This article analyses the patterns of violence produced by the competition for the control of transport infrastructure between state and non-state actors in West Africa from 2000 to 2024. Using disaggregated road and conflict data from the Global Roads Inventory Project (GRIP) and Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED) project, the paper first shows […]
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Trade networks for agricultural products play an important role in agricultural development and regional integration in West Africa. However, mapping these networks is challenging due to the lack of a comprehensive analytical framework that supports evidence-based policymaking. This policy note represents a first attempt to integrate the spatial, social and temporal aspects that influence trade […]
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Sloughs are slow-moving or still water systems that serve as an important ecosystem component connecting rivers and floodplains such as the Apalachicola River in northwest Florida. However, sloughs of the Apalachicola River have become hydrologically disconnected from the mainstem due to the impact of failed navigation projects such as channel incision, disposal of dredge spoils, […]
Professor Cynthia S. Simmons has received the prestigious Fulbright Distinguished Scholar award, Sustainability in Amazonia at the Federal University of Pará (UFPA) in Brazil. This important recognition reflects the high esteem in which the academic community holds her work. Note that distinguished Fulbright scholar awards have not been subject to DOGE-related cuts in the federal […]
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Professor Corene Matyas was named University of Florida Research Foundation Professor for 2025. UFRF Professorships are awarded to tenured faculty members with a distinguished, current record of research. Dr. Matyas’s research involves the GIS-based analysis of rainfall from tropical cyclones. Congratulations, Dr. Matyas!
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Stephen Mullens was interviewed by Vox for their video explaining the meteorology behind the sunny skies of St Petersburg, FL. In this 8-minute video, Mullens worked with journalist Ed Vega to help explain why Florida would be a desert without the summer sea breeze thunderstorms, how the sea breeze works, and why St Petersburg […]
Kaitlyn Anderson, a second-year master’s student, has been awarded the PASG Graduate Student Paper Award for her research “Ecological Fragmentation: Road Networks in U.S. National Parks and Forests.” This award is presented by the Protected Areas Specialty Group (PASG) of the American Association of Geographers (AAG). The PASG Graduate Student Paper Award recognizes exceptional research […]
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We are delighted to announce that Anusha Chaudhary was awarded the Ruth McQwoun Scholarship. Congratulations! This award is granted to students at the University of Florida who exemplify outstanding academic achievement and a deep commitment to social justice, particularly in advancing equity for women, racial minorities, and individuals from low-income backgrounds. In honor of these […]
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Temperature shapes the geographic distribution, seasonality, and magnitude of mosquito-borne disease outbreaks. Models predicting transmission often use mosquito and pathogen thermal responses measured at constant temperatures. However, mosquitoes live in fluctuating temperatures. Rate summation––non-linear averaging of trait values measured at constant temperatures—is commonly used to infer performance in fluctuating environments, but its accuracy is rarely […]
Arboviruses transmitted mainly by Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti and Ae. albopictus, including dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses, and yellow fever virus in urban settings, pose an escalating global threat. Existing risk maps, often hampered by surveillance biases, may underestimate or misrepresent the true distribution of these diseases and do not incorporate epidemiological similarities despite shared vector species. We address this by […]
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