******October 13th, 2014
Department of Geography
The Geosphere Upcoming Events:
Coffee Klatch, October 16th @ 9:00 AM, 201 CSA Suite
The Kennewick Man, October 16th @10:30 AM, Rudder Auditorium
TAMU Vs. Alabama in Tuscaloosa, October 18th @ 2:30 CDT on CBS
“Remote Sensing Capabilities Using Unmanned Air Systems” by Dr. John Valasek, October 21st @ 3PM, 110 Koldus
“Anything Goes,” October 21st @ 7:30, Rudder Auditorium
Social Networking
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The Department of Geography has officially joined the Facebook and Twitter communities. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/tamugeography and follow us on twitter @tamugeography We will be posting information daily on upcoming events, contests, advisor availability, and much more. Our new social net-
Inside this issue:
working sites will be a great way to keep the students and followers informed on all things TAMU Geography. We are launching our first Facebook and Twitter based contests! Out of the first 100 people to like us on Facebook, one person will be chosen to win a FREE Texas A&M Geography t-shirt. Similarly, we will choose one of the first 100
Social Networking
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Spring 2015 Scheduling
Spring 2015 Scheduling
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NACADA
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Graduation Information
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GIST Meeting
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Spring 2015 class schedules will be available for viewing on October 17th, 2014. Before your allotted registration date and time, it’s always a great idea to check out what classes are being offered for the upcoming semester. Planning your classes early can help alleviate some stress when it comes time to register, especially if you have an early morning time slot. Try planning your ideal schedule but also include some backup options. Chances are, if you’re interested in a specific course, many others will be as well. Before registering, it’s always a good idea to meet with your academic advisor. Meeting with your advisor can help you
Grad Student Accomplishments 3 Geography Society
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GTU Requirements
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Want to go to China?
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The Kennewick Man
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Udall Scholarship
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Coffee Klatch
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understand what classes you need and what classes may or may not be best for your degree plan. You may not realize that the floral design class you’ve been dying to take can actually get you one step closer to graduation. The Department of Geography academic advisor, Gail Rowe, will be starting pre-registration advising on October 27th, 2014. Below are the dates available by classification.
October 27-31, G6-8 Graduate, U4/Senior Undergraduate, and those with early registration privileges (e.g. student workers, honors, etc.)
followers on Twitter to win the same FREE Texas A&M Geography t-shirt. If keeping up with geography news isn't enough incentive to follow and like us, a free t-shirt should do just the trick.
November 3-7, U3/Junior Undergraduate
November 10-14, U2/ Sophomore Undergraduate
November 17-21, U1/ Freshmen Undergraduate
November 24-25 and December 1-2, Open to All To schedule an appointment for preregistration advising, go to http://geog.clickbook.net/ For more information about your specific registration time, visit http://registrar.tamu.edu/ Current/RegSchedules.aspx
NACADA (National Academic Advising Association) Academic Advisors in the College of Geosciences attended NACADA’s 38th Annual Conference, Adventures in Advising: Explore, Discover, Collaborate, Transform, October 811, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Through a variety of learning formats, advisors participate in
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quality professional development opportunities including interactive workshops, poster sessions, exhibitor presentations, and formal/informal networking events. They learn from experts, gain new knowledge, and review best practices with colleagues, all aimed at the
ongoing mission of student success! For more information, visit the link below! http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/ Events-Programs/Events/ Annual-Conference.aspx
Graduation information– Graduate and Undergraduate
“The application deadline is December 9, 2014 for graduate and undergraduate students who will complete requirements in the fall semester. “
Masters Thesis and Doctoral Students: See this link for dates and deadlines: http://ogs.tamu.edu/currentstudents/dates-and-deadlines/ Contact: Office of Graduate and Professional Studies 979-845-3631 ogaps@tamu.edu http://ogs.tamu.edu/ Students planning to graduate December 2014 must apply for graduation online
at https://howdy.tamu.edu on the My Record tab. The online application will be open through 11:59 p.m. November 21, 2014. Applications submitted after that date must be submitted in the Office of the Registrar. The application deadline is December 9, 2014 for graduate and undergraduate students who will complete requirements in the fall semester. All students planning to graduate in December should apply by November 21, 2014 in order to receive diploma at com-
mencement. A $47.50 diploma fee will be assessed to all students who apply for graduation. Applications submitted after October 3, 2014 will be assessed a $50 late fee in addition to the diploma fee for a total of $97.50 per degree. Graduation applications will not be accepted after 5 p.m. December 9, 2014. If you miss this deadline, you must apply for May graduation. http://graduation.tamu.edu/ applica.html
GIST Meeting On Wednesday October 1st, fourteen students in the Geography Department’s new major in Geographic Information Science and Technology (GIS&T) met with Ms. Gail Rowe and Drs. Anthony Filippi, Daniel Goldberg and Andrew Klein to discuss the new major and enjoy some pizza. The students present ranged from first year freshmen to fifth year seniors. They learned about the three tracks in the new major: Computation, Design and Analysis (CDA), Earth Systems
and Analysis (ESA) and Human Systems and Society (HSS). A question and answer session about the new degree, its new courses followed and students were told that they should work with Ms. Rowe to make adjustments (substitutions) to their degree plan as the degree is rolled out. Students were encouraged to take advantage of the University’s growing study abroad program, conduct research with faculty (GEOG 291
& GEOG 491) and talk to the Department Internship Coordinator - Dr. Goldberg - about doing an internship (GEOG 484’s) during their academic career. All were reminded about the upcoming GISday (November 17th – 19th) activities. If you are interested in the new GIS&T degree please talk to Ms. Rowe or any of the GIS&T faculty whose offices are in Eller O&M 707. - Dr. Andrew Klein
Page 3 Graduate Student Accomplishments
Sept. 8th, Sandra Metoyer successfully defended her Dissertation.
Sept. 30th, Trent Ford successful defended his Ph.D. Proposal titled, “Soil Moisture Impacts on Convective Precipitation in Oklahoma".
Oct. 6th, Michelle Ruiz successfully defended her M.S. Thesis titled, “Assessment of the Potential Effect of Climate Change on Hurricane Risk and Vulnerability in Florida”.
Geography Society The Geography Society is excited to announce that College Station City Councilman Steve Aldrich will be coming to speak with the Geography Society this Tuesday, October 14th at 6 pm in O&M 805. Councilman Aldrich is a former Geography A&M graduate who is happy to discuss how he has utilized his Geography degree throughout the years and the benefits provided him with the skills he's
gained in Geography. Hope to see you there! Aida Guhlin Class of 2016 Co-Coordinator Kathryn Fajfar Class of 2014 Co-Coordinator
Have questions? Contact us at thetamugeographysociety@gmail .com with questions or concerns and you can always reach us on Facebook @ www.facebook.com/ TAMUGeogSociety, or Instagram and Twitter: @tamugeogsociety.
Brian Bentley Class of 2014 Treasurer
GTU Requirements Interested in joining an honor society specifically for your major? Gamma Theta Upsilon, International Geography Honor Society, Zeta Zeta chapter is what you’re looking for. This society is led by Dr. Robert Bednarz and Gail Rowe, Academic Advisor. The 2014 -2015 application date has already closed, but for our newer students, we have listed the criteria.
To be eligible, you must have: 1. completed (not enrolled in) a minimum of 3 geography courses 2. an overall GPA of 3.3 3. a 3.3 GPA in geography coursework 4. completed at least 3 semesters of college course work, including two semesters completed at TAMU For more information regarding
GTU, you may go to http:// www.gammathetaupsilon.org/ index.html
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Want to go to China? SEA-Met China: This Maymester (between Spring and Summer semesters) class is the first installment of the new Student Experiences Abroad in Meteorology program. The class will travel to Beijing and the German-influenced coastal city of Qingdao, where students will learn about the primary influences of coastal Asia weather
and climate as well as Chinese language and culture led by the Ocean University of China. 1 CR Spring 2015 for pre-experience class, 2-4 CR for Summer 2015.
Contact Don Conlee (dconlee@tamu.edu) for more information about this exciting study abroad opportunity.
Prerequisite: ATMO 201 completed before departure, enrollment in preexperience ATMO 489.
The Kennewick Man We are happy to inform you of an exciting opportunity to enhance your courses and your students’ learning experience with an upcoming Community of Scholars event, presented by the Office of the Provost — Public Partnership & Outreach. We will be live streaming “Kennewick Man: The Scientific Investigation of an Ancient American Skeleton” to our branch campuses and off-campus educational sites on Thursday, October 16, 2014, at
10:30 a.m. CDT. The presentation will last approximately one hour and will take place in Rudder Auditorium . In addition, we will be video recording the lecture for use in the future. To access the live stream go to http://ttvn.tamu.edu/ Index.php?p=Streams; scroll down about halfway and look for “Channel 20.” The event will be listed there. Select Channel 20 and a Windows media window should
open and start streaming the event. For more information about the Kennewick man, visit the site below. http:// tamutimes.tamu.edu/2014/10/09 /discovery-of-kennewick-manskeleton-topic-of-oct-16-lecture/
Udall Scholarship Opportunity The Morris K. Udall Scholarship program recognizes students who have demonstrated commitment to careers related to the environment (including policy, engineering, science, education, urban planning and renewal, business, health, justice, economics, and other related fields) and have the potential to be leaders in their respective fields. To be considered, candidates must be nominated by their school.
The campus deadline for applications will be November 7, 2014. For more information, visit the link below. Udall Scholarship Opportunity
Discovery begins here!
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Department of Geography Geography Main Office 810 Eller O&M Building Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843
Make an appointment with Gail Rowe by going to:
Phone: 979-845-7141 Fax: 979-862-4487
http://geog.clickbook.net/ Gail Rowe Department of Geography Academic Advisor Phone: 979–458-0895 Office: 816 O&M Email: growe@geog.tamu.edu
Find us online: geography.tamu.edu
Coffee Klatch On Thursday, October 16th, the Department of Geography will be hosting the 3rd Coffee Klatch of the semester. Join us in CSA, Suite 201 for Coffee, Pastries, and good conversation. Come and go as necessary. The faculty has enjoyed meeting and chatting with students. We will be in 201 from 9 am until 10:30 am with sweet treats! We hope to see you all there!
If there is an event, opportunity, meeting, accomplishment, pictures, etc. that you would like to share in The Geosphere or for corrections/omissions, email Hannah Soliz at hms15@geos.tamu.edu with the information! The next Geosphere will be released on October 27th, 2014. Deadlines to turn in information for this edition will be Wednesday, October 22nd, 2014 at 5 PM.