Greetings, everyone! The fall semester has flown by; hard to believe I’m wrapping up my first semester as Department Chair. It’s been an unseasonably warm fall overall and we’ve yet to have a real snow. But, it’s begun to feel a bit like winter the last couple of weeks, with short days and temperatures that feel more like late January than late November/early December.
It’s been a busy fall in Science Hall! Before classes even started, Professor Kris Olds hosted a group from Cardiff University (of Wales, UK) that included their president, Wendy Larner, who did a stint as a visiting scholar at UW in the aughts. She was joined for lunch in Bascom Hall by a group of Geography faculty and Graduate students.
We also welcomed a stellar incoming class of graduate students representing the full breadth of the department and a new (to us) faculty member, Lisa Bhungalia who began her joint appointment (Geography and International Studies) after several years as a faculty member at Kent State University. Dr. Bhungalia’s book Elastic Empire: Refashioning War through Aid in Palestine was published by Stanford University Press in December 2023 and has already won both the 2024 Albert Hourani Book Award sponsored by the Middle East Studies Association and the 2024 Palestine Academic Book Award sponsored by the Middle East Monitor. Dr. Bhungalia has also jumped right into developing new political geography and International Studies courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level.
A truly great thing about working in Science Hall is that we can glimpse the department’s future in these new faces while also drawing on the experience of senior personnel, without whom the place just wouldn’t be the same. This was driven home to me when I had the pleasure of accompanying new graduate students to the Robinson Map Library where they learned about the collection from our Distinguished Map Librarian, Jaime Martindale. Jaime was awarded the “Distinguished” title last spring after 20 years of service. Even a summary of her contributions to the department and to library science would exceed my word limit, but among them is her work in creating GeoData@Wisconsin, an open data portal that has become the standard for other universities and states. Joining her in the library was Jim Lacy, Associate State Cartographer, who himself completed 20 years in SCO and the Geography Department this November. Among dozens of other projects he’s done, Jim has collaborated closely with Jaime on the digitization of 38,000 digitized historic photographs now available through GeoPortal@Wisconsin. Both Jaime and Jim are also active contributors to departmental and university committees. Congratulations and thanks to both!
On campus, there are opportunities and challenges. We have been selected by the College of Letters and Sciences for a centrally-funded hire through the RISE Earth Program. We’ve also faced the same challenges many universities have this fall. The department has continued to support informed debate and remains dedicated to developing cutting edge science and creative, critical thinking skills among our students, staff and faculty.
Among other scholarly recognitions, Qunying Huang’ was awarded a prestigious H.I. Romnes Fellowship from UW’s Vice Chancellor for Research in recognition of her exceptional research contributions. Dr. Huang deploys GeoAI, big data analytics, and remote sensing to address issues in natural hazards, human mobility, and sustainable agriculture. Meanwhile, Dr. Song Gao was named as a 2024 Global Top 1% Highly Cited Researcher by Clarivate. Only 15 UW-Madison researchers are on this year’s list, which recognizes individuals for significant and broad influence in their field.
Thanks to all of our stalwart donors; your support is greatly appreciated! And, a shout out to our growing group of newer donors! Thanks for showing your good will for the department. Together, last year you helped us reach our highest numbers of donations and funds raised to date. Thanks also to our External Relations committee who has worked hard to connect with alumni and other stakeholders. The faculty chair of the committee, Dr. Lisa Naughton, has been an important part of that work and I thank her for that.
I also extend best wishes to Dr. Naughton as she reduces her commitments in Geography to pursue exciting opportunities in the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. We will still see her around Science Hall and benefit from her advising work with graduate students. But, we will nonetheless miss her thoughtful counsel on other department business, which we have come to rely on in her 27 years in Geography. Thank you, Lisa, for your wisdom and dedication!
Finally, thanks also to my predecessor, Jack Williams, for his exceptional service in his three years as department chair. There are too many accomplishments to list but under Jack’s leadership we: hired two new faculty members (and successfully proposed our current search); continued to grow enrollments and majors; and moved, renovated and hired a new creative director for the Cart Lab. I deeply appreciate the solid foundation built by Jack and previous department leadership as I step into this new role. I wish Jack all the best as he turns his efforts back to his compelling and urgent scholarship in paleoecology and global climate change!
