Congratulations to Geography Scholarship Awardees Maxwell Cutty, Keith Brown, and Sara Malik
November 5, 2009
Maxwell Cutty is the 2009-10 recipient of the David A. Rose Scholarship in Physical Geography.
Max participated in the SEA program this past summer, which offers undergraduate students teaching on how to conduct oceanographic measurements while sailing for a month on the open ocean. Here is how Max describes how the SEA program influenced his views of cartography: "[SEA] taught me the importance of a decent map, or to be more precise a nautical chart. [Maps] serve as a vital and pivotal tool for depicting distilled meaning without casting away the notion of the space between... In the context of a research vessel I also worked with a powerful computer modeling software known as Ocean Data View in order to produce colorful and stunning depth profiles that illuminated trends and changes in the physical and chemical properties of the ocean all along our cruise track. Routinely utilizing cartographic creations for navigational as well as scientific purposes was an eye-opening experience both literally and figuratively."
Keith Brown and Sara Malik have been awarded the James J. Parsons Scholarship for Field Research in Geography for 2009-10.
Keith will spend the Summer 2010 semester in Fortaleza, Brazil doing research on the "Political Geography of Renewable Energy in Cearå State, Brazil". Here Keith describes his three research project questions: "1) What are the discourses, arguments, and forms of political messaging used in the push towards renewable energy development in Cearå state, among government, industry, NGO's and social movements? 2) What evidence of political dissent and friction over energy development, if any, is present between these different agents? 3)How do spatial distinctions - such as montane vs. coastal, urban vs. rural - connect with different understandings and aspirations for renewable energy in Cearå?"
Sara is currently working on her senior thesis focusing on military-run real estate development in Karachi, Pakistan. Sara defines her project as the following: "My research project is to examine specifically the Karachi Defense Housing Authority, which is situated at the mouth of the Indus River along the coastline. I chose to look at the Karchi DHA for it's unique characteristics. First, the housing authority was and is being built in phases in such a way that causes the previous construction to depreciate in value substantially. Second, in order to secure land in Karachi, the military has resorted to filling in parts of the port and building barriers nearly a mile out to sea, thereby irrevocably changing the coastal geomorphology. Third, the military has for the first time partnered with a private firm, Dubai-based Emaar Group, to develop the eighth phase of the Karachi DHA. Fourth, the indigenous communities are actively being displaced by the developments."
Please join us in congratulating the 2009-2010 Scholarship Recipients.