Two M.A. Students Win Best Paper Award at APCG Conference in Reno

Our department is very proud to announce that two of our M.A. students, Katherine Georges and Katie Wade, each won a Best Paper Award at the October, 2018 ACPG conference in Reno.  In addition, Katherine also won the Margaret Trussel Fieldwork Scholarship.  This is two years in a row that a CSULB graduate student has won both a Trussell Fieldwork Scholarship and the Tom McKnight & Joan Clemons Award for an Outstanding Paper (recall that Genie Bey won these same awards last year).  In total, nine students from the Geography program attended the conference, and excellent poster presentations were also given by students Christina DeCorse and Thyda Uy.

Professor Christine Jocoy Comments on Role of Geography in Quantifying Homelessness in CityLab Article

In the May issue of the The Atlantic’s CityLab newsletter, an article titled “The Tech That’s Changing How Cities Help the Homeless” features a 2012 commentary by Dr. Jocoy regarding the benefits and limitations of Point In Time (PIT) counts of homeless population in US cities.  To see the full text of the article, please click on this link: The Tech That’s Changing How Cities Help the Homeless.  Additional information can be found in the October, 2012 CityLab article The Hidden Cost of Counting the Homeless.

MSGISci Alumni Present at 2018 SCAG Regional General Assembly

Julia Brown speaking at the 2018 SCAG General Regional Assembly MSGISci alumni (class of 2017) Julia Brown and Anshu Pallav recently presented at the 2018 SCAG General Regional Assembly. Congratulations Julia and Anshu!

Geography Professor Gary Hytrek Quoted in LA Times Article about New Long Beach Civic Center

Geography Professor Gary Hytrek was recently quoted in an LA Times article about the new civic center currently under construction in downtown Long Beach. Dr. Hytrek, who specializes in urban and social geography, shared his thoughts about the impact that the new civic center will have on tourism and about the changes that have taken place in downtown Long Beach in recent years. The article, titled “Long Beach civic center is getting a $900-million makeover that’s a model for other cities” appeared in the February 17th issues of the LA Times and can be read in full at the following link http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-long-beach-civic-center-20180217-story.html.

Memorial Service to Honor the Life of Geography Faculty Member Tom Frazier

Photo of Tom Frazier with Pieces of the Berlin Wall
It is with deep sadness that we inform you of the passing of our beloved faculty member, Tom Frazier. He passed away quietly at his home this past weekend. Tom joined the Geography family in 2002, and his teaching concentrated on Urban Geography and European Geography. Many of you reading this may have even taken one of Tom’s lower division courses. Tom was a bright and positive personality in the Geography family, was well liked by all who knew him, and he will be greatly missed. A recent Daily49er article written about Tom’s passing highlights how his aptitude and passion for teaching made him a favorite professor of many students.

A memorial service to honor Tom’s life has been arranged for Thursday March 22nd at 5:00pm. It will be held on the second floor of Peterson Hall 1 (PH1).

Tom Frazier Memorial Service Information (PDF)

If you would like to express your condolences, cards for Tom’s family will be accepted by the Geography office and delivered to them directly.

Geography Graduate Student Genie Bey Earns Multiple Awards at APCG 2017

Congratulations are in order for Genie who made numerous walks up to the stage at the 2017 Association of Pacific Coast Geographers (APCG) Awards Banquet in Chico, CA held on October 28th. She took home the President’s Award for an Outstanding Paper at the Master’s Level (!), the Margaret Trussell Scholarship ($1,000) to support her thesis research, a Women’s Network Travel Award, and an APCG Travel Grant. Long Beach Geography looked great at the banquet. Go Beach!!

Geography Lecturer Scott Winslow Featured in Inside CSULB

Geography lecturer Scott Winslow was recently featured in Inside CSULB for the great work that he is doing to help expand the Geography department’s utilization of Unmanned Aerial Systems (also commonly known as UAVs or drones). The article discusses both how the Geography department is working to take full advantage of this promising new technology and the role that Scott is playing in this process. Read the full article here

Geography Graduate Student Genie Bey Selected as Switzer Environmental Fellow

Geography graduate student Genie Bey was recently selected as a Switzer Environmental Fellow by the Robert and Patricia Switzer Foundation. The Switzer Environemental Fellowhip is awarded to graduate and doctoral students who have demonstrated a strong commitment to helping the environment. Genie has been focused on developing solutions to environmental problems since her time as a undergraduate at the University of Utah and is currently working on completing her MA in Geography at CSULB where she is researching climate change adaptation strategies and studying how green infrastructure can play a role in resilience planning. You can read more about Genie’s work on her Switzer Fellow webpage here http://www.switzernetwork.org/user/4629.