Good Monday morning, geographers—

Here we are at week two, and I have a few more introductions to make! Please join me in welcoming Sarina Neal, a freshman anthropology major, who will serve as the student assistant to Deb Cutler in the Geography Department Office this semester. Stop by Stewart Hall 202 this Tuesday or Thursday morning (Sarina’s hours this week) to introduce yourself—and don’t give her any grief for being an anthropology major: that was my major as an undergraduate and Master’s student…Welcome, Sarina!

Undergraduate major Abby Hunt has graciously agreed to extend her term as Jesse H. Wheeler Student Ambassador for the Department this fall semester. Building on her success in a fully remote environment last semester, Abby will be promoting geography classes, welcoming new majors, and helping coordinate departmental and student events, among other things. Next spring, we will open applications to the entire undergraduate population (pending a few small eligibility requirements), so please do stay tuned!

Now for some kudos…entering graduate student Seth Kannarr was selected as the recipient of the 2020 Gamma Theta Upsilon Buzzard Undergraduate Scholarship. Each year Gamma Theta Upsilon International Geography Honorary Society recognizes five GTU members who have demonstrated academic and service excellence to their departments, their GTU chapter, their community, and geography as a whole.  Four of these scholarships are awarded to undergraduate students and one is awarded to a continuing graduate student. Congratulations, Seth!

I made this announcement last spring when the news first arrived, but I was thrilled when last week Dr. Grant Elliott showed me the page proofs of his forthcoming article in the Annals of the American Association of Geographers with former MU graduate students Sydney Bailey and Steven Cardinal entitled, “Anthropocene biogeography: hotter drought at upper treeline in the Southern Rocky Mountains?” For those of you who have never published an academic article, there is nothing quite like getting the page proofs: from dream to reality! Well, nothing quite like it until the actual article comes out, which is the case for Dr. Mike Urban and his Annals article with Dr. Jake Bendix at Syracuse University entitled, “Nothing new under the sun? George Perkins Marsh and roots of U.S. physical geography,” published online in June: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/24694452.2020.1761769. Check it out. (For those of you taking 8760 Geographic Thought from Dr. Urban this semester, I have a feeling there just might be a Midterm Exam question on George Perkins Marsh!)

In far less exciting news, I will be holding a regular Drop-In Office Hour with the Chair this semester on Zoom and in Stewart 227 on Monday mornings at 10am. Aren’t Monday mornings often the time when a big problem pops up, or a big idea emerges? You do not need to schedule a meeting with me – just click the link to drop in, or show up at 227 to drop by! This hour is dedicated for geography faculty and graduate students and is in addition to my regular office hours on Tuesday and Thursday morning. Chair Office Hour-Stop By As Needed: https://umsystem.zoom.us/j/3270027736

Finally, last week, I mistakenly sent out the wrong Qualtrics link for undergraduate students to submit a positive Covid-19 test MU Student Health Center. The correct link is: https://missouri.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3DBJmNohjloKVTf. Note that personal or personally identifying information is confidential under privacy laws, and it will only be used to determine steps such as deep cleaning and academic accommodations. In addition, students who are self-isolating (but haven’t been diagnosed with COVID) who have questions about how to navigate campus while isolating (how to get food, books, other resources) can email covidquestions@missouri.edu. It goes to the Care team through Student Affairs dealing with COVID concerns.

Do you have news, events, or something to share with the Geography Department? Email your item to me and I will put it in the hopper. I hope you all have a fantabulous second week of class!

M-I-Z!

G-E-O!

Soren

Professor & Chair

Department of Geography