Geographers in the News Archives

 

2012 / 2013 Academic Year

 

“Reducing Risks, Gaining Benefits – Coping with Weird Weather in a Changing Climate”

The Partnership Group for Science and Engineering hosted the Bacon and Eggheads Breakfast on Thursday, April 18th. This series strives to bring together Parliamentarians and experts in the field of science and engineering to provide unbiased insight to scientific topics, within a non-partisan forum. Dr. Gordon McBean, from the Geography Department at Western University, gave a presentation titled “Reducing Risks, Gaining Benefits – Coping with Weird Weather in a Changing Climate”. To obtain a copy of the presentation please click here

Meet Alon Shatil, Partner and general manager at East Park Golf Gardens

And You Are?: Everyone has a story about East Park, including the boss
Shatil was born in London, but the fairway that led him to East Park took a circuitous route.
Raised in Toronto, Shatil returned to London to study at Western University. In his final year there, he met his now-wife, Sari, also a Londoner. After graduating, the two spent more than 18 months travelling around the world. [READ MORE about this Geography Graduate]

HEAL in the Community
Western's Department of Geography was well represented this week at the ESRI Canada User Conference in London, Ontario.  Michael Clark, Steve Fitzpatrick, Don Lafreniere, Lucie Richard, and Doug Rivet of the Human Environments Analysis Laboratory (HEAL) gave presentations outlining the collaborative work the lab is engaged in with local planners, municipal policy makers, and health professionals.  A summary of the presentations can be found at www.theheal.ca

Mars Exploration Rovers Update: Opportunity Hunkers Down for Solar Conjunction

Dr. Phil Stooke along with other MER science team members headed to Texas for the 44th annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. Dr. Stooke's Early Traverse Mapping: MOC VS HiRISE Localization, was like a course in Cameras on Mars 101, revealing in a visual glance and quick read just how far orbital cameras, now routinely used by Mars rovers, have advanced since the days of the Mars Orbiter Camera onboard the Mars Global Surveyor. [READ MORE] [THE PLANETARY SOCIETY]

A Costly Diagnosis: Western Geography MSc Graduate, Beth Nanni

Beth Nanni (MSc 2010) is a co-author on a new report on the health and environmental costs of coal power in Alberta that has been receiving media attention. Beth is an Environmental Program Specialist for The Lung Associaton of Alberta and the Northwest Territories.  [FULL REPORT] [MEDIA REPORT]

Jeanne X. Kasperson Award to Chad Walker

PhD candidate, Chad Walker, recently earned a 2013 Jeanne X. Kasperson Award from the Hazards, Risks and Disasters Specialty Group of the Association of American Geographers (AAG). Next month, he will join a special session at the AAG annual meeting in Los Angeles, California where he will showcase his Master's thesis and ongoing work in a presentation called, "Winds of Change": Explaining Support for Wind Energy Developments in Ontario, Canada. Congratulations Chad! [ABSTRACT]

The London Free Press with Dr. Isaac Luginaah

The tiny black-eyed pea is about to wage battle in Malawi. The small country in southeast Africa is the site of a project to help with food security, nutrition and income. Western University researchers are among those who will work with 30,000 farmers to help diversity crops into protein-rich legumes, such as the black-eyed pea, a popular type of cow pea in Malawi. The five-year project is funded through the Canadian International Development Agency's (CIDA) program. [READ MORE]

CBC Sunday Edition: Is the Government Muzzling Science?

Dr. Gordon McBean was recently interviewed by Michael Enright on the CBC Sunday Edition whether Ottawa is muzzling its scientists. Last summer, a rare but telling event occurred, when scientists left their labs to vent their frustration on Parliament Hill. They marched in a mock funeral procession, mourning "The Death of Evidence." [READ MORE] [LISTEN]

Dr. Gordon McBean on CBC Radio 'The Current'

As temperatures rise, will costs follow? A decade ago, the insurance industry's biggest payouts to homeowners were for fire or theft. But for the past five years or so, damage payouts related to heavy rain and high winds are more common, just one very concrete example of the consequences of rising temperatures. For more, check out the interview with Dave Phillips from Environment Canada, Western Geography Professor, Dr. Gordon McBean and Sarah Brown, CEO of NWT Association of Communities. [LISTEN]

Western Geography Students receive the 2012 SIOR Award

Congratulations to Thomas Thayer and Kyle Mason, recipents of the 2012's Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR) awards. While Thomas received the award for the top graduating student in the Urban Development Program, Kyle was co-recipient (with Emily Bent) of the award for best project in the Land Use and Development Issues course taught by Dr. Jason Gilliland. Congratulations to you all! [SIOR Canada] [PHOTO]

Geography Professor Gordon McBean warns Vancouver vulnerable to the ravages of global warming

While B.C. is not prone to hurricanes, climate change experts say the province will likely see similar violent weather, including more frequent, more intense storms as the planet gets warmer. “If you have a warmer atmosphere, you’re probably going to get more rain, so in the mid-latitude you could get a sequence of big storms,” said Gordon McBean, professor at Western University and director for research at the Centre for Environment and Sustainability. [VANCOUVER SUN]

Recent Recepient of the Ontario Trillium Scholarship - Ed Krynak, Department of Geography

Congratulations to Ed Krynak, Geography PhD Candidate, who was one of the 7 Western receipients of the Ontario Trillium Scholarship. Trillim scholars are nominated by their graduate program due to their scholarly achievements and strong research potential. Ed's research focuses on identifying benthic macroinvertebrate indicators and associated sampling protocols appropriate for monitoring common stressors within the Grand River Watershed. Congratulations Ed! [WESTERN NEWS]

Congratulations to PhD Candidate, Nati Bergman - Best Poster Award!

Congratulations to Nathaniel Bergman, Geography PhD Candidate, who received the Best Poster Award from The Association of State Dam Safety Officials. Nati's poster titled, 'The Nahal Oz Reservoir Dambreak Flood: Geomorphic IMpact and Channel Hydraulics in a Small Ephemeral Loess-Channel, Negev Desert, Israel' was presented at the 2012 Dam Safety Conference held in Denver, Colorado back in September. Well done Nati! [POSTER-1] [POSTER-2][WEBSITE]

Western News: Climate change causes unusual tree growth patterns in the Southern Hemisphere

New findings from an international research team led by Western University Geography professor, Brian Luckman, based on tree-ring patterns, show unusual patterns of tree growth in the Southern Hemisphere relating to recent changes in the atmospheric circulation. [READ MORE] [FACULTY WEBSITE]

London Free Press: Western U's Jeff Hopkins suggests more downtown residents needed in London

Downtown’s population is growing at a rate almost five times faster than London as a whole, suggesting city hall’s $100-million investment in the core is paying off.   Continuing that trend is crucial to downtown’s “long-term viability,” said John Paul Sousa, planning and research analyst at city hall. For one expert, it’s worth noting Canadian downtowns, London’s included, weren’t abandoned as badly as their U.S. counterparts, Detroit the most glaring example. But the commercial decline of London’s core was dramatic by the 1990s, thanks to a post-Second World War flight to the suburbs and the proliferation of malls at the city’s edges, says Jeff Hopkins, an urban cultural geographer at Western University. [READ MORE] [FACULTY WEBSITE]

London Free Press Round Table Discussion with Dr. Jason Gilliland

Dr. Gilliland recently joined host, Randy Richmond from the London Free Press (LFP) along with LFP Editor in Chief, Joe Ruscitti and Sean Galloway, Manager of Urban Design from the City of London for a round table discussion on London's image as part of the City's multi year project. The panel discussed areas London should focus on and how it can stand out from other competing cities in Ontario and Canada. [VIDEO]

Western University's Irena Creed Leads Initiative to Study Future of Great Lakes Basin

A new initiative led by Western University scientist Irena Creed, Canada Research Chair in Watershed Sciences and a professor in Western's Departments of Biology, Earth Sciences and Geography, unites Canadian and American researchers and educators invested in bettering the future of water in the Great Lakes Basin. [READ MORE]

WESTERN News: Planetary Cartographer Releases Mars Atlas

Award-winning Western planetary cartographer Philip Stooke will officially launch his latest project, "The International Atlas of Mars Exploration - The First Five Decades: 1953 to 2003", on Wednesday. [READ MORE] [SNEAK PEEK]

Congratulations to the new co-Directors of the Centre for Environment & Sustainability

Congratulations to Dr. Dan Shrubsole and Dr. Gordon McBean who were recently appointed as co-Directors of the Centre for Environment and Sustainability (CES) effective October 1, 2012.  In addition to their current positions, Dan will now be the Director of Academic Programs and Administration and Gordon, the Director of Research and External Relations of CES. Congratulations to you both! [ANNOUNCEMENT] [CES]

The State of Knowledge of Food Security in Northern Canada Expert Panel Member - Dr. Chantelle Richmond

Congratulations to Dr. Chantelle Richmond, who has agreed to serve on this expert panel. Panel members are selected for their diverse perspectives and areas of expertise. The Minister of Health has asked the Council of Canadian Academies to assess the state of knowledge of the factors influencing food security in the Canadian North and the health implications of food insecurity for northern Aboriginal populations. It is through the hard work of the expert panel members who volunteer their time and expertise, that the Council is able to provide high-quality, unbiased assessments that inform public policy develpment in Canada. [READ MORE]

Past Academic Years