. 2005 meeting in Birming- ham, AL. A special paper session was held in her honor. Department Writing Geography for the Public students Kendra by Lydia M. Pulsipher McSweeney, Toby Applegate and Lisa Zagumny gave papers as Geographers have much to offer in part of that session. the public forum. Our research can positively influence public policy and offer insights that modify the everyday attitudes of Americans. But too often geographers spend the lion’s share of their time writing only for their Coming Attractions colleagues and students, not the public. After helping to organize several Here is some biographical information sessions at national meetings of the Associa- about our newest hires. tion of American Geographers encouraging geographers to write more for the public, I Dr. Ronald Kalafsky received his decided to offer a seminar at UT in which M.A. degree from the University of North graduate students would write several items Carolina at Chapel Hill and his Ph.D. degree for the public press all based on their own from the State University of New York at research: press releases, letters to the editor, Buffalo. His dissertation research focused on OpEd pieces for newspapers, articles or location trends in the tool manufacturing stories for children, and pieces for popular industry. After completing his degree he was magazines. An emphasis was placed on an Assistant Professor in the Business Admin- writing for a variety of audiences — young istration Department at Daemen College in and old, and not just those who are likely to Amherst, New York. In 2004, he moved to agree with the writer. The goal was to get the Geography at UNC Charlotte. His work takes students to appreciate that writing for the him around the globe, studying the connections public could be not only an important educa- between local and global economic change. tional service, but also a rewarding career- Page 4 enhancing experience, hence the agreement Contintinued on Page 6 Geography Students Get Their Feet Wet

Students in Carol Harden’s spring 2005 Water Resources class completed a set of broad- and reach-scale assessments of subwatersheds of Beaver Creek in Knox County to identify potential sources of water quality problems and to practice protocols and skills learned in class. This service learning project not only took the students to the streams, but also brought agency personnel into the classroom. TVA and Knox County Engineering provided support and training for the project; representatives from Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and the UT Water Resources Research Center also came to hear student presentations at the end of the semester. Students provided TVA and the county with written reports, PowerPoint presentations, and data entered into a customized database.

Carol Harden (4th from left) and Geography 436 students during a training session on Third Creek.

Geography 436 students documenting a culvert location during training on Third Creek. Page 5 Comming Attractions...Continued from Page 4 ned. Unfortunately, the hurricane destroyed and flooded New Orleans to the extent that Dr. Liem Tran was born in Vietnam the field trip had to be canceled. Some house where he received B.E. and M.E. degrees types may be totally lost. Persons displaced from HoChiMinh City University. With the by the hurricane filled motels and hotels in help of a Fulbright Fellowship, he went on to Baton Rouge and caused the 2005 meeting to obtain M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in geography be canceled. Rain from the hurricane also from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. In destroyed approximately half of the cotton 1999 he went to Penn State as a Postdoctoral crop on the Aiken farm in north Mississippi. Fellow. Since 2003, Dr. Tran has been an Assistant Professor at Florida Atlantic Univer- Tom Bell and Peggy Gripshover. sity. Liem is the author of numerous articles After receiving the “Dr. Radical” award from and has received a good deal of funding from the graduate students this year, there was little the National Science Foundation and the else for Tom to accomplish---but alas, he is Environmental Protection Agency. not resting on his laurels (besides, they are tooitchy) and continues to pursue his eclectic interests in geography. Tom has been working with Dr. Larry Gorenflo, a biodiversity re- search scientist with Conservation Interna- Faculty and tional in Washington, DC on a major review article that examines the application of geo- Staff News graphic location theory in anthropology and archaeology for the Journal of Archaeologi- cal Research. Charles Aiken. Charles was a Tom and Peggy’s research on 30 participant in the James Agee Celebration held years of retail change in central Iowa is set to during April 2005. He led a walking tour of appear as a chapter in Ben Ofari-Amoah’s the setting of A Death in the Family, which is Beyond the Metropolis (University Press of largely in the Fort Sanders neighborhood. America). Another chapter contributor to that Humanities Tennessee, a state agency, volume is UT grad Criss Smith, who is an provided a grant for printing a multi-color assistant professor at Clemson University. The brochure of a self-guided tour. The brochures book covers a variety of issues regarding are at state and city welcome centers and are smaller urban places. Tom also wrote another part of an endeavor to encourage elite tourism book chapter to be published by Routledge in Tennessee. Charles has a few of the Press (2006) that focuses on the use of place brochures and will be glad to mail one to and popular culture in the plays and movies of interested persons. Neil Labute. Tom presented a paper based on Charles' book, William Faulkner and his preliminary research at the recent the American Landscape, has been accepted SEDAAG meeting in West Palm Beach, for publication in 2007 by the University of Florida. Tom continues his interest in music Georgia Press. Charles read the paper, “One geography and he and graduate student Sara Place, Three Industries: The Evolution of Beth Keough and UT grad Ola Johansson American Manufacturing 1800-2005,” at the organized two sessions on music geography 2006 National Meeting of the Association of for the Chicago AAG meeting. British music American Geographers in Chicago. The geographers George Revill, John Gold and paper discusses the three eras of American Andrew Leyshon will be presenting papers manufacturing illustrated by three industries there as will several other American geogra- near the Knoxville airport. phers. They should prove to be exciting Charles was to have given the ban- sessions. Tom is working with Ola quet address, “William Faulkner and the Johansson on a paper that examines the American Civil War,” at the 2005 joint meet- geographical aspects of the tours of musicians ing of the Pioneer Society of America and on the road to support their music. East Coast Historical Geographers at Louisi- And speaking of music…Tom and ana State University in October. A field trip to Peggy were able to catch up with Tom’s rock Page 6 New Orleans to view house types was plan- musician son Brian Bell when Weezer played Fences.” Peggy’s teaching responsibilities Nashville this summer. They spent some time include Cultural, Economic, World Regional, with Brian and Peggy (or “Peggy 2” as she is and the Geography of Tennessee. Last now referred to) touring the Nashville area summer she led a Tennessee Geographic and even took them to eat at the famous Alliance workshop for teachers preparing for Loveless Café. Not exactly health food, but the PRAXIS exam in geography as part of the without a doubt, a cultural experience that “No Child Left Behind” program. She has Brian and Peggy wouldn’t get in Southern served on two Knoxville community task California! As this article is being written, forces, one concerning the proposed comple- Weezer’s third single (“Perfect Situation”) tion of the James White Parkway, and the released off of their fifth album (Make second a planning committee for Hastie Park Believe) is number five on Billboard’s modern Natural Area. In her civilian life, Peggy rock chart. Tom’s daughter, Leia Bell, has volunteers for HABIT, an animal-assisted become a major figure in the world of music therapy organization run by the UT Vet poster art and produced the tour poster and School. She and “Sophie,” her Australian three T-shirt designs for the most recent Shepherd, visit with Alzheimer’s patients at a Weezer tour. She and her partner Phil local nursing home. Peggy still plays tennis Sherburne do their best to keep up with their when she can and has even gotten Tom out on two energetic young lads—Cortez, who just the court. Tom and Peggy have also been turned four, and Ivan, who will be two in taking some “Rails to Trails” bicycling adven- January. Leia is having a major showing of tures as part of an experiment to refute, once her one-of-a-kind artistic prints this month and and for all, “Intelligent Design.” her work can be viewed (and purchased— hint, hint) at her website (leiabell.com). Kurt Butefish continues in his role This past year Peggy Gripshover as coordinator of the Tennessee Geographic conducted research on such wide-ranging Alliance. This past year saw the Alliance topics as motorcycle culture, dog agility concentrate on getting Tennessee teachers diffusion, and the Chicago Cubs. She pre- prepared to meet the qualifications mandated sented a paper at the 2005 SEDAAG meeting by the No Child Left Behind Legislation. In on, “The Dragon,” a stretch of U.S. Highway 2004, the Alliance received a two-year grant 129 that straddles the Tennessee and North for $93,000 from the National Geographic Carolina state lines and has become a pilgrim- Education Foundation to design and host age site for motorcyclists and sports car workshops across the state to see that geogra- enthusiasts alike. Peggy’s 2005 AAG paper phy teachers in grades 7-12 meet the qualifi- examined the diffusion of dog agility from cations by the deadline of August 2006. Europe to the United States and the changing During the summer of 2005, the Alliance roles of companion animals in American hosted workshops in Memphis, Nashville, and families. She has also been busy doing Knoxville. During the summer of 2006, it will research for a paper she presented in a again host a workshop in Knoxville. Focus of special session on Chicago neighborhoods for the workshops has been preparing teachers to the 2006 AAG meeting being organized by UT pass the Geography PRAXIS exam, one of grads Mike Cornebise and Ola Johansson. the qualifying benchmarks for teachers. To Peggy’s paper focused on the cultural land- date, all of the teachers that have completed scape changes within the Lake View neigh- the workshop and taken the PRAXIS exam borhood around Wrigley Field known as have passed. The Alliance also hosted a one- “Wrigleyville.” This research will serve as the week workshop on Geography and Educa- basis for a book chapter that is set to appear tional Technology at Mt. Juliet High School in in an edited volume on the social history of the Mt. Juliet Tennessee during summer 2005. Chicago Cubs (Routledge Press 2006). In Eighteen teachers received special training in November, 2005 she presented a public software and web-based resources that will lecture in Jonesborough, TN, sponsored by help them add a spark to their teaching and Humanities Tennessee, on the cultural mean- satisfy the students insatiable appetites for all ing of fences as part of a Smithsonian Institu- things technological. tion traveling exhibit called, “Between Page 7 Anita Drever. Last summer Anita Quito, Ecuador as part of UT’s exchange completed a two year summer fellowship at program with that university. He continues the German Institute for Economic Research chairing the department’s undergraduate in Berlin. During that time she finished up the program committee, which oversaw extensive analysis for a project looking at the role of catalog changes to bring our offerings into ethnic networks and neighborhood geography conformity with the new Arts and Sciences in the job search process for immigrants. She curriculum, and he continues serving on the is hopeful that her findings will have a positive advisory board of Virginia Tech’s department impact on welfare to work programs in of geography. Germany. A recent article of Drever’s in Urban Carol Harden. Carol has ongoing Studies on ethnic neighborhoods in Germany research in East Tennessee and in the Ecua- has received considerable attention in both dorian Andes. Her work in the Andes focuses academic and political circles. The German on the water-retention properties of páramo Federal government commissioned a report on soils and the glacial history of Cajas National the state of immigrant integration in Germany Park, where old surfaces are well-preserved and Drever’s controversial findings in the under the páramo soil. She presented the Urban Studies article were favorably re- paper, “Cajas National Park as Water Source: viewed therein. Drever was invited in March Soil-water Relationships in a Glaciated, to join a small group of segregation experts Andean Watershed,” at the AAG meeting in from Germany and around Europe to provide Denver in April 2004. Following a month in input for another government commissioned Ecuador in May-June 2005, she submitted a report on immigrant segregation and integra- report to the National Park and in Sepember. tion in Germany. Drever will not be traveling 2005 presented the paper, “Glacial geomor- to Germany this summer, but she will continue phology and soil development in Cajas Na- her work on immigrant issues in Germany tional Park, Ecuadorian Andes” at the Sixth from this side of ‘the pond’ instead. International Conference on Geomorphology Drever’s research on Latino migration in Zaragoza, Spain. The paper is now under to Tennessee and the American South is also review for publication. She also presented going well. She received a professional “Soils and the Glacial History of Cajas Na- development award to study Spanish in tional Park, Ecuador” as a poster at the Cuernavaca, Mexico last year and she submit- SEDAAG meeting in West Palm Beach, ted an NSF grant to look at how changing Florida in Novovember 2005. She continues to labor recruitment strategies are affecting the pursue her interest in the relationships be- geography of Latino settlement in Tennessee tween headwater streams and their water- this winter. A book chapter she wrote on sheds, particularly in East Tennessee. This Latino migration to Tennessee will appear in year, she has been involved in the Beaver print this coming summer. Drever has enjoyed Creek Task Force and the Little River Asso- presenting her Latino migration research to ciation. community groups and getting both under- Carol was honored with the Distin- graduate and graduate students interested in guished Career Award of the AAG Mt. immigration issues. Geography Specialty Group at the 2005 meeting in Denver. Also in 2005, she was Ron Foresta. Ron chaired the elected as a national councilor of the AAG department’s search committee for an urban/ and completed a 3-year term as the Publica- economic geographer this spring. He finished tion Officer of the International Association of up the Land Between the Lakes book, which Geomorphologists. With former student Judy will go out to publishers this summer. A paper Grable, Carol has an article in press in Earth based on that research was presented at the Surface Processes and Landforms, and, with AAG meetings in Chicago in March. One of former student Glenn Hyman, a chapter on his students, Jen Rogalsky, will defend her South America in press in the forthcoming dissertation in May after several years teach- book in The Physical Geography of Latin ing in New York State. Last summer, Ron America. [T. Orme, T. Veblen and K. Young spent two weeks at the Universidad Andina in Page 8 (eds.) Oxford: Oxford University Press]. She has two additional articles and a book chapter the Costa Rican páramos. Other 2005 in review. publications include: Carol served as advisor for two Ph.D. Driese, S.G., Li, Z-H, and Horn, S.P. students who graduated in December 2005. Late Pleistocene and Holocene Climate and Lisa Boulton’s dissertation was “Spatio- Geomorphic Histories Interpreted from 23,000 temporal patterns of geomorphic adjustment in yr B.P. Paleosol and Floodplain Soils, South- channelized tributary streams of the lower eastern West Virginia, USA. Quaternary Hatchie River basin, West Tennessee.” She is Research 63: 136–149. now an Assistant Professor of Geography at Haberyan, K.A., and Horn, S.P. the U. of Alabama. Martin Lafrenz, now an 2005. Diatom Paleoecology of Laguna instructor at Portland State Univ., completed Zoncho, Costa Rica. Journal of his dissertation “A watershed classification Paleolimnology 33: 361–369. system based on headwater contributing areas Anchukaitis, K., and Horn, S.P. 2005. in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.” A 2000-year Reconstruction of Forest Distur- bance From Southern Pacific Costa Rica. Sally Horn. Sally traveled to Costa Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Rica in March 2005, along with Ken Orvis Palaeoecology 221: 35–54. and graduate student Scott Roberts, for field Kennedy, L.M., Horn, S.P., and Orvis, work funded by The A.W. Mellon Foundation. K.H. 2005. Modern Pollen Spectra from the Their goal was to add new sediment cores to Highlands of the Cordillera Central, Domini- the suite of samples from highland and low- can Republic. Review of Palaeobotany and land sites that are under study as part of Palynology 137: 51–68. efforts to document prehistoric human activity Orvis, K.H., Lane, C.S., and Horn, and climate change on Costa Rican ecosys- S.P. 2005. Laboratory Production of tems. In May Sally returned to Costa Rica as Vouchered Reference Charcoal From Small a Visiting Professor in the Laboratory of Woody Samples and Non-woody Plant Archaeology. While in Costa Rica she gave Tissues. Palynology 29: 1-11. several lectures and workshops and was made an honorary member of the Costa Rican C. W. (Bud) Minkel. Bud com- Anthropological Association, in recognition of pleted a two-year term as Chairman of the her efforts (along with collaborators and Board of Trustees of the South-East Consor- students) to understand the environments and tium for International Development (SECID) environmental impacts of early Costa Rican and continued to serve as President of the societies. U. S. National Section, Pan American Institute During the Summer and Fall of 2005, of Geography and History (PAIGH), a spe- Sally focused on soil and sediment coring at cialized agency of the OAS. He traveled to several sites in the Knoxville area and in Great Peru for the presentation of a new book, Smoky Mountains National Park. A number Analisis Urbano de Piura-Castilla, Peru, 2005, of students, faculty, and friends of the depart- which summarizes the results of a five-year ment assisted with the field work. research project on the boundary region Several publications on research in between Ecuador and Peru. In October 2005, Costa Rica and elsewhere finally appeared in he chaired a panel on the history of the 2005, including her co-edited book with Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers Maarten Kappelle of The Nature Conser- and presented a paper on “Background to vancy, “Páramos de Costa Rica” (http:// CLAG” at a meeting of that organization in www.inbio.ac.cr/ES/compras/carrito/ Morelia, Mexico. detalle_producto.phtml?146), which focuses on modern and ancient landscapes, biota, and Bruce Ralston. Bruce is currently human interactions on Costa Rica’s high, working on three GIS related projects: the treeless mountains peaks. The book contains Tennessee Overhill Project sponsored by several chapters authored by Sally, Ken Humanities Tennessee, the Legal Aid Internet Orvis, and former UT graduate student Mapping Project sponsored by the East Brandon League, and a photo by Carol Tennessee Legal Aid Society, and the KGIS Harden, who has also conducted research in software migration project. This year he has Page 9 been serving on several Boards of Directors and has re-upped for another three years. Still including the Tennessee Geographic Informa- only fair at golf and no fishing to report, John tion Council, Humanities Tennessee, and the says he needs to get out and do more hiking Tennessee Geographic Alliance. He also and fishing this year even though he recently serves on the United States Geographic went on a two day+ overnight hike to Mount Information Foundation Academic Panel, and LeConte. Judy, Karen, Ken and Angie along the Association of American Geographers with his field assistants Allen and Emma are Census Advisory Committee. This summer doing fine this year. Bruce will work on developing a new course on GIS database systems. He also hopes to Shih-Lung Shaw. Shih-Lung has work with his long-time friend and colleague, stayed busy and traveled a lot! After his stay Dr. Cheng Liu, on a book on GIS software in China during his leave from UT and an development. invited trip to The Netherlands for an Interna- tional Specialist Meeting on Information John Rehder. John begins his thirty- and Communications Technologies, Every- ninth year this fall at Tennessee. His book day Life and Urban Change, Shih-Lung Appalachian Folkways has been honored returned to Knoxville near the end of 2004. with two awards. In October 2004, The He then taught three courses in Spring 2005 Pioneer America Society awarded him with (including the first-time offer of GIScience the Fred Kniffen book award. As some of you Seminar) to make up the teaching load while know, Kniffen was John’s major professor at he was away. In March of 2005, Shih-Lung LSU in the 1960s so it was a special honor for was invited by the Transport Department of John to receive the Kniffen Prize. In 2005, the Hong Kong Government to offer a Geo- Association of American Publishers recog- graphic Information Systems for Transpor- nized his Appalachian Folkways with tation (GIS-T) Workshop to transportation honorable mention in the Sociology and managers, planners and engineers in Hong Anthropology category of awards. In the Kong. In April of 2004, he gave a paper at spring of 2005, his paper “ Hensley, Kentucky: the annual AAG meeting in Denver. Of good A Twentieth-Century Pioneer Folk Settle- news at the AAG meeting was that his Ph.D. ment“ was published in Material Culture, the student, Hongbo Yu, won the First Place of peer-reviewed journal of the Pioneer America Student Paper Competition of the GIS Spe- Society. cialty Group. This was the third consecutive John continues his research on the year that Dr. Shaw’s graduate students had ongoing book Tennessee’s Log Buildings for won a student paper award from either the the Center for American Places. His field Transportation Geography Specialty Group or research this year has taken him over much of the GIS Specialty Group of the AAG. At the Tennessee from Mountain City in the north- end of Spring 2005, Shih-Lung was invited east corner of the state to Giles County and back to Hong Kong by The Chinese Univer- beyond; and so far this year he has encoun- sity of Hong Kong to be a visiting professor. tered no more rattlesnakes and no meth labs, The Transport Department of Hong Kong whew! The book project is moving along Government also invited him to offer a second slowly with over 4,300 log structures in 42 GIS-T Workshop. During his five-week stay counties in the catch. At the moment, this is as in Hong Kong, he was also invited to give two far as the data will allow so he is now map- talks at Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou, ping and writing up the material. China. Shortly after his return to Knoxville, John’s grandchildren, Allen (7) and Shih-Lung went on another invited trip in July Emma (5) have been delightful recently of 2005 to deliver a lecture at the Spatial “ helping” him photograph some of the log Perspectives on Analysis for Curriculum structures up at the Museum of Appalachia Enhancement (SPACE) Workshop – GIS near Norris, Tennessee. In November he was and Spatial Modeling for the Undergradu- the Showcase speaker for the pregame ate Social Science Curriculum at The Ohio festivities prior to the football game with State University, Columbus, Ohio, which was Vandy. He still enjoys serving on the editorial funded by the U.S. National Science Founda- board for the University of Tennessee Press tion. In October of 2005, Shih-Lung was Page 10 invited to participate in a Peer Exchange and Jessica Tharpe, titled “An Empirical Study Specialist Meeting of GPS and Time- of Telecommuting Patterns in the Atlanta Geography Applications for Activity Region”, that is currently under review by Modeling and Microsimulation that was Urban Geography. Shih-Lung also has organized by the Center for Spatially Inte- worked with Hongbo Yu on a manuscript grated Social Science at University of Califor- submitted to International Journal of nia, Santa Barbara and sponsored by the U.S. Geographical Information Science and a Federal Highway Administration. In Novem- book chapter based on their paper submitted ber of 2005, he co-presented a paper with to the Research Symposium of Societies and Hongbo Yu at Research Symposium of Cities in the Age of Instant Access. Societies and Cities in the Age of Instant In the Geography Department, Shih- Access held on the campus of University of Lung continues to serve as Chair of the Utah, Salt Lake City. Graduate Program Committee and shares On the funded projects, Shih-Lung is responsibilities of managing the computer labs. working with Louis Gross (EEB), Michael He also chaired the search committee for a Berry (Computer Science) and Suzanne new faculty in Geographic Information Lenhart (Mathematics) on a three-year, $1.4 Science/Physical Geography and served as a million National Science Foundation (NSF) search committee member for another new project. In addition, he has an ongoing re- faculty in urban/economic geography. In search project to design and develop an addition, Shih-Lung serves on the editorial Environmental Justice GIS application for boards of Journal of Transport Geography Tennessee Department of Transportation. and Southeastern Geographer. Shih-Lung also recently received a UT Professional Development Award to work on Lydia Pulsipher. Lydia’s textbook, Space-Time GIS for Analyzing Population World Regional Geography: Global Issues, Migration Histories. Shih-Lung and Bruce Local Lives, W.H.Freeman, NYC (co- Ralston also are on a project team with authored with her son, Alex, with the essential CH2M HILL and ESRI that has been selected help of husband Conrad Goodwin) is now by Knox County/KGIS/KUB/City of Knoxville being revised for the 4th edition to come out in to design and develop a comprehensive GIS 2007. The book is used in nearly 200 colleges solution. In addition, Shih-Lung has a re- and universities in the U.S. and in several search grant proposal, with colleagues at other countries. This year the course for Hong Kong Baptist University and Hong which this book is used at UT, World Geogra- Kong University to develop spatiotemporal phy, was chosen as the focal point for the GIS analysis functions for infectious disease prominent UT lecture series, Conversations modeling (e.g., avian flu). This proposal is about World Affairs, which is part of the currently under review by Hong Kong Re- Quality Enhancement Project of the university. search Fund for the Control of Infectious Many of the 10 speakers featured are people Diseases (RFCID). Lydia came across while doing research for On publications, Shih-Lung has a co- the textbook. authored article with former student Andrew Lydia and her husband Mac have Dye, titled “A GIS-Based Spatial Decision restarted their work in Montserrat with a Support System for Tourists of the Great project on a 17th century ruin that will be the Smoky Mountains National Park”, that has center of the new post-volcano capital city for been accepted for publication in Journal of the island. Whenever possible they travel to Retailing and Consumer Services. He also Slovenia and Central Europe where Lydia has has an article of “Spatial Patterns of Domestic three graduate students doing their research. Passenger Transport and Competitive Situa- tions of Chinese Airlines”, co-authored with Will Fontanez, Henri Grissino- researchers at the Chinese Academy of Mayer, Ken Orvis, Pam Sharpe, and Science, published in Geo-Information Denise Stansberry were unable to contribute Science Journal (a Chinese journal with to this edition of the newsletter. However, English abstracts). In addition, Shih-Lung has please know that they are all well and remain a co-authored manuscript with former student integral to the success of the Department. Page 11 interests include land development on the urban/rural fringe and GIS. His current Graduate Student research is focused on the emerging use of decentralized wastewater treatment technol- News ogy and its potential for freeing development of traditional wastewater infrastructure constraints. Andy Baker is a first year Ph.D. student working under the tutelage of Tom Jeff Dahoda is an M.S. student Bell. He received his B.S. in Geography and focusing on GIS applications in water re- B.S. in Finance from Eastern Illinois Univer- sources, working with Carol Harden. His sity in the spring of 2003. In June 2005, Andy thesis, GIS Analysis of Factors Affecting completed his M.A. in Geography at Ohio Acidity in Crab Orchard Creek Watershed, University, successfully defending his thesis Cumberland and Morgan Counties, Tennessee, titled, “When the Engines No Longer Roar: A analyzes flow paths to sampling sites relative Case Study of North Wilkesboro, N.C. and the to the spatial distribution of factors affecting North Wilkesboro Speedway.” His thesis stream acidity in a watershed with a history of research was published in the Fall 2005 edition surface mining. He previously received a B.A. of Now & Then: The Appalachian Maga- in Geology from Miami University (Ohio, zine. Andy has presented his research on the 1980) and a M.S. in Exercise Physiology from historical geography of NASCAR at the 2005 the University of Wyoming (1996), entering Appalachian Studies Association. As a gradu- the Geography graduate program in 2003 ate student in the UT Geography Department, following a 16-year strength and conditioning Andy hopes to continue research in cultural coaching career. The spring and summer of and sports geography, adding a specialization 2005 Jeff worked on the Beaver Creek Land in Geographic Information Science. During the Use Mapping Project for the Tennessee summer of 2005, Andy instructed at Ivy Tech Valley Authority and University of Tennessee Community College in his hometown of Water Resources Research Center. In the Indianapolis, Indiana, teaching a course in previous summer of 2004 he did GIS mapping World/Regional Geography. for the Southeastern Water Policy Initiative, specifically mapping databases of elements Joe Burgess is a second-year M.S. important to clean coal power production for student working in the Paleoenvironmental the Southern States Energy Board. Previous Research Lab. His M.S. research will focus work experiences include Exxon Coal Re- on modern pollen distribution in lakes in Costa sources, Mobil Nufuels Exploration, ARCO Rica, as affected by distance from shore and and Chevron Exploration Divisions (oil & gas), other factors. These data are critical for The Wyoming State Archeologist Office, and interpreting signals of past environmental Larson-Tibesar Archeological Consulting, Inc. change in sediment cores. Joe visited study sites in October 2004 along with graduate Angela Danovi is a first year M.S. students Marty Arford and Zack Taylor. He student. She received her B.S. degree in was most impressed with the poisonous Plant and Soil Science concentrating in snakes he encountered. Environmental Sciences and Natural Re- sources from the College of Agriculture at the Kendrick Curtis is a second year Ph.D. University of Tennessee in May 2003. Her student. He graduated with a B.S. from the current interests are in physical geography and University of North Alabama in the spring of water quality. This year Angela’s research 2000. In December 2003 he graduated with a has involved analyzing relationships between M.S. in Geography from the University of sediment and water quality in Beaver Creek. Tennessee. From 2002 until 2004 Kendrick After completing her Bachelor’s degree, was employed as a Community Planner with Angela spent a year on the AmeriCorps water the Tennessee Department of Economic and quality team of Knoxville providing research Community Development’s Local Planning and data collection assistance to TDEC and Assistance Office. Kendrick’s research TVA. During that time, she also implemented Page 12 the Adopt-A-Watershed program within the Chad Hellwinckel is a third year Knox County Schools. Recently, Angela PhD. student. He received his M.S. in Agri- completed a six-month internship with Strata cultural Economics from the University of Environmental of Knoxville. Tennessee in 1996, and a B.S. in Economics and Urban Studies from St. Olaf College in Sarah Deane is a first year M.S. 1991. Chad has served as a Peace Corps student. She received her B.A in Geography volunteer in Panama and with the U.S. Forest from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in Service as a wilderness trail crew member in the spring of 2003. Her current focus is on New Mexico and a fire lookout in Arizona. GIS and Climatology. Currently she is work- Chad received world renown for breaking the ing on a USDA Forest Service project with consecutive back-flip record in January of TVA, involving research in the Cumberland 2001. Chad is currently working full time with Mountains region. Her thesis work will likely the University of Tennessee’s Agricultural focus on paleoclimatology and the study of Policy Analysis Center. His work focuses on mineral sediments using a scanning electron computer simulation model design and imple- microscope. From February of 2004 through mentation for agricultural land-use and policy August of 2005, Sarah worked as a mapping scenarios. Current projects include building a analyst in Fairfax, Virginia before she decided geographically precise terrestrial carbon to pursue her Master’s degree at UT. She is sequestration model, and a model to estimate interested in possibly pursuing a career in potential quantities of biomass available from conservation after graduation. agricultural lands for energy uses. He is married and has a three year-old son. Justin Hart is a second year Ph.D. student with concentrations in Biogeography Sara Beth Keough is a third year and Forest Dynamics under Henri Grissino- Ph.D. student. She received her B.S. in Mayer. He received a B.S. degree in Environ- History and her B.A. in Spanish from Jack- mental and Earth Science in 2002 from the sonville University in 2000, and her M.S. in University of Memphis. In 2004, he received a Geography from Virginia Tech in 2003. Her M.S. degree with concentrations in Biogeog- research interests lie in urban/economic raphy and Environmental Science under Dr. geography, music and cultural geography, with David Shankman at the University of Ala- an emphasis on Canada. Sara Beth’s disserta- bama. His thesis research investigated the tion research looks at how local music radio viability of disjunct eastern hemlock popula- programming in Newfoundland, Canada tions at its southern boundary in central influences local and regional identity. She Alabama. Justin’s Ph.D. research concerns currently teaches World Regional Geography disturbance dynamics in secondary hardwood and has served as a guest speaker on music forests on the Cumberland Plateau. The geography topics with the Tennessee Geo- results of this study will be implemented into graphic Alliance. This past summer, Sara Beth landscape level conservation efforts for the attended the Canadian and Australian meeting region coordinated by multiple private, state, of the International Association for the Study and federal agencies. In addition to his Ph.D. of Popular Music in St. John’s, Newfoundland, research, Justin has a number of ongoing and she has presented numerous papers at the projects including: documenting the cumulative SEDAAG and AAG meetings. In her spare effects of alien species on forest decline in the time, Sara Beth can be found running, road southeastern U.S., relating vegetation patterns biking, hiking, or playing trumpet in a local to physiography, documenting forest change in community band. an East Tennessee natural area, quantifying the influence of charcoal hearths on ridgetop Chad Lane is a third year Ph.D. forest communities on the Western Highland candidate. He received his M.S. in Geogra- Rim, and comparing stand characteristics of phy here at the University of Tennessee in the old and second growth forests in the Tennes- spring 2003 and received his B.S. in Environ- see Valley. mental Science from the University of Denver in the spring of 2001. Chad is interested in human-environment interactions, variations in Page 13 tropical vegetation through time, and climate UT, Evan was awarded an NSF Graduate change. Past variations in climate have had Fellowship Honorable Mention, a Biogeogra- drastic impacts on human populations and phy Specialty Group of the Association of vegetation worldwide and will continue to do American Geographers Research Grant, so well into the future. Understanding these Honorable Mention in the Biogeography climate variations and their environmental Specialty Group of the Association of Ameri- impacts is essential for predicting and prepar- can Geography Master’s Student Paper ing for future climatic changes. Chad’s study Competition, two Stuart K. McCroskey sites are small lakes located at mid-elevations Memorial Fund Research Grants, and the on the southern flank of the Cordillera Central Robert G. Long Outstanding Graduate Student in the Dominican Republic. He is analyzing Award from the Department of Geography. stable isotopes in organic matter and calcare- He also greatly enjoyed his time as a Graduate ous deposits, fossil pollen grains, and fossil Research and Graduate Teaching Assistant charcoal fragments in sediment cores from for his first three semesters and as the Head multiple lakes to reconstruct human, climate, Graduate Teaching Assistant his final semes- and vegetation history. His dissertation ter. Evan was involved with several research research grew from a National Geographic projects conducted by Henri Grissino-Mayer Society-funded project on environmental and the personnel of the Laboratory of Tree- history in the Dominican Republic directed by Ring Science, and also initiated an age- Professors Ken Orvis and Sally Horn. Chad structure analysis of the forests in the Seven is also co-advised by Dr. Claudia Mora in the Islands Wildlife Refuge on the French Broad Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. River in eastern Tennessee. He bids a fond Chad was awarded a Yates Dissertation farewell to the faculty, staff, and students of Fellowship from the University of Tennessee the UT Geography Department as he contin- this year for his dissertation research. He ues his graduate education as a Ph.D. student, was also very excited to receive two disserta- University Graduate Fellow, and EPA STAR tion grants this year, one from the Association Graduate Fellow in the Geography Depart- of American Geographers (AAG) and one ment at the University of Minnesota. from the Biogeography Specialty Group of the AAG. In addition, Chad was elected to be the Jonathan Law is a first-year M.S. first ever Graduate Student Representative for student. He graduated summa cum laude the Biogeography Specialty Group of the from Auburn University in December of 2004 AAG. Chad is currently the Head Graduate with a B.A. in Geography. He is interested in Teaching Assistant for Geography 131: many topics, such as gentrification and urban Geography of the Natural Environment. sprawl, and his thesis will focus on topics relating to urban geography. He has worked Evan Larson successfully defended as an intern with the City of Columbia, SC his M.S. thesis entitled “Spatiotemporal Planning Department and is a member of the Variations in the Fire Regimes of Whitebark Phi Beta Kappa honorary. Pine (Pinus albicaulis Engelm.) Forests, Western Montana, USA, and Their Manage- Xumei Liu is a first-year M.S. ment Implications” in the fall of 2005, and will student. She received her Bachelor Degree in graduate with an M.S. in Geography and a Surveying and Mapping Engineering from graduate minor in Environmental Policy in the China University of Geosciences in the winter of 2005. His graduation will culminate a summer of 2003. Her current focus is on GIS, short but exciting career at The University of transportation and urban geography. Upon her Tennessee, during which he garnered exten- arrival in August 2005, she was highly im- sive knowledge (and hopefully wisdom) from pressed by the gorgeous landscapes in the his committee of Henri Grissino-Mayer, Sally U.S., especially in the southern part of the Horn, Ken Orvis, and Dave Feldman, and country. Currently, she is working as a Teach- from other professors whom he was fortunate ing Assistant for Geography 101. She is enough to have worked with while at the same fascinated with Geography and determined to time exploring the area and mountains that dedicate her life to Geography study and surround Knoxville. During his two years at teaching. Page 14 David Mann is a second-year Ph.D. to study Spanish in central Mexico. He also student. His M.A. research focused on helped to coordinate Geography Awareness dendroarcheological investigations at the Week in November 2005. Each semester, Swaggerty Blockhouse in Cocke County, Paul has enjoyed delivering a guest lecture Tennessee. His current focus is on environ- about his travels in Thailand and Burma to a mental processes in the Subalpine ecosystem section of Geography 101. of western Montana. Specifically he is researching the response by high-elevation Hal Millegan is a first year Ph.D. trees to both recent and past climate variability student. He received his B.S. in Civil Engi- caused by oceanic-atmospheric circulation neering from Texas A&M University in the patterns (such as the Pacific Decadal Oscilla- Spring of 1980 and his M.S. in Civil Engineer- tion) which operate across hemispheric spatial ing in the Fall of 1997. His Masters Thesis scales. His doctoral dissertation assesses how was “An Assessment of Potential for climate shifts have caused treelines to ad- Benefit from Integrating Geographic vance upslope or retreat downslope in the Information Systems Technology into Life Northern Rocky Mountains. Objectives of his Cycle Management of Infrastructures; A research include the assessment of short-term Focus for Infrastructure Management (<100 yrs) variability in air temperatures in a Practice,” A&M Press, 1997. high elevation mountain ecosystem, develop- Some of his published articles include: ment of an understanding of the response by “How to Save Time and Money With a trees to monthly and seasonal climate variabil- GIS”, Local Government Agenda Magazine, ity, and the reconstruction of the climatic with Rebecca Von Gotten, and “GIS — An history and variability of the ecosystem as Old Dog with New Tricks”, Milepost Maga- they relate to broad-scale changes in ocean- zine. atmospheric circulation patterns. In the Some Committees and Boards on summer of 2004, David conducted fieldwork which he has served are: Smithwick Water in western Montana to collect wood samples Supply Corporation, Board of Directors, from living trees and remnant wood at high (2000-2002), Capitol Area Planning Council elevation sites. Three hundred sixty one (CAPCO) GIS Planning Council (1996-97), samples were collected at eight sites. Wood Western Infrastructure Leadership Institute, samples were processed during August 2004 Board of Directors, University of New and resulted in a base line tree-ring chronology Mexico and Arizona State University (1993- dating from AD 1250 to AD 2003 in western 94), and Texas Department of Information Montana. Resources Advisory Committee, (Member Subcommittee on GIS Application Spatial Data Paul McDaniel is a second year Standards; 1991-92). M.S. student. He received his B.S. in Geog- Hal is a Registered Professional raphy with minors in History and Geographic Engineer (P.E.), licensed to practice in Ten- Information Science from Samford University nessee and Texas. He has worked in state in the spring of 2004. As a human geographer and local government, academia, and private Paul’s research interests focus on migration, practice over the last 25 years. particularly to the U.S. South. He is also interested in the regional geography of Asia Melany Noltenius is a second year and Latin America. His master’s thesis Ph.D. student. She received her B.S. in research examines immigrant-owned entre- Communications in 1990 and M.S.P. in preneurial establishments in Birmingham, Planning in 2004 from the University of Alabama. At the SEDAAG conference in Tennessee. Her thesis was titled “Transit 2005, Paul presented a paper, “‘¿Cuál es su Oriented Development, Park and Ride, and trabajo?’: Labor Characteristics of the Transit Station Placement along Bus Rapid Hispanic Community in Birmingham, Ala- Transit Corridors: A Study of the Sevier bama”. He received an outstanding teaching County, Tennessee Route.” She hopes to assistant award in spring of 2005, and in the continue studying transportation planning summer of 2005 he received a grant from the issues, specifically the transportation options McClure Fund for the Study of World Affairs selected during emergency evacuations. She Page 15 placed first in the 2003 district wide technical paleoenvironmental data to help understand paper competition sponsored by the the relationships between prehistoric humans Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), and their environments. This past summer and has led a discussion on the possibility of Zack taught an introductory physical geogra- passenger rail in East Tennessee at the phy class and mentored students for the Math Tennessee Chapter ITE meeting. In 2005 she and Science Regional Center at UT. His won the 2004 Geospatial Information & mentoring class evaluated the effects of Technology Association (GITA) scholarship. stream restoration at IJAMS Nature Center in South Knoxville. Scott Roberts is a second year M.S. student. He received his B.S. in Geography Elizabeth Trail is a second year from Appalachian State University in the M.S. student. She received her B.S. in spring of 2002. He is currently an intern with Political Science from the University of Tennessee Valley Authority’s Environmental Tennessee in the summer of 2003. Her Impacts and Controls division. His research current focus is the urban form of post interests include examining the relationships apartheid South African cities. Specifically she among dynamic landscapes and watershed is researching the effect of national and local resources and biogeographical patterns, as policies on the spatial form of Cape Town. well as the use of Geographic Information She is using GIS to map new development and Systems for environmental modeling. He is informal settlements data and is finding the conducting an on-going assessment of the apartheid layout still very entrenched. This influence of hemlock on riparian environmen- past summer she worked in MCA planning tal conditions and the potential impacts to offices in Cape Town, South Africa. She dealt riparian ecosystems from the decline and loss mainly with local economic development and of hemlock in Great Smoky Mountains Na- urban growth boundaries in various cities in tional Park. This study is being funded by the the Western Cape Province. Tennessee Valley Authority and the Carlos C. Campbell Fellowship. Chris Underwood is a second year M.S. student. He received his B.S. in Envi- Allison Stork is an M.S. student ronmental Health from East Tennessee State working with Professors Horn, Orvis, and University in the fall of 1997. His current Grissino-Mayer to unravel the environmental focus is on dendroclimatology. Specifically, he history of Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas. is interested in climate reconstruction in the She received her B.A. in Geography and Pacific Northwest. Upon finishing his M.S. English from the State University of New research, Chris will move into the Ph.D. York at Geneseo in May 2003. Allison is program here at the University of Tennessee, conducting pollen and charcoal analyses of where he will continue his research in dendro- sediment cores, from West Pond, in the chronology. He is an active member of AAG Paleoenvironmental Research Laboratory to and SEDAAG. He is a volunteer with the determine vegetation change, fire history, and Tennessee Geographic Alliance, assisting with any anthropogenic influences on the land- its workshops as well as with the annual scape. One goal is to try to tie the fire record Geographic Awareness Week activities. in the sediments to tree-ring evidence of fire in Currently, along with completing his M.S. the surrounding watershed. She is also requirements, he is working on a dendrochro- working with Dr. Tankersley at TVA, doing nology project with the United States Forest environmental GIS. Service in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, Oregon. Zack Taylor received his M.S. in Geography from UT in August and immedi- Saskia L. van de Gevel is a Ph.D. ately began Ph.D. work. His thesis recon- candidate working in the Laboratory of Tree- structed 5000 years of environmental history Ring Science under Henri Grissino-Mayer. using a sediment core from a lake in lowland She received her B.S. degree in Forest Bolivia. He is still trying to identify a disserta- Science from Pennsylvania State University in tion topic, but is interested in using 2000 while working on dendroecological Page 16 projects in Dr. Marc Abram’s Forest Ecology Andrew Wunderlich is a third-year Laboratory. In 2002, Saskia received a M.S. M.S. student in Geography. He received a degree in Forest Ecology from Southern B.A. in Geography from the University of Illinois University under Dr. Charles M. Tennessee in the spring of 2002. His graduate Ruffner. Her thesis research investigated the work has focused primarily on urban planning influence of land-use history on the forest and development utilizing GIS analysis. development of the Illinois Ozark Hills. Saskia Current projects include overseeing GIS has also worked on research projects in analysis and cartographic production for the eastern hardwood forests (Harvard Forest, Beaver Creek Green Infrastructure design Petersham, Massachusetts) and longleaf pine plan. This project is part of an ongoing effort ecosystems (Tall Timbers Research Station, to plan and manage the natural and community Tallahassee, Florida). Saskia has been in- resources of a rapidly developing suburban volved with many research projects at UT’s watershed in north/northwest Knox County. Laboratory of Tree-Ring Science including The plan is being developed under the guid- dating historical structures and quantifying ance of two professors in the School of land-use history through forest composition Architecture and Design at UT. In the fall of changes. In July 2005, Saskia volunteered as a 2003 and spring of 2004, Andrew was an group leader at the North American intern and contract employee of the National Dendroecological Fieldweek in McCall, Idaho. Geographic Society Maps Division as a GIS Currently, her dissertation research investi- analyst at their headquarters in Washington, gates the complex stand dynamics and distur- D.C. Projects there included page maps and bance history of endangered whitebark pine foldout supplement maps featured in the ecosystems in the northern Rocky Mountains. National Geographic magazine, as well as data Saskia’s whitebark pine research is supported quality control and creation of thematic maps by a National Science Foundation Doctoral for the National Geographic Atlas of the Dissertation Research Improvement Grant. World, Eighth Edition. Additionally, Andrew This Fall semester, she is teaching Geography has worked as a cartographer in the Carto- 131: Introduction to the Natural Environment. graphic Services Laboratory since the summer Saskia has presented papers at AAG meetings of 2000, and is currently a teaching assistant in New Orleans, Philadelphia, Denver and the for the introductory cartography class. Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation meeting in Glacier National Park, and has helped present outreach talks to community groups over the past year. Saskia also re- Degrees Granted Since 2004 ceived the Department of Geography’s Robert (Through December 2005) E. Long Outstanding Graduate Student award in May 2005. The following is a list of the Ph.D. and Masters Degrees awarded by the Department Jonathan Witcoski is a second-year since 2004. The person granted the degree, M.S. student. He earned a B.A. in Geogra- dissertation or thesis title, and committee chair are phy and Anthropology from Pennsylvania included. State University in 2004. His research interests are in GIS, cultural geography, and PhDs archaeology. He worked as intern for Na- tional Geographic in the fall of 2003, and Johansson, Ola B. (Aug. 2004) obtained the McClure Grant to learn Greek in Changing Governance, Business Elites, and Local Athens, Greece. He was also one of the 2005 Regulations in Nashville Geography Awareness week Coordinators for Ron Foresta the Tennessee Geographic Alliance. He has worked on archaeological projects in South- Foraker, Margaret D. (Aug. 2004) eastern Oregon and Maine, and in Tennessee A Socio-spatial Analysis of Rural Poverty in East has worked or volunteered on projects in the Tennessee Cumberland Gap National Park, Falls Creek Charles Aiken Falls State Park, and Townsend. Continued on Page 20 Page 17 Students and Faculty in Action

[Left] Carol Harden high in Cajas National Park in the Ecuadorian Andes. Carol was studying the water- retention properties of páramo soils and the glacial history of the National Park. A Fulbright and UT’s Global Environmental Change Research Group provided funding support for the project.

[Below] Graduate student Jason Graham sieving soil charcoal samples in the Advanced Physical Geography Teaching Lab in the Burchfiel Geography Building.

[Above] Eight students from Anita Drever’s Fall ’05 Urban Geography class tour the Monterey Mushroom facility in Monterey, TN. Robert Moore (white shirt), Quality Assurance Manager for Monterey Mushroom, hosted the class. Ken Orvis (far right) was along for the ride. The trip allowed the students to observe the kind of work being done by Latinos in East Tennessee as well as meet with workers to discuss their immigration experience.

Page 18 [Above] Bringing up submerged, subfossil wood for tree-ring analysis from a lake in the Bahamas as [Right] Undergraduate part of research funded by Jim Sexton recovering a the National Geographic soil core in Great Smoky Society. From L to R: Mountains National Sarah Deane, Allison Stork, Park, as part of a study and Ken Orvis. by Sally Horn and Henri Grissino-Mayer of charcoal in park soils as evidence of fire history.

[Left] Sampling the mud- water interface core from a lake in the Bahamas, as part of research on Holocene climate history funded by a grant to Sally Horn, Ken Orvis, and Henri-Grissino-Mayer from the National Geographic Society. Photo shows R to L: Ken Orvis and graduate students Sarah Deane and Allison Stork. Page 19 Degrees...Continued from Page 17 Larson, Evan R. (Dec. 2005) Spatiotemporal Variations in the Fire Regimes Yu, Hongbo (Aug. 2005) of Whitebark Pine (Pinus albicaulis Engelm.) Temporal GIS Design of an Extended Time- Forests, Western Montana, USA, and Their geographic Framework for Physical and Management Implications Virtual Activities Henry Grissino-Mayer Shih-Lung Shaw

Boulton, Mary Alice (Dec. 2005) Spatio-temporal Patterns of Geomorphic Adjustment in Channelized Tributary Streams Alumni Updates of the Lower Hatchie River Basin, West Tennessee. We heard from a number of our Carol Harden alumni after the request went out in the 2005 edition of the Newsletter. Some sent Lafrenz, Martin D. (Dec. 2005) brief updates (below) and a couple sent A Watershed Classification System Based on letters with fond remembrances of their time Headwater Contributing Areas in Great at UT (following pages). Thank you for Smoky Mountains National Park letting us know how you are doing. If you Carol Harden would like to provide an update for the ’07 newsletter, just email it to Kurt Butefish at Masters [email protected]. or complete the form on page 23 and mail it to the department. Dye, Andrew S. (Aug. 2004) Developing Habitat Suitability Models: An Ben Bayless Example from Great Smoky Mountains B.A. 1984 National Park, Tennessee and North Carolina, USA, Using the Land Snail Vitrinizonites Ben wrote that he is still flying for Latissimus Lewis FedEx as a co-pilot on MD-11s, mostly on Henri Grissino-Mayer international routes. He now lives in Colum- bia, TN. Ralston, David M. (Aug. 2004) Non-thesis Project - GIS Software Applica- Derrick T. LeSueur tion Design, Customization, and Implementa- B.A. 1989 tion. Shih-Lung Shaw Derrick has worked with United Parcel Service since 1986. He married the Jolly, Brooks A. (Dec. 2004) former Karen Porter in 2000. Karen is also a The Effectiveness of the Chemical Perturba- UTK alumnus (B.A. 1985, Biology) and tion Index for Monitoring Water Quality in currently works for the University in Tele- Three Mixed-use Urban Watersheds, Knox- phone Services. ville, Tennessee Carol Harden Kim Pilarski Hall, Kelley Ann (May 2005) M.S. 1996 The Transition to Neotraditionalism: The Case of Huntersville, North Carolina I have been working as the Senior Ron Foresta Wetland biologist with TVA’s Natural Heritage Project since 1997, in charge of wetland Schlachter, Kyle J. (Aug. 2005) assessment for TVA projects across the 7- Macroscopic Sedimentary Charcoal as a state TVA region. My son Ian is now (2004- Proxy for Past Fire in Northwester Costa 2005) a freshman at the University of the Rica South in Sewanee, TN studying Environmental Sally Horn Studies and running track and cross country. Page 20 My daughter Alex will be a freshman next year (2005-2006) at Mars Hill College, where and Diego Garcia. For example, I developed she received a scholarship to play NCAA Div. a comprehensive plan for over 15,000 acres of II soccer. My parents are healthy and happy land owned by the Department of Hawaiian and living in Naples, FL where my dad is Home Lands in Kauai. I am now living in helping Dr. Jack Benhart (John Benhart’s dad) Montclair, New Jersey with my husband and research a book on development in Collier two sons. Currently, I am working for a County and it’s impact on the environment. planning firm specializing in affordable hous- My dad at age 82 is enthusiastically serving as ing, community planning, and grant writing. Dr. Benhart’s tour guide and “regional advi- Despite the change in climate, I am happy sor.” with my new life in Jersey.

C.Bickley Foster Blake Sartin B.A . Geography, 1952 B.A. 1996, MIA ABT student 2818 N. Edwards Street 1280 Echo Trail Wichita, KS 67204-4621 Watkinsville, GA 30677 [email protected]

I have been employed as the GIS Although you probably are hoping to Manager for the Northeast Georgia Regional hear about the career activities of recent development Center in Athens, GA since graduates, I thought some might find it inter- October 2001. I serve as the primary GIS esting to look back 52 years from a 1952 contact for 12 counties and 54 cities, which graduate. [Mr. Foster sent this letter to the equals lots of questions. Also busy with plenty Department in February of 2005 – Editor] of GIS development projects, as well as After my B.A. in geography, I was encour- training intern staff on the care and feeding of aged by a woman professor and the director GPS units. I was also one of the first group to of the Tennessee State Planning Commission receive the GISP certification in October to go to the University of North Carolina, one 2003. When I’m not at work, my wife Tonya of the five colleges teaching city planning at and I are staying busy with two young’uns, 5 that time. This was somewhat unique be- and 2. We also are expecting a third (and cause geography did not appear to position a final!) in early November, so we are gearingup person for employment other than teaching. I for a hectic winter. Still surviving in Bulldog was the only geography graduate in the Country, but always taking weekend trips back Planning Course. Most students were from to Tennessee; in fact, more trips than should liberal arts. I naively thought that I could be considered healthy. work for TWA and travel the world! After receiving my MCRP at U.N.C., I worked 19 Jessica Wall (formerly Jessica Tharpe) years as a planner/director: for Bucks County, M.S. 2003 Pennsylvania when it was the fourth fastest growing county in the U.S.; for Lancaster Jessica is GIS Coordinator at County, PA., for Wichita-Sedgwick County, ARCADIS in Atlanta, Georgia. She wrote KS; and then for Campus Planner of Wichita Dr. Shaw to thank him “…for all the time you State University. For the past 32 year, I have took with me making sure I was prepared to operated Foster & Associates, Planning take on real world GIS.” She is happy to Consultants during which we’ve worked for report that her department is currently under- over 100 municipalities in Kansas. In 1984, I going rapid growth. received my law degree from Washburn University. My point is – geography gave me Megan York a great start in my employment career – and M.A. 1997 as an avocation, my wife and I have traveled to 27 countries. We find life more interesting I recently moved back to the mainland and can relate to the world better because we after living in Honolulu for seven years. While are global minded people. in Honolulu, I worked in affordable housing Now for the reason I decided to and as an urban planner. I had the opportunity respond to the invitation for “news.” Having to work on diverse projects in Hawaii, Japan, Page 21 read the [2005] Department Newsletter with Luisa Freeman considerable interest, I am amazed and UTK Geography Master’s degree, 1983 pleased that the students and faculty are engaged in so many different fields of geogra- Greetings UTK Geographers! phy for study and research. Not only is geography a wonderful background for Sorry I have been out of touch for so employment today, but it provides a personal long. I really enjoy receiving the departmental perspective for the dynamics of living in the newsletter and reading about faculty, alumni world. I think that world geography should be and student activities. Seems like the physical a prerequisite introductory class for all under- plant is a far cry from when I was there in the graduate degrees. late 70s (very impressive!), and that the A little more history. Our classes enthusiasm and intellectual capacity are still as were made more interesting at the time by the strong as ever. I need to come visit, perhaps insight and stories of veterans from W.W.II. later this year. Tell me when would be a good Whereas the professors had not always time. Are you still keeping an Advisory traveled as much due to the war and post-war Committee of alumni? I would love to speak to conditions, the veterans were often called on the students if an opportunity presents itself – to provide an additional learning experience. particularly if a post-lecture cocktail party is One veteran had been captured by the Ger- also involved. mans near the end of the war and marched I have stayed firmly within energy across Germany at night while staying in barns research throughout the past 20 years (!) during the daytime. With the Russians ap- since leaving UTK Geography. The late 70s proaching from the east, the prisoners were energy efficiency movement has maintained turned around and marched back westward momentum, waxing and waning with the until finally liberated. He had first hand various administrations, but a constant in the knowledge of German agriculture and particu- utility industry. I have been working as an larly the potato skin soup and boiled pig’s liver independent consultant to electric and gas he was fed that actually kept him healthy. utilities in the U.S., regulatory agencies here For the students learning to use GIS and overseas and more recently for a few mapping, I am reminded in my cartography bigger organizations such as The World Bank class that I researched and made a dot map of and United Nations Development Program. (I the density of mules in Tennessee by counties mean programme.) While throughout this time based on 1950 Census data. This was an I have continued to evaluate energy programs important indicator of socioeconomic condi- as my bread and butter, my more recent work tions in that county. The dots had to be has involved capacity building and training of completely round and I was proud of my regulatory staffs at nascent government efforts. Since the class was immediately agencies that are being formed as govern- after lunch, I had to carry my map to the ment-owned energy sectors undergo cafeteria. Now while I may have forgotten privatization. (That is, privatisation.) Editorial the major cash crop of Columbia (not cocaine quirks aside, this international work has been then) from my college education, I will never the most fun of all, taking me to South Africa forget that I got gravy on my map in the lunch and Egypt several times each, and also to line. The professor was an understanding exotic spots such as Zambia, the Czech person and I received an A grade, became a Republic and Albany, New York. Phi Kappa Phi honoree and learned to never I can hear Sid Jumper asking me, place food or drink near an important map! “But what’s geographic about all of that?” My congratulations to the students (Bless him, he never did quit needling me who chose to major in geography. You can about my undergraduate degree in Economics, look forward to a productive, interesting and but I loved him anyway…) Well, the skill sets enjoyable life. for one – all those Quant Methods courses so ably taught by Bruce, and the Urban Geogra- phy concepts for another, thanks to Tom Bell. I do a lot of primary research in my evaluation work, and always examine whether geo- Page 22 graphic differences exist in acceptance rates, communicate relatively technical results in behavior, market accessibility and other clear, simple language for policymakers, variables when examining the impact of a regardless of the fancy or not-so-fancy technology, program or policy. In my work methods used to get there. So thanks too overseas, what is always most fascinating are must go to Charles Aiken and Singleton the more extreme differences in energy sector Station Road, which taught me not only to challenges that exist in urban versus rural observe with a careful eye, but to be able to contexts – everything from technology, tell about it with a good story. delivery systems, governmental policies to I’ve been living in the Washington, populations’ socio-demographics and even DC area for the past ten years, working at languages. These are great, interesting and home and being a mom to my 8-year-old son fun research challenges and I hope to keep at Sammy. I hope you are all well and thriving them for many more years to come. under Chairman Bruce. My very best wishes To mention yet one more UTK to you and give me a holler as to when might professor, I must note that the basis of my be a good time to visit. Don’t hesitate to call career success has been in an ability to me either if you are ever in town – it would be fun to catch up. Please Keep Us Up To Date

Please share your news with us, and other alumni, especially if you have a new address. Return this form to Kurt Butefish, 304 Burchfiel Geography Building, Knoxville, TN 37996-0925, or email to [email protected]. We’ll include your update in the next newsletter.

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The Newsletter of the University of Tennessee Department of Geography

Department of Geography U.S. Postage University of Tennessee PAID 304 Burchfiel Geography Building The Univeristy Knoxville, TN 37996-0925 of Tennessee

E01-1038-001-06 Spring 2006