Paul B. Wilson
Professor of Geography
Office: Old Journalism Building 216
Office Telephone: (406) 243-4401
Fax Number: (406) 243-4840
E-mail: paul.wilson@mso.umt.edu
Education:
Ph.D., University of Nebraska, 1972
Geography
Emphasis: Historical Geography, Cultural Geography,
Economic Geography, Cartography
M.A., University of Nebraska, 1967
Geography
Emphasis: Historical Geography, Urban Geography
B.A., University of Wyoming, 1964
Geography
Emphasis: Human Geography, Cartography
Areas of Specialization:
Cartography
Geographic Information Systems
Historical Geography
Urban Geography
Current Course Offerings:
GEOG 387 - Principles of Digital Cartography
GEOG 389 - Digital Cartography Lab
GEOG 412S - Towns and Rural Settlement
GEOG 488 - Thematic Cartography & GIS
GEOG 489 - Cartography/GIS Lab
GEOG 580 - Seminar in GIS & Cartography
GEOG 588 - Vector GIS
GEOG 589 - Cartography/GIS Lab
Previous Course Offerings:
100-level - Map & Air Photo Interpretation
100-level - World Regional Geography
300-level - Computer Cartography
300-level - Historical Geography
300-level - Cultural Geography
300-level - Urban Geography
300-level - Field Techniques
300-level - North America
300-level - Field Geography
400-level - Cartography: Graphics & Production
500-level - Geographical Research Methods
500-level - Geography Graduate Colloquium
500-level - GIS in Human Geography
500-level - Seminar in Applied Cartography
500-level - Seminar in Geographical Thought
500-level - Seminar in Urban Geography
500-level - Seminar in Historical Geography
Professional Background Information:
Dr. Wilson’s teaching career started in 1965, as a teaching assistant and pre-doctoral associate at the University of Nebraska, in Lincoln, Nebraska. He has been in academia for over 40 years, with 38 years teaching at The University of Montana. Dr. Wilson oversaw the development and implementation of the Cartography/Geographic Information Systems Option within the B.A. and M.A. programs in Geography at UM. Dr. Wilson served as a member on the State Mapping Advisory Council in Helena , Montana, and as an advisor on the Montana University Affiliated Rural Institute on Disabilities, where he developed computer mapping and GIS capabilities for institutional research.
Dr. Wilson served for over 15 years as the chair of the Department of Geography at The University of Montana. He skillfully guided the department through several difficult years of retrenchment and a challenging period when the faculty was almost entirely replaced due to faculty retirements. During those years he gained the reputation as a leader who consistently demonstrated integrity and honesty in responding to the various tasks and challenges at hand.
Dr. Wilson has practiced hands-on, student oriented styles of teaching for several decades which earned him several awards and professional recognition, including the Academic Administrator Award in (2004), awards in Teaching Excellence (1974-1975), Excellence in Service (1982-1983), and Excellence in Teaching and Service (1995-1996). His students occupy influential positions as GIS experts, cartographers and planners throughout the State of Montana, the region and beyond. Dr. Wilson has traveled the U.S. extensively to gather illustrations and material for the Towns and Rural Settlement course he developed. He is also an active member of the Intermountain West GIS user group. He regularly offers workshops at the Montana/Idaho GIS user conference and frequently presents posters at GIS conferences, typically involving students in the project. Please see below a list of selected publications by Dr. Wilson.
Selected Recent and Future Projects:
Working with students on grant “A Prototype Process for Standardizing Map Symbology in Support of Emergency Response and Preparedness”
Publications:
1967 "Relationships of the Indian Reservation Land Tenure System to Land Use on the Wind River Indian Reservation, Wyoming," Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Vol. 57, p. 809.
1976 "Minimum Lettersize for Visual Aids,: The Professional Geographer, Vol. XXVIII, 1976. pp. 185-189. with H.W. Bockemuehl.
1978 Atlas of Montana Elections, 1889-1976, 335 pages, approximately 350 maps and diagrams, with Ellis Waldron.
1979 "Mapping Montana Elections," Montana Public Affairs Report, Number 28, September, with Ellis Waldron.
1980 Study of the Current and Historic National Resources of the Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site, University of Wyoming, National Park Services Research Center, 128 pages, 4 maps, with Katherine Weist, James Lowe, and E. Earl Willard.
Montana Legislators, 1864-1979: Profiles and Biographical Directory, 155 pages, by Ellis Waldron, Wilson contributed the series of maps on pages 14-18.
1981 Mescalero Timber Trust: A History of Forest Management on the Mescalero Indian Reservation, New Mexico, 439 pages, authored by Historical Research Associates, Wilson contributed the series of eight over-sized, colored maps inside the back cover.
1983 James J. Lopach, ed., We the People of Montana: The Workings of a Popular Government, Missoula, Mountain Press Company, 1983, 320 pages, Wilson contributed the physical-political map of Montana on pages ii and iii.
1987 Paul B. Wilson, Darshan S. Kang and Eric Hefty. Facilities Study, Missoula School District #1. The contribution by Wilson and Kang was to develop a method whereby boundaries for individual schools could be easily redrawn given minimum aggregate travel distances for any given school population. A computer program was created and numerous computer maps were produced along with appropriate analysis (84 pages). Missoula, 1987.
1990 Paul B. Wilson and Darshan S. Kang, "The Sources of Jadeite in Middle American Ancient Cultural Artifacts: A Geographical Analysis," in Environment and Human Response: Selected Essays in Geography, R.P.N. Sinha, ed., Concept Publishing, New Delhi, 1990.
James J. Lopach, et. al., Tribal Government Today: Politics on Montana Indian Reservations. Boulder, Colorado, Westview Press, 1990, Wilson contributed the map, "Montana Indian Reservations," front piece.
1992 Paul B. Wilson, Rina Ghose and Lisa Wulkan. Missoula Housing: Stock and Supply. This study was sponsored by the Missoula Housing Task Force. It was funded for $7,500.00 (73 pages). Missoula, 1992.
1993 Kathleen O. Jackson, Paul B. Wilson, et.al., Missoula County Aged Population: Selected Characteristics by Location, Research and Training Center on Rural Rehabilitation Services, Montana University Affiliated Rural Institute on Disabilities, 148 pages.
1995 Christiane von Reichert, William H. McBroom, Fred W. Reed, and Paul B. Wilson, AAccess to Health Care and Travel for Birthing: Native AmericanBWhite Differentials in Montana,@ Geoforum, Vol. 26, No. 3, pp. 297-308, 1995.
1998 Paul B. Wilson, AMontana Indian Reservation.@ Front Piece Map in Tribal Government Today: Politics on Montana Indian Reservations, Revised Edition(by James J. Lopach, Margery Hunter Brown, and Richmond L. Clow), Boulder, Colorado, Westview Press, 1998.
2000 A Comprehensive Companion to Hemingway's A Moveable Feast, 832 pages, 2 volumes, with Gerry Brenner. Wilson contributed nine maps that appeared in the end-piece of the book.
