Geography News and Events
Mammoth Study by Graduate Student Jacquelyn Gill and Team Attracts Global News Coverage
November 20, 2009
A study published in Science led by UW-Madison Department of Geography graduate student Jacquelyn Gill has attracted local, national, and global news coverage. Co-authored with John W. Williams, Stephen T. Jackson, Katherine B. Lininger, and Guy S. Robinson, the study analyzes dung fungus Sporormiella to establish the megafaunal decline predated Younger Dryas cooling, enhanced fire regimes, and the proposed extraterrestrial impact event.
Read the full text of the article in Science, "Pleistocene Megafaunal Collapse, Novel Plant Communities, and Enhanced Fire Regimes in North America". The study was picked up and covered by various news outlets:
- Read the New York Times story: "New Data Shed Light on Large-Animal Extinction "
- Read and listen to the story on NPR: "Fungus Provides Clues To North American Extinctions"
- Read BBC News: "Dung helps reveal why mammoths died out"
- Read the UW-Madison News coverage: "After mastodons and mammoths, a transformed landscape"
- A Google News feeder also picks up numerous other news sources.
GIS Day Expo – Friday, November 20th
October 21, 2009
On Friday, November 20th the Department of Geography will host a GIS Day Expo in the Memorial Union from 9-3. GIS Day is an international day of education about Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and geography. Over 40 organizations will share how they are using GIS for management, decision-making, planning, spatial analysis, mapping and education. Of course this includes remote sensing, cartography and related geospatial technologies. Over 300 people are expected to attend.
We invite your organization or department to participate in this outreach event to share your GIS research, applications or resources with the UW campus community and general public! Of course, this includes remote sensing, cartography and peripheral technologies such as GPS. Participation is free!
There are many ways to be involved. You can hold a booth, give a presentation (there are two tracks planned for general and professional audiences), submit to the map gallery, hold a special interactive activity, or all of the above! We are particularly interested in showcasing GIS applications in the areas of public health and alternative energy this year.
This event will be advertised and open to the general public but we will also do targeted outreach. The youth education this year will focus on high school kids. Other target groups are the UW campus, the state legislature, non-profit organization, and K-12 educators.
If you are interested, please fill out and return the participant form to Karen Tuerk at kstuerk@wisc.edu.
Read more about the GIS Day Expo at UW-Madison.
MadGeogNews – Issue 69, 2008-2009
October 17, 2009
MadGeogNews Issue 69, which covers news updates and stories from the Department of Geography and Science Hall from summer of 2008 through the summer of 2009, is now available for download.
This issue features stories and articles, many of which are not previously available in the online news, contributed by Science Hall faculty, staff, students, alumni, and emeriti. New department Chair Prof. Bob Kaiser welcomes readers with the traditional "letter from the Chair."
Prof. Emeritus William Denevan initiated, named, and edited the first MadGeogNews in November, 1981.
This issue of MadGeogNews was compiled and designed by Ph.D student and department webmaster Richard Donohue.
Prof. Bill Cronon Stars in PBS Special The National Parks
October 9, 2009
Prof. Bill Cronon – Frederick Jackson Turner and Vilas Research Professor of History, Geography, and Environmental Studies at UW-Madison – recently starred in a Ken Burns' PBS special, The National Parks.
Drawing on a career dedicated to thinking about the relationships between humans, Nature, and the American landscape – as well as his early childhood experiences visiting America's National Parks – Cronon delighted audiences around the country with his insightful and eloquent stories of US history.
Read the Ithmus article, "UW Prof. Bill Cronon stars in Ken Burns' The National Parks on PBS".
Also, view excerpts of the episodes from the PBS special The National Parks.
UW Geography Alumni to Give Talks on Campus
October 7, 2009
On Thursday October 8th at 4 pm, Alex Diener, (Ph.D., 2003) will give a talk entitled "One Homeland or Two: The Nationalization and Transnationalization of Mongolia's Kazakhs" in 206 Ingraham Hall (please see this pdf for Diener's talk at the CREECA Lecture Series.
Alex will also meet with undergrads, grads and anyone else wishing to talk with him informally about his doctoral and postdoctoral experiences, and careers in geography. This informal talk will be in 450 Science Hall beginning 12:15 on Friday, Oct. 9.
Karen Till (Ph.D., 1996) will be speaking on campus at the 42nd Wisconsin Workshop, The Wall Came Down: On the 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall. This event will be fron November 5-7, 2009 the Pyle Center, 702 Langdon St.
.Prof. Joe Mason's Dune Research Highlighted in UW-Madison News and NSF
October 6, 2009
Prof. Joe Mason's research into the dunefields along the desert margin of northern China have gained the attention of both the UW-Madison News and the NSF. Mason investigates changes in the extent of the mobile dunes over the past few decades using remote sensing, in addition to reconstructing similar changes over millennial timescales using geologic evidence.
- Read the UW-Madison News story: Sand dunes reveal unexpected dryness during heavy monsoon
- See the story covered by the NSF: Ancient China's Sand Dunes Reveal Unexpected Dryness During Heavy Monsoon Rains
Prof. Mason delivered a talk on this research this past February for the Yi-Fu Tuan Lecture Series.
Po-Yi Hung Awarded 2009 Young Scholar Award of China Times Cultural Foundation
October 6, 2009
Graduate student Po-Yi Hung has been awarded the 2009 Young Scholar Award of China Times Cultural Foundation. It is an award to support his dissertation research about tea, road, and place-making in southwest China. China Times Cultural Foundation, founded in 1986, has been supporting Chinese studies in humanities and social sciences over 20 years. For the Young Scholar Award, applicants must enroll in a university in the US or Canada with an approved doctoral dissertation prospectus. Scholarships are in the amount of US$5,000 each. They are awarded on the basis of scholastic achievement without regard to nationality. Since 1986, over 150 young scholars have been supported by the foundation to conduct their research in Taiwan and China.
Read more about Po-Yi's research into Constructing Landscape for Post-Socialist Development: Transnational Tea Trade, State Governance, and Ethnic Minorities in Southwest China
Hmong Studies Faculty Vacancy at UW-Madison
October 4, 2009
Applications are being accepted for an Assistant Professor (tenure-track) of Hmong studies for the College of Letters and Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The candidate, irrespective of field, should have a current or developing specialization in Hmong studies in Southeast Asia and/or adjacent regions. Duties include teaching and research regarding Hmong studies in Southeast Asia and/or adjacent regions. The successful candidate will develop active collaborative work in the Center for Southeast Asian Studies and be a full participating member of his or her home department.
- Read the Unversity Position Vacancy Listing for Professor of Hmong Studies.
- Also read Additional Information for Prospective Applicants.
Please do not hesitate to contact Michael Cullinane (Email: mmcullin@wisc.edu; Tel: 608-263-1755) or Kris Olds (Email: kolds@wisc.edu; Tel: 608-262-5685) if you have any queries about this vacancy.
Geographer Dr. Raleigh to give talk on Climate Change and Conflict: Myths, Facts, and Futures
September 16, 2009
Please join the Human Rights Initiative and the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-
Madison for the first in a series of lectures on climate change and human rights. This event is free and open to the public.
- Wednesday, September 23rd
- 3:30 – 5:00 PM
- 206 INGRAHAM HALL
- 1155 OBSERVATORY DRIVE
Dr. Clionadh Raleigh is an assistant professor of Geography and Politics at Trinity College in Dublin. She writes extensively on the patterns and processes of war in developing states, with a particular focus on environmental factors and Africa. She received her BA in Geography from UW-Madison in 2000.
Geography Open House – September 25, 2009
September 15, 2009
We warmly welcome alumni and friends of Geography to visit the Department on Friday 25 September for a relaxed Open House. We're sprucing up the halls of Science Hall, and invite you to do any or all of the following:
- Beginning at 10:00am visit Science Hall, wander the halls during a self-guided tour and meet people in any or all of our units
- 2:00 – 3:00pm, participate in a guided tour
- 3:30 – 4:30pm, attend Professor Matt Turner's lecture – Geographies of Environmental Change: The Case of West African Sahel
- 4:30 – 5:30pm, attend a reception in our lovely Map Library
- Following the reception, join us at the Terrace
There is no need to RSVP; all alumni, friends, and friends of friends are welcome!
Download the Geography Open House postcard.
It is worth noting that this is an ideal time to visit Madison. The Open House is on, of course, as are several public talks by the famous author Michael Pollan. In particular:
- In Defense of Food: The Omnivore's Solution Thursday, September 24, 7PM, Kohl Center Doors open at 6PM. There are no tickets needed for this event, it is FREE and open to the public. Visit http://www.humanities.wisc.edu/pollan.html for more information
- Michael Pollan will also be the keynote speaker at REAP's Food for Thought Festival on Saturday, September 26, 10AM. Visit reapfoodgroup.org for more information.
The Badgers are playing Michigan State University on Saturday, and some of you might already know about the Bascom Hill Society's various events between 25-26 September.
Geography Picnic – Friday, September 11th
September 5, 2009
The Department of Geography Fall picnic will be held Friday, September 11th at Tenney Park starting at 5pm. Tenny Park is located at 1254 Sherman Ave, Madison, WI.
The Department will supply grilled meat and vegetables, beer, and other refreshing beverages. Participants are encouraged to bring a potluck item to share, as well as partners, friends, and family members.
Department Welcomes New Graduate Students to Department
August 31, 2009
Faculty, staff, instructors, and students gathered on the 3rd floor of Science Hall to welcome a new class of graduates to the department. Sixteen students begin their work in geography this semester: 6 physical geographers, 6 human geographers, 3 people-environment, and 1 in cartography/GIS.
The welcome party culminated with a special presentation on the history of Science Hall by David Null, Director of the University Archive.
Learn about new and current graduate students in UW-Madison's Department of Geography.
Jing Gao Awarded Damon Anderson Memorial Scholarship
August 29, 2009
Graduate student Jing Gao has been awarded the Damon Anderson Memorial Scholarship from Wisconsin Land Information Association (WLIA).
The Wisconsin Land Information Association (WLIA) established the Damon Anderson Memorial Scholarship Fund to help students working toward a degree related to land information (such as geographic information systems, geography, and urban planning). The scholarship is funded through donations to the fund from private individuals, organizations, and other funding activities of WLIA. Two scholarships in the amount of $1,000 each are distributed by the WLIA Board of Directors and includes a one year student membership and free registration to the 2010 WLIA Annual Conference.
Science Hall Welcomes State Cartographer Howard Veregin
August 25, 2009
Dr. Howard Veregin has been selected as the next State Cartographer for Wisconsin. Howard takes over for Ted Koch, who retired in early July of this year.
Howard received his PhD from the University of California - Santa Barbara, and held a faculty position in cartography at the University of Minnesota before joining Rand McNally in 2000, where he was Director of their GIS division. In his message to faculty, staff, and students of the Department, Chair of the Department Prof. Kaiser explained that "(Howard) is excited to be back in an academic setting, and the State Cartographer's Office will benefit greatly from his years and diversity of experience."
Watch the State Cartographer's Office "Mapping Bulletin" newsletter at news.sco.wisc.edu for a full biographical sketch of Howard and his new role in the Geography Department.
Harris to Manage Science Hall IT
August 1, 2009
The department welcomes Suzanne Harris to Science Hall as our new IT Manager. Suzanne replaces Paul Gunther who took a new position in January with the College of Agriculture and Life Science (CALS) as IT Manager for Russell Labs.
No stranger to the UW-Madison, Suzanne comes to us from the School of Nursing where she was Coordinator of Technology Services for the last 8 years. A native of Wauwatosa, Suzanne has an undergraduate degree in Biology from the UW-LaCrosse and a received her Master's in Biological Anthropology from the UW-Madison in 1991. She has been involved in computer support both as an employee and consultant since 1988, including 6 years with the WI State Historical Society.
Alice Halfen Welcomed as New Department Administrator
August 1, 2009
Alice Halfen joins us from the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies (downstairs in Science Hall). Before serving as the Nelson Institute's Payroll and Benefit's Specialist, she spent several years working in Human Resources for the private sector. "I feel right at home here. Geography runs in the family as I was a geography undergraduate at the UW-Eau Claire, and met my husband in the Cartography Lab there." Both Alice's husband Fred and son Alan are geography graduates.