Good morning, geographers,

I hope you are doing well as you gear up for this week of remote/online courses. It is clear we’ve entered a “new normal” and will be here for some time to come. I know how disappointed the seniors and graduating master’s students are to have lost out on the experience of their last semester in the program—and how disappointed many of you are not to be able to finish your classes in person. I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you how we will continue learning, conversing, and growing as a community of geographers, while directing our discipline’s unique lens to the challenges of mitigating and adapting to the coronavirus.

• For the time being, Stewart Hall will remain open to all students, faculty, and staff, including the main office, the library, and the SPAM computer lab. If you remain on campus/in town, you are welcome to stop by to get some work done in the library or computer lab, or at the Salter Table for Geographic Confabulations near the kitchen. There will be faculty around if you would like to chat or check in. (Of course, the current open campus policy is subject to change. Stay tuned to MU Alert for additional announcements on coronavirus policies and procedures.)
• The faculty are hard at work designing engaging, interactive remote delivery of all your geography courses, and that will be launched this week. We are also still available to talk with you and help you learn. Just because we are learning remotely doesn’t mean that we stop communicating! Please reach out to us, and we will maintain our communication with you.
• We will bring many department events online using Zoom, a videoconferencing app, that allows you to attend department events such as master’s thesis defenses and presentations virtually. If you do not know how to use Zoom, it is free and easy to learn! Log in to your free university account here: https://umsystem.zoom.us and visit https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us for instructions and tutorials. Be on the lookout for event invitations on Zoom over the next seven weeks!
• Get involved and help others. A sense of purpose will help you get through this trying time. If you have ideas for how Geography can help us adapt to and mitigate the pandemic, or if you have ideas or resources to share, please contact your student ambassadors Abby Hunt and Carson Stone at mugeographyambassa1@missouri.edu.
• Here are two examples of what I’m talking about.
  • Tom Vought of the Missouri Spatial Data Information Service designed a web map that features county-level demographic data from the Missouri Census Data Center that highlight's Missouri's Over 60 population, as well as several datatsets from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services that highlight some of the healthcare resources that are available to them. Check it out: Over 60 web map. (Note that you need to zoom to the county level to activate the health care layers.)
  • GISCorps is looking for people with GIS skills to help with the COVID-19 response. If you qualify and are interested, please fill out this request: https://www.giscorps.org/become-a-volunteer/sign-up-to-volunteer/.

In the meantime, stay tuned to MU Alert and your university email account for updates. Let me know if you need anything. I will be in touch soon, and wish you all the hope, spirit, and love you need to get through this difficult and uncertain time.

Soren

Professor & Chair

Department of Geography

University of Missouri

Columbia MO 65211-6170

https://geography.missouri.edu/people/larsen