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2007-2008
2008 Webb Bauer Award Winner
Graduating Senior Megan Helms was named the 2008 Webb Bauer award winner. This award is given for academic and personal excellence in the field of geography in honor of Webb Bauer, the first HSU geography graduate to receive his Ph.D.
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences Academic Excellence
Geography Senior Michael Boruta received the 2008 Academic Excellence award for the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Michael graduated in May and will pursue his Masters Degree in Geography at Ohio University under the direction of former HSU geographer Margaret Pearce. Mike also received the Excellence of Scholarship Award from the National Council for Geographic Education.
HSU Geographers Win at CGS in Chico
The California Geographic Society held its 62nd Annual Conference May 2-4 at Chico State University. More than 20 HSU geography majors attended this event and were accompanied by Department Chair Joe Leeper, Professors Joy Adams, Stephen Cunha, Dennis Fitzsimons and Chris Haynes. Adams chaired a panel discussion on “Strategies for Mentoring and Supporting Female Students and Faculty,” along with geography students Anna Leeper, Diana Muncy, Corinne Cogger and Angela Crane. Adams was also elected to the CGS board of directors. Leeper presented “Challenges Confronting Humboldt County Agriculture” and Cunha presented “The Changing Face of Vietnam.”Humboldt continued its large presence and strong showing in the competitions with 18 other universities including USC, UCLA, Cal Poly Pomona, San Diego State, UC Davis, UNR, and more competing at both the undergraduate and graduate level. More than 360 geographers participated in the conference.
On Saturday, ten HSU geography majors and recent graduates (Mike Boruta, Willie Shubert, Daniel Stauning, Jared Wolfe, Megan Helms, Christopher Haynes, Sarah Warnock, Jorge Sanchez, Michael Owens and Colin Leslie) competed in the undergraduate research competitions. HSU students won the following awards:
McKnight Undergraduate Paper Awards
2nd: Megan Helms "The Ecological Importance of Fire: A Case Study Using Tree Ring Dating"
3rd: Michael Owens "Past, Present, and Future: Transitions in Resource Use and Landscape in Shelter Cover, CA"
Mapping Awards - Digital
1st: Jared Wolfe “Distribution of Neotropical Migrants in Response to the El Nino Southern Oscillation in Costa Rica”
2nd: Michael Boruta "The Tourist Traps of Northwest California"
3rd: Willie Shubert "The Modern Middle East: A Survey of Chaos and its Contributors"
Lantis Scholarship Award Undergraduate: Diana Muncy (HSU)
CGS Travel Award Sarah Warnock (HSU)
2006-2007
2007 Webb Bauer Award Winner
Senior Katherine Dicker was named the 2007 Webb Bauer award winner. This award is given for academic and personal excellence in the field of geography in honor of Webb Bauer, the first HSU geography graduate to receive his Ph.D. Kathy will pursue her masters in geography at San Francisco State in 2008.
HSU Geography Grad Wins Mapping Honors
A map created at Humboldt State by Cassandra Hansen, 2006 Geography alumni, has been selected for the 2007 National Geographic Award in Mapping by the Association of American Geographers. According to the head judge, Hansen’s “entry was part of the most eclectic and accomplished group of entries in the three years I have been a part of the review process. For the first time, we invited entries from Europe and the US.” The award comes with a $1200 cash prize.
The map details hiking trails, lakes, streams, and roads, as well as climate data for the Mt. Shasta, region. The map, which looks 3D but is actually 2D, received rave reviews from the judges. “Very accomplished and technically proficient,” stated one judge. “Beautiful – worth of hanging on a wall of my home,” said another.
The mapping project was “part of a practicum class at HSU, which provides real life cartographic work for students,” Hansen said. “Other projects that I worked on in this class are book illustrations and other individual maps.” Hansen worked under the direction of Mary Beth Cunha, Geography lecturer and lab manager.
Hansen, who spent over 300 hundred hours on her map, has a degree in Geography and a certificate in GIS from Humboldt. She is currently pursing a masters degree in Physical Geography at the University of Nevada, Reno.
Humboldt Geographers Recognized State-wide
Sixteen HSU geography majors attended the annual meeting of the California Geographic Society in Borrego Springs. They were accompanied by Department Chair Joe Leeper, Professors Dennis Fitzsimons and Joy Adams and trip organizer Chris Haynes. The trip also included a campout at Anza Borrego Desert State Park as part of the GEOG 469 Field Experience course.
Professor Joy Adams presented a paper entitled, “Authentically German-Texan: A case for symbolic place identity,” drawn from her dissertation research on heritage tourism in Central Texas. Her main argument was that the “authenticity” of ethnic-themed destinations should be evaluated in light of changing conceptions regarding the meaning and content of ethnic identity in contemporary American society.
On Saturday, four HSU geography majors (Kathy Dicker, Jenny Wrye, Aaron Salles and Sean Boone) competed in the research competitions. Students from USC, UCLA, CSU Chico, Sonoma State, UC Davis, UC Berkeley, San Diego State and more competed at both the undergraduate and graduate level.
Geosystems Award (Awarded to the top graduate or undergraduate physical environment paper)
Kathy Dicker – “Shake, Rattle and Roll: Perceptions of Seismic Hazards on the Humboldt State University Campus – Are Students Prepared?”Mapping Competition
National Geographic Intern
Second Place: Aaron Salles “Mapping Population in the People’s Republic of China”
Geography Major Jo Erikson was named a National Geographic intern for Spring 2007. She will work in the Education and Children's Program Division.Geographers Win at NACIS
HSU geographers traveled to Madison, Wisconsin, to attend the annual meeting of the North American Cartographic Information Society (NACIS) October 18-21. Geography Department lab manager and lecturer Mary Beth Cunha accompanied students Eryn Pimentel, Morgan Crane, Andy Braden and Rebecca Degagne, who attended information sessions. Cunha is a member of the NACIS board of directors.2006 Geography grads HeatherAnn Van Dyke and Amy Avery-Grubel won first place ($500) in the Student Poster Contest for their Cognitive Mapping poster (see photo below). Morgan Crane, also a 2006 grad, received an honorable mention for her WalMart poster. Both posters are on display in Founders Hall near the Geography Department office. Humboldt students were the only ones awarded prizes in the poster competition. They competed with geography students from schools around the nation.
2006 Association of Pacific Coast Geographers - Eugene
Recent Geography graduates (‘06) HeatherAnn Van Dyke and Amy Avery-Grubel took the top undergraduate prize at the recent annual meeting of the Association of Pacific Coast Geographers, September 6-8 in Eugene, Oregon. Their paper “Cognitive Mapping and Spatial Interpretation: A Survey of HSU Students Regional Perceptions” won the President's Award for Outstanding Paper by an Undergraduate Student ($150). They competed against students from such campuses as University of Oregon, University of Nevada, University of Arizona, Arizona State University and Sonoma State University.Joining HeatherAnn was Geography Chair Joseph Leeper, and Professor Stephen Cunha, who presented a paper “Two Decades of Change in Glacier Bay, Alaska.” Shannon Cram, HSU geography graduate of 2004, presented a paper on the Geographic Impact of the Closure of Hanford Nuclear Facility. Shannon is completing her MA in Geography this December at the University of Oregon.
2005-2006
2006 California Geographic Society - Redding
The California Geographic Society held its 60th Annual Conference from April 28-30 at Shasta College in Redding, CA. Twenty-seven HSU geography majors attended this event and were accompanied by Department Chair Joe Leeper, Professors Stephen Cunha and Dennis Fitzsimons and long-time geography lecturer and trip organizer Chris Haynes. The trip also included a campout at Oak Bottom campground near Redding.
Professor Stephen Cunha gave the Presidential Plenary Presentation entitled “The Last 20 Years at Glacier Bay.” Humboldt students were the focus of attention for many from the 12 other universities present due to our large presence and strong showing in the competitions. These universities included USC, UCLA, CSU Chico, Sonoma State, UC Davis, UC Berkeley, San Diego State and more competing at both the undergraduate and graduate level. According to HeatherAnn Van Dyke, HSU Geographic Society president, “Professors and students from other universities were very interested in our program and were impressed by the involvement of our professors with the students.”
On Saturday, seven HSU geography majors (Spencer Adkisson, Amy Avery-Grubel, Jill Beckmann, Morgan Crane, Cassandra Hansen, Kevin McManigal, HeatherAnn Van Dyke) competed in the undergraduate research competitions. Students from nine schools won at least one award or scholarship. The HSU students were quite successful as the following list of award winners attests:
Poster Competition
First Place: HeatherAnn Van Dyke and Amy Avery-Grubel “Students Perceptions of Continental United States Regions”
Second Place: Cassandra Hansen and Kevin McManigal “Taku Glacier GIS Project”Mapping Competition
Second Place: Morgan Crane “Mapping the Path of Wal-Mart”Mapping Competition-Animated
First Place: Kevin McManigal “The Evolving Map of the Middle East in the 20th Century”Tom McKnight Undergraduate Paper Competition
Second Place: David Scott – “High Populations of Llareta at 5300m on Nevado Sajama, Bolivia”Geosystems Award (Awarded to the top graduate or undergraduate physical environment paper)
Kevin McManigal – “Applying Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques for Measuring Mass Loss in the Palisade Glacier, Sierra Nevada, California”Professor Joe Leeper presented the outstanding K-12 teaching award to HSU geography alumni Jill Montgomery who teaches at Sequoia Elementary School in Redding.
Webb Bauer Award Winner Named
Geography senior Cassie Hansen was named the 2006 Webb Bauer award winner. This award is given for academic and personal excellence in the field of geography in honor of Webb Bauer, the first HSU geography graduate to receive his Ph.D.
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences Academic Excellence
Geography senior Kevin McManigal received the 2006 Academic Excellence award for the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Kevin is an NSF-NASA Undergraduate field science grant recipient, West Coast Model Arab League "Outstanding Delegate" and Leadership Education Adventure Program volunteer. Kevin graduated in May.
2006 Model Arab League - Oakland
Geography major Jo Erikson was awarded “Outstanding Council Chair” at the recent West Coast University Model Arab League meeting held at Mills College in Oakland. She coordinated the work of the Council of Arab Social Affairs Ministers.
Twenty-seven geography students, all part of the Model Arab League at HSU, joined Professor Paul Blank at this annual event, making Humboldt students the largest contingency at the event. The HSU Geography Department has participated in this program for the past ten years. One geography student went to work for the National Council on US-Arab relations, and another spent more than two years in Yemen studying Arabic.
Model Arab League is a student leadership development program administered by the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations. Participants learn about the politics and history of the Arab world and the arts of diplomacy and public speech. Colleges and high schools from across the United States are invited to participate.
Humboldt Model Arab League students in Oakland April 2006
Geography senior Carrie Hofer (above) was a double winner at the annual meeting of the Association of Pacific Coast Geographers annual meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, in October 2005. Hofer's study "Desert Pavement and the Mojave" won the APCG President's Award ($150) for outstanding student poster presentation. The project examining the fragile ecological structure of desert pavement began last spring as a paper for geography lecturer Chris Haynes' Arid Lands course and culminated in a poster presentation after fieldwork and excellent photographic examples were acquired by Carrie this past summer. Carrie also won a travel grant ($150) from the APCG. She was accompanied by Professor Dennis Fitzsimons who presented at the meeting.
2004-2005
Humboldt State University undergraduates were honored in eight categories of excellence at the Outstanding Student Awards that closed the Spring 2005 semester, including the Woman and Men of the of the Year. Ross Nolan, Geography major, won recognition for an outstanding contribution to a campus club, program or organization. An HSU Ambassador and Orientation Peer Counselor, Nolan was a Living Group Advisor in 2003-2004, a member of National Residence Hall Honorary, and officer and webmaster of the Geographic Society. His loyalty and devotion to HSU are described as “bleeding green and gold.”Kaitlin Yarnall was presented with the Webb Bauer Award, given in memory of the first HSU geography student to complete the doctoral degree.
Geography Majors Win Firsts
HSU geography majors racked up a series of first places in late April against rivals from California, Nevada, and Arizona at the 59th annual conference of the California Geographic Society at Yosemite National Park.(for more pictures)
Plaudits for Geography Students: Success at Model Arab League
Congratulations to Brian Wells and Kevin McManigalSenior Kaitlin Yarnall has been named a National Geographic Society intern for Summer 2005, marking at least the fifth consecutive year an HSU undergraduate has been granted such an internship. Senior Kevin McManigal was named an alternate for the 2005 internship.
The internships give students a professional learning experience, through various projects that spread geographic knowledge. Interns get a first-hand look at publication procedures and other geographic outreach initiatives.Senior Stacey Ellis has received the 2005 Excellence of Scholarship Award from the National Council of Geographic Educators and the Association of American Geographers.
2003-2004
Kevin McManigal and Julie Brazil shared the William Squire Scholarship, given in memory of a Humboldt geography major.
Silas Toms received the John Harper Scholarship, given in memory of a Humboldt geography professor.
David Gagner was presented with the Webb Bauer Award, given in memory of the first HSU geography student to complete the doctoral degree.
Geography Department students have won several other awards during the 2003-2004 academic year. Paul E. Tibbetts II captured the National Council for Geographic Education Excellence of Scholarship Award, which honors academic achievement and campus activities.
Melissa Katz garnered the North American Cartographic Information Society Student Web Map Contest with her interactive Atlas of California. Solana Foo won the student poster contest.
Dawn Albrecht earned Outstanding Delegate recognition at the West Coast Model Arab League, and Kyle Zeck took honorable mention.
Laura Ann Delman received first place at the California Geographic Society annual meeting in the professional paper competition. Nate Haas tied for first in the map competition.
Geography graduate Timothy Stiles was named as a 2004 National Geographic Society intern.
Check out recent cartography student project winners entered in the North American Cartographic Information Society (NACIS) annual meetings.
http://www.nacis.org/previous.html
http://www.nacis.org/previous2.htmlGeography student Sam Levy was nominated for the HSU Outstanding Student Award
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