This fall, our new Masters and PhD students bring with them an exciting range of interests to the UW–Madison Geography Department!
Sophia Brieler (MS), Genevieve Kell (MS), Kara Atkinson (PhD), Oona Mackesey-Green (MS with simultaneous PhD enrollment), Ying Nie (MS), and Clifton Skye will work on research that spans the discipline, including:
- The characterization of methane and carbon dynamics in the Arctic to determine the importance of plant-mediated transport to this system
- The weaponization of legal systems’ objectives traditionally associated with kinetic warfare
- Community and policy responses to PFAS contamination in Wisconsin and methods to address contamination in other communities
- The application of AI in geography to investigate transferred bias and wildfire prediction
- The mapping of carbon and methane hotspots in northern Alaska
Drawing on professional experiences of all sorts, spanning from nonprofit work to linguistics to woodworking, the new grad students bring in a rich variety of fresh experiences and knowledge to Science Hall, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome their unique backgrounds and interests to the department.
With our small, supportive department size, the new grads have been able to integrate quickly and become active members of the geography community on campus. They are already forming connections and making individual contributions. Kara Atkinson says she “loves how community oriented the department is,” and Oona Mackesey-Green agrees, saying she loves the “communities and landscapes” that UW-Madison has to offer their students.
The new graduate students have been getting acquainted with the spaces that will be supporting their academics, taking advantage of the many beautiful areas around Science Hall. The geography graduate student lounge, located on the 5th floor of Science Hall and fondly referred to as the Geograd lounge, has been especially attractive to the new students. With its beautiful views of the campus area and Lake Mendota, the lounge provides a peaceful area in the building for the grads to study, socialize, or relax.
Outside of their studies, the new grads have been taking advantage of the many outdoor activities that the campus and surrounding city area have to offer. Enjoying the lakes, exploring the arboretum, and taking a stroll down one of the many lakeside paths around Madison have provided a way for students to get outside and explore the campus and Madison area. Student Sophia Brieler loves “how integrated outdoor spaces and activities are with urban spaces” around campus.
We are so excited to see these new students’ research and ongoing contributions to both the UW–Madison community and field of geography as a whole. If you happen to encounter any of the new geograds around campus, be sure to give them a warm welcome!
