News as of 27 September 2001

DWR's Southern District is offering employment: Student Assistant or Graduate Student Assistant, in the Urban and Agricultural Land Use Data Collection Program.

JOB DESCRIPTION: A part-time position assisting in the land use data collection program in the Water Conservation and Land and Water Use Section in the Department of Water Resources' Southern District offices in Glendale. Duties will include interpretation of aerial imagery for urban and agricultural land use identification, field inspection of land uses in a variety of settings, creating digitized maps, GIS applications, and other data collection assignments as directed. Overnight travel and extended periods of driving may be required. The selected candidate should expect to work approximately 24 hours per week.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS: Current full-time enrollment in a college or university with a major field of study in Geography, Earth Science, Irrigation Science, Agriculture, Environmental Studies, or a related field. Coursework or exposure to most of the following areas is required: remote sensing and aerial photo interpretation, map reading, cartography, computer mapping, field methods in geography, database management, and GIS. Must have a valid California driver's license.

SALARY:

• From $ 7.84 to $10.30 per hour for Student Assistants.
• From $ 9.55 to $14.40 per hour for Graduate Student Assistants

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

• G.I. Bergquist at (818) 543 4655 or
• David Inouye at (818) 543 4654
  Department of Water Resources
  Southern District
  770 Fairmont Avenue
  GLENDALE, CA. 91203-1035

DEADLINE: All interested candidates must apply by Friday, Sept. 21, 2001.

Attention Graduate Students: Student Assistantships Available!

The Department of Geography at CSULB is offering part-time computer lab technician jobs in the Geography Instructional Lab. Lots of good hours (and some not so good) are still available. The pay ranges from $7.70 to $14.00/hour depending on qualifications!

Requirements:

You MUST be registered for 6 units. Knowledge of computers is expected. Knowledge of ArcView and CorelDraw programs is also expected.

Duties:

• Produce maps and graphics as needed for faculty and staff using GIS and CADD software;
• Monitor the lab;
• Assist students with operations of computers (not their homework, however);
• Maintain paper and toner in the printer;
• Keep track of lab usage;
• Make sure there is no food in the lab.
• Other assignments may be given as needed.

To learn more or to apply, please e-mail Prof. Jim Woods at jwoods@csulb.edu, telephone him at (562) 985-2128, or visit him during his office hours (MW 5:30-6:30 pm) in LA4-206D.

Part-Time Lecturing at CSULB

The Department of Geography at CSULB is offering part-time lectureships for Spring 2002. For more information on the positions and the application process, please click here.

City of Lakewood

One of our spring 2001 alumni, Ms. Carolyn Kolb, has been hired to do GIS for the City of Lakewood. Not too surprising, given her GIS and cartography skills, which just earned her and her collaborators on a City of Lakewood mapping project an award from ESRI!

Port of Long Beach

The Department just learned that one of our graduate students, Mr. Steve Newberg, has been working as a GIS technician for the Port of Long Beach. He says he's been there a couple of months already and that it's a lot of fun applying GIS and the working environment is very nice and stimulating. Way to go, mountain lion webmeister! <G>

Isuzu

The Department is very pleased to announce that one of our newest alums, Mr. Jorge Campbell-Ulloa, was just hired for a position in GIS-based market area analysis for Isuzu Corporation. Congratulations!

Earth Science Associates

A small petroleum research/software development firm in Long Beach sought a part-time undergraduate or graduate student in geography or geology for administrative and research work. Earth Science Associates specializes in quantitative analysis in oil and gas exploration and development, GIS, and creation of spatial analysis tools. Projects range from model development through building add-on tools for spatial analysis to empirical, site-specific projects for clients. ESA's clients are mainly major oil and gas companies, but they also include other consulting firms and government agencies.

The Department is delighted to learn that our own Ms. Christiane Candelaria was the student chosen for this challenging position! Congratulations!

[ Jobs ] [ Talks ] [ Changes ] [ Social ] [ Conferences ]

Lectures and Field Trips

Guests from Thomas Brothers Maps

Two representatives from Thomas Bros. Maps visited our campus Thursday, 17 May. Mr. Rob Jesesko, Director of Human Resources, and Ms. Nancy Yoho, Vice- President (and one of our alums), were our guests. The purpose of their visit was to meet with students, talk about Thomas Bros., and collect resumés for possible future employment. Dr. Judith Tyner's Cartography class hosted their talk, and Dr. Suzanne Wechsler organized the visit.

Ms. Angela Wranic

Ms. Angela Wranic, a chemist on the scientific staff at Planet Earth Tech and a lecturer in the Department of Geography, discussed her work and educational experiences for the Jobs in Geography lecture series. The talk was held on Monday, 7 May. Ms. Wranic holds an M.S. in Environmental Science and teaches physical geography courses here and at other local colleges. The Jobs in Geography lecture series is part of the Geography Department Internship Program. For more information on internships and the lecture series, please contact Dr. Suzanne Wechsler.

Dr. Vincent Del Casino

Dr. Vincent Del Casino gave a talk to the College of Education Brown Bag Series on Monday, 23 April. The talk was entitled, "Social Protest, Spatial Praxis, and the Teaching of Radical Geography in World History." Dr. Del Casino reports that this talk is part of a larger paper that he is working on with Dr. Tim Keirn in the History Department, continuing the long tradition of interaction between the Geography and the History departments on this campus.

Dr. Suzanne Wechsler

Dean Abrahamse invited Dr. Wechsler to address the Emeritus Faculty Luncheon, which is a series of colloquia given to retired faculty and faculty participating in the Faculty Early Retirement Program. The purpose of the luncheon series is "Informal conversation and a program where three new junior faculty discuss their research with time for discussion about their experiences at CSULB." Dr. Wechsler discussed what geographical information systems are, what they can do, and the work she does to improve GIS' rôle in predicting stream runoff and flood hazard. The Emeritus Faculty Luncheon was held on April 20th. It's a small world after all: Dr. Wechsler knows the other two speakers from other contexts. She was a classmate of Dr. Sherry Span (Psychology) back at Tufts University, and Dr. Sara Goering (Philosophy) is co-advisor with her of the CSULB Golden Key National Honor Society!

Dr. Yonni Schwartz

Dr. Yonni Schwartz gave a talk to Dr. Unna Lassiter's Geography 100 course on 18 April 2001. Mr. Schwartz is a traveler extraordinaire, who rode on a horse through South America for two years, has hiked in the Himalayas several times, and guided other adventurers through the Sinai Desert. For this presentation, he focussed on Nepal, with slides showing the adjustments made by the Nepalese people to their difficult living conditions, conditions that have barely improved in the last decade since democracy. He also discussed some of the negative impacts of tourism, such as massive deforestation and landslides set off by the need to provide wood fuel for small inns where most foreign trekkers overnight.

Dr. Ren Vasiliev

Dr. Ren Vasiliev was our visiting professor in Spring 2001. She is the chair of the Department of Geography at the State University of New York at Geneseo and is here to do her sabbatical research (on the historical derivation of place names in New York). She also normally lives here each summer! She is interested in maps and cartography, and she gave an invited guest lecture to the department on 17 April. The title of her presentation was "Maps in Art/Maps as Art." Her exciting and provocative devil's advocate argument that map-like art objects are in fact maps set off a lively exchange among the audience about what exactly qualifies a representation of the terrain as an authentic map. The debate brought out the different constructions of the "map" among the geographic and the artistic communities. This was such a well-attended talk that people were turned away at the door for lack of space.

Dr. Judith Tyner

Dr. Tyner conducted a field trip for her Geography 482 ("Principles of Thematic Map Design") class to the famous mapping company, Thomas Bros. Dr. Suzanne Wechsler accompanied the class, and she and Dr. Tyner met with the new head of Human Relations there to learn his expectations of new hires there, which may lead to even more internship opportunities there.

Mr. Kris Jones

Mr. Kris Jones gave a talk to the Los Angeles Geographical Society on Friday, 6 April, at Los Angeles City College (for future reference, LACC is at 855 N. Vermont Ave., Franklin Hall, right on Vermont, and the talks are always held in Room 101). The title of his talk was "Cuba 2000." The LAGS is a 48 year old public service organization, which promotes geography to the community in the form of free public lectures (with free cookies and beverages!), field trips, dinner talks, and a number of scholarships. For more information on this great organization, visit their web page at http://www.lageographic.com.

Mr. James Woods

Mr. James Woods gave a guest presentation on the 17th of April concerning his award-winning atlas project, "Membership Analysis of the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific."

Ms. Fay Mancebo

Ms. Fay Mancebo gave a guest lecture on the 4th of April. The topic of her presentation was "Overview of Remote Sensing and GIS in the Philippines."

Dr. Chrys Rodrigue

Dr. Chrys Rodrigue was one of a panel of eight hazards experts flown to St. Petersburg, Florida, by the Center for Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance. The panel reviewed 24 research proposals submitted for funding in order to recommend four or five that fit within the CDMHA budget. Dr. Rodrigue made presentations and moderated discussion on the strengths and weaknesses of three proposals.

Ms. Brandy Berker

Ms. Brandy Berker gave a talk in the "Jobs in Geography" series. Ms. Berker is a CSULB Geography Department alum, who now works for Earth Science Associates. ESA is a petroleum research and software development firm located in Long Beach, and Ms. Berker discussed her work and how her educational experiences relate to what she does now. ESA, by the way, is advertising for geography and geology students to work for them part-time and, later, full-time. Check out the announcement in the "Jobs" section above. Ms. Berker's talk is sponsored by the Geography Department Internship Program.

Dr. Frank Gossette

Dr. Frank Gossette gave a talk to the International Brown Bag Lunch Discussion Series on Wednesday, 14 March. His talk provided information about "Living in Salzburg, Austria." The International Brown Bag Lunches are hosted by the Center for International Education and the Phi Beta Delta International Honor Society.

Ms. Susanne Byrne-Dronkers

Ms. Susanne Byrne-Dronkers, presently a graduate student in geography, gave a talk on "Careers in GIS" to the "Jobs in Geography" lecture series on Tuesday the 27th of February. The Jobs in Geography guest lecture series is sponsored by the Geography Department Internship Program, which is coördinated by Dr. Suzanne Wechsler. For more information on the Internship Program, either contact Dr. Wechsler or visit the program's web page.

Ms. Robin Lee

Ms. Robin Lee is the Coördinator for Coöperative Education at the CSULB Career Development Center. On the 26th of February, she presented a talk, entitled, "How to Make the Most of Your Internship," to the Jobs in Geography lecture series organized by Dr. Suzanne Wechsler this semester.

Dr. Frank Gossette

Dr. Frank Gossette made a presentation on "Study and Teaching abroad as Part of the Liberal Arts Experience" to the College of Liberal Arts Faculty Retreat on February 9. The theme for the heavily-attended all-day retreat this year was "Teaching and Learning in the Liberal Arts: Different Formats, Different Paths."

Dr. Stan Trimble

Dr. Stan Trimble of UCLA was our guest for National Geography Awareness Week. The theme this year was conservation, and Dr. Trimble gave a guest lecture on this theme, focussing on "Human-Induced Soil Erosion and Sedimentation in the Upper Midwest." Many thanks to Dr. Suzanne Wechsler for organizing this talk.

Dr. Bryan Baker

Dr. Bryan Baker of Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) out in Redlands, was our featured speaker for GIS Day 2000, a part of National Geography Awareness Week. His lecture addressed "Can GIS Survive the Internet?" This talk was organized by Dr. Suzanne Wechsler.

Dr. Peter Black

Dr. Peter Black of Syracuse University visited our campus on Thursday, 9 November, on his way to give presentations in New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, and Ethiopia. Dr. Black is a world-known expert in watershed hydrology and related land resources. He is the author of numerous books including Watershed Hydrology and Soil and Water Conservation Policy. He made a dynamic, accessible, and engaging presentation on how watersheds function in Dr. Suzanne Wechsler's class on Thursday, November 9th.

Ms. Cecilia Padres

Ms. Cecilia Padres, Environmental Project Manager for Geotek, Inc., of Vista, California, spoke about her career in environmental assessment to the Jobs in Geography lecture series, being organized this semester by Dr. Suzanne Wechsler.

Dr. Stephen Pyne

Dr. Stephen Pyne, an expert on wildfire in America and on the Grand Canyon and author of numerous books, gave the Phi Beta Kappa lecture on Monday, 2 October. Dr. Pyne is an historian and professor in the Biology and Society Program at Arizona State University. His riveting talk was entitled, "Where Have All the Fires Gone? A Look at Why and How the American West Burns." The talk was co-sponsored by the Phi Beta Kappa Fellows and The Odyssey Project, hosted by Dean Dee Abrahamse, and was organized by Dr. Suzanne Wechsler and Mr. James Woods.

Dr. Jim Curtis

Dr. Jim Curtis conducted a field trip of the Long Beach area for new faculty at CSULB. Dr. Curtis has been offering this popular field trip for a few years now to help orient new faculty in all disciplines to the cultural and environmental riches of the area the campus serves.

[ Jobs ] [ Talks ] [ Changes ] [ Social ] [ Conferences ]

Changes among the Faculty

New Undergraduate Advisor!

Dr. Molly Debysingh will be assuming the position of Undergraduate Advisor during Fall of 2001. Dr. Debysingh's office is in LA4-103, and she can also be reached at (562) 985-4453 and debysing@csulb.edu. She will also serve as faculty advisor to the Geography Student Association.

New Graduate Advisor!

Dr. Chrys Rodrigue will serve as Graduate Advisor during 2001-02. Her office will be in LA4-105, and she can also be reached at (562) 985-4895 and rodrigue@csulb.edu.

Department Chair Changing of the Guard

Dr. Joel Splansky, who chairs the Department of Geography, has decided to enter the Faculty Early Retirement Plan (FERP). He will be taking every other semester off. As a result, he is stepping down as chair, effective late summer of 2001. In a triumph of democracy, Dr. Christine M. Rodrigue handily defeated Dr. Write-in Candidate to become the new department chair. On learning the results, Dr. Rodrigue commented, "Thank you. I think." She knows she has one tough act to follow! The department wishes to thank Dr. Splansky for his leadership in two years of unprecedented change and growth in the department.

Dr. Outwater Takes Administrative Leave

Dr. Richard Outwater has accepted appointment as the Associate Vice President, Academic Information Technology. He is responsible for technology planning and development for Academic Affairs. Academic Affairs includes all of the colleges and the campus-wide support services, such as Academic Computing Services and Audio Visual Services. He reports that his e-mail remains the same, outwater@csulb.edu, but his new office is in Brotman Hall (BH 308), and his new telephone number is (562) 985-4128. The department is very proud of Dr. Outwater's achievement and campus-wide recognition, and we wish him the best of luck in his new position. Very sadly for us, this is a full-time position, so he cannot continue to teach for us.

Geography Welcomes New Human Geography Lecturer!

The Department of Geography is delighted to report the appointment of a new full-time human geography lecturer, Dr. Terence Young. Dr. Young comes to us with a B.A. in Anthropology from UC Berkeley, an M.A. in Biogeography from UCLA, and a Ph.D. in Cultural-Environmental Geography from UCLA. His areas of specialization are the cultural aspects of North American recreational environments in urban, rural, and wildland settings. He has published in a range of academic journals and edited volumes, including a forthcoming article, "Moral Order, Language, and the Failure of the 1930 Recreation Plan for Los Angeles County" in Planning Perspectives and a book, The Parks of San Francisco, from the Johns Hopkins University Press. He has served as Acting Director of Studies in Landscape Architecture at Harvard University's Dumbarton Oaks and as a Project Manager in the Sustainable Cities Program at USC. He has also held fellowships at Dumbarton Oaks, the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History, and at the Huntington Library in San Marino, CA. Dr. Young also has ten years teaching experience at Clemson University, George Washington University, Mary Washington College, UCLA, and USC with courses in cultural geography, environmental geography, history and philosophy of geography, geography of the US and Canada, historical geography of the US, historical-environmental geography of European expansion, urban geography, and world regional geography. Professor Young will be with us for one year to replace Dr. Outwater. Next semester, he is scheduled to teach Geography 100 ("World Regional Geography"), Geography 160 ("Human Geography"), and Geography 466 ("Principles of Urban Geography"). We are pleased to welcome Dr. Young!

Geography Welcomes New Physical Geography Lecturer!

The Department of Geography is very pleased to report the hire of a new full-time physical geography lecturer, Mr. Noel Ludwig. Professor Ludwig will be with us for three semesters to replace Dr. Azary, who's on parental leave. Mr. Ludwig has a joint BS/BA degree in Geology and English from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and an M.S. degree in Geophysics from the University of Hawaii. He is ABD (which means nearly done with his Ph.D., "all but dissertation") from the Department of Geography at the University of Hawaii. His area of specializaton is watershed science and management, and he also has a background in international environmental issues. He has published research articles on various topics in well-regarded academic journals. He served for five years as project manager of the Environmental Center at the University of Hawaii. He has taught courses in physical geography, statistics, water and society, and the geography of peace and war. He is teaching introductory physical geography and climatology this semester and will also be doing people as agents of environmental change next semester. Welcome aboard!!!

In Memoriam

Dr. Fred Scantling, Professor Emeritus of Geography, died of cancer on 31 July. He had joined the faculty in 1966, retiring in 1980. Dr. Splansky had this to say about him: "His most remarkable class was Geography of the Pacific area. Fred's knowledge of the region and his stylish delivery made the class an early favorite. We will all certainly miss his charm and ready smile, yet he has left us with many warm memories."

[ Jobs ] [ Talks ] [ Changes ] [ Social ] [ Conferences ]

Social Events

Dr. Unna Lassiter Visits Dr. Jean Wheeler

Dr. Unna Lassiter trekked out to Los Osos to visit Dr. Jean Wheeler, Professor Emerita, who retired in summer of 2000. The highlights of this visit were Dr. Wheeler's travel stories of heart-stopping adventures in the South Pacific, stepping over tiger snakes in Australia, and witnessing police brutality in Papua New Guinea. In Los Osos, Dr. Lassiter was also treated to a walk through Elfin Forest, a dense coastal grove of small oaks, that is home to rare and endangered species of plants and animals of the Morro Bay Estuary and that Dr. Wheeler has become active in protecting. While there, the two discussed Geography 326, Pacific Island Area, which Dr. Wheeler taught for many years and which Dr. Lassiter has been preparing lately.

Dr. Eugenie Rovai Visits Campus

Dr. Eugenie Rovai, incoming chair of the Department of Geography and Planning at California State University, Chico, is visiting Dr. Chrys Rodrigue this week (25 June through 28 June), so that the two of them can work on the anthology on earthquake hazards they are putting together for Routledge Press.

Dr. Azary's Husband, Roger Lee, Is Fêted by NASA

Dr. Irisita Azary reports that she, her husband, Roger Lee, and their son, Alexander Lee, trekked to Washington, D.C. While there, Roger Lee, was honored with a "Mid-Level Management" award from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Congratulations! Dr. Azary took Alexander to the Museum of Natural History in D.C. Here is a picture of them at the museum, and is that kid ever a cutie! Dr. Azary comments that he's already half as tall as she is!

Distinguished Visitor

Dr. Frank Gossette reports that Dr. Josef Strobl, chair of Geography at the University of Salzburg visited our campus Monday, 5 March. He was treated to lunch at the Chart Room by Dr. Gossette and then shown around the campus and department.

Dr. Azary Becomes a Mom!!!

Dr. Irisita Azary is now a mom! She and her husband, Roger Lee, are really excited and very happy, as they have been looking forward to this for a very long time. She is taking two years of parental leave. Here's a picture of the adorable little guy (Alexander) and one way happy Dr. Azary. By the way, while she's on leave, she can still be reached at azary@csulb.edu. ¡¡¡FELICITACIÓNES!!!

A Brand-New Baby Menguita!!!

Graduate student, Ron Menguita is proud and happy to announce that he and his wife, Azin Menguita, have had a baby!!! Her name is Kiana, and she was born Saturday, February 10, 2001, at 1:58 pm. She weighed in at 6 pounds 10 ounces, and is 20 1/2 inches tall. Heavens -- is a Geography baby boom underway? You can congratulate them by e-mailing Ron and Azin. Here's a picture of Kiana taking a nap, and here's Kiana enjoying a big yawn! What a cute kid! CONGRATULATIONS!

[ Jobs ] [ Talks ] [ Changes ] [ Social ] [ Conferences ]

Upcoming Conferences, Calls for Papers, Contests

International Conference on Human Geography: The Third U.S. - China Symposium

The Department of Geography at California State University, Northridge, is hosting the International Conference on Human Geography: The Third U.S. - China Symposium, from the 8th through the 10th of November, at the Warner Center Marriott Hotel in Woodland Hills (in the southwestern San Fernando Valley off the 101). Everyone is invited to attend.

So far, more than sixty Chinese geographers have registered for this conference. Their names and the abstracts of their papers can be read at: http://www.csun.edu/geography/conference.html.

The deadline for submitting abstracts for North American colleagues is 15 September 2001. Registration for North American colleagues is $50. For students, registration is only $30.

The preliminary program is:

• Thursday, 8 November: One day tour of Los Angeles and evening reception
• Friday, 9 November: Opening ceremony, paper session, evening banquet
• Saturday, 10 November: Paper session, closing ceremony

For more information, please feel free to contact the organizer, Dr. I-Shou Wang.

URISA Conference

The Urban and Regional Information Systems Assocation (URISA) is holding its 39th annual conference here in Long Beach, 24-29 October 2001!!! It will be held at the Long Beach Convention Center. Registration is $132 for professional members of URISA and $68 for students (and there is a discounted membership program available if you join and register for the Long Beach meeting by the 17th of September). For more information, please visit: http://www.urisa.org/2001AnnualConference/program.htm.

NACIS Student Web Map Contest

The North American Cartographic Information Society is hosting its third Student Web Map Contest. It's free to enter, and EASY, besides. You just send in an e-mail with the URL where your web mapping effort resides. That's pretty much all there is to it. There are two categories: interactive web map and animated web map. And, the best part (besides adulation and recognition, of course), these puppies pack a $500 award. Each! Oh, your chances are so much the better, too, because prior winners are ineligible!

The deadline for submissions is 23 September 2001 (so they can dish out the awards at the October meeting, which is in Portland, OR, 3-6 October). To learn more about the rules and get the guidelines for entry, check out the Student Web Map Contest web page. To get the program and other information about the NACIS meeting, click here.

Association of American Geographers

The AAG will be holding its annual national conference in Los Angeles (at the Westin Bonaventure downtown) next year from March 19-23! The call for papers is out now and available in the AAG Newsletter and at http://www.aag.org/PDF/cfp2002.pdf. The AAG looks to the geographers and geography departments in the area to develop field trips in the local area, so, if you have a great field trip you'd like to showcase nationally, you might start thinking about proposing it to the AAG. Also, there are a whole bunch of student competitions. You can learn more about the meeting at: http://www.aag.org/AnnualMeetings/Intro.html.

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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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