News Archive

Professor Jianya Gong Visits Geography and CURA:

Professor Jianya Gong from Wuhan University (China) visited Geography and CURA on Feb. 3, 2012. Professor Gong is a leading GIScientist in China and a newly elected member of Chinese Academy of Science.  Professor Gong currently serves as Director of the State Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing, Wuhan University - a first tier research university and one of OSU's sister institutions in China. During his visit, Professor Gong met with Geography and CURA-affiliated faculty and graduate students. He also gave a CURA roundtable presentation on the International Collaborative Center for Geo-computation Studies (ICCGS) via GeoSquare.org currently being developed by professor Gong's group.

Dan Sui reappointed to serve on NMSC:

Daniel Sui, Distinguished Professor of Social & Behavioral Sciences and Chair of the OSU Geography Department, has been reappointed to serve another three-year term on the Mapping Science Committee (NMSC) of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council.
The Mapping Science Committee organizes and oversees National Research Council studies that provide independent advice to society and to government at all levels on geospatial science, technology, and policy. It also addresses aspects of geographic information science that deal with the acquisition, integration, storage, distribution, and use of spatial data. Through its studies, the committee promotes the informed and responsible development and use of spatial data for the benefit of society.
As a committee member, Sui travels to Washington DC for meetings twice a year to discuss emerging issues of interest to the broader geospatial community, provide feedback on NMSC studies, and to plan new studies.
Sui's initial appointment on MSC was made back in 2008 while he was still at Texas A&M University. He came to OSU as Director of the Center for Urban & Regional Analysis (CURA) in summer 2009. He was appointed as Chair of Geography in July 2011.
For more information, visit the MSC on the web at http://dels.nas.edu/global/besr/MSC. Information about Sui's recent work can be found at http://www.geography.ohio-state.edu/our-department/faculty-more/sui

Dept. of Geography Colloquium:

The Department of Geography Colloquium Series continues with Dr. Aaron T. Wolf, Chair of the Dept. of Geoscience, Oregon State Univ. 3:30-5PM Thursday, January 26, 2012
Ohio Student Union, Cartoon Room 1, (3rd floor).

Aaron T. Wolf, Chair of the Dept. of Geosciences at Oregon State University, will present a lectur entitled:

Healing the Enlightenment Rift:
Rationality, Spirituality, and Shared Waters

While press reports of international waters often focus on conflict, what has been more encouraging is that, throughout the world, water also induces cooperation, even in particularly hostile basins, and even as disputes rage over other issues. Which begs the question, why do countries that share a basin cooperate on water, even when they will not cooperate over other issues? Studies offer economic, environmental, or strategic rationale to explain this "hydrocooperation," but none seems completely adequate. Perhaps some part of the answer lies not in the world of rationality, but rather in the spiritual, ethical, and moral dimensions of water conflict resolution. This talk will begin by setting the context of current understanding of water conflict and cooperation, then by documenting the geography of the "Enlightenment Rift" - the process by which the global West/North separated out the worlds of rationality from spirituality - and the impact of this rift on ideas related to natural resources management. We continue with a discussion of the current clash of worldviews, and conclude with a section describing how the two worldviews might gently be interwoven, for example within a fairly-universal construct of Four Worlds of perception, and how this construct might be employed within the framework of more effective water conflict management and transformation.

Spatial Analysis and Modeling Plenary Lecture and Geographic Analysis Reception:

Spatial Analysis and Modeling Plenary Lecture and Geographic Analysis Reception at the AAG. The GA reception/plenary lecture is scheduled for: Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012 4:40-6:20 PM in the room Nassau B, second floor of the Hilton NY.

Lonnie Thompson and Ellen Mosley-Thompson Awarded the Benjamin Franklin Medal:

Our very own Ellen Mosley-Thompson, distinguished university professor of geography and director of the Byrd Polar Research Center and her husband, Lonnie Thompson, distinguished university professor of earth sciences here at OSU have been selected to receive this year's Benjamin Franklin Medal from The Franklin Institute. This is a very prestigious honor previously awarded to scientists such as Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking, Jane Goodall and Jacques Cousteau. OSU Research Announcement.