Program News | New Books | New Funding | Student Achievements | General
Program News
The Department launches new graduate program in Fall 2009
New Ph.D. Program in Urban Studies, and
New MA in Geography and Urban Studies
The Department is launching a new doctoral program in Urban Studies and a redesigned MA in Geography and Urban Studies beginning in September 2009.
To learn more about these programs go HERE.
To contact the Graduate Director, Professor Carolyn Adams, email here.
Two outstanding undergraduate majors win awards...MORE
Environmental Studies Major Now Housed in GUS
Starting in the 2008-09 academic year, the BA in Environmental Studies becomes part of the Department of Geography and Urban Studies. The requirements for the major remain the same - with one exception: Geographic Information Systems is now a required, rather than an elective, course. Explore the Environmental Studies major here, and consider options for a double major or major-minor combination with GUS.
Three New Faculty Members join the Department of Geography and Urban Studies
In September 2009, GUS welcomes three new faculty colleagues who bring many new talents to the department:
- Christina Rosan is a specialist on how metropolitan regions are managed, how communities solve disputes over land and resources, and the role of different types of institutions in mediating these conflicts. She is also interested in comparative planning in U.S. and Latin American Cities, for example what happens when globalization pressures in metropolitan regions come into conflict with bottom up demands for more sustainable and participatory regions. She earned a PhD in Planning from MIT, and taught most recently there.
- Charles Kaylor works on the spatially uneven distribution of broadband infrastructure that threatens to create a technological underclass. He brings expertise in GIS, information technology, e-government, the digital divide, community planning. He is finishing his PhD in Planning at the University of Michigan
New Books
Professors Carolyn Adams and David Bartelt publish book on Metropolitan Philadelphia
|
 |
Rob Mason Has Book Published |
 |
Sanjoy Chakravorty Has Three Books Published
Professor and Chair Sanjoy Chakravorty recently had three books published. The first (with S.V. Lall) is titled Made in India: The Economic Geography and Political Economy of Industrialization and was published by Oxford University Press (New Delhi, 2007). The second is titled Fragments of Inequality: Social, Spatial, and Evolutionary Analyses of Income Distribution and was published by Routledge (New York, 2006). The third (with Temple University Department of Criminal Justice faculty G. Rengert and J. Ratcliffe) is titled Policing Illegal Drug Markets: Geographic Approaches to Crime Reduction and was published by Criminal Justice Press (Monsey, New York, 2005). To see sample chapters go HERE. |
|
Ben Kohl Has Two Books Published
Associate Professor Ben Kohl authored a new book, Impasse in Bolivia: Neoliberal Hegemony and Popular Resistance, with Linda Farthing. The book was published by Zed Press (London, 2006). |
|
| En las cadencias de una narración oral, Félix Muruchi reconstruye en estos textos una vida consagrada al ineludible ejercicio de la política (ineludible al menos en países como Bolivia, en los que la política no es una elección sino una fatalidad). La suya es un vida ejemplar en el viejo sentido de las vidas ejemplares: resume un destino colectivo y toca los núcleos esenciales de la historia boliviana contemporánea: el origen rural-campesino, el trabajo y la formación política mineros, el exilio en tiempos de dictadura, para rematar, ya en la era neoliberal, con sus años de militancia alteña. En ello, quizá lo único desafortunado del libro sea el uso de la palabra “activista” en el subtítulo, palabra cuyas connotaciones aluden a tradiciones más voluntaristas. La narración de Muruchi, editada en colaboración con Benjamin Kohl y Linda Farthing, tiene el interés, además, de ser capaz de establecer un conexión orgánica entre el destino individual y lo que se ha llamado la historia “larga” de una colectividad. Que una autobiografía, como ésta, no pueda establecer sus sentidos sin aludir a hechos como, por ejemplo, la Guerra del Chaco o la Revolución del 52 prueba precisamente ese interés. |
 |
New Funding
Metropolitan Philadelphia Indicators Project Receives Renewed Funding (9/6/07)
The Metropolitan Philadelphia Indicators Project (MPIP) received another two years of funding support from the William Penn Foundation.
Associate Professor Jeremy Mennis Receives Grant from NIH (9/6/07)
Associate Professor Jeremy Mennis serves as co-P.I. on a recently granted two-year, ~$400,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) titled "Social Ecology of Urban Adolescent Substance Abuse: A Multiple Domain Approach." The project, led by Villanova University's Michael Mason (P.I.) and in partnership with researchers from Pennsylavnia State University, investigates how neighborhood characteristics and social networks combine to affect adolescent substance abuse.
Student Achievements
GUS major Giancarlo Graziani participated in Temple's ProRanger Philadelphia program this summer. An internship designed to train undergraduate students in various facets of park management and law enforcement, ProRanger Philadelphia offers its participants the opportunity to gain hands-on experience that can turn into a full-time job placement upon successful completion of the program.
|
 |
Outstanding undergraduate majors win awards
GUS major Natania Schaumberg won a Diamond Scholar research award to conduct eight weeks of fieldwork in Bolivia, wher she studied indigenous perceptions of resource extraction in the Salar de Uyuni, which contains almost half of the world’s lithium reserves. Some of the results of her research were seen in an photo-essay that was displayed at Paley Library in December 2009 and taken to Harrisburg in March 2010.
|
|
Environmental Studies major Avi Fox won a scholarship from the Morris K. Udall Foundation. In August 2009, Avi will attend a conference in Tucson to receive her award and meet policymakers in environmental fields. She wants “to be instrumental in reorganizing our nation’s food system around environmentally responsible local and regional agriculture.” |
|
Geography and Urban Studies major Christopher Lee came to Temple from Seattle, supplementing his studies on campus with travel in Europe. Chris won a Diamond Scholar research award to conduct eight weeks of fieldwork in Stockholm and Uppsala, where he studied the dynamics of immigrant neighborhoods, interviewing a wide range of actors. Chris hopes to study city planning and architecture and use his background to bridge the increasing divides emerging in cities. |
 |
GUS Undergraduate Student Wins Diamond Peer Teacher Award (11/08)
Chris Aiosa was named a Diamond Peer Teacher to work with Professor Roman Cybriwsky in his course World Urban Patterns. As a Diamond Peer Teacher Chris will work 10 hours a week tutoring students, leading study sessions and offering Professor Cybriwsky support services.
GUS Graduate Students Present Research at National/Regional Meetings
GUS master's degree student Melody Grewell presented her paper titled “Youth Perceptions of Community in Philadelphia at the 2008 Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers (AAG) in Boston . The panel on which Melody participated, chaired by GUS faculty member Dr. Michele Masucci, focused on “Methods for visualizing intersecting perspectives in urban spaces and places.” Melody also was a member of the Middle States Geography Bowl team that won the national championship in competition against teams from other regions of the country.
In addition, two more GUS graduate students presented papers at the regional meetings of the Middle States AAG. They are Lauren Pickard and Ian Dunham.
GUS Undergraduate Students Receive Awards
Geography and Urban Studies recognizes outstanding undergraduate students for the 2009-10 academic year
Awardees include:
Adams prize: Wes Weaver
Delaware Valley Geographical Association Prize: Helen M Guerin
GUS outstanding student: Pete Angevine
Henry Michael Award: Natania Schaumberg
Stocking Prize: Erin McCann
GUS student Wins Temple University Diamond Scholarship
GUS undergraduate student Fatima Abbas was awarded a Diamond Scholarship for her research examining the lack of federal recognition for the Native American tribe of which her mother is a member - the Haliwa Saponi of North Carolina . Fatima presented her findings in January 2008 at a statewide research symposium on Capitol Hill in Harrisburg , PA. She begins studies in 2008 toward a combined law degree and master's degree in public health at the University of California/Berkeley. For more information on the Diamond Scholars program go here.
GUS Student Wins Temple University Diamond Scholarship (9/6/07)
GUS undergraduate student Greg Wetmore was awarded a scholarship throught the Diamond Research Scholars Program for his research proposal on modeling commuting behavior in Philadelphia. The award includes tuition waiver and a stipend. For information on the Diamond Scholars program go HERE.
Graduate Student Tamara Manik-Perlman Wins Center for Humanities Award
Tamara Manik-Perlman has been awarded a Graduate Associate position in Temple’s Center for the Humanities during the 2006-2007 year. This competitive award carries a monetary award to advance interdisciplinary work. Tamara received her undergraduate degree in Sociology and Anthropology from Swarthmore College, where her senior thesis focused on the cultural practices and processes that govern conversion to Islam in America. She is now pursuing a Master’s degree in Geography.
GUS Graduate Students Present Thesis Work at the National Meeting of the Association of American Geographers
Two Master’s degree students, Tania Liz Colon and Michael Rovito, presented their Master’s thesis research on panels at the 2006 annual meeting of the Association of American Geographers held in March 2006 in Chicago. Tania made her presentation, titled “Evaluating Digital Divide Solutions: The Geographical Distribution of CTCs in Philadelphia,” on a panel that focused on Community and Participatory GIS in Context. Michael presented his paper, “Determining the role of English Language Proficiency in Shaping the Acculturation Processes and Spatial Mobilities of the Foreign-born ethnic Chinese residing in Philadelphia’ s Chinatown,” on a panel that addressed Issues in Ethnic Geography. Tania and Michael have been working under the supervision of Professor Michele Masucci.
GUS Alumna Wins Achievement Award
GUS alumna Elizabeth Gutierrez (M.A.,1998) has won a prestigious Alumni Achievement Award from the University of Missouri/Kansas City, where Elizabeth earned her bachelor’s degree in Geography. Elizabeth’s undergraduate institution chose her for this award because of her professional achievements, first as planning manager for St. Joseph’s Carpenter Society in Camden, New Jersey, and later as the founder of her own planning firm, Group G, LLC. In announcing this award, Alan Weber, the President of the UMKC Alumni Association, called Elizabeth “a person who is making our world a better place.” To see a profile of Elizabeth, go to the section titled “Meet a Few Alums” in the “Career Information” section of the GUS website.
GUS Undergraduate Wins Prize for Research
GUS student Kenny Steif was the winner of the second prize in the Student Paper Competition at the Fall 2004 meeting of the Middle States Division of the Association of American Geographers. Kenny presented a paper on “Creating a Model of Geodemographic Representations of Housing Market Activity.” Kenny subsequently published this paper in the journal, Middle States Geographer, 2004, Vol. 37, pp. 116-121.
General News
Temple University: Diversity and Community Partnerships (9/6/07)
Temple's student diversity ranks way ahead of other universities. The 2008 edition of the Princeton Review ranks Temple's student body the most diverse in the nation. For more information go HERE.
Temple University partners with the City of Philadelphia
In partnership with the city government of Philadelphia, Temple University has just established a program that provides financial support for staff and faculty who purchase homes in the communities surrounding its urban campus. See more about this recent initiative HERE.
Temple in the World/ The World at Temple! A Global Temple Conference.
The Faculty Senate International Programs Committee organized a conference on international research, programs, and creative activities by Temple University members. For more information on the conference, held November 16-17, 2006, visit https://www.temple.edu/studyabroad/globaltemple/conference.html.
21st Century Cities: Research From Temple
The Department of Geography and the Institute for Public Affairs present research on cities by Temple University scholars.
For more information on the conference, held November 3, 2006, visit http://www.temple.edu/gus/urbanconference/.
Temple Joins National University Consortium
In summer 2005 Temple University was voted in as a member of the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS), the leading academic organization in the field of GIScience. UCGIS typically holds a winter meeting and a summer assembly to address issues of teaching, research, and funding opportunities.
GUS Master’s Program Cited in National Guide
The Master’s degree program in GUS was one of about 75 graduate programs in the U.S. – ranging from law schools to social work to public policy and marine sciences – chosen for inclusion in a college guide titled MAKING A DIFFERENCE: EDUCATION TO SHAPE THE WORLD ANEW. Published in 2005. This guide profiles both graduate and undergraduate programs that lead to work in environmental and social justice fields. Its cover asks students: “Looking for great colleges to help you make a better world? Want an education for social justice, storng on the environment, relevant, innovative, hands-on?” To look at the website for this publication, go to www.sageworks.net.
Undergraduate Research Conference
On April 29, 2005, GUS major Elena Botkin-Levy served as one of two principal organizers (in cooperation with Temple’s Department of Anthropology) for an all-day conference showcasing undergraduate research. Titled, “Building Community/Building Bridges,” the conference had three main themes: urban studies, engaged scholarship, and thoughtful activism. A number of GUS students presented papers and then heard reactions and commentary from urban professionals who attended to hear and respond to the student work. Among the professionals who visited the campus to participate in this conference were senior administrators from the City of Philadelphia’s Homeless Initiatives, the Women’s Community Revitalization Project, the regional office of HUS, and the Bread and Roses Community Fund.