Grace Levin wins a prize in the EUReCA poster competition

Grace Levin (Global Studies major, Geography minor) won a prize in UT's Exhibition for Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement (EUReCA) competition. Her poster, "A Critique of Social Enterprise: The Global Impact of a Microfinance Crisis in India," was one of four winning posters in the Humanities and Social Sciences category. Grace's Faculty Mentor is Micheline van Riemsdijk.

Geographers celebrate the holiday

Geographers, families, and friends celebrated the holiday with a potluck supper   at 6:00 pm on Saturday, December 17, 2011. The event is hosted by Carol Harden and Alan Moore at their home. We had a lot of fun, and food, too.

Dr. Sidney R. Jumper's obituary

Dr. Sidney R. Jumper- age 80 of Knoxville, passed away December 9, 2011 at his home. Sidney was born December 10, 1930 in Gaston, South Carolina. He attended Sacred Heart Cathedral. Sidney was: Professor of Geography (Emeritus), University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Past Coordinator, Tennessee Geographic Alliance, Inc.; Tennessee State Geographer. He received his Ph.D., from the University of Tennessee, 1960, with a major in Geography, minor in agricultural economics. Sidney was an Instructor at the University of South Carolina, Sept. 1952 - June, 1953, then joined the U.S. Army, Counter Intelligence Corps, Aug., 1953 - July, 1955, before returning to be an Instructor at the University of Tennessee, Sept. 1956 - Aug., 1957. His professional life included: Asst. Professor, Tennessee Tech University, Sept., 1957 - Aug., 1960, Assoc. Professor, Tennessee Tech University, Sept., 1960 - Aug., 1962, Prof. and Dept. Head, Tenn. Tech University, Sept., 1962 - June, 1967 ,Assoc. Prof., University of Tennessee, Sept., 1967 - Aug., 1971, Professor, University of Tennessee, Sept. 1971- Present, Head, Dept. of Geog., University of Tennessee, Sept. 1977 - Aug., 1995, Coordinator, Tennessee Geographic Alliance, January, 1986 – 2000. Sidney received several Honors in his lifetime including: Outstanding Service Award, Southeastern Div., Assoc. of Am. Geog., 1987, Chancellors Citation for Extraordinary Service to University of Tennessee, 1990, Distinguished Geographic Educator Award, National Geographic Society, 1990, Honorary Life Member, National Geographic Society, 1990, Outstanding Alumnus Award, University of South Carolina, Dept. of Geography, 1994, Outstanding Alumnus Award, University of Tennessee, Dept. of Geography, 1995, National Alumni Association Service Award, University of Tennessee, 1994, Tennessee State Geographer, Appointment by Governor Don Sundquist for Jan. 21, 1997 - Jan. 21, 2001, Grand Marshall for College of Arts & Sciences, University of Tennessee, Commencement, June, 1997, Convocation Marshall, College of Arts & Sciences Convocation, Sept., 1997, Lifetime Service Award, by Board of Advisors, UTK Dept. Of Geography, Nov., 1998, Distinguished Service Honors Award, Association of American Geographers, Pittsburgh Meeting, April, 2000, and the Sidney Jumper Grant for Teaching and Research - Established by National Geographic Society Education Foundation in Feb., 2000, to support K-12 teachers working with a UT research geographer on a field expedition team. Sidney also held several selected professional offices including: Coordinator and Chairman of the Board, Tennessee Geographic Alliance, 1986 -1999, Tennessee State Geographer, Jan. 21, 1997 - Jan. 20, 2003. He was preceded in death by his wife Mary Joanne Jumper. Sidney is survived by his daughter and son in law, Kim and Mark Rozanski; granddaughter, Alex Rozanski; sister and brother in law, Yvonne and Jack Brady. A celebration of Sidney's life will be 8pm Sunday at Rose Mortuary Mann Heritage Chapel with Sam Ware officiating. Friends and family will gather Monday 10am at Edgewood Cemetery for the Interment. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to The Tennessee Geography Alliance c/o the University of Tennessee Department of Geography, Birchfield Building, Phillip Fulmer Way, Knoxville TN 37996 Attn: Kurt Butefish or the Christian Appalachia Project, Attn:Honors and Memorial P.O. Box 55911 Lexington, KY 40555-591. The family will receive friends from 6 -8pm Sunday at Rose Mortuary Mann Heritage Chapel. Online condolences at http://www.rosemortuary.com/

Sad News

We are saddened to report that Dr. Sidney Jumper, the long time Head of Geography and a friend and inspiration to all of us who knew him, passed away today, Friday, December 09, 2011.
The family will receive friends from 6 -8pm Sunday at Rose Mortuary Mann Heritage Chapel. 
A celebration of Sidney's life will be 8pm Sunday at Rose Mortuary Mann Heritage Chapel with Sam Ware officiating.
The department of geography

UT Geography students participate in the Geography Bowl

On November 20, 2011 four graduate students from UT-Knoxville and one undergraduate student from UT-Chattanooga participated in the annual Geography Bowl. This event was held at the annual meeting of the Southeastern Division of the Association of American Geographers in Savannah, Georgia. The participants are, from left to right, Kassie Hauser, Melanie Barron, Alex Pilote, Josh Garland, and Matt Cook. On the far right is our alumna Dawn Drake who read the questions for this round.

McClure Grant Recipients Kevin Russell and Matt Cook

Kevin Russell and Matt Cook received McClure scholarships to conduct fieldwork research in Summer 2011. They presented their research at a meeting for scholarship recipients in the International House that was attended by Mr. and Mrs. McClure. Matt and Kevin presented the following posters:

Matt Cook: Redefining Memorial Landscapes: The Stolpersteine Project in Berlin

Kevin Russell: Visualizing the Historic Landscape of Montserrat: Social justice through community mapping in a post-colonial environment

Geographers Featured on Fredericksburg.com

Over the Fall Break, graduate students Grant Harley and Alex Dye accompanied Henri Grissino-Mayer to Fredericksburg, Virginia, to collect samples from a dismantled crib dam built in 1854 that was once across the historic Rhappahannock River. The massive logs represent old-growth pines (although we don't yet know which species) that once grew in the region and could potentially push our record of climate for this area back to the time Columbus arrived in the New World. The story is titled "Timbers from dam hold record of past: Wood salvaged from Fredericksburg's 19th-century crib dam may hold clues to pre-Colonial climate," and also also features a video of Dr. Grissino-Mayer talking to reporters about the significance of the wood collection. Visit http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2011/102011/10022011/655354. Many thanks to Tim Kelly of the Woodwright Co. in Fredericksburg for making this trip possible. For more pictures of this incredible wood collection, visit Tim's site here.

Grant Harley (right) and Henri Grissino-Mayer inspect a section of old-growth pine wood sampled from a historic crib dam in Frederickburg, Virginia. Notice the chain saw cut right through an oak peg used in the mortise and tenon joining technique.