WKU Geography and Geology Blog

This past week at the annual Kentucky GIS conference hosted by KAMP (Kentucky Association of Mapping Professionals) in Frankfort, Kevin Cary accepted a GIS award on behalf of the Department.  The award is an Exemplary System Award for Geographic Information Science at Western Kentucky University.  This award recognizes our GIS program as being *the* excellent GIS program in Kentucky.  It was also mentioned that WKU has provided the most successful GIS Analyst/Specialists to the Commonwealth and in the greatest number (143 GIS Certificates awarded to date).  For more information about the GIS program at WKU, please email Kevin Cary.

Welcome back students and faculty to the Department of Geography and Geology for the Fall 2009 semester.  We welcome new faculty Drs Gripshover, Fan, and Polk and 18 new Geoscience graduate students.   Don’t forget to come to the Friday afternoon departmental faculty/student seminars in EST 260 at 3 pm.  This Friday September 4th, you’ll here introductions and a research overview from each of our faculty and graduate students.  Have a great semester!

During the 2009 summer, several faculty are working with Gatton Academy students on research projects.  The new state-of-the-art Meteorology lab is under construction and should be ready for Fall classes, and a projector is being installed in EST 314 geology classroom to improve communication in the classroom.  Three new faculty will join us this Fall:  Dr. Margaret “Peggy” Gripshover teaches cultural geography; Dr. Jason Polk teaches geostatistics, geomorphology, and physical geography; and Dr. Xingang Fan teaches meteorology and climatology courses.  With 24 full-time faculty, the Department is looking forward to a busy and productive 2009-2010.

With great sadness, the Department of Geography and Geology announces the passing of James Morris Bingham, Assistant Professor of Geography, at the age of 67. Jim was born in Saltillo, Tennessee, in 1941 and is survived by several nieces, nephews, and cousins. He earned his B.S. in Geography, History, and Political Science from Memphis State University in 1963, remaining at MSU to complete a Master’s in Geography in 1965. His thesis titled “Northwest Hardin County: A Study in Industrial Development” presaged Jim’s lifelong interest in planning and economic development. He arrived at WKU in the summer of 1965 as a geography instructor and taught a number of general education and planning-related courses over the following five years.
In 1970, Jim received a teaching assistantship from Indiana State University to pursue a Ph.D. in economic geography. Although Jim only spent two years in the program at ISU, the experience and coursework broadened his academic skills and he arrived back at WKU in 1972 to take up an appointment as Assistant Professor in Geography, receiving tenure in 1977.
Over the years, Jim teamed with former Department Head Wayne Hoffman on dozens of research projects related to city and regional planning, not only through the Center for Local Government, but through partnerships with local and regional government agencies. He published as author or co-author several articles and planning reports, presented his research findings regularly at regional and national meetings, and received funding support from numerous local, state, and federal agencies, especially in the 1980s. Jim contributed to his department, college, and community in myriad ways over the past 40 years, serving on innumerable committees, advising WKU’s Gamma Theta Epsilon chapter, and working with area P-12 schools to promote geographic awareness and science education.
Jim loved teaching and was widely appreciated as a tough but fair professor who always went out of his way to help a student if the student showed a willingness to improve. A few student comments illustrate his no-nonsense approach to teaching:
“He’s the kindest man…he does expect the truth from students and is a ’straight shooter.’ If you lie to him, you had better be prepared for the consequences. He’s as smart as a tack and loves what he does.”
“Overall, he is a fun instructor with numerous stories and anecdotes, but his tests are the bane of human existence.”
“I love this man. I’m going to take every class he teaches!”
“You were and may well still be the most colorful teacher in the Department. Geographers could save the world if anyone would just listen!”
“I just wanted to tell you that I really enjoyed your many classes I took at WKU. I still tell some of the stories you once told me. You are a credit to WKU as you make learning fun. That was a pretty tough time in my life and I really believe you helped keep me in college.”
In recent years, Jim suffered several health challenges and he opted for transitional retirement in June 2007. Jim was an engaging teacher, a feisty character, and a lifelong geographer. He believed in challenging students to rise above their own expectations and he pushed them to change the world. He will be sadly missed by friends and colleagues.

Welcome back to WKU and the Spring 2009 semester. The Department has many exciting speciality courses this semester, including Energy and Society (Dr. May), Geology of National Parks (Dr. Celestian), Cenozoic Geology and Florida Spring Break trip (Dr. Florea), and Dr. Wulff is organizing one of his famous Spring break adventures to California/Nevada. The GIS Certificate courses are now all online and can be accessed for distance learners starting this summer 2009. The Department is also hiring a new Cultural Geographer, a new Meteorologist, and a new Geomorphologist.
More news is available on the departmental website - www.wku.edu/geoweb

Winter and Spring semester classes are now open on topnet.wku.edu - register early for several of the advanced courses that have a limited number of spaces available. The Department is also planning a Summer 2009 study abroad program to northern Spain in partnership with the WkU Alumni Association. Travel dates for alumni are May 20th through May 31st, and interested alumni should contact tracy.morrison@wku.edu. Students who are interested in the three-week Spain program (May 20th through June 6th) should contact debbie.kreitzer@wku.edu for more information.

I’m pleased to announce that Dr. Gregory Goodrich has been appointed Program Leader of the Meteorology undergraduate degree effective immediately. Greg has taken a very pro-active role in building our new B.S. meteorology program, from recruiting new students to WKU who normally would have enrolled elsewhere, to working with individual meteorology students on their programs, and developing research opportunities for them. We currently have 44 students enrolled in the program and we are targeting significant growth over the next five years.
Dr Goodrich will assume primary responsibility for marketing and recruiting for the B.S. Meteorology program, for student advising, for curriculum development, and for managing our student retention efforts to ensure that every student who enrolls in the Department’s meteorology programs graduates with a degree from WKU.

Please join me in congratulating Dr Goodrich on this appointment and in wishing him, our students, and the Department every sucess in achieving these ambitious goals.

Ten WKU students and four faculty returned from a month-long study abroad program through the eastern Mediterranean on June 6th. Organized and led by the Department of Geography and Geology, the program exposed students to a variety of physical and cultural environments in Turkey, Greece, Italy, and Slovenia. Leading the program were geography instructors Debbie Kreitzer and Will Blackburn , Department Head Dr. David Keeling, and Community College instructor DJ Urquhart.

Participating students represented nine WKU departments - Amber Hager (Elementary Education major from Bowling Green), Patricia Ide (Elementary Education major from St. Louis, MO), Nikisa Razban (Broadcasting major from Paducah), Jamie Jackson (Political Science graduate student from Bowling Green), Devin Moran (English major from Lexington), J. Kyle Thompson (Meterorology major from Henderson), John Deaton (Electrical Engineering major from Bowling Green), Laura Blackburn (Nursing major from Bowling Green), Laura Rosser (History major from Franklin, TN), and Jenna Jepson (Psychology major from Price, UT).

The Department of Geography and Geology’s annual field camp programs are designed to introduce students from multiple disciplines to contemporary social and environmental issues in different parts of the world. Previous international programs have visited Argentina, Australia, the Bahamas, Belgium, Britain, Chile, France, Ireland, Mexico, and Tanzania. During the eastern Mediterranean program, students learned about Turkey’s attempt to join the European Union and explored its secular Islamic culture. In Greece, visits to Mykonos and Santorini focused on environmental conditions on small Aegean islands, especially the historical impact of the Santorini volcanic eruption 3,000 years ago.

In Athens and Delphi, the roots of Western civilization were examined, with specific attention paid to acid rain damage to national monuments and the challenges presented by insufficient infrastructure. Five days in Italy gave students the opportunity to visit Bologna, Florence, Rome, and Venice, with discussions on environment, culture, and historical geography providing context for explorations of the built landscape.

The program ended with four days in western Slovenia. Dr. Martin Knez from the Karst Research Institute in Postojna hosted the students for a full-day exploration of the spectacular cave and karst landscapes of the region, providing maps, lectures, and research material on the various karstic systems around Postojna. A hike through the Vintnar Gorge in the Julian Alps near Bled provided students with an opportunity to study stream hydraulics and erosion processes. During the last day in Slovenia, students learned about communism in Yugoslavia, the post-1990 breakup of that country, and Slovenia’s independence and accession to the European Union, followed by a brief tour of Ljubljana, the capital city.

Dr. Keeling is on sabbatical for the Spring 2008 semester. Keep up on departmental activities through the website /. The annual Department of Geography and Geology Student Awards night is scheduled for Wednesday April 23 at 5:00 pm in the lobby of EST. Presentations will begin at 5:30 pm in EST 260 - everyone is encouraged to attend.

Classes are back in session as a new academic year begins in the Department. We welcome our new geologist, Dr Aaron Celestian, who specializes in crystallography and materials characterization, and Dr Kolson Sclosser, a visiting assistant professor who will teach our general education cultural courses. Dr Nick Crawford and Jim Bingham have elected optional retirement this year and will only teach part-time for the next few years. Some great courses are scheduled for Winter, Spring, and Summer terms, 2008, so stayed tuned for more information. Have a good semester everyone!