Digital Commons Network^™

Modeling Environmental Security In Sub-Saharan Africa, Amy Richmond Krakowka, Natalie Heimel, Francis A. Galgano

The Geographical Bulletin

Many conflicts are enabled by environmental instability . This has been especially problematical in sub-Saharan Africa where non-sustainable practices and environmental change have combined with the proliferation of failing governments, enabling longstanding ethnic and religious antagonisms to erupt into violent conflicts . History has demonstrated that environmental stress can result in conflict, frequently along ethnic lines . Thus, the concept of environmental security has emerged as one basis for understanding conflict . To that end, this paper examines the nexus between the environment and conflict and demonstrates the need for careful environmental analysis by presenting a model illustrating the relationship …

No. 05: Pandemic Precarity And Food Insecurity Among Zimbabwean Migrants In South Africa, Godfrey Tawodzera, Jonathan Crush

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

This policy brief highlights the profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Zimbabwean migrants living in South Africa, with a particular focus on food insecurity and economic precarity. The pandemic exacerbated existing vulnerabilities within the migrant community, many of whom rely on informal, low-wage labour sectors for their livelihoods. The survey conducted in 2021 among Zimbabwean migrants revealed widespread unemployment, drastic income reductions, and severe food insecurity, primarily driven by pandemic-related restrictions and the resultant economic contraction. Zimbabwean migrants, a significant proportion of whom work in South Africa’s informal economy, were disproportionately affected by the lockdowns and mobility restrictions. The …

Cover And Forewords, Steven M. Schnell

The Geographical Bulletin

Cover and Forewords

Volume 52-2 Complete Issue, Steven M. Schnell

The Geographical Bulletin

Volume 52-2 Complete Issue

Interview: Jason Dittmer Interviewed By Steven M. Schnell, Editor, The Geographical Bulletin, Steven M. Schnell

The Geographical Bulletin

Jason Dittmer is from Jacksonville, Florida, received his PhD from Florida State University in 2003, and has taught at University College London in the United Kingdom since 2007. He is the author of Popular Culture, Geopolitics, and Identity (Rowman and Littlefield, 2010) and the co-editor of Mapping the End Times: American Evangelical Geopolitics and Apocalyptic Visions (Ashgate, 2010). He is married to the lovely Stephanie and has two cats. They all live in southeast London.

Increasing Public Participation In Municipal Solid Waste Reduction, Elizabeth J. O’Connell

The Geographical Bulletin

Municipal solid waste (MSW) presents environmental, social, and economic problems. Enlisting the public in reducing MSW has proven to be difficult in a variety of cultures and economies. Although the waste diversion practice of recycling is well-known, other waste minimization behaviors remain unknown and unpracticed by the majority of the population. There is room for improvement in waste minimization and waste diversion participation. This paper examines research into what motivates and what hinders participation in waste diversion and minimization practices by drawing out the common factors found in a wide spectrum of studies. Fear of the actual and perceived dangers …

Teaching Effectively And Efficiently: Strategies For Graduate Students, Zia Salim

The Geographical Bulletin

Teaching represents the moment at which graduate students reverse roles and take on the responsibility of educating others. Although having the opportunity to teach can greatly enhance the graduate student experience, for many graduate students a teaching assignment can entail having to find a balance between the competing demands of coursework, research, teaching, and their personal lives. This article begins with a description of some of the responsibilities that face graduate students who teach. The article then provides a variety of specific strategies that can help graduate students teach more effectively and efficiently, and concludes with brief thoughts on how …

Graduate Student Life In A Post-9/11 World: An Indian Graduate Student's Reflection In Finding Sanity And Staying With It, Aswin Subanthore

The Geographical Bulletin

The everyday lives of international graduate students are often assumed to be similar to their American-born colleagues and therefore rendered invisible. In a post-9/11 America, juggling various uncertainties including social conservatism in small college towns and immigration restrictions on employment can truly test the limits of an international graduate student’s sanity. However, student resources including international student groups can provide the space for a more comfortable dialogue between them and their American peers as well as among international students. This essay highlights some of the issues I have faced as an Indian graduate student, and provides pointers for other international …

Who Are You Married To? Balancing Graduate School And Marriage, Chris Labosier, Anna Labosier

The Geographical Bulletin

Stress is prevalent among graduate school students. Many universities and departments place a heavy burden upon their graduate students to complete large amounts of coursework, teach labs, grade student work, present at conferences, perform research for faculty, and many other responsibilities. Married graduate students face the competing demands of being both a graduate student and a spouse. This paper is a brief reflection on what it is like to be both a married graduate student and the spouse of a graduate student, a perspective rarely examined. Through these two perspectives, some coping strategies are identified. While competing demands are certainly …

Can We Get A Pub From This? Reflections On Competition And The Pressure To Publish While In Graduate School, Nicholas Jon Crane, Zoe Pearson

The Geographical Bulletin

It is widely acknowledged that graduate students feel increasing pressure to be academically productive in measurable ways, notably through peer-reviewed publication. Many suggest that the drive for measurable productivity responds to changing structural constraints. In these reflections, we indicate that an unsupportive culture of graduate study is also shaped by our everyday actions. Our practices maintain and exacerbate the competition through which the drive to demonstrate propensity for academic productivity has arisen, and it is therefore at the level of practices that this culture might be changed. Through intra- and inter-university communication, we might alter the expectations within which we …

Adaptive Strategies For Phd Candidates To A Changing Academic Environment: Diversification And Time Management, Kirby Calvert

The Geographical Bulletin

The confluence of an increasing emphasis on ‘deliverables,’ rising numbers of PhD candidates, and waning employment opportunities presents significant challenges for prospective and incumbent PhD candidates. I identify two coping strategies for adapting to this changing environment: 1) diversify the set of theoretical leanings and methods to which you are exposed during your PhD experience to alleviate some of the concerns around employment opportunities by making your knowledge and skill-set marketable beyond the walls of academia; and 2) streamline your teaching, learning, and research duties to minimize the impact of these formal academic duties on your personal life and completion …

Bart Simpson Reveals Reality, Necati Anaz

The Geographical Bulletin

This article reviews issues that graduate students face in their everyday academic endeavors and outlines several possible strategies to cope with those issues. The author addresses two primary issues: the financial concerns that pervade every aspect of graduate life to the point that living a decent life seems impossible, and the responsibilities— such as sending out publications, teaching classes, reading papers, and grading exams— that graduate students are expected to carry out during their studentship. With regard to these issues, this article focuses on two important prerequisites for success—commitment to hard work and financial security—along with several other cornerstones to …

Challenges And Coping In Graduate School, M. Beth Schlemper

The Geographical Bulletin

This paper addresses challenges and coping strategies of graduate student in US geography programs. Through semi-structured focus groups with 117 graduate students enrolled in ten departments (five doctoral and f ive master’s programs), time management and the academic dimensions of graduate school emerge as major challenges. Students benefit from building support networks with their advisors, committee members, other faculty members (both inside and outside of their departments), peers and other students, and family or friends. These relationships help students balance the demands on their time as well as the academic side of graduate school. They also discover that active involvement …

Introduction, Amanda Fickey, Erin Pullen

The Geographical Bulletin

“Maintaining Sanity in Graduate School: A Brief Commentary on the Significance of Informal Networks”, was a crisis piece for us. Having found ourselves worn down by the daily grind of graduate school, we submitted a reflection piece to The Geographical Bulletin with the hope that it would stimulate discussion among graduate students pertaining to effective coping strategies. At that time we had no idea what insightful comments this topic would generate, we merely wanted to engage with students beyond our own university regarding critical issues that often go overlooked and unspoken.

Maintaining Sanity In Graduate School: A Brief Commentary On The Significance Of Informal Networks, Amanda Fickey, Erin Pullen

The Geographical Bulletin

Graduate students often feel pressure to succeed not only as students and instructors, but also as published authors, engaged service-oriented community members, and researchers. As the scarcity of tenure-track positions and the general downturn of the economy become increasingly disconcerting, we often feel it necessary to sacrifice personal relationships and friendships to focus on making ourselves more competitive as we prepare to enter the job market. In this reflective essay, we consider the ways that we have discovered to navigate these day-to-day struggles, focusing primarily on the significance of informal networks. Although the authors have formed their own informal network …

A Note From The Editor, And Some Unconventional Grammar, Steven M. Schnell

The Geographical Bulletin

A Note from the Editor, and Some Unconventional Grammar

Cover And Forewords, Steven M. Schnell

The Geographical Bulletin

Cover and Forewords

Volume 52-1 Complete Issue, Steven M. Schnell

The Geographical Bulletin

Volume 52-1 Complete Issue

Family And Social Networks Considered In An Examination Of Exurban Migration Motivations, Brian Edward Johnson, Benjamin Schultz

The Geographical Bulletin

Exurbia is growing in population and land use mainly due to internal migration from urban and suburban areas . Existing literature has identified urban decay, housing affordability, and natural amenities as key reasons why Americans move to exurbia . The literature, however, largely overlooks the potential influence of family and social networks . Drawing from previous studies in non-exurban contexts, this paper asks: are family and social networks attracting migrants to exurbia? The authors conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 34 exurbanites in northern Indiana and northwest Illinois, allowing residents to describe their migration decisions without forcing participant responses into predefined …

Assessing The Impact Of Green Roofs On Urban Heat Island Mitigation: A Hardware Scale Modeling Approach, William C. Pompeii Ii, Timothy W. Hawkins

The Geographical Bulletin

As urban areas and the number of people living in urban areas grow, it is important to assess different mechanisms for mitigating the resulting urban heat island . Two hardware scale models (16 ft2 footprint), identical except for their roofing material, were constructed and monitored to assess the impact of green roofs on urban temperature and humidity . During the daytime, indoor and outdoor temperatures of the green roof model were 4 .2°C and 0 .3°C cooler respectively than the black roof model . The green roof indoor temperature was 0 .7°C warmer during the nighttime . Humidity differences between …

Framing Iowa’S “Fragile Giants”, Blake L. Mayberry

The Geographical Bulletin

The cultural landscape of Iowa has changed significantly in the last thirty years, coincident with larger changes in the national and global economies . The Loess Hills–a geologic landform consisting of eroded 15,000-yearold deposits of eolian glacial silt spanning seven counties in western Iowa–have become a political and discursive battle ground for postindustrial restructuring . The State of Iowa sought to create a tourism- and recreationbased economy for western Iowa as a response to rural population loss and unemployment . In 1997, the state’s largest newspaper, The Des Moines Register, started an editorial campaign to advocate for a national park …

Reconstructing Canopy Disturbance History And Recruitment Patterns To Inform Management Decisions At The Lost 40 In The Chippewa National Forest, Northern Minnesota, Julia Rauchfuss, Susy Svatek Ziegler

The Geographical Bulletin

Old-growth eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) and red pine (Pinus resinosa) dominate the forest canopy but not the understory of the Lost 40 Scientific and Natural Area in northern Minnesota . Our objectives were to (1) analyze stand structure and species composition, (2) examine the tree-ring record to determine the frequency and magnitude of canopy disturbances, (3) characterize recruitment patterns to provide information for a science-based management plan, and (4) compare the canopy-disturbance history of the Lost 40 to the average decadal rate of disturbance in similar forests . Average canopy disturbance from 1880–1999 was 2 .6–8 .2 percent per …

Falafel: Plat Du Jour, Jean Lavigne

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

No. 04: Canadian Support For Women In The Informal Food Sector In The Global South, Heba Hamzeh, Laeba Khan, Adwoa Konadu-Yiadom

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the vulnerabilities faced by women in the informal food sector in the Global South, deepening existing gender inequalities and economic inequities. Women informal food vendors play a critical role in ensuring food security in urban areas, yet their contributions are often undervalued and unsupported by formal policy frameworks. This policy brief presents two case studies from Mexico City and Maputo, Mozambique, highlighting the challenges women face in this sector, including lack of legal security, financial instability, and limited access to social protection. In response to these challenges, there is a pressing need for targeted interventions …

Post-Wildfire Water Quality Dynamics: A Multiscale Examination And Predictive Modeling Of Stream Temperature And Turbidity In Western U.S. Watersheds, Junjie Chen

Dissertations and Theses

Wildfires, exacerbated by climate change and human activities, pose significant threats to water-related ecosystem services in forested watersheds. This dissertation investigates the multifaceted impacts of wildfires on stream temperature and turbidity, two critical water quality parameters essential for maintaining aquatic ecosystem health and human water uses. By integrating a comprehensive literature review, empirical data analysis, and advanced machine learning techniques, this research provides a nuanced understanding of how wildfires affect hydrological processes across various temporal and spatial scales.

The findings reveal significant regional variability and the complex interplay between climatic, geographic, and anthropogenic factors. For instance, the literature review highlights …

No. 27: Invisible Work, Visible Impacts: Gender, Migrants, And Informal Food Trade Amid The Covid-19 Pandemic In The Global South, Laeba Khan

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

This paper examines the abrupt and far-reaching consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on women engaged in the informal food sector within the Global South. It highlights the deepening effects of the pandemic on food insecurity, gender inequality, and economic disparities. Based on a case study of three groups of women – internal migrants, international migrants, and cross-border traders – engaged in informal food work within and across countries and regions of the Global South, the paper investigates the compounded challenges they face, as well as their exacerbated risks and vulnerabilities. The analysis exposes the complex interplay between gender, migration, and …

No. 03: Addressing Urban Food Security Challenges For South-South Migrants, Abel Chikanda, Jonathan Crush, Godfrey Tawodzera

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

This policy brief examines the growing phenomenon of South-South migration, with a focus on the challenges of urban food security faced by migrants moving from one Global South country to urban areas in another. South-South migration has become increasingly significant, yet it remains under-researched, especially regarding the food insecurity that many migrants face in their host cities. The brief highlights the unique vulnerabilities of these migrants, who often find themselves in precarious employment, facing xenophobia, and excluded from formal social protection mechanisms, all of which exacerbate their food insecurity. The case study of Cape Town, South Africa, underscores the severity …

No. 02: Leveraging Food Remittances For Enhanced Food Security In Urban Africa, Jonathan Crush

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

This policy brief highlights the critical yet underexplored role of food remittances in enhancing food security across Africa. While global attention has predominantly focused on cash remittances and their economic impacts, food remittances – defined as the transfer of foodstuffs by migrants to their home regions – play a vital role in ensuring the availability, accessibility, and stability of food supplies for both rural and urban households. These remittances help bridge the food security gap between urban and rural areas, with food produced in rural regions supporting the nutritional needs of family members in cities. The reciprocal flow of resources, …

No. 01: Mitigating The Impacts Of Covid-19 On Migrants And Food Security In The Global South, Sujata Ramachandran, Jonathan Crush

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated pre-existing vulnerabilities among migrants, particularly those involved in South-South migration, leading to heightened risks of poverty, food insecurity, and marginalization. The pandemic disrupted global migration patterns, hindered access to essential services, and severely impacted the livelihoods of millions of migrants. Governments in the Global South faced the dual challenge of mitigating these impacts while fostering inclusive recovery strategies. This policy brief provides recommendations for governments to address the immediate and long-term challenges posed by the pandemic on migration and food security, as well as planning for future pandemics. Key areas include enhancing social protection, ensuring healthcare …

Barriers To And Solutions For Fuel Treatments In The Central California Coast Ranges, Sierra Dawn Lyman

Master's Theses

In recent years, the Western United States has experienced an increase in fire activity due to multiple factors, including anthropogenic climate change, historical forest management focused on suppression, and the expanding wildland urban interface (WUI). In response, California is working to accelerate the pace and scale of forest management and fire hazard reduction efforts. Although fuel treatment projects are being implemented, they often encounter various barriers. While existing literature highlights these barriers, it tends to overlook the solutions being applied in practice to overcome them. Using an ethnographic approach that includes key informant interviews and participant observation in four sites …