Welcome
Welcome to the Department of Geography. Our department has been growing rapidly over the last few years and we are looking forward to new challenges ahead. Please take time to browse through the links on this site to learn more about our department, faculty, students, and staff.
If you are interested in studying in our department and you have additional questions, or you would like to make an appointment to visit with the Department Chair, or faculty members, please contact us. Graduate students please visit the Graduate School web site for application materials and additional information.
Fall 2012 - Faculty Position Posting GIS/Cartography Assistant Professor |
Spring 2012 News and Events
Hanson Nyantakyi-Frimpong, a Geography M.S. alum, who is working on a Ph.D. at Western University in Ontario, Canada, recently received funding from the Africa Initiative Graduate Research Program to confront critical issues facing Africa.
"The graduate research program offers bright, up-and-coming scholars on Africa an opportunity to take their research to the next level. Supported students deepen their on-the-ground experience and apply their research in new, cross-continental settings. With this second round of grants, we're building toward an increased capacity in Canada-Africa research collaboration by fostering important ties with leading researchers and experts in the field," said Erica Dybenko, Africa Initiative program manager.
His supported project is entitled, Food security and smallholder farmer adaptation to climate change in Ghana's Upper-West Region. The research applies a political ecology lens to food security and climate change adaptation in Ghana, and is grounded in development geography and human-environment interactions, rural livelihood security, global environmental and economic change and tropical agricultural systems.
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Dr. Ulrich Kamp has received an extension of his research fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. He will be working during summer 2012 at the Institute of Geographical Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, focusing on glacier monitoring in the Mongolian Altai Mountains.
Matthew Schroeder has been nominated for Student Employee of the Year 2012! Congrats, Matthew!
The Geography Department is pleased to announce that Peter Bordokoff has been selected for a U.S. Graduate Student Fulbright award for 2012-2013 to the Republic of Georgia. His research project, entitled "A Geographic Perspective of Climate Change Adaptation in Georgia," will explore perceptions of climate change, its associated impacts, and the development of adaptation strategies in the Caucasus Mountains. Along with his faculty advisor Sarah Halvorson, he will be collaborating with Associate Professor Dr. Ia Iashvili from the Department of Geography at Akaki Tsereteli State University in Kutaisi, one of UM's partner universities in the Caucasus region. Peter is the fourth geography student to receive a Fulbright award in the past four years. Congratulations Peter!
Nancy Forman-Ebel, Administrative Associate for the Department of Geography, will be recognized this year for reaching thirty years of continuous service at The University of Montana. Her significant achievement will be celebrated at the UM Employee Recognition Day Reception on Friday, April 20, 2012. Congrats Nancy!
In a joint effort by the University of Montana and Glasgow High School, a new book published by 
the University of Montana Press entitled "Glasgow and Valley County, Montana" celebrates the area through high school student essays and both professional and amateur photography. Senior Lecturer Rick Graetz and his wife Suzie spearheaded the book project starting in 2007, in an effort to bring the University out into the communities of Montana. Congrats, Rick!
Anthony Thompson, a junior in the Community and Environmental Planning Program in Geography, received a fellowship from the Montana Water Center to help support him as he studies the Columbia River Treaty review and negotiation process between the United States and Canada under the direction of Dr. David Shively. Anthony was the only undergraduate student to receive a fellowship award from the Center which made eight other awards to Montana graduate students. Big congratulations Anthony!
We are delighted to announce that Dr. Christiane von Reichert was selected to receive the 2012 John Ruffato Memorial Award. The $3,500 award was established to encourage and recognize UM faculty who impart practical, applicable principles into their teaching and to solidify the interdependent relationship between local businesses and The University of Montana. Dr. von Reichert was chosen because of her work on socio-economic and demographic analysis, including research on return migration to rural communities, and her practical hands-on teaching which helps students gain the knowledge and skills needed to move into professional positions in the private and public sector. The John Ruffatto Memorial Award will be conferred at UM's Charter Day, 16 Feb 2012, which celebrates the University's founding and special faculty and community members who have contributed to UM's mission. Congratulations!!
Kevin Kent spent this semester studying geography at a university in Tasmania. Read the essay he sent back to us about his experience, and other news from this fall here, on our news page.
