Geography Colloquium: Avoiding Amazonian Catastrophes – Prospects for Conservation in the 21st Century

Avoiding Amazonian Catastrophes – Prospects for Conservation in the 21st Century

Speaker: Dr. Robert Walker

Professor, Department of Geography, University of Florida

Thursday, March 14, 2019

2:50-3:50 PM (Period 8)

Turlington Hall Room 3018

University of Florida

All are welcome to attend.

New infrastructure threats confront the Amazon. Resulting development could push its forest past a “tipping point,” replacing it with tropical savanna. This would degrade biodiversity, reduce carbon storage, and harm continental agriculture. Environmental policy in Brazil has weakened over time. Luckily, indigenous peoples are capable of resisting development forces.

Third Annual Evening of Excellence in Geography

We will be hosting our Third Annual Evening of Excellence in Geography, on Tuesday November 19th from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm at the Keene Faculty Center. As usual we will have finger foods and desserts available, along with soft drinks and a cash bar for beer and wine.

This is a fun night of celebration of the accomplishments of our students and is open to all faculty, students, staff, as well as family and friends. We hope you plan to join us and share in the announcement of the winners of this year’s Geography Awards.

In order to have an idea of numbers please send a quick email to Crystal (cwilmoth@ufl.edu) or drop by and sign up on the sign-up sheet in her office, with your name, and number attending.

Geography Colloquium: Amazons Within The Amazon – A Multiscale Assessment of Urbanization

Image courtesy Ms. Roberta Mendonça De Carvalho

Amazons Within The Amazon – A Multiscale Assessment of Urbanization

Speaker: Dr. Roberta Mendonça De Carvalho

PhD Alumna, Department of Geography, University of Florida

Thursday, November 14, 2019

2:50-3:50 PM (Period 8)

Turlington Hall Room 3018

University of Florida

All are welcome to attend.

Urbanization in the Brazilian Amazon has reached 80%. This is a recent and rather intensive process. At the same we see population increase, we see the fortification of the hydropower system. But how and where this urbanization is reshaping the profile of the rainforest? And what is the role of hydropower in stimulating urbanization?

Announcing The Navi-Gator, Issue 2!

 

University of Florida Department of Geography
The Navi-Gator
OCTOBER 2019, ISSUE 2

So many new and exciting things have happened…
Check out our amazing new grad lab in 1215!
Come visit us in the geography office– lounge around in reclining chairs and grab some new GeoGator merch. We have T-shirts and sweatshirts for sale, along with other complementary goodies.

Now Accepting Applications for 2019 Graduate Student Awards!
* Top Published Student Research Article
* Little Family Student Fellowship Award
* John & Fawn Dunkle Award for Graduate Student Travel
* Evan Coe Award in Medical Geography
* David L. Niddrie Excellence Fund
* Anderson Award for International Travel
Submissions are due by 5 pm on November 15th via email to Crystal: cwilmoth@ufl.edu with award name in the subject header [required

UF Researchers Lead future GIS Project in Ghana on Deforestation and City Growth
Funded by SERVIR!
A team from the University of Florida – including Geography’s Dr. Olivier Walther – has received funding from SERVIR, a joint venture between NASA and the U.S. Agency for International Development for their Linking Deforestation, Urbanization, and Agricultural Expansion for Land-Use Decisions in Ghana project. The team will use Geospatial Information System (GIS) tools to assess deforestation, urbanization, and agricultural expansion to improve land use planning in Ghana.

Colloquium
Upcoming: (Dates TBA)
Dr. Robert McCleery
Dr. Roberta Mendonça De Carvalho
Dr. Robert Walker
Ryan Good
Past:
Dr. Kim Valenta (October 3rd): The Mad Dog Initiative – Identifying and Mitigating Invasive Species Threats in Madagascar
Dr. Bo Yang (October 10th): Drone Mapping for Coastal Seagrass Monitoring and Citizen Science
Dr. Danielle Jake-Schoffman (October 16th): Technology-Based Interventions to Promote Physical Activity and Healthy Eating
Dr. Michael Gavin (October 24th): The Geography and Conservation of Biocultural Diversity
Dr. Seth Cavello (October 31st): Rust Belt Renaissance? The Experience of Refugees from Burma in Buffalo, NY

Kim Valenta (October 3rd): The Mad Dog Initiative – Identifying and Mitigating Invasive Species Threats in Madagascar
Dr. Bo Yang (October 10th): Drone Mapping for Coastal Seagrass Monitoring and Citizen Science
Dr. Danielle Jake-Schoffman (October 16th): Technology-Based Interventions to Promote Physical Activity and Healthy Eating
Dr. Michael Gavin (October 24th): The Geography and Conservation of Biocultural Diversity
Dr. Seth Cavello (October 31st): Rust Belt Renaissance? The Experience of Refugees from Burma in Buffalo, NY

Where Are they now?
Our recent grads have found themselves in some interesting places!
Chia Yu (Charles) Wu, class of 2019, graduated with his Doctorate in Geography. He is currently researching River-Coastal Science and Engineering as a postdoctoral fellow at Tulane University.

Geography Colloquium: Maintaining Diverse Wildlife in Africa’s Rapidly Changing Savannas

Image courtesy Dr. Robert McCleery

Maintaining Diverse Wildlife in Africa’s Rapidly Changing Savannas

Speaker: Dr. Robert McCleery 

Associate Professor, Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation , University of Florida

Thursday, November 7, 2019

2:50-3:50 PM (Period 8)

Turlington Hall Room 3018

University of Florida

All are welcome to attend.

With a full complement of large herbivores and predators the wildlife of Africa savannas are unique but face an increasingly trouble suite of challenges. In this talk, we will explore some of the challenges and opportunity to maintaining wildlife on the rapidly developing continent.

Now Accepting Applications for 2019 Graduate Student Awards!

TOP PUBLISHED STUDENT RESEARCH ARTICLE

These awards are given for the top published, student led, research article in each of the Departments four focus areas:
* GeoSpatial Analysis & Techniques
* Medical Geography in Global Health
* Earth System Science
* Global Environmental & Social Change

Due by 5 pm on November 15th – submit via email to Crystal: cwilmoth@ufl.edu
* Cover letter stating category being submitted under (only 1 submission per category)
* a pdf of the paper for review, you MUST be first author, must be 2018-19 and not submitted previously
* the IF of the journal (2019 and past 5 years if available) and link for the journal
* A brief description of your role and co-authors roles in the paper if multi-authored
* Submit email with focus area category and your name in the Subject header

Award is $1000 per category

Only complete award submissions following the above directions will be considered

Little Family Student Fellowship Award

The Little Family Student Fellowship Award is for graduate students in the Geography Department who are also U.S. citizens. This Award is to be given to a graduate student that best reflects the 3 tenets of academia: strong research, teaching, and service, all within a commitment to the discipline of Geography and to the UF Geography Program in particular.

To be considered for this prestigious award students should submit a 1 page description of how they fit the 3 tenets and have illustrated excellence and their commitment to UF Geography. The name of one faculty member that can be contacted for further information (if needed) should also be provided.

Award is $1,500

Due by 5 pm on November 15th – submit via email to Crystal cwilmoth@ufl.edu with award name in the subject header

Only complete award submissions following the above directions will be considered

John & Fawn Dunkle Award for Graduate Student Travel

This is the ‘John & Fawn Dunkle Award for Graduate Student Travel’. This award is to assist a graduate student in the program with travel or to provide additional funding for a doctoral student participating in the AAG in Spring 2020. Amounts requested must be specified, up to $1,000. Costs must be estimated and justified and a brief description of the research to be presented or undertaken provided. In addition, a short discussion of the benefit of the award to the graduate student must be provided. In total – the submission should be no longer than 600 words.

Depending on the amounts requested 1-2 awards will be given.

Due by 5 pm on November 15th – submit via email to Crystal: cwilmoth@ufl.edu with award name in the subject header [required]

Only complete award submissions following the above directions will be considered

Award covers travel costs in the form of items purchased e.g. plane tickets, or travel reimbursement up to amount awarded and based on submitted budget

EVAN COE AWARD IN MEDICAL GEOGRAPHY

This award is open to all students and is to recognize excellence in the field of Medical Geography. This Award is to be given to the top MGGH graduate student that best reflects the 3 tenets of academia: strong research, teaching, and service, all within a commitment to the discipline of Geography and to the UF Geography Program in particular.

To be considered for this prestigious award students should submit a 1 page description of how they fit these 3 tenets within medical geography and have illustrated excellence and their commitment to UF Geography. The name of one faculty member that can be contacted for further information (if needed) should also be provided.

Award is $1,500

Submissions Due: November 15th 2019
Submit to: Crystal: cwilmoth@ufl.edu
with award name in the subject header [required]

Only complete award submissions following the above directions will be considered

David L. Niddrie Excellence Fund

The David L. Niddrie Excellence Fund is for graduate students in the Geography Department to support travel and/or fieldwork for spring or summer 2020. Preference for this award is given to female graduate students in the physical sciences, although it is open to everyone. Amounts requested must be specified, up to $1,000. Costs must be estimated and justified and a brief description of the travel/fieldwork to be undertaken provided. In addition, a short discussion of the benefit of the award to the graduate student must be provided. In total – the submission should be no longer than 600 words. Depending on the amounts requested 1-2 awards will be given.

Award is up to $1,000

Due by 5 pm on November 15th – submit via email to Crystal cwilmoth@ufl.edu with award name in the subject header [required]

Only complete award submissions following the above directions will be considered

Award covers travel costs in the form of items purchased e.g. plane tickets, or travel reimbursement up to amount awarded and based on submitted budget

ANDERSON AWARD FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL

This is the ANDERSON INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL AWARD for Graduate Student Travel. This award is to assist a graduate student in the program with international travel for fieldwork, site visit, or conference attendance for spring or summer 2020. Amounts requested must be specified, up to $2,500. Costs must be estimated and justified and a brief description of the research to be presented or undertaken provided. In addition, a short discussion of the benefit of the award to the graduate student must be provided. In total – the submission should be no longer than 1,000 words.

Award is up to $2,500

Submissions Due: November 15th 2019
Submit to: Crystal cwilmoth@ufl.edu with award name in the subject header [required]

Award covers travel costs in the form of items purchased e.g. plane tickets, or travel reimbursement up to amount awarded and based on submitted budget

Only complete award submissions following the above directions will be considered

UF Researchers to Lead NASA Funded GIS Project on Deforestation and City Growth in Ghana

UF Researchers to Lead NASA Funded GIS Project on Deforestation and City Growth in GhanaWest Africa has experienced significant deforestation over the last several decades. While deforestation in Ghana has slowed in recent years, growing urban populations are contributing to human-driven land use change.

A team from the University of Florida – including Geography’s Dr. Olivier Walther – has received funding from SERVIR, a joint venture between NASA and the U.S. Agency for International Development for their Linking Deforestation, Urbanization, and Agricultural Expansion for Land-Use Decisions in Ghana project. The team will use Geospatial Information System (GIS) tools to assess deforestation, urbanization, and agricultural expansion to improve land use planning in Ghana.

Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting new project!

Geography Colloquium: Rust Belt Renaissance? The Experience of Refugees from Burma in Buffalo, NY

Dr. Seth Cavello
Image courtesy Dr. Seth Cavello

Rust Belt Renaissance? The Experience of Refugees from Burma in Buffalo, NY

Speaker: Dr. Seth Cavello

Visiting Lecturer, University of South Florida

Thursday, October 31, 2019

2:50-3:50 PM (Period 8)

Turlington Hall Room 3018

University of Florida

All are welcome to attend.

Buffalo receives more refugees for resettlement than any city in New York. While this narrative is mostly true, refugees in the city face new challenges to resettlement. Like many Rust Belt cities, Buffalo is experiencing a period of rapid investment that is changing the face of many neighborhoods in the city, including the West Side, where most refugees are resettled. For this reason, strategies for gathering and using information about housing and livelihood outcomes need to adapt to meet these new changes.

This talk will discuss the results of recent research to understand how refugees from Burma find and use information about housing and livelihood opportunities in order to adapt their strategies in the face of neighborhood change.

Geography Colloquium: Technology-Based Interventions to Promote Physical Activity and Healthy Eating

Technology-Based Interventions to Promote Physical Activity and Healthy Eating

Speaker: Dr. Danielle Jake-Schoffman

Assistant Professor, Department of Health Education and Behavior,, University of Florida

Thursday, October 16, 2019

2:50-3:50 PM (Period 8)

Turlington Hall Room 3018

University of Florida

All are welcome to attend.

Modifiable lifestyle behaviors have immense power to prevent and treat chronic disease. Yet, the majority of people in the US are insufficiently physically active and not consuming adequate fruits and vegetables.

This talk will explore the ways in which mobile technology can help engage people in behavior change interventions and expand the reach of evidence-based programs for physical activity and healthy eating.