University of Central Arkansas

November 5, 2009: Dr. Brooks Green was presented the Outstanding University Educator award at the Arkansas Council for the Social Studies luncheon in Little Rock.

November 5, 2009: Dr. Brooks Green organized and moderated a two-hour session on "Understandng Russian Culture and Environment" at the Arkansas Curriculum Conference in Little Rock. The session was devoted to presentations by 12 teachers who participated with Dr. Green in a month's experience in Russia funded by Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad Program.

October 29 - 30, 2009: The following geography professors presented papers and/or participated in roundtable discussions at the annual conference of the Southwest Division of the Association of American Geographers in North Little Rock. Dr. Jeff Allender participated in a roundtable discussion titled, "Moving part or all of your geography course to an on-line format: The good, the bad, and the ugly." Ms. Mindy Conyers presented a paper titled, "Using a GIS to Study the Spatial Patterns of Bed Material in a Disturbed Watershed." Dr. Brooks Green presented a paper titled, "Modeling Population Dynamics in Rural Russia." Dr. Brooks Pearson presented a paper titled, "Deconstructing the Railway Mail Service Maps of Frank H. Galbraith." Dr. Jerry Reynolds presented a paper titled, "Sustainability and Zoning Regulations: Can They Coexist?" Dr. Michael Yodor presented a paper titled, "Form and Function in Small Urban Places: An Overview of Five Micropolitan Cities of Arknasas" and participated in a roundtable discussion on "The Challenges and Opportunities of Being a 'Stand-Alone' Geographer."

October 29, 2009: Two geography majors presented papers at the annual conference of the Southwest Division of the Association of American Geographers in North Little Rock. Garrett Looney's paper was titled, "Imaginary Boundaries: Human Trafficing, the Sex Trade, and the Transnational Economic Zone of Mae Sot, Thailand;" and Stephen DiGiacomo's paper was titled, "Mapping Noise: An Integrated Approach."

October 29 - 31, 2009: The Department of Geography hosted the annual conference of the Southwest Division of th Association of American Geographers in North Little Rock at the Windham Riverfront Hotel. Dr. Jeff Allender was the local arrangements coordinator with assistance from Dr. Michael Yoder, who completed his two-year term as Chair of SWAAG. Mary Sue Passe-Smith arranged for and monitored audio/visual equipment with the help of several UCA students. Dr. Brooks Pearson and Mindy Conyers prepared the program. Drs. Jerry Reynolds and Brooks Green led field trips during the morning of Saturday, October 31.

October 15, 2009: Dr. Brooks Green's review of Harm de Blij's The Power of Place was published in the Professional Geographer (November 2009) Vol. 61, No. 4, pp. 571 - 573.

October 1, 2009: The Master of Science in Community and Economic Development (MSCED) is now housed in the Department of Geography. Dr. Michael Yoder is Interim Director until the conclusion of a national search for a new director. The new director will add a new position to the department giving us 8 faculty members. This person will not only direct the MSCED degree program, but will teach geography courses in the department.

September 22 - 27, 2009: Drs. Jeff Allender and Brooks Green traveled to San Juan, Puerto Rico, to attend the meetings of the National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE). Both participated in a Geographic Alliance meeting sponsored by the National Geographic Society, attended other sessions, and enjoyed the urban environment of San Juan and the nearby rainforests.

August 17, 2009: Ms. Mindy Conyers has joined the department. Her doctoral degree will come from Texas State University at San Marcos. She is a phyical/environmental geographer with a speciality in fluvial geomorphology.

August 12, 2009: Mary Sue Passe-Smith presented a paper entitled, "Regression Analysis for Testing Tornado Modeling Technques," at the annual ESRI conference in San Diego. Her paper has been published and can be viewed online at http://proceedings.esri.com/library/userconf/proc09/uc/papers/pap_1647.pdf

August 5, 2009: Dr. Michael Yoder's article, "Contemporary Urban Landscapes of the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas: The Geography of Inland Ports," was published recently in Southwestern Geography, Vol. 11, pp. 92 - 112.

July 5 - August 4, 2009: Dr. Brooks Green led a group of 12 Arkansas school teachers on a 32-day Short-term Seminar to Russia. While In Russian, the goup traveled to Moscow, Novosibirsk, Barnaul, Gorno-Altaisk, Ekaterinburg, and Ryazan'. The Short-term Seminar was funded by the Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroard Program.

June 21 - July 1, 2009: Dr. Jeff Allender assisted in conducting a 10-day institute for Arkansas and Missouri school teachers. The institute began at Drury University in Springfield, Missouri where two days of classes were held. Classes were followed by a six-day excursion in the Ozark Mountain Region then a 2-day session at Drury University concluded the institute. 

May 21, 2009: Ms. Mary Sue Passe-Smith has been promoted from Lecturer I to Lecturer II.

April 27, 2009: Dr. Michael Yoder has recently had a book chapter published. The full citation is: 2008 "Globalization and the Evolving Port Landscape of Progreso," in: Eric N. Baklanoff and Edward H. Moseley, eds., Yucatan in an Era of Globalization, pp. 42-68.  Tuscaloosa:  University of Alabama Press.

April 26, 2009: The following geography students were honored at the UCA Honors Convocation:

Drew Aylesworth - one of the six Outstanding Students of the University
Tobin Williamson - one of the six Outstanding Students of the University and Undergraduate Scholar, cum laude
Regina Karigan-Winter, Undergraduate Scholar, cum laude
Sean Oakley, Undergraduate Scholar, magna cum laude
Sarah Waggoner, Outstanding Student, Department of Geography
Daniel Holland, Abney-Bradley Scholarship recipient, Department of Geography

April 23, 2009: A reception was held to honor Ms. Sarah Waggoner as this year's Outstanding Geography Student and Mr. Daniel Holland as the first recipient of the Abney-Bradley Scholarship.