News as of 8 August 2000

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State of the Department

Dr. Joel Splansky, Chair of the Department of Geography, has just written a review of student, faculty, and staff accomplishments and changes and the events hosted in the department during 1999-2000. It will go out in the department's newsletter, and a version of it has just been posted online. You can get to it from the department home page or, if you're the impatient type, directly at https://home.csulb.edu/~rodrigue/geography/chairsmsg00.html. Have a look -- this place is cookin'!

Student Honors

Check out the Department home page for a link to students who earned academic honors and scholarships this May. You (or your relatives <g>) can also get to it directly at https://home.csulb.edu/~rodrigue/geography/honors00.html. Congratulations to all of you!

Beginning of the Fall Semester (oh, NO!)

Friday, 25 August, is going to be one busy day, folks. The Fall Convocation will be held that morning, followed by the College of Liberal Arts Convocation. After lunch, the Department will hold its first meeting of the semester. Dr. Splansky asks any faculty with agenda items to contact him.

Beaming with Pride

Dr. Irisita Azary is very excited to report that she spotted one of her former master's students (while she was at SDSU) in the news! Mike Cohen was featured in the National Geographic on-line news feature on the Salton Sea! He's also written a book length report and other documents on this and other topics for the Pacific Institute (Studies in Development, Environment and Security) up in Oakland. It is truly rewarding for faculty to learn of their former students' doings and accomplishments (and inspiring to current students!), so we really urge you alums to get in touch and give us your news.

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Lectures

Kim Hatch, Computer Graphics Image Specialist at Earth Tech

Mr. Kim Hatch, an alumnus of the CSULB Geography Department (BA, MA), gave a presentation on Monday, May 1st, in Dr. Judith Tyner's advanced cartography class. His topic was "Quick Time Virtual Reality" and was specifically geared to panoramic visualization of landforms. The talk was illustrated with numerous examples. Mr. Hatch discussed the methods for creating these visualizations and also demonstrated the equipment and set-ups for both panoramic and object visualizations .

Alan Jutzi, Curator of Maps, Huntington Library

Dr. Tyner's Special Topics class in History of Cartography will be taking a field trip to the Huntington Library on May 9, where Alan Jutzi, the Curator of Maps, will be giving them a special talk on the history of cartography, letting them examine originals of the maps they have studied through descriptions and photographs this semester. Getting into the archives of the Huntington is an unusual honor, as they are usually only open to credentialed researchers!

 

Daniel R. Weir, Ph.D. Candidate, Geography and Anthropology Louisiana State University

Mr. Weir presented "The Virgin of Guadalupe, the Everyday World, and Death on the Highway: A Poetics of Place in Mexico," on Tuesday, May 2nd. Attendees got to indulge in freshly baked cookies! The talk was given in conjunction with Jayne Howell's class, "Peoples of Mexico and Central America" and was organized by Dr. Irisita Azary (who wishes to express her gratitude for the funding provided by the College of Liberal Arts). Dr. Azary mentioned that Mr. Weir was her very first M.A. student, back when she was lecturing at San Diego State University.

Mr. Weir also spoke to prospective graduate students that evening and gave them the skinny on how to apply for graduate school and survive the whole experience!

Dr. Marlies Schulz, Professor, Applied Human and Urban Geography, Geographisches Institut, Humboldt-Universität, Berlin

Dr. Schulz gave a presentation entitled, "Berlin: Departure from a Divided City. Recent Issues and Trends in Urban Development." The talk took place, Wednesday, 26 April, 2 p.m., in the Faculty Development Center (on the fifth floor of the CSULB library).

This presentation was co-sponsored by the Department of Geography and the German Studies Program at CSU Long Beach. Instrumental in bringing Dr. Schulz here was Tom Frazier, is one of our own geography master's students (who did his thesis on the fall of the Berlin Wall), who is now working for his Ph.D. in geography under Dr. Schulz's direction at Humboldt-Universität.

Dr. Norman J.W. Thrower, Professor Emeritus, UCLA

Dr. Thrower, a prominent cartographer and historian of exploration, made a guest lecture in Dr. Judith Tyner's History of Cartography course on the 11th of April. Dr Thrower is the author of Maps and Civilization: Cartography in Culture and Society, the premier book on the history of cartography.

"The Hide You Save May Be Your Own"

This intriguing line announced a presentation by Geography Department graduate students Jim Covin, Ed Huefe, and Jan Olsen to a major public meeting organized by the three. Their presentation was entitled Emergency Preparedness in Pedro. It addressed whether San Pedro and the Harbor area are prepared for the inevitability of disaster.

The meeting was held Wednesday, 29 March 2000, 7 p.m., at the Peck Park Community Center in San Pedro. You can get more information by calling (310) 833-8628 or e-mailing Jan Olsen.

The three graduate students started a project on all local hazards, whether natural, technological, or human, to be found in the San Pedro area in Dr. Ben Wisner's seminar in hazards last year. Their project has continued to grow and develop since then and they organized a community meeting at which to present their findings.

Other speakers included representatives from the City of Los Angeles Emergency Preparedness Division, the Los Angeles Disaster Preparedness Unit, the CERT Program of the Los Angeles Fire Department, the Los Angeles Police Department's Harbor Division, the Los Angeles Fire Department's San Pedro Fire Station, and the American Red Cross.

The meeting was sponsored by the San Pedro Organizing Committee and the South Bay Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

The Department is very proud that three of its graduate students worked so hard to exemplify the spirit of University service to the larger community.

My feeling is that, if all you learn at a university is what you learn in the formal classroom, then you have not received the best education possible. CSULB President Robert C. Maxson

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Changes among the Faculty

Dr. Jean Wheeler retired at the end of the spring semester: You may have noticed the extra spring in her step lately. She has moved to the Morro Bay area, though she will be a frequent visitor to Long Beach with her cultural and environmental interests. She is an avid bicyclist and leads bike tours to exotic places on a regular basis, a basis likely to become even more regular now. Everyone who knows her is going to miss her beaucoup.

Dr. Judith Tyner has entered the Faculty Early Retirement Program this summer. She will retire half-time, teaching each spring. She is looking forward to more quality time at the desert home she and her husband, Dr. Gerald Tyner, maintain up in Yucca Valley, writing, biking, and psyching up to the spring semesters!

Three New Faculty

Dr. Christopher Lee has been appointed to the senior position in GIS and remote sensing. He comes to us from CSU Dominguez Hills with a formidable background in remote sensing and GIS applications to fire hazard, arid lands geomorphology, and NASA Earth Science research.

Dr. Suzanne Wechsler has been appointed to the assistant professorship in GIS and remote sensing. She has taught here for a year as a lecturer in introductory GIS and has just now completed the requirements for her Ph.D. (congratulations!!!). She does work on modelling terrain in 3-d and statistical correction of errors in digital elevation models in order to improve estimates of hydrological parameters in watersheds. She has just finished her Ph.D. at SUNY, Syracuse, and is getting used to living somewhere else than under the Sword of Damocles! Congratulations!

Dr. Vincent Del Casino has been appointed to the joint position in geographic education (so we'll have to share him with the Liberal Arts Program and School of Education). He, too, has just finished the requirements for his doctorate at the University of Kentucky, Lexington (kudos!!!), and does work on geographic education and in medical and cultural geography. He did his dissertation on AIDS/HIV in Thailand.

Departure

Dr. Ben Wisner recently announced his resignation from the directorship of the International Studies Program and his professorship in the Department of Geography. He is completely absorbed in projects he is doing with FEMA and the UN on urban disaster management and wishes to pursue these projects full-time. He will have a new academic affiliation as an adjunct research professor at Oberlin College in Ohio this fall.

Departure/New Arrival/Exchange

Dr. Gary Peters and Dr. Chrys Rodrigue arranged a very unusual permanent exchange at the beginning of the 1999/2000 academic year: Each took over the full professorship of the other! Dr. Peters is now in the Department of Geography and Planning at California State University, Chico, and Dr. Rodrigue is now here at CSULB. For contact information for Dr. Peters, go to: http://www.csuchico.edu/web/depts/geop/staff.html.

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New Class: Physical Geography Online

Dr. Rodrigue is offering Geography 140, "Introduction to Physical Geography," this fall in an online format! The class is scheduled for Fridays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., but in reality it will be offered online. Students can read lectures and participate in class discussions whenever they choose, the ultimate in convenience! The class will meet a few times in the real world for exams but, other than that, will be completely online. You can learn more about this class by clicking here. You can also contact Dr. Rodrigue at (562) 985-4895 or rodrigue@csulb.edu.

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Social Events

Major Pizza Nite!!!

Dr. Frank Gossette organized an epic pizza night at Avenue 3 (Palo Verde and Stearns, just northeast of the campus, in an intimate venue sort of tucked up under the San Diego Freeway <G>) on Thursday, May 11. The theme was CSULB GIS Old Home Week. Free beer, too!!! A very good time was had by all, including a few faculty, a lot of graduate and undergraduate students, and a few gainfully employed folks in GIS.

Spring Banquet and Awards Evening

Department of Geography students, faculty, and staff (and many parents, spouses, and significant others) attended the Department's Spring Banquet and Awards Evening. This was an excellent celebration for the completion of a successful 1999-2000 academic year in Geography, honoring students award winners, and saying good-bye to graduating students and retiring faculty. Also in attendance was Shellee Johansen Ziller, daughter of the late Eileen Johansen, whom the new scholarship program memorializes. The banquet was held at Sam's Seafood Restaurant on PCH in the Sunset Beach area. The names and awards of all our honorees can be found here.

Sierran International

Dr. Jean Wheeler is the editor of the newsletter for the International Community Section, Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club. The International Section "provides a setting to encourage better communication of ideas for newcomers from abroad and Americans of diverse ethnic backgrounds." It also raises money for various conservation projects in other countries. The latest issue is hot off the press, and you can get a copy from Dr. Wheeler and more information about the Section and its projects and local activities at http://angeleschapter.org/ics/ or Dr. Wheeler (whose office is LA4 206D, 985-4980).

A Brand-New Dr. Rodrigue

Dr. Chrys Rodrigue is delighted to announce that there is now a second Dr. Rodrigue in geography! Her cousin, Barry Rodrigue, has just earned his Ph.D. in geography at Université Laval in Québec, with a dissertation on the historical geography of the Canada Road, which was used by generations of French-Canadians to migrate to Maine. His research is showcased in the web site Maine's French Communities (le fait français au Maine). He has just been appointed as Coördinator of the Franco-American Studies Program at the University of Southern Maine, Lewiston-Auburn College.

Eileen Johansen Memorial Scholarship Reception

The College of Liberal Arts, the Department of Geography, and the family of Eileen Johansen shared in a reception on Tuesday evening, 7 March, to honor the inauguration of the new Eileen Johansen Memorial Scholarship in the Department of Geography.

Ms. Eileen Johansen is deeply missed by many, and the Department of Geography is very proud to host a scholarship to perpetuate her memory and help other students struggling to complete their educations.

Click here for a description of the memorial reception and photographs.

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Publications

Dr. Irisita Azary has just learned that an article she co-authored with Daniel Weir has been accepted for publication. The reference is: Weir, Daniel and Azary, Irisita. 2001. Development of a Sonoran oasis: Modernization as resistant adaptation. The Professional Geographer 53, 1. Congratulations!

Dr. Vincent Del Casino has an article about his work on the geography of organizations, such as health care agencies, coming out. Our new faculty member is hitting the ground running! The reference is Del Casino Jr., V.; A. Grimes; S. Hanna; and J.P. Jones III. "Methodological frameworks for the geography of organizations." Geoforum (forthcoming).

Jan Olsen's, Ed Huefe's, and Jim Covin's March 29th public presentation, Emergency Preparedness in Pedro, was the focus of a front page article in the Random Lengths biweekly newspaper. The article, with the byline of staff writer, Andy Harris, gave a very positive review of the three CSULB Geography graduate students' research and summarized the highlights of citizen discussion with local Fire Chief Lou Roupoli and L.A. Firefighter David Stamp. The full reference is Harris, Andy. 2000. "Disaster Preparedness: When the Big One Hits Pedro," Random Lengths Harbor Independent News (April 28-May 11): 1, 16.

Jim Woods, alumnus and Geography Lab Manager, reports that his map, "Executions by State Since 1976," has been published online by the Death Penalty Information Center, at http://www.essential.org/dpic/executionmap.GIF.

Mr. Woods is also profiled on the Association of American Geographers website in its "Geographers at Work" page, under its "Careers in Geography" section. The profile is entitled, "An Interview with James A. Woods - Hazard Geographer," and the direct link is http://www.aag.org/Careers/Geogwork/Woods.html. The article describes a lot of Mr. Woods' GIS work in fire hazard analysis and mitigation and his work with the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services. It is nice to see our department's strong record in applied geography recognized by a profile of one of our alumni on the AAG web site!

Dr. Irisita Azary recently had an article out in a peer-reviewed proceedings. It's entitled, "Application of the Rosgen Stream Classification System to Southern California Wildland Streams," and it came out in the June/July 1999 issue of American Water Resource Association Conference Proceedings: Wildland Hydrology.

Dr. Judith Tyner had an article on her work on embroidered maps and globes appear as, "Stitching a New Country," in Needlearts 33, 1 (March 1999): 12-14.

Dr. Tyner had an article, "Millie the Mapper," in the February 1999 issue of Meridian, which is the journal of the Map and Geography Round Table of the American Library Association. The article is in volume 15, pp. 23-28. Dr. Tyner also served as the guest editor for this special theme issue on Women in Cartography.

Dr. Tyner also had another article, "A World of Their Own, James Wilson and the First American Globe," in the January/February 1999 issue of Mercator's World 4, 1: 28-33.

Our hyperactive Dr. Tyner was invited to submit a commentary in California 49, California Map Society Occasional Paper. Its title is "A New Map of Texas Oregon and California with the Regions Adjoining," and it appeared in the sixth issue (1999) on p. 30.

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Faculty and Graduate Students off to Conferences

West Coast Meeting of the Association of Asian Studies, CSULB, October

Dr. Vincent Del Casino will be serving as a panel discussant on:

"HIV and AIDS."

Association of Pacific Coast Geographers, Arcata, CA, September 13-16

Dr. Irisita Azary is scheduled to present:

Confounding Water Policy: Voter Representation and Choice in Tucson, Arizona."

Hazards Research and Applications Workshop, Boulder, CO, July 9-12

Dr. Christine M. Rodrigue made an invited hour-long research presentation:

"Public Perception and Hazard Policy Construction When Experts and Activists Clash in the Media."

Dr. Rodrigue also made a poster available at that conference:

"Internet Recruitment and Activism in the Cassini Controversy."

Dr. Ben Wisner served as an invited discussant in a plenary session. His presentation was:

"The Political Economy of Hazards: More Limits to Growth?"

Dr. Frank Gossette also attended the Workshop, with his new bride, Dr. Ronnie Wade.

California Geographical Society, San Diego, May 5-7

Dr. Irisita Azary presented:

"Outreach and 'Inreach': Development of a Geography Internship Program."

Mr. Tom Frazier, recent M.A. from CSULB, presented:

"Tracking the traces of division: A survey of the remnants of the Berlin Wall as a relict boundary on the urban landscape."

Association of American Geographers, Pittsburgh, April 4-8

Dr. Frank Gossette, together with graduate student, Mr. Michael Jenkins, presented:

"Visualizing Flood Hazard with GIS."

Dr. Judith Tyner presented:

"Folk Maps, Cartoons, and Map Kitsch: The Role of Cartographic Curiosities."

Dr. Ben Wisner presented:

"Urban Social Vulnerability in Six World Megacities: Lessons and Proposals."

American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, DC, February 17-22

Dr. Christine M. Rodrigue presented:

"Internet Recruitment and Activism in Constructing Technological Risk."

American Geophysical Union, San Francisco, December 13-17, 1999

Dr. Irisita Azary presented:

"Making Connections: Development of an Internship Program to Ensure Undergraduate and Graduate Student Success."

American Studies Association, Montréal, Canada, October 28-31, 1999

Dr. James Curtis presented:

"Ensenada: A Mexican Border Town?"

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Grants

Dr. Frank Gossette

reports that the Department is currently working with the CSULB President's Office on an enrollment management mapping project. Its purpose "is to provide a visual representation of a proposed CSULB service area which maintains the university's ethnic, geographic, and academic program diversity while enrolling applicants who demonstrate the most potential for academic success."

Two versions of the map are planned. The maps will show CSULB and indicate high school districts, individual high schools, and their distances from CSULB with the use of 5-mile concentric rings. The locations of CSU Fullerton and CSU Dominguez Hills will also be shown for reference. In addition, the first version will include the number of first time freshman enrollees for Fall 1999, and the second will include Stanford 9 scores and the percentage of AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) population for each school.

Dr. Judith Tyner

reports that she received an AAG Research Grant to help with expenses for "Millie the Mapper: The Role of Women in Geography and Cartography in WWII." She commented that this means she'll actually have to do this project! ;-)

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Have Any News Items You Want to Share?

This news page is for everyone in the Department -- students, faculty, staff, and alumni. If you would like to tell folks about your accomplishments or notify us of something you think we'd like to know about, please contact Dr. Rodrigue (rodrigue@csulb.edu) or LA4 206D and she'll get your news up here.

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