We begin this week with a look back at the number of theses that students have written in the department since 2002. According to the Proquest Database there were thirty one Masters level theses accepted by the geography faculty. The topics covered a wide array of geographic expertise and subfields, ranging from the analysis of historical land grants to the remote sensing of coniferous forests. We highly recommend our current students to search and read those that appeal your geographic interest, and to use them as a potential source of inspiration to embark on your own. In future posts we will be highlighting some of the theses as we go through the anniversary dates. If you are an alumni and would like to share your personal story and recollection of going through the process of crafting, executing, writing, and defending your thesis, please reach out to us; we would love to hear from you.
Also, we would like to send a big shout-out and thank you to our great administrative assistant, Ms. Paula Kouns, for putting-up with the geography faculty and students for a year. Paula joined the Geography Department in November of 2016, but she has served in multiple roles and departments at Marshall University for more than 10 years. Thank you, Paula! We are really lucky to have you.
Just another friendly reminder that next week, on Wednesday, November 15th, the Geography Department will be celebrating and hosting GIS Day for a seventh time. High schools students from our community will be visiting the university and the department to participate in different GIS activities. We would look forward to your presence and support of this event.
Finally, check-out Dr. Leonard’s drones video. He is really becoming famous!
Academic Opportunities
1) Dr. Silvia Secchi at the the Department of Geographical and Sustainability Sciences at the University of Iowa has openings in the graduate program in the areas of human-environment interaction and GIScience. Specifically, she is recruiting a graduate student to work on a project looking at the land use change impacts of the Renewable Fuel Standards in the US Corn Belt. The application deadline is January 1st, 2018. Candidates should contact me at silvia-secchi@uiowa.edu.
2) For students interested in human-environment interaction, the Texas A&M Research Experience for Undegraduates (REU) in Ecohydrology of Tropical Montane Forest is now accepting applications the 10-week summer program (May 29- August 3, 2018), which includes 5 weeks at the Texas A&M Soltis Center for Education and Research (Costa Rica) and 5 weeks on the campus of Texas A&M University (College Station, Texas, USA). For further details visit https://tamu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dcZlhp3nVWp1Tb7 or contact Dr. Wendy Jepson at wjepson@tamu.edu
3) The Cartography and Geographic Information Society (CaGIS) proudly announces that applications are now being accepted for the Society’s annual graduate student scholarship awards. These scholarship awards recognize academic achievement and encourage the continuing success of outstanding cartography and geographic information science students. The scholarships also recognize achievement or potential for achievement in original research advancing the specific disciplines of cartography or GIScience. Winners are selected based on academic achievement, particularly in the calendar year prior to the award. Applications are due by January 19, 2018 and will be reviewed by the CaGIS Scholarship Committee. Award recipients will be announced in March, 2018. Three scholarships are available to students whose research and accomplishments support the mission of CaGIS. CaGIS will bestow two Masters Scholarship Awards ($750) and one Doctoral Scholarship Award ($1500) to successful applicants. For more information on eligibility, application procedure, and award details please see the CaGIS award website at: www.cartogis.org/awards/scholarship.php Or, contact Fritz C. Kessler, Chair of the CaGIS Scholarship Award Committee at fck2@psu.edu.
4) The Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (FES) is offering 5 years of guaranteed funding for our PhD program on any aspect of the environment. Fellowship includes tuition, stipend and health insurance. Successful applicants will articulate a strong and clear research statement. Because admission to the doctoral program is very competitive, the match between applicant and potential faculty advisor is critical. Thus, it is important that applicants identify a member of the FES faculty with whom to work, and begin a dialogue with him or her about mutual interests and potential dissertation topics. Please visit environment.yale.edu/directory/faculty for faculty profiles. For questions, please contact Elisabeth Barsa, Doctoral Program Coordinator (Elisabeth.Barsa@yale.edu) or Doctoral Program Director, Karen Seto (karen.seto@yale.edu).
5) Study abroad opportunities for spring 2018 are still available!!
Job Opportunities
Here are the most recent job opportunities for our recent and soon to be graduates:
Weather Anchor/Multimedia Journalist, Gray Television, Bridgeport, WV
Meteorologist I, Nexstar Broadcasting, Charleston, WV
Planning Intern, Woolpert, Dayton, OH
Geospatial Technician-Orthophotography, Woolpert, Dayton, OH
GIS Specialist, ALEX Alternative Experts, LLC, Carrol Valley, PA
GIS Analyst, PIKA International, Inc., Stafford, VA
Journeyman Geospatial Analyst, Bluehawak Intelligence Services, Springfield, VA
Geospatial Analyst, Procleared LLC, Springfield, VA
Should you have any questions about any of these opportunities, do not hesitate to get in contact.
Sincerely,
The Geography Department