UT Geography Alum and Former Faculty Member Appointed State Geographer of Kentucky

Dr. Margaret M. “Peggy” Gripshover, associate professor of Geography at Western Kentucky University has been appointed State Geographer for the Commonwealth of Kentucky by Gov. Steve Beshear.  Dr. Gripshover is the first woman to hold the position, which was created by the General Assembly in 1984.  Dr. Gripshover is an important part of the UT Geography Community. She earned her Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Prior to coming to Western Kentucky, she was a faculty member at the University of Tennessee and an extremely popular instructor among UT students, who called her “Dr. G.”   While at Tennessee, Dr. Gripshover received the Chancellor’s Teaching Award, the University of Tennessee Alumni Association Outstanding Teaching Award, and an Excellence in Teaching Award from the Southeastern Division of the Association of American Geographers.   Please join me in congratulating Dr. Gripshover for this important recognition.  

Derek H. Alderman, Professor & Department Head 

For the full story about Dr. Gripshover’s appointment to State Geographer, visit:  http://wkunews.wordpress.com/2013/02/26/state-geographer/

Grace Levin presents a poster at the State Capitol

Grace Levin, a junior in Global Studies with minors in Geography and Environmental Studies, was selected as one of seven undergraduate UT students to present a poster at the Tennessee State Capitol. The event is held every February to provide students an opportunity to discuss their research with state legislators. Grace presented a poster entitled "A Critique of Social Enterprise: The Global Impact of a Microfinance Crisis in India." The poster abstract is available on the Office of Research web site: http://research.utk.edu/undergrad/activities/posters.shtml

Gengen He receives NSF EAPSI Award

PhD student, Gengen He, has been selected by the U.S. National Science Foundation to receive an EAPSI (East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes) award. This is a very competitive award open to U.S. graduate students in science, engineering, and education. The total award is approximately $15,000. Gengen will spend three months (June – August 2013) conducting research with Dr. Toru Ishikawa at the University of Tokyo in Japan. His project entitled "Investigating Collaborative Navigation in a Culturally Unfamiliar Setting" combines research in transportation, technology, human cognition, and behavior.

Landsat Launch Party

 

On February 11 2013, students and faculty gathered to celebrate the successful launch of Landsat 8, with a "launch party" hosted by new UT Geography faculty member Dr. Robert Washington-Allen.  Dr. Washington-Allen joined the Geography faculty in January 2013.  Formerly a faculty member in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management at Texas A&M University, Dr. Washington-Allen will teach upper division (Geography 413) and graduate-level (Geography 513) courses on remote sensing; a course for undergraduates on the geography and ecology of pastoralism in drylands (Geography 309 in Fall 2013), and other courses in physical and technical areas of geography. 

Phillip Lewis, a 5th grade teacher at Talbott Elementary School in Jefferson County, has received the Lottie and Alden Beverly Geography Teacher of the Year award from the Tennessee Geographic Alliance

Dr. Henri Grissino-Mayer recently received the following email from Phillip Lewis, a 5^th grade teacher at Talbott Elementary School in Jefferson County.  It came right after Phillip was notified that he had been awarded the Lottie and Alden Beverly Geography Teacher of the Year award from the Tennessee Geographic Alliance.  Phillip was chosen for the award based on a very strong letter of recommendation from his principal that stressed the success of his classes’ tree ring project.  The Lottie and Alden Beverly Geography Teacher of the Year Award is given annually and is made possible by a generous donation to the Tennessee Geographic Alliance from the Tom and Bruce Ralston families.

Hey Dr. Grissino-Mayer,

 

       This is Phillip Lewis. I am the elementary school teacher that brought the segment of the Red Oak tree for you to help me date this summer. I wanted to update you on my progress. I built a stand for the piece and it is now displayed in my 5th grade classroom.  The students have been researching dates to place on the timeline. The students are really enjoying the process and are very eager to learn as much as possible.  I recently won the Geography Teacher of the Year through the Tennessee Geographic Alliance.  Part of my nomination came from the way I incorporate the tree into our lessons. I want to thank you again for all the help you provided me and for helping me to achieve success in this endeavor.  I have enclosed some pictures of our progress so far.  We still have much to do but the kids can see the direction we are going.

Thanks again,

Phillip Lewis

      

The following is a video link about it:

http://www.wbir.com/news/article/256534/8/Tree-rings--ipads--history-teaching-tools