Academics

Strong showing at national conference showcases breadth of geography research

Undergraduate student Emerson Samoy presents his poster on Climate Impacts of the 1991 Mount Pinatubo Eruption on the United States. Credit: Angela Rogers / Penn StateCreative Commons

CHICAGO -- Food security in Cuba. Treeline distribution in northern Japan. HIV treatment in South Africa. Bicycle safety in Portland, Oregon. Forest conservation in Uganda. Transporting hazardous materials in North Carolina.

This is not a random list, but a sampling of the topics that researchers and students from Penn State’s Department of Geography presented at the 2015 Association of American Geographers (AAG) annual meeting in Chicago, April 21–25.

With more than 75 researchers and students representing the Department of Geography, Penn State’s presence was prominent this year at AAG. The opportunity to present research gives students valuable experience communicating their research to professionals. For researchers, it’s a chance to show off their expertise and highlight the variety of diverse projects happening in the Department of Geography.

“The real strength of our presence at AAG was having Penn Staters at all levels of experience in their careers, from undergraduate students through senior faculty and researchers. A big focus of the event is networking, so this let people who are less experienced tap into networks of our more established faculty members. Students get to meet potential future advisers, junior faculty network with future collaborators, and many more connections are made this way,” says Cynthia Brewer, professor and head of the Department of Geography. 

Christopher Dunn, a student in the master of geographic information sciences program, gives a presentation on how to make Portland safer for bicyclists as part of his capstone project. Credit: Angela Rogers / Penn StateCreative Commons

 

Undergraduate student Marina Burka, presents a paper on HIV Treatment and Health Maintenance in South Africa. Credit: Angela Rogers / Penn StateCreative Commons

Last Updated May 19, 2015

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