Visiting Scholars and Colloquia
The Department of Geography at Kansas State University invites a number of nationally and internationally recognized scholars to our campus each year. Recent speakers, along with short biographical sketches, are shown below. A list of past visiting scholars, colloquia and other presentations can be found here.
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University Visiting Scholars
The KSU Department of Geography sponsors, and works closely with the Provost, Vice Provost for Academic Service and Technology, Women in Engineering and Science Program (WESP), and the ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Program to co-sponsor, presentations by world class geography and allied educators and scientists. Past speakers have included Dr. Keith C. Clarke (University of California at Santa Barbara), Dr. David Maidment (University of Texas-Austin), Dr. Emelio Moran (University of Indiana), Dr. Bill Turner (Clark University), and Dr. Dawn Wright (Oregon State University).
Recent visiting scholars include:
Dr. Ruth DeFries, "Land Use Dynamics in Tropical Landscapes."
September 20, 2007 3:30 p.m. Fiedler Auditorium (Provost Lecture on Excellence in
Scholarship)
Ruth DeFries is a professor at the University of Maryland, College Park with joint appointments in the Department of Geography and the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center. Her research investigates the relationships between human activities, the land surface, and the biophysical and biogeochemical processes that regulate the Earth's habitability. She is interested in observing land cover and land use change at regional and global scales with remotely sensed data and exploring the implications for ecological services such as climate regulation, the carbon cycle, and biodiversity. Dr. DeFries obtained a Ph.D. in 1980 from the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering at Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor's degree in 1976 from Washington University with a major in earth science. She is a fellow of the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program and was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in 2006.
Jack Dangermond, "GIS Vision and Enabling Technology."
March 8, 2007 1:30-3:00 p.m. Fiedler Auditorium (Provost Lecture Series)
Jack Dangermond is the founder and president of Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI). Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Redlands, California, ESRI is widely recognized as the technical and market leader in geographic information systems (GIS) software, pioneering innovative solutions for working with spatial data on the desktop, across the enterprise, in the field, and on the web. ESRI has the largets GIS software install base in the world with more than one million users in more than 300,000 organizations worldwide. He fostered the growth of ESRI from a small research group to an organization of over 3,100 employees, known internationally for GIS software development, training, and services. Jack holds seven honorary doctorates from California Polytechnic University - Pomona, State University of New York at Buffalo, University of West Hungary, City University in London, University of Redlands in California, Ferris State University in Michigan, and Loma Linda University Medical Center.
Department Colloquia and Other Presentations
The Department of Geography also conducts several colloquia and special presentations that are designed to share current research being conducted by visiting researchers, geography faculty, students, and allied scientists. Forums for these presentations include GEOG 800 Graduate Colloquium and the GTU-sponsored "Brown Bag" series held over the lunch hour.
Presentations during the 2010-2011 academic year are listed below. All presentations sponsored by Gamma Theta Upsilon Beta Psi Chapter and the Department of Geography.
Dr. Michael Urban, "The Age of Us: Re-Coupling Biophysical and Human Systems."
September 17, 2010 3:30 pm Big 12 Room KSU Student Union
Dr. Urban is an Associate Professor of Geography at the University of Missouri.
Jason Sheeley, "Breach Inundation Mapping for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Dams."
October 29, 2010 3:30 pm Big 12Room KSU Student Union
Mr. Sheeley is the Mapping Technical Lead for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Modeling, Mapping, and Consequences Production Center.
Dr. Richard Marston, "Geography Department Update."
January 21, 2011 3:30 pm Room 132 Seaton Hall
Dr. Marston is a University Distinguished Professor and Head of the Department of Geography at Kansas State University.
Dr. Carol Harden, "Framing and Re-Framing Questions of Human-Environment Interactions."
February 4, 2011 3:30 pm Big 12 Room KSU Student Union
Dr. Harden is the Association of American Geographers Past President, Professor and Head of Geography, University of Tennessee.
Mr. Bob Workman, "Flint Hills Discovery Center: Overview and Opportunities to Involve K-State."
February 11, 2011 3:30 pm Room 132 Seaton Hall
Mr. Workman is Director of the Flint Hills Discovery Center in Manhattan, Kansas.
Dr. Kyle Juracek, "River Bottom Sediments as Archives of Human Activity and Environmental Effects."
February 18, 2011 3:30 pm Room 132 Seaton Hall
Dr. Kyle Juracek is from the U.S. Geological Survey.
Professor Jon Harbor, "Glaciers, Ice Sheets, and Spectacular Mountain Landscapes."
February 25, 2011 3:30 pm Room 207 KSU Student Union
Professor Harbor is from the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Purdue University.
Dr. Jack Oviatt, "Pleistocene Lake Bonneville as a Paleoclimate Archive."
March 4, 2011 3:30 pm Room 132 Seaton Hall
Dr. Oviatt is from the Department of Geology, Kansas State University.
Dr. Alyson Greiner, "Place, Landscape, Community, and Politics in Oklahoma's New Deal Art."
September 9, 2011 3:30 pm Big 12 Room KSU Student Union
Dr. Greiner is from the Department of Geography at Oklahoma State University and serves as the editor of the Journal of Cultural Geography.