[Geog-dept] friday news

[O'Kelly, Morton]

March 25th 2016
I am pleased to update everyone with this week's good news. It has turned into a real blockbuster!
First, some excellent news from our Graduates in the job market. Zoe Pearson (PhD, 2015) has accepted a tenure track post at the University of Wyoming in the Department of Global and Area Studies. Zoe's advisor was Kendra McSweeney. Further to this, we just received the great news that Nick Crane (PhD, 2014) has received a tenure track post in the Department of Geography also at the University of Wyoming. Nick's advisor was Mat Coleman. Well done to Zoe and Nick, and of course to our great Canadian Advisors!
This week I'd like to give a big thanks to Elisabeth Root who developed an excellent video for the university community drawing linkages between her work, teaching, and research in the areas of data analytics, geography, and public health. The very stylish and abstract graphic video is on line for the community and we are featuring this video as well in the end hall ways of Derby. The web site has further links to Elisabeth's work.
Our monitors are now also interspersing some videos from our friends in CURA. Thanks to Matt Adair for the excellent graphics and design work. You might be interested in signing up for their informative newsletter:
http://us6.campaign-archive2.com/?u=37a04806e22ae32ec87ee2cd9&id=e217f53e30&e=d8d7dc227f
Two faculty members have had their FPL/Sabbatical plans for next year approved: Ola Ahlqvist and Jialin Lin. Congratulations and good wishes for a productive experience!
Among our current grads, Calvin Tribby successfully defended his dissertation, "Activity Spaces, Route Choices, and Neighborhoods: Assessing the Built Environment Associations with Walking Trips."   His committee comprised of Ningchuan Xiao, Ola Ahlqvist, Barbara Brown (University of Utah), Christopher J. Zirkle (Graduate Faculty Representative) and Harvey Miller (advisor). Calvin will be leaving OSU in June for a post-doctoral Fellowship at the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health.  As part of the fellowship, he will spend next year in residence at Columbia University in NYC earning a Masters' in Public Health.
Peixuan Jiang (MA, 2015) is currently a Software Product Engineer in the ArcGIS for Server team that ensures product quality for new releases. He received his MA in GIScience in 2015 and then went on to receive an MS in Computer Science the same year. ArcGIS for Server is software that makes geographic information available within an organization and optionally to anyone with an Internet connection. Peixuan's advisor was Ningchuan Xiao.
We are approaching the Annual Meetings in San Francisco and I hope everyone has a valuable experience at the sessions and informal gatherings. If you are interested, plan to stop by to hear Stewart Fotheringham deliver the SAM / Geographical Analysis Plenary Lecture, Golden Gate Room, 5:20 PM March 31st. As some may recall, Stewart gave our 2006 Robinson Colloquium.
The departmental remodel of teaching spaces in the basement of Derby Hall is nearing the kick off date. We will have, by August, a new 50 seat computer-equipped classroom in Derby 0135-0155. Once the project is under way, and over the summer, we will also be doing some further space upgrades that will improve Graduate desk space. Thanks to Jim DeGrand for keeping us on track here.
Good wishes to Caitlin Naber as she takes an adventurous and well-deserved vacation in Iceland.
I plan to stitch these weekly updates into a longer Departmental Newsletter and to integrate the messages on our digital and sign boards. I welcome your contributions to the future news.
MOK
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