Department of Geographic and Environmental Sciences

UofL Geographic & Environmental Sciences stands in solidarity with our transgender and nonbinary students.  Please click here to read our statement.

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Department Spotlight

Center for Geographic Information Sciences Director DJ Biddle has been appointed by Governor Beshear to the state Geographic Information Advisory Council for a four-year term. He will be representing the KY Assocation of Mapping Professionals (KAMP) on this body, which advises the Commonwealth's Chief Information Officer on issues relating to geographic information and geographic information systems (GIS). You can find more information about the Council here


Margath Walker

Margath Walker, professor of geography and geosciences, Department of Geographic and Environmental Sciences/UPA, College of Arts and Sciences, has recently been appointed as co-editor for the RGS-IBG Book Series. Published by Wiley on behalf of the Royal Geographic Society, the book series will move to LSE Press in January 2024. The series is known for publishing theoretically informed and empirically rich texts reflecting cutting-edge research in geography and cognate disciplines.


Recent Faculty Publications

Kristen de Graauw, Maegen Rochner, Saskia van de GevelLauren StachowiakSavannah Collins-KeyJoseph HendersonZachary Merrill, and Amy Hessl; Comparing the impact of live-tree versus historic-timber data on palaeoenvironmental inferences in tree-ring science, eastern North America (Sept 2023)

Dr. C. Andrew Day and Jialiang (Daryl) Chen. 2023. Hydrometeorological observations from the Upper Kentucky headwaters flash floods, 26–29 July 2022.
Weatherhttps://doi.org/10.1002/wea.4448   

Dr. C. Andrew Day and Quint Long. 2023. An application of the Kentucky state Mesonet system to explore spatial and seasonal characteristics of erosive storm activity. Weather. https://doi.org/10.1002/wea.4426

Kimberly Koenig and Dr. C. Andrew Day. 2023. Microstegium vimineum habitat suitability analysis in the Kentuckiana region using Geographic Information System (GIS) Modeling. Southeastern Geographer 63 (2): 183-202. DOI: 10.1353/sgo.2023.0014.

Drs. Andrea E. Gaughan & Forrest R. Stevens were winners of the Urban Science 2021 best paper awardEvaluating the Accuracy of Gridded Population Estimates in Slums: A Case Study in Nigeria and Kenya, By Dana R. Thomson, Andrea E. Gaughan, Forrest R. Stevens, Gregory Yetman, Peter Elias and Robert Chen Urban Sci. 2021, 5(2), 48; doi:10.3390/urbansci5020048

Dr. Rochner, M.L., *Patterson, T.W., *Heeter, K.J., and *Harley, G.L. 2023. Increased growth synchrony of red spruce in response to acid deposition recovery and climate change across its southern range extent, southeastern USA. The Southeastern Geographer, 63(1), 78–97. 

Dr. Jason Naylor, & Mulholland, J. P. (2023). The Impact of Vertical Wind Shear on the Outcome of Interactions Between Squall Lines and Cities. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 128, e2022JD037237

 

 

 

Student Guide

Geographers investigate the character and possible associations between a subject and its environment. The Department of Geographic and Environmental Sciences educates students to view the world in a spatial and time-dependent context to determine relationships between people and their immediate and global environment.

Bachelor of Science: The department offers Bachelor of Science degrees in four different concentrations:

  • Environmental Analysis: designed for students who are interested in the environment and environmental sustainability.
  • Geospatial Technologies: designed for students who are interested in developing geospatial technologies like GIS and remote sensing.
  • Human and Cultural Dynamics: designed for students interested in the forces that shape human environments like population trends, sustainable development, ethnic and racial segregation, globalization and geopolitics.
  • Urban Analysis: designed for students interested in the various processes that shape urban environments.

Learn more about our undergraduate degree options

The M.S. in Applied Geography is designed to provide students with the analytical skills and background knowledge needed to solve real-world problems with geographic dimensions. Graduate students experience a nucleated body of coursework designed to foster and support the theoretical knowledge and advanced skill sets demanded for the professional and academic/research fields. Coupled with the enhanced level of course content; quantitative, qualitative and spatial data analysis applications; and the Departmental emphasis upon critical reasoning, effective writing and communication skills, graduates will be capable and prepared for effective integration into a broad diversity of professional fields.

Learn more about our M.S. in Applied Geography

The Department of Geography and Geosciences offers two minors:

  • Minoring in Geography exposes students to the schools of thought in physical and human Geography and techniques of Geographic Information System (GIS).
  • Minoring in Environmental Analysis exposes students to the physical processes associated with the environment and environmental sustainability.

Learn more about a Minor in Geography or Environmental Analysis

Our graduates work for local, state and federal governments; environmental consulting firm;, retail businesses; and research and educational organizations. Departmental graduates also have been admitted to some of the nation’s finest graduate programs.

Visit College of Arts & Sciences Advising for assistance with your major or minor.

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GeographIC and ENVIRONMENTAL sciences

University of Louisville

Louisville, Kentucky 40292

Office Hours

M-F 8:00am to 5:00 pm

No holiday hours

Phone

tel (502) 852-6844

fax (502) 852-4560

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