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Colgate Geography NewsletterVolume 1, 2005

Published by the Department of Geography

Colgate University, Hamilton NY 13346

Department of Geography

Colgate University

Hamilton, NY 13346

The Newsletter, Volume 1, 2005

Faculty

Adam Burnett – Associate Professor

Robert Elgie – Professor, Chair

Maureen Hays-Mitchell – Associate Professor

Peter Klepeis – Assistant Professor

Ellen Kraly – William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of

Geography

William Meyer – Visiting Associate Professor

Peter Scull – Assistant Professor

Staff

Linda Rauscher – Administrative Assistant

Myongsun Kong – Research and Teaching

Support Technician

VIEW FROM THE CHAIR

From Department Chair Robert Elgie

We’ve finally done it! For years we have been threatening to put together a newsletter to provide an annual link with Geography alums and, thanks primarily to the goading and hard work of Myongsun Kong, we’ve actually completed the task. And we have chosen a

vintage year to finally do so.

We’ve just graduated 29 concentrators (25 geographers and 4 environmental geographers) which matches the class of 2000-2001 for the largest graduating class in the department’s 58 year history. This year’s graduating class was also one of extremely high quality. Eleven students graduated with Latin Honors and nine successfully completed senior theses and graduated with Honors or High Honors in Geography (a departmental record). Two of our seniors (Bonnie Vanzler and Alex Friedman) were inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. Lindsay Mackenzie who won Colgate’s only Watson Fellowship this year is poised for a year-long adventure studying Peace Parks on at least three continents. Dan Malessa was awarded a National Geographic internship. Although this hard-working and entertaining senior class will be hard to replace, 25 members of the Class of 2007 have already committed to Geography or Environmental Geography concentrations and are ready to make their

mark on the program.

Many of us have spent countless hours this year in planning and design sessions for our segments of Colgate’s new Robert Hung Ngai Ho Science Center which Geography will share with Physics, Geology, Environmental Studies and components of the Biology program. This $50 million building project is being “fast-tracked” with ground to be broken this summer or fall and an anticipated completion date of fall 2007. Geography will gain expanded facilities for the Geographic Information Systems component of our program and laboratory space for physical geography courses. And all geographers will gain access for the first time to faculty research labs. This will help us to participate more fully in one of Colgate’s emerging “signature programs,” collaborative faculty-student research. Already, this summer, a half dozen geography students are working on projects supported by Social Science or Environmental Studies summer research assistantships, grants from Colgate’s Upstate Institute,

and a National Science Foundation grant.

We are also very much looking forward to the next academic year. Although the department will sorely miss the services of Adam Burnett who moves into the Dean’s office for a three year term as Associate Dean

Departmental News

of the Faculty, Colgate will be inundated by geographers. At latest count Colgate will have the services next year of 10 Ph. D. geographers. This includes Joseph Hupy (from Michigan State University), hired to replace Adam in the areas of physical geography and geographic information science, his wife Christina (biogeography and GIS/remote sensing from Michigan State University) who will be teaching remote sensing in the CORE program next fall, and Nayna Jhaveri (yet another Clark University geographer whose interests lie in nature-society issues) who will act as the program coordinator next year for the college’s

Environmental Studies program.

In short, we have just finished a very good year and prospects for Colgate’s geography program look

very good indeed.

Faculty Update

(a word from a couple of faculty members, with

more to come in future issues)

Adam Burnett:

As the 2004-05 academic year comes to a close, I realize that my big full-year research leave is over! Although I accomplished much this past year, it seems that I’ve started more new projects than I was able to finish. Nevertheless, the year was fruitful in many ways. I spent much of my time at Syracuse University working in the Earth Sciences Department with Professor Hank Mullins. Hank and I have been working for some time on the use of lake sediments for climate reconstruction in the northeastern United States. We recently branched out to Ireland, were we collected lake cores two summers ago. Ireland is interesting from a long-term climate perspective because its climate is strongly linked to the North Atlantic Ocean. Our newest New York project involves the use of oxygen isotopes in tree rings for climate reconstruction. We are just beginning work on several trees that were uncovered at three different mastodon burial sites around the state. These trees are thousands of years old and offer the opportunity to study the climate during the

time in which they grew.

Back in fall 2003, I became involved in a

study that looked at changes in Great Lake-effect snow over the 20th century. Lake-effect snow seems to have increased significant in recent year and we are not sure why. If you’re interested (or having trouble falling asleep), the paper that describes this study can be downloaded from the Burnett page of Geography website. Lake-effect increases of this type could be related to warmer lakes, less ice, or changes in wind direction. The National Science Foundation has given me funding to pursue this work. This summer, I’ve had the help of Donald Boyajian (Colgate class of 2006) in

tackling the lake ice component of this project.

I’ve also kept my hand on the climate-pulse of Southern Hemisphere and the Antarctic Peninsula in particular. As good luck would have it, Professor Amy Leventer of Colgate’s Geology Department introduced me to the wonders of Antarctic Peninsula climate variability. This region has experienced some of the largest temperature increases of any place on Earth in recent decades. One theory for this warming is that atmospheric circulation has changed. Last year, Chris Karmosky worked with me on this project as part his senior honors work. We just submitted a manuscript describing the results of this study to

the International Journal of Climatology.

Finally, there are other things in my life besides the world of climatology. I will begin a tour-of-duty as an Associate Dean of Faculty beginning in July. I’m excited about this new job as it will give me a chance to work with most of the Colgate faculty and to learn the inner-workings of the university. The only downside is that I will be away from Geography and teaching for three years. On the home front, my family is great (most of the time), the old mean cat still lives (how long do cats live?), and the dog is killing the grass in my yard via her many trips outside to “do her business” as we affectionately call it. I spend good money on Round-Up and other weed killers that are not as effective as the dog. When I’m not chasing the dog around, I spend most of my free time shuttling my two boys (ages 12 and 9) to downhill ski racing practice during winter, baseball practice in spring, and fishing all other times. Our big goal for the summer is to catch (and release) a

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Have any news to share with the Geography Department? Just cut out this sheet and send it to Myongsun Kong, Colgate University Geography Department, 13 Oak Drive, Hamilton

NY, 13346, or email mkong@mail.colgate.edu.

We’d love to hear from you!

Name (and name you were known by while at Colgate):

Year:

Partner? Their name?

Children?

Pets?

Occupation:

What have you been doing since we lasted contacted you?

The cover figure is from Professor Peter Klepeis’s panel discussion at this

year’s AAG meeting on Geography in the liberal arts.

The Colgate Geography Departmental Newsletter is edited by Myongsun Kong

(send all comments to mkong@mail.colgate.edu).

We will be taking alumni news submissions continuously throughout the year, up to the deadline of May 1 annually. If there is anything in particular you’d like us to include (i.e. news article featuring you or your work), please feel free

to send it along.

Pictures submitted to the newsletter can be either traditional print or electronic, but electronic pictures should be medium to high resolution in order to repro-duce well on paper. Please indicate what you would like in the caption of the

photo.

If you have a change of address or other correction to the address list and would like to keep getting your newsletter, please contact the Alumni Office (at 315-228-7453 or alumnirecords@mail.colgate.edu). Also, if you know of any alumni who isn’t getting their letter (because their address isn’t current), refer them to the previous sentence, as we get all our addresses from the

alumni records folks.

Tiger Muskie, which has become an obsession with

the 12 year old.

Bill Meyer:

I came to the Geography Department at Colgate on a one-year visiting position in the fall of 2003, but the visit keeps getting longer and longer. As summer begins, I’m preparing the courses that I’ll be teaching in the 2005-06 academic year (as well as starting to plan my search for a permanent job somewhere). Obviously I like it here or I wouldn’t have stayed so long, though teaching full-time in a liberal arts college, while trying to keep up with research and writing, is very different in some ways from anything I’ve done before. After getting my Ph.D. at Clark University, I spent a number of years in research positions first there and then at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, mostly working on projects having to do with the human dimensions of global environmental change. Environmental geography is my main field, and so far I’ve taught courses here on environmental issues, hazards, water resources, urban environmental issues, and (as a senior seminar) nature and society in central New York (plus a course, more human than environmental

geography, on the American city).

In a way, being at Colgate is coming home for me. I grew up in Syracuse, so the winters were no shock to me. On the contrary, they seem quite normal. I’ve also enjoyed the chance to resume some longstanding interests in the geography and environmental history of upstate New York. I’ve published or begun research on such topics as the environmental philosophy of the Oneida Community, the rise and fall of the Syracuse salt industry, and the urban geography of Syracuse. Indeed, my visit has been especially well timed in that it coincided with the launching of Colgate’s Upstate Institute, which has allowed me to interact

with other faculty members with similar interests.

GTU News (contributed by Bonnie Vanzler, GTU

president 2004-2005)

The traditions of the Colgate Chapter of Gamma Theta Upsilon (national honor society of Geography)and the Department of Geography have remained in full-swing this year as the fourteen active members of GTU have been involved in a variety of academic and social activities. Perhaps most noticeable (and anticipated) has been the weekly coffee hour on Friday mornings. Especially during the winter weeks, this weekly tradition has attracted many new faces into the basement floor of Persson, transforming the coffee hour into a race for coffee and homemade pastries generously contributed by Polly Elgie. GTU has also sponsored department-wide Happy Hours at the Colgate Inn and Nichols & Beal, providing students and professors a chance to meet outside of the classroom or confines of the GIS

lab.

GTU also held its first student-led Course Offerings Panel and Information Session in the fall for underclassmen and other students considering declaring a Geography concentration. At this event, students in GTU discussed what attracted them to study geography and fielded questions about coursework and various study abroad and extracurricular opportunities to apply classroom theory in the real world. Whether or not it can be attributed to this event, Spring 2005 department

enrollment is higher than ever.

Geography Cups for Sale

$10, including shipping, payable to Colgate Geog-raphy Dept. Clear green insulated plastic, with screw-on lid that features nifty slide for the big de-cision of whether to drink or not to drink. Deco-rated by image of globe view of Oceania, and “Colgate Geography” logo, slogan reads “Even from the basement of Persson, the rest of the world is never that far away…” Contact Myongsun Kong

if interested.

Persson Hall Room 7 Keys

Please return to Myongsun Kong or Linda Rauscher.

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Geography Faculty in the News!

Colgate climbers raise thousands for fight against

cancer

(taken from Colgate University News, Friday, July

02, 2004 by Tim O'Keeffe)

For Colgate president Rebecca Chopp and geography professor Ellen Kraly, a climb up snow-covered Mount Baker in Washington state provided them with an experience they won’t soon forget and the ability to contribute more than $18,000 to cancer

research.

The three-day hike, which started June 25, was part of the Climb to Fight Breast Cancer. The money raised by the Colgate pair and others went to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, based in

Seattle.

This year marks a decade of breast cancer remission for Kraly, who was inspired to take part in the climb

by her son, Jim, a graduate student at the University

of Washington. Jim and his girlfriend, Karen Seaver, went on the trip with the Colgate climbers and helped raise the $18,000 the group donated to the

research center.

Kraly and Chopp trained for months before taking on the 10,781-foot Mount Baker. They received help from many at the Colgate campus, particularly Josh and Molly Baker, co-directors of the university’s

Outdoor Education program.

"Thinking about all the people behind this effort -- Josh and Molly, the folks at Huntington Gym, all the students and student athletes who helped us raise money -- pushed me up that mountain," said Kraly. "There I was, with a smile on my face thinking about

them, clinging to the side of a mountain."

It was the technical aspects of the climb, which included specialized safety techniques and having to use ropes, crampons, and ice axes to get up a 1,200-foot wall of ice called the Roman Wall, that gave

Chopp reason to pause at about the 7,000-foot level.

At the peak of Mt Baker. The group that climbed raised funds for cancer research. Ellen Kraly (third from

right) stands next to her son Jim (second from right).

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firm or with the Environmental Protection Agency focusing on policy-issues related to environmental

justice.

Maggie West: I'm going to law school at the University of Pittsburgh. I would like to go into public interest law (I'm not quite sure what sector yet - maybe immigration, constitutional, or international human

rights law).

Sarahna Wilcox: I am waiting to hear back about a job with BG Trinidad and Tobago (an oil company), where I applied to be in their graduate mentorship program working with the Commercial Team. The earliest I would enter a graduate program is in 2006. I was looking into a Water Resource Management Degree at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica. I am also still considering Environmental Management programs in Canada (University of York, or Waterloo). My longer-term professional goals would be to start an Environmental Consultancy firm that focuses on designing and monitoring environmental management

systems for medium and small-scale corporations.

Geography Faculty (l-r): Adam Burnett, Maureen Hays-Mitchell, Peter Scull, Robert Elgie,

Ellen Kraly, William Meyer. Missing: Peter Klepeis.

Professor Klepeis (right) with co-author Paul Laris

(California State University at Long Beach) in their

field area of Tierra Del Fuego.

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to a Spanish-speaking country to speak and live the culture daily. Ideally, after a year teaching abroad, I would like to return to the States and enroll in graduate school for public health, specifically public health concerning Latin America. I'm not sure what my niche will be within the public health sector, but I am excited to work with people, incorporate Spanish and deal with issues of health. Maybe Kath and I will start a public health NGO- keep your eyes

out. (Five-o).

Heather Keatley: Will be “taking Mandarin lessons in China for several months while volunteering at an environmental organization there. I'll enter a graduate program after one or two years of working. I'd like to join an environmnetal policy and management program (masters)….to do something with environmental policy and/or management

(ideally overseas and dealing with forests).

Marisa Lubeck: I'm still job searching….I do plan on attending graduate school in 1-2 years, but I am unsure what program I would apply to. If I am able to find a Geography program that doesn't require intensive GIS study and is located in the Midwest or West coast, I will probably choose that path. This is the reason why I won't be attending directly out of college. My longer-term professional goals are undecided, as my interests are so broad, ranging from communications to public relations to environmental

law.

Lindsay Mackenzie: Will be on a Watson

Fellowship to study transboundary conservation.

Dan Malessa: After graduation I will be moving to Washington DC to begin my internship at National Geographic Society's headquarters where I will be working in the Education Foundation. That internship lasts for roughly three months. Being a geography and political science double major, I am interested in politics as well so I plan on trying to get a job on Capitol Hill as a Congressional staffer once my internship expires. Although working at National Geographic (in any capacity at this point) is my dream job. So I guess my post-graduation plans will take me to Washington where I hope to gain some

job experience in politics if NG doesn't work out.

Within the next few years I would like to attend graduate school. My interests include geography, public policy and journalism. I don't know beyond that where it all will take me, but these

are my interests and general plans.

Shelby Nelson: Is planning on being “happy with

what I am doing.”

Chris Russo: At the moment I am still unsure of my employment plans after graduation. Most likely I will be in NYC working at a law firm or in business/finance...I do plan on returning to graduate school.

Most likely I will return for business or law school.

Cheryl Setchell: I will be teaching history at The Taft School in Ct. I will also be coaching soccer,

ice hockey, and lacrosse at the school.

Amirah Shahid: Will be at “UPenn--Masters in Landscape Architecture.” In the longer term, she aims to “not to work for anyone but myself and to

enjoy every second of it.”

Kath Shelley: Post-graduation I'm traveling to China with an extended-study class, after which I will stay on and backpack for a month in northeastern China. In the Fall 2005, I'm entering a 2 year MS program in Public Health Microbiology and Emerging Infectious Diseases at George Washington University. I'm not sure where I'll end up after that... but starting a public health NGO with Sandra is

definitely a priority.

Lane Schwarzberg: Still deciding between two environmental consulting firms and waiting to hear from Ducks Unlimited, which would be my first choice. After one year of work I hope to enter a

graduate program.

Bonnie Vanzler: I will enter law school this fall as a Presidential Merit Scholar at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. where I eventually hope to study environmental law. My plans for this summer are currently indefinite, but I hope to work

in Boston in either an environmental consultancy

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“When you are roped together you have to be confident that not only you can make it, but that you can save others if they fall,” said Chopp. “I did not feel technically competent and wasn't sure I could save someone if they fell down a crevasse or on a

wall of ice.”

Chopp stayed put, taking in views of the mighty mountain and training with another group, as the rest

of her nine-member team climbed to the summit.

That meant starting to climb the Roman Wall at about 5 a.m. Sunday morning. Icy conditions are actually favored for this section of the ascent, as the

climbers' crampons have something to dig into.

Josh Baker had told Kraly that climbing a mountain such as Baker would require more mental fortitude

than physical.

Kraly says he was so right. She didn't look to either side of the Roman Wall, concentrating solely on the

mountain in front of her.

"We were prepared for it, but I knew I had to muster all my psychological and physical resources to do it," said Kraly. Getting to the summit, and having her son there, gave her a tremendous feeling of

accomplishment.

"It was absolutely absorbing, very exciting," she said. "It made me realize that with good training you can meet personal goals, and how critically

important teamwork is on these types of treks."

Both Kraly and Chopp have done a lot of hiking.

Chopp has hiked in the Rockies, the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and during all types of weather in the Adirondacks of upstate New York. She said she’ll continue with long hikes at high elevations, but will probably avoid climbs that require the more technical skills that mountains such

as Baker and Everest demand.

She’s in the best shape of her life, though, and

attributes a lot of that to the Bakers.

“Molly and Josh did a wonderful job getting us ready. Molly taught us how to work with weights, they both took us hiking in the Adirondacks, and Josh provided countless hours of teaching and

helping us with equipment,” said Chopp.

All the hours and all the hard work were intended for

one thing: to help fight cancer.

"A cure will not be possible until the basic chemistry and physiology of the disease is well understood. The more we understand breast cancer, the more we are likely to learn about other cancers, immunology, environmental health issues -- a whole array of health

and biomedical puzzles," said Kraly.

Environmental Studies Senior Seminar,

2005, Sauquoit Creek (contributed by Peter

Klepeis)

This past semester, Myongsun Kong, Peter Klepeis, and Randy Fuller (Professor of Biology) team-taught ENST 480, Interdisciplinary Investigation of Environmental Issues. The main goal of the course is to provide environmental studies concentrators with a high level, interdisciplinary research experience. After Randy Fuller received a request for assistance from the Sauquoit Creek Intermunicipal Commission (SCIC) in July of 2004, the decision was made to focus this year’s class project on the Sauquoit Creek drainage basin, which is located a one half hour’s drive to the northeast of Hamilton. Students analyzed five aspects of the basin: (1) environmental history; (2) creek water quality; (3) land-use and land-cover change; (4) recreational opportunities and development; and (5) flooding problems and mitigation opportunities. At the end of the semester, they presented their findings to the SCIC, were interviewed by local television, and had part of their work summarized in an article in the Utica Observer-

Dispatch.

The class’s service learning component enhanced the experience for students and faculty alike. Students gained a greater appreciation for the communities along the Sauquoit Creek, the range of social and environmental issues affecting them, and the degree to which they should try to participate in problem-solving within their own communities after they graduate from Colgate. And the possibility that output from the class may be used for real world application motivated the students to produce high quality work. Next semester, another ENST 480

class will be devoted to the same study area.

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2004-2005 Talks At Colgate

Talks given by department members

September 7, 2004.

Social Sciences division brown bag seminar was given by Professor Peter Scull titled “Using land survey records to map the pre-settlement forest composition Central NY.” The purpose of this project is to assess the extent to which the present forest of the region is representative of the primeval forest. In other words, how has the forest composition of the area changed over the past two hundred and fifty years? Such an assessment is useful for any type of conservation policy designed

to help restore the present forest to its original state.

One way the composition can be determined is through the use of ‘witness trees’ from land survey records. Professor Scull has been able to track down a set of land survey notes from 1789 with the help of Dale Storms, the Chenango County Historian, and we are working on using them to reconstruct the primeval forest. Many of the tasks associated with this project involve the use of GIS to determine the precise route traveled by the surveyors. Furthermore, GIS is used to describe the environmental conditions

different species originally preferred.

For more information go to http://www.colgate.edu/

index.aspx?pgID=6013&nwID=3101

April 14, 2005.

Professor Peter Klepeis has been researching environmental change in southern Chile for the past few years. For the Social Sciences Division brown bag seminar, he focused on part of this work―the region’s forestry sector―and gave a presentation to members of the Social Sciences Division that was titled, ‘Uncovering Legacy Landscapes: 20th Century

Land Change in Tierra del Fuego, Chile’.

From 1994 to 2003, the U.S.-based Trillium Corporation sought to implement a logging project in Tierra del Fuego, a large island at the southern tip of South America. Professor Klepeis’ presentation

reviewed how, despite the project incorporating the latest thinking in sustainable forestry management, it was opposed by environmentalists who claimed it would ravage the region’s southern beech forests. Their persistent challenges led to a financial crisis for the logging company, the project’s abandonment, and the creation of a nature reserve in its place. Contrary to conventional wisdom, Professor Klepeis argues that the proposed logging project rather than the nature reserve represents a better balance

between environment and development.

Professor Klepeis is now shifting his focus to sheep ranching and rangeland degradation, the predominant environmental issue in southern South

America.

For more on any faculty research, go to http://

departments.colgate.edu/geography/faculty.htm

Talks given in the department

September 20, 2004.

Members of GTU welcomed David Aagesen, Professor of Geography at SUNY Geneseo. He lectured on “Patagonian Rangelands and Forests: A

Century of Unsustainable Use.”

November 4, 2005.

The fifth annual Peter J. Gould Memorial Lecturer in Geography was Paul Robbins, Professor of Geography at Ohio State. His topic was “Thinking Geographically about Worlds in Upheaveal: Are

Forests Expanding or Contracting in India?”

February 17, 2005.

Dr. Charles V. Cogbill gave a lecture on “Presettlement vegetation patterns in the northeastern United States.” Charlie Cogbill is a native Yankee and a freelance forest ecologist living in Vermont. He was the first researcher to document the pattern of acid rain in North America and has long studied the disturbance dynamics of the ecological reference forest at Hubbard Brook, New

Hampshire.

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towards my masters of science in public health (MSPH) at Tulane University. My particular program focuses on Parasitology and tropical medicine. Thus far I’ve taken a variety of courses, including: medical helminthology & entomology, immunology, the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Thailand, and tropical virology. Upon graduating in December I hope to enter the field of complex emergencies and refugee health. I guess my biggest news is that I’ve been given the opportunity to work in Guinea (West Africa) this summer! A few other students and myself are collecting baseline data for a project that involves assessing the distribution of arboviruses (dengue, yellow fever, and west nile) in Guinea. I’ll be working on mosquito trapping methods and collection surveys of potential arboviral vectors in this region. I’m anticipating that this project will build on the GIS skills that I learned at Colgate. For now I’m enjoying New Orleans and trying to

complete the spring semester.”

2004. David Cooper has “since moved from the frigid northeast down to Florida. I have been flying at a flight school owned by Delta Airlines, and have acquired my Commercial Pilots license, and am currently training to receive my Flight Instructor license. At this time I have all the requirements that are needed to become an airline pilot with the exception of flight time. After obtaining my Flight Instructor license I will be able to get paid for teaching students how to fly at the same school I am currently at. And anticipate becoming a first officer of Comair Airlines or American Eagle in about 18 months from now. I have adjusted nicely to the change in climate and am enjoying the 85 degree weather nicely. I live about 10 mins north of Orlando and 30 mins south west of Daytona Beach. I anticipate returning to Colgate for graduation this

year and hope to see many familiar faces there.”

Peter Feldman wrote “since graduating from Colgate….I attended an eight week seminar on American Philanthropy at Georgetown University which was sponsored through the Fund for American Studies. In conjunction with this, I spent time interning for the Philanthropy Round Table – a nonprofit organization of conservative private donors and foundations. I also spent much of the summer campaigning for the President [re-election]…. After the election, I took a full time position

with Senator Mike DeWine, the senior senator from Ohio. I continue to work for Senator DeWine where I received a recent promotion to handling [?] issues pertaining to the Federal Budget and appropriations

for the state of Ohio.”

Grant Taylor has “been in Venezuela since October working for Conservation International in Caracas as a GIS technician for Luis Solorzano the head of Monitoring and Modeling for the Andes Region. We have been working on species distribution modeling and developing a database for the region. I am also writing environmental articles for the local English paper the Daily Journal, which sells in Venezuela

and Colombia.

“My contract ends on the 7th of June and I am going back to The Island School in the Bahamas to run the summer camps and hopefully do some research. We worked on offshore aquaculture last summer but had shark problems and lost about 12,000 fish. The investor is not planning on funding that again until we find a way to keep the sharks from biting through the net. It is really interesting work and seems to have a lot of potential, and I may apply to work on the commercial cage in Puerto Rico

next year.

“I am planning on going to grad school but I

need to figure out exactly where and what for first.”

2005. Amanda Barre: I plan on a Research Analyst post-grad program at Georgian College in my home province of Ontario. It's a one year program involving 8 months of in-class and a 4 month internship….I ultimately want to be a market

researcher for a sports company.

Charlie Berger: Haha, well in the long term I would love to learn how to both manage a small business and brew fantastic beer. In the long run I will ideally

be the owner of an up and coming small brewery.

Sandra Butler: I hope to work in a Spanish-speaking country after graduation. I am currently pursuing teaching positions in Costa Rica and Argentina; the one in Costa Rica is looking promising. A Colgate 2003 alum taught there last year and raves about the school, the faculty and the country. After my experience abroad in Sevilla, I crave returning

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Higher Education. I’m in my first year here and am a research assistant in the Center for the Study of Higher Education. My research is on the integration of research, teaching and learning, but my main interest is in the network connections between universities/colleges and communities. This summer I will be studying this kind of relationship between some Engineering professors at PSU and the folks involved in the American Indian Housing Initiative on the N. Cheyenne reservation in Montana. The two groups have teamed up to offer PSU students a chance to design a strawbale constructed daycare center for the college on the reservation, Chief Dull Knife College. It’s fascinating and I’m excited to learn more about the formal and informal relationships that make this kind of initiative work! Evan Goldstein ‘04 is here with me and is enrolled in the Ph.D. geology program here, as is my 4-yr old dog, Willis. I saw Joy (Oliver) Springer ’01 and her new baby, Samuel Jeffrey Springer who was born March 6, 2005. They are in Nashville, Tennessee and Joy is almost finished in earning her Masters in Higher Education at Peabody (Vanderbilt University). I’ll be here in Happy Valley for another 4 years so if anyone ever wants to visit the school or

me, I’ll be here!”

2002. Emily Boyd “taught environmental ed. up in northern Wisconsin for a year, moved out to Jackson Hole, Wyoming to start on some graduate school. I’m currently in a 12-month Environmental

Education residency. In the fall, I’ll be moving to New England where I’ll finish my master’s in Ed and get my elementary teaching cert. So, lots of

school and moving around for me.”

Matthew Laubenstein is “beginning my third year at Princeton Theological Seminary and after some more work when I am done here I will be a Lutheran pastor. I got engaged to a wonderful woman from Chicago on April 17, 2005 and we’ll be married next May. I taught biology and social studies after my time at Colgate before seminary and had a lot of fun

integrating geography into the curriculum.”

2003. Stentor Danielson is “working on my PhD at Clark University in lovely Worcester, MA. My current advisors are Roger Kasperson and Colin Polsky. I'm doing a comparative study of public attitudes toward wildfire management in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey and the outer suburbs of Sydney, Australia. My hope is to do the fieldwork during the 05-06 school year and graduate in May 2007. I'm also working as an RA on a study of

public participation at Superfund sites.”

After graduating, Dan Starobin “came back to Brooklyn and spent about 18 months DJing at clubs throughout NYC and working for Alicia Keys' management company. I've recently switched gears, and am preparing to re-enter academia. I've applied to grad schools and am planning to focus my MA work on geospatial science, with the goal of eventually moving into national security or defense infrastructure management... but for now I'm taking things one step at a time.” Newsflash: “I received the good news that I've been accepted to Hunter's

geography grad program for this fall.”

Tiffany Imes reports completing “my English-teaching assistantship through the Fulbright-Korea Commission back in July of 2004. My year in Korea was both a challenging and enlightening experience. I was responsible for just over 600 young women at Gwangju Speers High School in the southwestern province of Korea (Jella-namdo). While teaching in South Korea I had the fortunate opportunity to travel and hike around the country. I was also able to travel to both Japan and Hong Kong. Upon returning from my year in Korea I immediately began working

Matthew Laubenstein '01 and Kara Joy Smith after

their engagement on Broadway in NYC.

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The afternoon lectures were well attended and well received by department faculty, concentrators, and other geography students. All lecturers also shared their scholarship in select classes, offering fresh perspectives on disciplines within Geography not

currently offered at Colgate.

Australia Study Group 2004 - Wollongong (contributed by Ellen Kraly)

I am happy to report that the 2004 Australian Study Group was composed of thirteen – a superb Colgate 13 – students drawing from geography, environmental geography, geology, biology, psychology and math. Students arrived in Wollongong, New South Wales in early July. We started our adventure with a tour through Canberra led by John McQuilton – who is just as feisty and

irreverent as ever.

Students began their “subjects” at the University of Wollongong soon thereafter. Together, we studied Australian population issues and policy in our seminar on environmental issues. Students completed their own research projects – an excellent collection of studies that included Australian immigration and refugee policy, Australian national parks policy, indigenous perspectives on environment, sustainable communities in rural Australia, social and environmental correlates of skin cancer, issues in land management in natural heritage regions, sustainable communities, growth in the Sydney metropolitan

area, the

preservation of Australia’s precious biodiversity and

environmental hazards including cyclones and

tsunami in the Asia Pacific region.

We also enjoyed each other’s company both in the seminar, and also through our travels throughout Australia – down the south coast to magical Jervis Bay, and up the north coast to Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef. We visited Kata-Juta and Uluru, and enjoyed a beautiful evening under the Australia sky during the “Sounds of Silence” dinner. The students listened to Tiku, an elder of the Arangu Community of central Australia who shared stories of her culture and people. We trekked the rim walk of King’s Canyon while taking in geological time; a couple of us straddled camels for an evening ride, and we all

laughed in Bojangles in Alice Springs.

And the students were the best of sports in participating in the annual, now infamous, ground parrot census at Barren Grounds National Park with Rob Whelan – even though the census yielded a population count of only 3 parrots …. or could it have been the same parrot spotted several times

over??!

Australia Study Group students in no particular order; Danielle Gleason, Nicole Kins-

man, Jayna Richardson, Sarah Round, Doug Tierney, Erin McCarthy, Jessica L.

McGowan-Vanderbeck, Sarah Macfarlane, Tisza Bell, Richard LeBeau, Joe Kurstin, Jes-

sica Winans, and Mike Graham.

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The Colgate-Wollongong Mellon

Foundation Exchange Program, 2005 (contributed by Peter Klepeis)

Students from Colgate University and the University of Wollongong (UoW) in Australia have been a part of an exchange funded through a Mellon Foundation grant. The exchange is part of a growing collaboration between the two universities over the last 10 years. For the past three years, select students from each school have gone overseas to engage in research with faculty members at the host institution for four to six weeks (the exchange is separate from the Geography-Environmental Studies sponsored Australia Study Group, which sends 18 Colgate

students to UoW for four months every July).

This summer, Colgate is hosting three Australian students and sending to UoW five Colgate geography students. Two of the Australian students are working with geology professor, Bruce Selleck, and the third will be continuing research on the Sauquoit Creek drainage basin that was initiated this past semester. The five Colgate students will be working on three separate projects with UoW faculty members: (1) ecotourism, identity, and the culture of surfing; (2) a comparative study of war memorials in Australia and the Northeastern region of the United States; and (3) counter-urbanization (the movement of people from metropolitan to rural areas), the subdivision of rural

landscapes, and land management.

AAG Meeting News

The 2005 American Association of Geographers national meeting was held April 5-9, 2005 in Denver,

Colorado.

Papers Presented:

Adam Burnett – “Synoptic-scale circulation and its

role in winter Antarctic Peninsula warming”

Maureen Hays-Mitchell – “Peace Does Not Exist Apart From Us, Nor Does the War: A Country of Victims and a Truth and Reconciliation Commission,

The Case of Peru”

Peter Klepeis – “Contesting Sustainable Development in Tierra Del Fuego: Environmental

Ideology as Sustainability Indicator”

Ellen Percy Kraly – “The report of the Chief Protector of Aboriginals will be found of interest, and his statistics in relation to half-castes have a certain significance which should command

attention (Northern Territory Report 1921)”

Peter Scull – “A comparison of two proposed sampling strategies designed to perform a

geochemical soil survey of North America”

Stentor Danielson ’03, Clark University – “Social capital as a double-edged sword: trust and distrust at

a Superfund site”

Professor Hays-Mitchell also organized two panels at the meeting: Landscapes of Conflict and Post-

Conflict Landscapes.

2005 Faculty Awards

Professor Elgie – Sidney J. and Florence Felten French Teaching Award.

Professor Scull - Phi Eta Sigma Professor of the Year

2005 Student awards

Lindsay Mackenzie - Watson Fellowship

Notice – Next year’s AAG meeting will be held March 7-11 2006 in Chicago, Illinois. The dept wants to know if there is enough interest in sponsoring an alumni event. If you are considering attending, or will be in the Chicago

area, please email mkong@mail.colgate.edu.

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program in architecture at Columbia University. I am now working as an Urban Designer at Sasaki Associates in Boston, Massachusetts. My city-centric mind dates back to my days in the geography department and especially Professor Elgie's

American City class!”

1999. Heidi (Erbsen) Gott is “writing from Los Angeles, where we finally have a break in our second most rainy season, it certainly is a joyous spring. Living in the foothills of Pasadena, my husband and I have never seen so much water come out of the mountains. Landslides are plentiful and river beds have moved enough to make our local hiking quite an adventure. I am writing because I suppose my post-Colgate story has enough of a twist to be of interest to the Geography Dept and the alums. After receiving my ENGG degree I returned home to LA. In 2003 I received my CA teaching credential and a master’s of teaching from the University of San Francisco. There I wrote my master’s project on Developing a Sense of Place for Urban Elementary Students, influenced in part by Josh and Molly Baker of Outdoor Ed. I am now a 5th grade teacher of mostly English Language Learners in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Last summer I married my ‘study abroad sweetheart’ from the University of Wollongong

(Weerona). Craig is a water engineer and we live in Pasadena, CA. That should given everyone who has studies at Wollongong a chuckle. No, we don’t recommend this international relationship to anyone, although I will be able to ‘pursue comparative research in American and Australia[n] contexts’ for

the rest of my life!”

2000. RJ Kern rhetorically asks, “What's new with me? I was recently engaged to Nicole McBride (Univ. of Den) and a wedding is planned for July 2. Details: http://homepage.mac.com/rjkern2000. We had the opportunity to rub shoulders with National Geographic Chief Cartographer Allen Carroll and ESRI President Jack Dangermond. Nicole realized for the first time what a geography geek I really am… after 5 years with National Geographic Society, I have moved on to become an ESRI Authorized Instructor with the Department of the Interior (Bureau of Indian Affairs). I [am] excited about the opportunity to teach GIS/geography and travel to exciting places throughout the western US. I also expect to graduate with a Masters in Geography this summer. My thesis focuses on spatial representation of uncertainty in wildland fire mapping.” Newsflash! On June 29, RJ writes “I successfully defended my thesis yesterday, so that is

a nice feeling.”

2001. Katie Chamberlain is currently living “in Santa Fe, NM with my boyfriend of almost 4 years, Tal-ee Roberts '01. I work for the New Mexico Environment Dept.-Hazardous Waste Bureau. My primary responsibility is corrective action (clean-up) activities at Los Alamos National Laboratory. I am also in the process of getting state approval for a GIS system for our bureau. Los Alamos has its own GIS lab, however, the Environment Dept. has no way of viewing or manipulating any of their data. So, I decided it was my responsibility to obtain the equipment and training necessary to keep up with the times! I will be back on the Colgate campus this summer for a wedding between Josh DiMarzo '00 and Mandy Palladino '02 on June 25th. I guess we're

at that age.”

Emily Janke is “currently a Ph. D. student at Pennsylvania State University in the Department of

RJ Kern ‘00 and Nicole McBride at an ESRI-National

Geographic reception held in Explorer's Hall in Janu-

ary in Washington, DC.

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“Graduated from University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy in 1996. Practiced as a pharmacist in Rochester, Syracuse, and Cazenovia since. Married to Corinne (Corry) [SUNY Geneseo 1995] since 1999. Politically active and hope to someday hold an elected position locally. Still use the lessons of open mindedness and critical thinking learned from one of the most influential people in my life, Dr. Robert

Elgie. Thank you very much!”

1993. Scott Newbert is “Glad to hear the department is starting a newsletter. It will be great to hear about what everyone is doing. I am currently an assistant

professor of management at Villanova University.”

Gary Suskauer writes “my wife Stacy and I are currently living in Cincinnati, Ohio. For the past three years I have been working as an Environmental Specialist for the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO). My current focus has been working with our Sub Basin Committee develop a nutrient reduction strategy to help combat the hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico. I also serve as our defacto GIS specialist. After five years in Cincinnati, we will be moving to the Baltimore/ Washington area in June. My wife is finishing her combined residency in pediatrics and rehabilitation medicine and will be starting a fellowship in brain injury research at Johns Hopkins. I am currently looking for an environmental policy-related job in the area. Following graduation from Colgate in 1993, I completed an internship at the National Geographic Society. I then received my Master in Environmental Management degree from the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University. I spent several years doing consulting work in the Research Triangle area of NC before

following my wife to Cincinnati.”

1995. Kim Standish Reohr is “currently living on the upper west side in Manhattan, where I moved after getting married in November of 2003. I am the Associate Director of Education for Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration in CT and have been fortunate to be able to maintain this position while telecommuting and going up there for a few days every few weeks. My husband, Tom, and I are looking forward to welcoming our first child in June

so the changes keep coming!”

1997. Claudia (Ellerbroek) Cesca is “currently living in Chicago with my wonderful husband Greg Cesca '99. We got married in May 2003 and are expecting our first baby in mid-October. I am loving life! After getting my master's degree in Education in 2000, I've been teaching at a public school and am enjoying my Kindergartners a lot this year. This summer I'm planning on relaxing and sailing here in

Chicago.”

Jared Weeks is living “in Rollinsford, NH (Seacoast) with my wife Leah. No kids yet. All of my post-'gate work experience has been in the IT field. I am currently working as a Computer Systems Architect for Liberty Mutual Insurance group in Portsmouth, NH. Still trying to decide whether to go

back for my MBA or to pursue an MS in CS.”

1998. Jen Critchley currently lives in “Jersey City, New Jersey with my husband Kieran Quinn. We were married last year-- so far, so good. I am currently a practicing attorney in New Jersey at a firm called Connell Foley LLP. Much of my work

involves commercial litigation in North Jersey.”

Tim Hawkins writes “I’m married to Irene (Beers) Hawkins '98. We have an 8 month old baby, Bramley. I continued on after Colgate to get an M.A. and Ph.D. in Geography with a focus on Climatology and Hydrology from Arizona State University. My current research focus is on snow cover throughout the western U.S. and its relationship to water supplies especially in the arid southwestern U.S. I'm currently in my second semester as an Assistant Professor at Shippensburg University (part of the Pennsylvania state system of higher ed.). I'd be happy to talk to any soon-to-be graduates who are thinking about taking the

academic track in Geography.”

After graduating, Lynn Hoffman “interned at an architecture and planning firm in Kansas City and at the Community Development Department in Aspen, Colorado before returning to graduate school. I attend the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Fine Arts where I received my Masters in Urban Planning and then did a one year graduate

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Bonnie Vanzler - Shannon McCune Prize in Geography—awarded by the dept to the senior concentrator who has been judged to demonstrate

outstanding academic merit and promise.

Lindsay Mackenzie - Peter Gould Award in Geography—awarded by the dept to a senior concentrator who has enriched the geography community through exemplary leadership, service,

and achievement.

Senior Honors Presentations 2005 (given

May 4, Persson 6)

Session I – 9 am to 11:30

9 am – Heather Keatley – “The World Bank’s Role in Addressing Tropical Deforestation through

Decentralization”

9:30 am – Marisa Lubeck – “Democratization in Post –Colonial Africa: Vibrant Struggles and

Shallow Transitions”

10 am – Lindsay Mackenzie – “Panacea or Pipe Dream: Assessing the Utility of Peace Parks for

Conservation and Conflict Resolution”

10:30 am – Beth Stephenson – “We Speak for

Ourselves”

11 am – Dan Malessa – “A Deceptive Faith in the Developing World: What Role Does Islamic Fundamentalism Play in Destabilizing Africa and

Southeast Asia?”

Session II: 1 pm to 3 pm

1 pm – Jessica Gregory – “The Dynamics of Civil

War and Internal Conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa”

1:30 pm – Sandra Butler “Of Weighty Concern:

Latin American Lifestyles in Transition”

2 pm – Bonnie Vanzler* – “Economic Development at the Cost of Sustained Poverty Reduction? An Integrated Approach to Sub-Saharan African

Microfinance Institutions”

2:30 pm – Kath Shelley – “Mastering Malaria in

Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia”

*indicates high honors given

Concentrators 2005

Amanda Barre (co Economics)

Charlie Berger (co Economics)

Allison Bernardini (co ENST Econ)

Sandra Butler (co Spanish)

Kristin Cirbus (minor Education)

Ellen Frank (co Peace Studies)

Alex Friedman (co Economics)

Jessica Gregory

Chloe Guimond

Heather Keatley

Adrianne Kriegstein

Marisa Lubeck

Lindsay Mackenzie (minor Poli Sci)

Daniel Malessa (co Poli Sci)

Shelby Nelson (minor SoAn)

Professor Scull outlining an important point for students

in Geography 102: Environmental Geography.

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Chris Ross (co ENST Biology)

Christopher Russo (minor FMST)

Lane Schwarzberg

Cheryl Setchell (co History)

Amirah Shahid (co ENST Biology)

Katharine Shelley

Daniel Smith

Elizabeth Stephenson

Julie Stephenson (minor Spanish)

Douglas Tierney

Bonnie Vanzler

Margaret West (minor History)

Environmental Geography 2005

Noelle (Mia) Mabanta

Jennifer Meakins

Sarahna Wilcox

Minors 2005

Cynthia Castellon

Laura Chadderdon

Adrianne Kriegstein

Joseph Mormina

Cara Sturman

Concentrators 2006

Leslie Alba

John Breault

Richard Castro

Hanh Dao

Michael Graham

Rebecca Irvine

Tara LaLonde

Brent Smith

John (Taylor) Swick

Lindsey Wiseman

Environmental Geography 2006

Catherine Christian

Kathryn Flood (co French)

Abigail King

Erin McCarthy

Kristin Rest (co Math)

Jayna Richardson

Jessica Winans

Eric Wright

Concentrators 2007

Brian Anderson

Geoffrey Bean

Sarah Caban

Eric Craft

Walter Frick

Dustin Gillanders

Liam Huculak

Zabrina Krishnamoorthy

Robert Masters

Emily McGrath

Ashley Olentine

Jane Phelan

Jesse Quinn

Meghan Reed

Jeremy Stein

Professor Burnett demonstrating ice-coring.

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job was to target specific neighborhoods in the Bronx to help preserve and increase the affordable housing stock. We combined code enforcement with low interest loans to building owners to renovate older apartment buildings. At that time, there was also a large supply of vacant City-owned buildings that had been taken through tax foreclosure. Through a Request For Proposals (RFP) process, we sold these buildings to eligible developers for $1.00 and then combined private bank financing with various subsidy programs to gut rehabilitate the buildings and rent apartments to neighborhood residents at affordable rents. I worked for HPD in this capacity for five years eventually becoming Deputy Director of the West Tremont Neighborhood Field Office. This is the neighborhood just north of Yankee

Stadium.

“In 1991 I went back to my home in Orange County, New York in the Hudson Valley and became Director of the Orange County Office of Community Development. I worked for the County Executive for 4 years. Our job was to access funds through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and to distribute them throughout municipalities in the County in support of projects involving affordable housing, infrastructure improvements and community

facilities in low income or blighted neighborhoods.

“Since 1995, I have worked for The Community Preservation Corporation (CPC) in the Hudson Valley, New York field office. CPC is a not-for-profit corporation which was formed in 1974 by David Rockefeller (who was at the time Chairman of Chase Manhattan Bank) and other members of the New York banking community. We are a consortium of about 100 banks and insurance companies in New York and New Jersey. Our members provide us with capital to make loans in distressed areas, downtowns and underserved communities for affordable housing development and community revitalization projects. We make loans for acquisition of properties, new construction, existing building rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of underutilized industrial property into housing and retail uses. I am now Vice President. In the past 12 years our office has provided over $500 million in financing for projects

in the seven Hudson Valley counties.”

1990. Shawn Lillie is “currently residing in York, Maine with my wife Theresa '89 and our two

children (Amanda 8 years old and Garrett 6 years old). We moved to York three years ago from the Boston area. I'm currently employed as a controller for a Harley-Davidson dealership in New Hampshire. Prior to my current position I worked in

public accounting attaining my CPA license.”

Nancy Wemmerus wants to “start off spatially ... I live in Fairfax, VA, outside of Washington, D.C., with my husband Carl Rosene and 2 sons, Stephen (5) and Andrew (1). Since graduating from Colgate in 1990, I completed my M.A. in Demography at Georgetown in 1992. In my career as a research demographer/public policy analyst I worked for the Population Reference Bureau, Decision Demographics, and Mathematica Policy Research, studying domestic poverty issues, welfare reform, food stamps, and school food programs. It has been very fulfilling, but then so are my boys, so I temporarily "retired" in 2004 to be with them full time for the next few years. I've done a small amount of consulting and writing from home, and I hope to slowly build that portfolio over time. Meanwhile my boys keep me plenty busy "fighting crime" and writing adventure stories. We love to travel as a family and have had some terrific adventures over the past decade, traveling in India, Nepal, Egypt, Europe, and Mexico. We hope to share our love of international travel with the boys as they grow older,

and we may get bold enough to start this summer.”

1991. John A. Mulhall, (co-Biology) writes:

Some members of Australia Study Group 2003—camel

riding, outback style.

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of Princeton for about 7 years now. A daughter, Angela, blessed us in 1994. While working on my teaching certificate, I have indulged my interest in fishing. With a newly minted Captain's license, I spend about 100 days a year on the water helping a friend with his charter boat, Fins on Feathers based in

Leonardo, NJ.”

1976. Lynn Weiner Anderson “graduated with a double major in geography and mathematics. I got my MA in Economic Geography from the University of Washington in Seattle where I have been since graduating from Colgate. Upon receipt of my MA I started my career in banking, first as a regional economist and the moving on to branch banking location strategy and market development. I spent the last 20 years building this function at Washington Mutual Bank and helping them grow to the 6th largest financial institution in the US. Last year I took some time off and am now working on a new venture at Washington Mutual associated with

customer service improvement initiatives.

“I married Stewart Anderson in 1983. He has a geography degree from the University of Washington and is employed by Group Health Cooperative in Seattle. We have 2 children. Our son Russell is a sophomore at Bucknell University majoring in political science. Our 17 year old daughter Lauren has decided to enroll at Bucknell University in the class of 2009. Tentatively she is planning to study Spanish and International Relations

at Bucknell.

“I keep in touch with many Colgate friends from the classes on 1973 through 1976, including geography majors Julia Bergamini Bergeron '75 and Doug Kelly '76. One of my daughter's good friends at school (from elementary school through high school graduation) is Markus Chisholm, son of Colin

Chisholm ’77.

1979. Karen McKay Burns “had the pleasure of both growing up in Hamilton and attending Colgate University. I am able to visit Colgate quite often since my parents still live in Hamilton. It is just amazing to see the changes and growth in the Hamilton/Colgate community! My particular favorite is the relocation of the bookstore. My children insist on a trip to the bookstore every time

we are in town!

“I live in Watertown, New York, with my husband Mike (St. Lawrence University Class of 1979) and our two children, Brittany (16) and Gregory (15). My daughter is just beginning the college selection process and the quality of the informational packets she has received from Colgate

is quite impressive.

“Professionally, I received a Masters Degree in Special Education from SUNY Plattsburgh and I'm in my 19th year of teaching for the South Jefferson Central School District. Currently I'm

teaching a 6th grade 15:1 class.”

Nancy Rabin Neff writes “On the advice of Ted Herman I applied to Harvard's GSD and graduated in 1981 from the Kennedy School of Government with a Masters in City Planning. I went on to work first for Aetna in their Real Estate Investment Dept. and then to Trammell Crow Company in California doing large scale real estate development. While at Harvard I got co-opted by the desire to earn a living and didn't see that happening as successfully were I to have become an advocate planner….I stopped working in real estate when I moved back east in 1988. Since then I have become a professional volunteer for a variety of organizations and am quite happy. I have to say that I am very impressed with the publication describing the current activities of the Geography Department. Your level of sophistication and academic investigation is well beyond the honors thesis I painstakingly mapped out

in 1979!!!”

1984. Doug Olcott writes “When I was getting ready to graduate in the Spring of 1984, I went to Prof. Elgie and asked him, "Now what?" He recommended that I apply for graduate studies in Urban Planning. I applied and was awarded a scholarship in Columbia University's School of Architecture and Urban Planning. I graduated in 1986 from Columbia with a Masters in Urban Planning with a concentration in Housing and

Community Development.

“At that time under Mayor Koch, New York City, through its Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) was launching a 10 year $1 billion housing development plan. I was hired as a Project Manager in the Bronx Neighborhood Preservation field office of HPD. Our

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Jason Sutton

Devin Taylor

Jane Wolterding

Environmental Geography 2007

Donald Boyajian

Elizabeth Crowley

Daniel Greer

Lindsay Grossman

Sarah Lane

Brett Merkel

Stephani Michelsen-Correa

Matthew Mills

Melissa White

Hollis Wold

GIS class, spring 2005. Top row, l-r: Prof Scull, Eric Wright, Dan Malessa, Kevin Collopy, Erin McCarthy, Taylor

Swick, Meghan Reed, Lindsay Grossman, Robert Van Brunt, Michael Graham, Melissa White. Bottom row: Jeremy

Stein, Emily McGrath, Hanh Dao, Sarah Caban, Stephani Michelsen-Correa, Myongsun Kong

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1956. Frank Speno reports that “Shirley and I will be married 49 years January 30, 2005 and 50 years just after class of 1956 celebrates our 50th reunion in 2006. We had seven children, our first died a crib death when we were in the Air Force in Texas. The remaining 6 have 13 children. MariAnne (sp?) and Frank went to Colgate, Frank ’87 carries a Colgate record; 4 interceptions in one game vs Lehigh. MariAnne was prominent in the “Swinging Gates.”

All our children are doing well.

“Shirley and I have lived for the last 8 years at the Landings on Skidawsay Island, outside of

Savannah Georgia…

“Since graduation I have had the privilege to work with Colgate and its students in many ways. My sister and I established in perpetuity honoring our father Leo H. Speno, M.D. ’26, Colgate Maroon Council, Board Member 40+ years, president 3 years. [I] recruited and encouraged many young men and women who attended Colgate, raised money for

Colgate, lived in Hamilton for 16 years and was ‘Godfather’ of several fraternities, hired Colgate graduates for the DuPont Co. and the George Jr.

Republic and on and on.”

1964. Terry W. Persily reflects that “for years even I didn't realize why I majored in Geography other than Dr. Herman was such a giant of a quiet man. Most outside observers certainly could not understand the importance of a geographical outlook on life. As it turns out I now, almost 40 years later, recognize just how majoring in geography has enriched my life. I am not nor have I ever been a geographer, a teacher of geography, or even made a living in a related field, but I still view the world with a

geographical perspective. I spent most of my life earning a living in the insurance industry, and having my fun on a sailboat. What could be more distant from geography you could sensibly ask. I would reply that my ingrained perspective allowed me to understand more fully the risks to the insurers inherent to property we insured. Urban conditions and weather are major risk factors to property anywhere on the globe. Wind, sea and coastline are always important to the sailor. Most everything I do is related to geography, but the geographical perspective is often maligned. I do hope that your newsletter will help to bolster the discipline of geography and support the idea that a major and a

career are not necessarily synonymous.

“I am currently retired, living the life of the snowbird. Summering in Geneva Ohio and wintering in Delray Beach Florida with a sailboat harbored in both locations, has given me the time to reflect on my education and to come to appreciate

the profound effect Colgate had on my life.”

1967. A. Paul Bradley, Jr. comments that “my plan was to get a doctorate in the subject and become a professor. However, I was asked to stay on for a year to work in the Admissions Office and this helped steer me toward a doctorate in Higher Education instead and a short career in college administration. However, in 1980 while the Provost

Alumni News

Awards Convocation April 26, 2005 (l-r): Profs.

Klepeis, Kraly, and Scull, Lindsay Mackenzie, Prof.

Hays-Mitchell, Bonnie Vanzler, Profs. Elgie and

Meyer.

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of the Manhattan Campus of NY Institute of Technology, I tried to land a “name brand” presidency without success and someone suggested that I look outside of higher education. I was surprised to find that a) there was a world there and B) it was interesting. So I became a Vice President of the American Management Association where I began speaking at management seminars. This, in turn, led to the formation of The Bradley Group, Inc. which is a small international management consulting firm. This career choice has proved to be a Geography major’s dream. In the past 24 years, I have worked in 39 countries, every province of Canada, and all but two of the 50 states (50, that’s right isn’t it???--little joke there). So in an odd way, I use my geography every day. However, more important, for years people have remarked on my ability to see patterns. This is crucial in my major activity, facilitating strategic planning processes, and I believe it is a learned skill from my grounding in Geography.”

1974. After graduating, Brian Allen comments that “it sure has changed since the early 70s, with only 3 professors and a few majors!” He “had a short stint in grad school at the U. of Toronto in Geography (studying with Jim Simmons and Larry Bourne). Through a job at a map making company in Boston, I fell into a 30 year career in graphic design, calligraphy, and typography. I spent 20 years making fonts in digital formats for computer systems at several companies in California and for IBM in Boulder, Colorado. Along the way I became a letterpress printer and left IBM to start my own business doing custom printing from “old fashioned” metal type with 100+ year old presses. One highlight was printing material for the Summit of the Eight in Denver in 1997. I closed my studio in Boulder after 5 years and in 1998 returned to making fonts, at the Palo Alto, California, office of Monotype, the 100 year old British company that originally made typecasting machines, primarily for book printing. I¹ve been involved in making fonts you undoubtedly have been using on your Windows PCs. My personal handwriting has been made into an Open Type font for Microsoft that will be part of an upcoming Tablet PC operating system. The field of fonts is a shrinking one, and in February I resigned from Monotype for a midlife sabbatical and career change. My original love for geographic/cartographic subjects has been reemerging, and, in

fact, I am in the middle of doing Penn State’s distance learning GIS Certificate program. I am amazed by what has happened in Geography in the past 30 years! I must say, parenthetically, that there are interesting parallels between the fields of fonts/typography and Geography. While I remain in the San Francisco Bay Area for the time being, I expect I’ll be moving in the next year to embark on a new career, whether in GIS or with my artistic interests (hot glass, in particular). I’d enjoy hearing from other alums. I plan to go to the ESRI conference in San Diego in July; it would be nice to connect with

other Colgate alumni/students who are going.”

Bryan Miller graduated from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 1975. He “is an author and journalist in the field of food, restaurants and wine. For 10 years – and 4,500 meals – he was the restaurant critic for The New York Times, which involved dining around the United States and the world. He is the author or co-author of 11 culinary books, including the best-selling Cooking for Dummies, Desserts for Dummies, and four editions of The New York Times Guide to Restaurants. He is the recipient of several awards, including the James Beard Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award,

the highest honor in food journalism.”

Bill Pisarra informs us that “After graduation I started a graduate program in Geography at the University of Minnesota. While there I completed a Masters and got through prelims before heading off into the private sector. I completed an MBA a few years later while working as a Controller for the Minnesota North Stars. With my training in computers, which my Geography advisor, Gene Ziegler, forced me into I wound up in the software business. My business career ended when my three partners and myself sold our ERP company to Epicor in 2003. Since that time I have been working on obtaining a New Jersey teaching certificate with a plan to teach High School Geography when I complete the Graduate Teaching Program at Rider in the spring of 2006. Not many NJ high schools offer Geography, so I may have to teach History with a strong Geographic influence. I married my wife Donna in 1992 and she moved from New Jersey to Minneapolis. After 6 years of living on the tundra (her term), Donna decided we should be near our families. We have been living ten miles North

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