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JSU$Applied$Geography$Program$

Careers&for&a&Changing&World&

Geography!–!Department!of!

Physical!and!Earth!Sciences!

Jacksonville!State!University!!

NASA!!

Strategic!careers!in!geography!include!climatology,!meteorology,!human!

and!population!geography,!biogeography,!GIS!(Geographic!Information!

Systems),!environmental!geography,!and!much!more!!

What!does!“applied!geography”!mean?!

In!our!program,!students!learn!techniques!through!GIS!programs!and!labKbased!courses!that!provide!you!

with!skills!for!realKworld!positions.!!

How!can!I!use!that?!

Through!our!growing!internship!program,!students!can!work!with!professional!partners!to!use!skills!like!

geocoding,!locational!analysis,!and!water!quality!sampling!techniques!to!complete!projects.!This!helps!

build!resumes,!portfolios,!and!networking!opportunities!with!environmental!partners!in!our!region.!

Students!also!have!the!opportunity!to!assist!in!research!projects!with!professors!and!present!original!

work!at!national!and!regional!conferences.!This!way,!students!graduate!with!a!comprehensive!knowledge!

of!applied!skills!and!contacts!in!the!community.!

What&is&Geography?&Geography&is&the&study&of&people,&physical&attributes,&weather,&

climate,&and&environments&across&earth’s&surface.&This&discipline&is&

where&social&and&physical&sciences&meet.&&

Human!Geography!!

•Population!Geography!•Urban!and!Planning!•Cultural!Geography!•World!Regional!Geography!

•Human!Geography!

• Agricultural!systems!

• Religion!•Migration…and!more!!

What!can!I!do!with!Human!

Geography?!

Human!geographers!study!people!and!places!–!how!

society!is!organized,!how!we!interact!and!make!

sense!of!the!world.!Many!human!geographers!study!

population!dynamics,!distribution!of!resources,!

crime!patterns,!and!the!distribution!of!disease.!

Other!major!areas!of!human!geography!include!

political!geography,!business!and!economic!

geography,!urban!planning,!and!sustainable!design.!!

Human!Geographers!often!work!in!the!following!

industries:!

• CIA!and!FBI!

• U.S.!Census!Bureau!

• U.S.!Department!of!State!

• U.S.!Department!of!Labor!

• City!Planning!(urban,!sustainability,!coastal)!

• NGOs!(nonKgovernmental!organizations)!and!

nonKprofits!

• Association!of!American!Geographers!(AAG)!

• Higher!Education!

• Department!of!Public!Safety!

• State!agencies…and!many!more!!

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Interested&in&Graduate&School?&

JSU&Geography&professors&work&with&motivated&

students&to&develop&original&research&projects&

and&papers&to&be&presented&at&regional&and&

national&conferences.&Students&interested&in&

graduate&studies&get&oneEonEone&attention&from&

dedicated&faculty&where&they&learn&about&

research&design,&methodology,&and&how&to&

present&original&work!&&&

Physical!Geography!and!Environmental!Geography!

• Weather!and!Climate!(Meteorology!and!Climatology)!

• Biogeography!

• Natural!Resource!Availability!

• Geomorphology!and!Geology!

• Sustainability!and!Recreation!

• Hazards...and!more!!

What!can!I!do!with!Environmental!

Geography?!

Environmental!geographers!look!at!the!

interaction!between!people!and!the!physical!

landscape.!Career!paths!include!natural!

resource!management,!water!resources!

specialist,!community!development,!and!

environmental!education.!!

What!can!I!do!with!Physical!

Geography?!

Physical!geographers!are!interested!in!how!the!

physical!world!changes!across!space.!This!section!of!

geography!incorporates!environmental!science,!

biology,!geology,!chemistry,!and!physics!in!order!to!

explain!how!and!why!patterns!of!organisms!or!

landscape!formations!change!over!space!and!time.!!

Environmental!and!physical!

geographers!often!work!in!the!

following!industries:!

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• Private!consultants!and!

contractors!

• Environmental!NGOs!!

• U.S.!Geological!Survey!

• EPA!and!state!

environmental!agencies!

• ESRI!!

• NOAA!

• NASA!

• U.S.!National!Park!Service!

• Higher!Education…and!

many!more!!

Geography&LifeElong&Learning:&1. “Recognize&the&importance&of&place&and&localEtoEglobal&connections,&2. Understand&changing&humanEenvironment&interactions,&and&3. Apply&environmental&and&spatial&perspectives&in&decisionEmaking&and&problemE

solving.”&–&Virginia&Geographic&Alliance&

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Geographic!Information!Systems!

(GIS)!

The!field!of!GIS!is!one!of!the!fastest!growing!

industries,!both!internationally!and!in!the!U.S.!

Both!human!and!physical!geographers!use!GIS!to!

perform!analysis,!solve!problems,!and!organize!

data!in!a!spatial!way.!Using!software!to!stitch!

together!different!layers!of!data,!geographers!

can!identify!patterns!across!space!and!use!that!

information!to!explain!why!certain!phenomena!

occur!in!some!places!rather!than!others.!!

How!do!geographers!use!GIS?!

Human!geographers!use!GIS!to!look!at!population!

distribution,!migration!routes,!voting!patterns,!or!

other!social!variables.!Physical!and!environmental!

geographers!use!GIS!and!remote!sensing!to!

analyze!landforms,!plant!and!animal!populations,!

land!cover,!geological!formations,!and!resource!

deposits.!Here!at!JSU,!we!offer!undergraduate!and!

graduate!students!the!opportunity!to!explore!GIS!

and!expand!their!professional!horizons.!!

Geographers!specializing!in!GIS!are!employed!in!a!

variety!of!sectors!including!government,!NGOs!

and!nonKprofits,!environmental!consulting,!and!

mining!and!resource!extraction!industries.!

Interested&in&Graduate&School?&

Source:!ESRI!2014!

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Recent!JSU!Geography!Graduates!–!Where!we!work!!

Robbie!Cantrell!–!Transportation!Planner!North!Central!Alabama!Regional!Council!of!Governments!!

Donna!Holly!Park!–!Columbia!Southern!University!!

Abigail!Jacobs!–!City!of!Chattanooga!Geographic!Information!Systems!Tech!

Clarence!Blalock!–!GIS!Director!Forest!Park!Georgia!

Billy!J.!Bonner!–!Commissioned!Officer!Pilot!for!National!Oceanic!and!Atmospheric!Administration!(NOAA)!!

Reubin!Blakely!Kennedy!Jr.!–!Project!Coordinator!and!Planner!for!Davy!Tree!Expert!Company!

Nick!Haney!!K!SDK!Support!Analyst!at!Environmental!Systems!Research!Institute,!Charlotte!NC.!(Arc!Map)!

Derek!Day!–!GIS!Director!for!Engineering!firm!in!Fort!Payne!Alabama!

Rickey!Gooden!–!National!Forest!Service!–!Talladega!National!Forest!

Alex!Fowlkes!!K!GIS!Technician!–!Milton!Florida!

Irish!Ferguson!–!GIS!Technician!–!Wiser!Company,!LLC!–!Birmingham!Alabama!

Andy!Hug!–!Masters!Student!–!Auburn!University!

Amy!Curtis!–!PhD!student!University!of!Strathclyde,!Glasgow!Scotland!!

Logan!Byars!–!2nd!Lieutenant!U.S.!Army!

Logan!Wheeler!–!Yellowstone!Park!!

Charlie!Mix!–!Conservation!GIS!Consultant!(Gothenburg!Sweden)!

Erica!Ferguson!–!Owner!of!Owl!Pine!Farm!–!Rockmart!Georgia.!

Noelle!Millirons!Stoval!–!Office!of!Student!Life!–!JSU!

Courtney!Wester!Chandler!–!Alabama!Land!Trust!&!Georgia!Land!Trust!

Kimberly!Holmes!!K!Alabama!and!Georgia!Land!Trust!

Jessica!Tengblad!–!Intergraph!

Rebecca!Ridley!–!McClellan!National!Guard!Army!Training!Center!

Michael!Brewer!–!East!Alabama!Economic!Development!–!GIS!

Robin!Caler!–!East!Alabama!Economic!Development!!–!Planner!

Rebecca!Peppers!–!Energen!

Keith!Cambell!–!Oxford!Water!works!

Ray!Morris!–!Greater!Birmingham!Regional!Planning!Commission!

Natalie!Smith!–!Forestry!Tech!at!National!Park!Service!

Page!Turner!–!City!of!Montgomery!

Robert!Scheitland!–!Calhoun!County!GIS!

Chris!Needham!–!Regions!Federal!Corporation!!

Rebecca!Troyer!–!Geoscience!Analyst!Southwestern!Energy!

Jason!Silvey!–!Environmental!Sustainability!Engineer!at!Mueller!Company!

James!Saunders!–!Energen!

Jacob!Kohute!–!Decature!Utilities!!

Edward!Hill!–!Intergraph!

Sam!Calhoun!–!Intergrap!

Dustin!Griffin!–!Vantage!Energy!

Melissa!Mayo!!K!Alabama!Emergency!Management!Agency!!

Allison!Newton!–!Grants!and!Contracts!–!JSU!

Nancy!El!Zeiter!Hornback!–!Senior!Database!Analyst!/!Transportation!ESRI!

Mike!Rice!–!ESRI!

Kimberly!Holmes!–!Stewardship!and!Monitoring!Manager!and!Alabama!Land!Trust!

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Geographers!do!so!much!MORE!!

With!the!JSU!Geography!Department,!there!are!so!many!exciting!

opportunities!to!expand!your!skillset!and!put!your!knowledge!to!work!!!

The!Jacksonville!River!Monitors!

Established!in!2014!by!the!JSU!Geography!

department,!the!Jacksonville!River!Monitors!

(JRM)!is!a!JSUKbased!citizen!science!group!

trained!in!Alabama!Water!Watch!sampling!

techniques.!

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!With!over!30!participants!trained!and!regular!

monthly!sampling!events,!techniques!are!kept!

sharp!and!students!can!use!data!to!design!their!

own!research!projects.!We!offer!freeKofKcharge!

training!for!students!interested!in!being!

certified!as!Water!Chemistry!and!

Bacteriological!monitors.!!

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The!JSU!Geography!Club!

With!more!than!40!members,!the!JSU!Geography!Club!

is!a!great!place!to!get!involved!with!programs!on!and!

off!of!campus!!Geography!Club!members!are!involved!

in!projects!with!state!parks!(volunteering,!camping,!

trail!building,!park!cleanups,!offKsite!water!quality!

sampling,!mapKmaking).!

We!also!like!to!have!a!good!time!in!nature!!Geography!

club!members!also!host!and!attend!group!rock!

climbing,!hiking!trips,!and!cookouts.!

Ongoing!Projects!

• Campus3wide!recycling!!

• Cheaha!State!Park!Trail!Building!

• Park!Clean3ups!at!Cherokee!Rock!Village!(Sand!Rock,!AL)!

CCC!Volunteer!and!cooking!demonstragon!

Geography!Club!Meegng!

Cherokee!Rock!Village!CleanKup!and!Recycling!

Water!Quality!Sampling!

Cheaha!Trail!Building!Bacteriological!

Sampling!Water!Chemistry!

Training!Blazing!Trails!!

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Geography!based!and!student!led!organization!designed!using!the!Model!United!Nations!Format.!The!

Model!Arab!League!(MAL)!focuses!on!the!22!member!states!of!the!League!of!Arab!States,!the!world’s!

oldest!regional!political!organization!dedicated!to!the!diplomatic!and!peaceful!settlement!of!disputes.!

Model!Arab!League!provides!students!an!inKdepth!understanding!of!the!world’s!oldest!regional!body!and!

deepens!their!knowledge!of!the!history,!culture,!religion,!economics,!and!politics!of!both!their!assigned!

country!and!the!region!as!a!whole.!Through!active!participation!in!a!model,!students!develop!and!sharpen!

skills!in!debate,!consensusKbuilding,!critical!thinking,!parliamentary!procedure,!and!public!speaking.!!By!

arguing!the!positions!and!foreign!policy!objectives!of!the!Arab!countries,!MAL!participants!gain!personal!

insights!and!a!meaningful!understanding!of!the!issues!underlying!U.S.KArab!relations.!

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The!geography!department!at!Jacksonville!State!University!provides!a!unique!opportunity!for!students!to!

develop!invaluable!leadership!skills!by!competing!in!model!competitions!at!Converse!College!in!

Spartanburg!SC!and!Virginia!Tech!in!Blacksburg,!VA.!Following!Parliamentary!procedures!and!diplomatic!

protocol,!emerging!leaders!experience!firsthand!what!it!is!like!to!put!themselves!in!the!shoes!of!realKlife!

Arab!diplomats!and!other!foreign!affairs!practitioners.!In!the!process!students!come!to!realize!

unavoidably!and!inevitably!how!different!these!realities!of!international!relations!are.!!

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Texas!Field!Study!Course! A field trip course to Big Bend National Park, in “West Texas”, the focus of which is the cultural and human geography and geographic history of the Big Bend region. We look exclusively at the Physical and Cultural Geography of West Texas and The Big Bend National Park. This section of Texas earned the simple designation of "West Texas" because it is so different from the rest of the state. Regional / Cultural Perspective: Regional geography is a study of region(s) in order to understand and/or define the unique characteristics of a particular place. These characteristics consist of natural as well as human elements. For this field study course attention will be paid to the idea of regionalization - covering techniques of delineating space based on specific characteristics. Our mission will be the human topical elements of delineating space. Our objective will be to develop an understanding of the induced change and adaptation to the area in question. We investigate the human impacts and the interaction of humanity and the environment Physical Perspective: This program introduces students to the National Park and the National Park Service. We will be decidedly focused on the Big Bend Park and surrounding region and work toward the development of basic field skills and hands-on field experience. This should help develop skills and techniques that can be transferable to other locations. We will locate and traverse various physical features including canyons, the Rio Grande, the Chisos Mountains and other features. Our process requires the maintenance of a field journal and descriptive methodologies for the region. Students turn in their field journal and using data and information collected during the trip, make presentations offering a synthesis of the human and physical aspects of the journey.

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Hear!what!JSU!Geographers!have!to!say!!

Kaila!Brown!(Class!of!2015)!Major!and!Minor:!!Geography!and!Biology!

Hometown:!Odenville,!Alabama!

Hobbies:!I!enjoy!backpacking,!kayaking,!rock!climbing,!and!biking.!

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What!drew!you!to!Geography?!“Geography!is!so!much!more!than!identifying!states!and!countries.!!Geography!is!being!able!to!see!

how!things!relate!because!of!their!locations.!In!my!opinion,!being!a!Geographer!means!that!you!can!

think!about!the!relationship!of!objects!in!a!spatial!perspective.!!

I!was!drawn!to!Geography!because!I!have!always!been!interested!in!the!sciences.!Geography!is!a!

good!mix!of!all!the!sciences.!It!allows!you!to!observe!and!study!the!interactions!of!environmental,!

human,!and!physical!phenomena.!GIS!and!computer!skills!are!great!for!making!maps!and!explaining!

geographical!data.!Map!reading!is!a!good!skill!to!have!to!interpret!geographical!data.!!Critical!

thinking!allows!for!conclusions!about!trends!and!processes!to!be!drawn!from!data!that!has!been!

collected.”!

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What!would!you!like!to!do!after!graduation?!!“After!graduating!from!JSU,!I!would!like!to!continue!my!education!and!receive!a!Master’s!in!

Environmental!Geography.!I!would!also!like!to!pursue!a!career!in!environmental!education.”!!

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What!are!things!you!enjoy!about!Geography!at!JSU?!!“I!really!like!the!Geography!program!at!JSU!because!all!of!the!professors!go!above!and!beyond!to!

help!the!students.!The!professors!have!a!willingness!to!work!one!on!one!with!the!students!and!be!

involved!in!projects,!clubs,!and!activities!outside!of!the!classroom.!“!

Whitney!Henson!(Class!of!2015)!Major!and!Minor:!Geography!and!Math!

Hometown:!Oxford,!Alabama!!

Hobbies:!My!hobbies!include!math,!music!(singing!specifically),!and!storm!chasing!

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What!drew!you!to!Geography?!“It's!funny,!actually.!I've!always!been!told!I!have!no!sense!of!direction,!and!truthfully,!I!don't.!I'm!

also!not!what!you'd!call!an!"outdoorsKy"!person.!So!it!came!to!a!surprise!to!my!family!and!peers!

when!I!decided!on!Geography.!I've!wanted!to!be!a!meteorologist!every!since!I!was!a!kid,!and!

here!at!JSU,!Geography!was!the!best!path!to!start!with.!

Being!a!geographer!means!being!well!rounded,!and!being!tied!with!basically!every!discipline!out!

there.!Being!a!geographer!means!accepting!that!change!is!a!good!thing,!and!helps!us!move!

forward.!I!personally!believe!Geography!offers!something!that!many!disciplines!cannot:!a!broad,!

holistic!perspective!that!can!be!seen!from!all!kinds!of!views,!or!"projections’.”!

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What!would!you!like!to!do!after!graduation?!!“After!pursuing!my!Bachelors!of!Science!in!Geography,!I!am!planning!to!attend!graduate!school!

at!the!University!of!Alabama!Huntsville!to!pursue!a!Masters!in!Atmospheric!Science.!I!would!also!

like!to!pursue!a!doctorate!in!the!field!of!meteorology!and!be!an!operational!meteorologist!for!

the!National!Weather!Service.”!!

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What!are!things!you!enjoy!about!Geography!at!JSU?!“I!enjoy!all!the!aspects!of!Geography,!including!it's!interdisciplinary!nature!and!how!it!basically!

ties!with!every!other!discipline!out!there.!Here!at!JSU,!choosing!to!major!in!Geography!has!been!

one!of!the!best!decisions!I've!ever!made.!Geography!has!definitely!broadened!my!horizons!and!

opened!my!eyes!to!what!all!it!has!to!offer!over!the!last!few!years.!It's!much!more!than!maps.”!

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! Hear!what!JSU!Geographers!have!to!say!!

Barbara!Edwards!(Class!of!2015)!Major!and!Minor:!Geography,!Math!

Hometown:!Oxford,!AL!

Hobbies:!Reading,!video!games,!TV.!I!am!one!of!the!more!"indoorsKy"!Geographers!(though!

the!trail!building!has!been!fun,!and!I've!taken!a!liking!to!plaid!recently;!I!may!slowly!be!

evolving!into!a!lumberjack)!

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What!drew!you!to!Geography?!“I!enjoyed!physical!science!in!high!school,!but!I!didn't!feel!particularly!drawn!to!any!one!

subject.!Geography!is!a!broad!discipline!that!encompasses!just!about!everything,!so!I!don't!

feel!like!I'm!stuck!studying!one!thing!for!the!rest!of!my!life.”!

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What!would!you!like!to!do!after!graduation?!“I!plan!to!go!to!grad!school!to!study!more!GIS,!but!beyond!that,!I'm!keeping!my!options!

open.”!

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What!are!things!you!enjoy!about!Geography!at!JSU?!“I!can't!emphasize!enough!how!supportive!the!professors!are.!It!honestly!does!feel!like!an!

extended!family.”!

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What!does!being!a!Geographer!mean!to!you?!“Always,!always,!always!broadening!your!horizons.!There!isn't!a!single!thing!in!this!world!that!

doesn't!have!a!spatial!component,!and!therefore,!literally!everything!applies!to!Geography.”!

Name:!David!Rickless!(Class!of!2016)!Major!and!Minor:!Geography,!History!and!English!

Hometown:!Anniston,!AL!

Hobbies:!Hiking,!climbing,!camping.!I!like!being!involved!on!campus!with!SGA,!Honors!

Program,!and!several!other!organizations.!I'll!take!any!chance!I!get!to!travel,!even!somewhere!

close!by.!As!a!bonus,!I'm!also!a!certified!taekwondo!instructor.!!

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What!drew!you!to!Geography?!“Geographers!are!the!renaissance!people!of!the!academic!world.!You!can!work!with!things!as!

different!as!earth!science,!politics,!culture,!or!computer!programming.!And!there's!a!lot!of!

overlap!with!other!fields!like!environmental!science!and!anthropology.!Maybe!because!of!

studying!all!that!stuff,!geographers!tend!to!be!more!aware!of!environmental!and!social!issues!

than!a!lot!of!people!are.!Back!in!my!first!semester,!my!orientation!advisor!told!me!I!should!try!

a!geography!class!because!I!was!interested!in!environmental!issues.!I!ended!up!taking!a!couple!

more!and!decided!it!would!be!a!fun!degree!that!fit!a!lot!of!my!interests.!Along!the!way,!I!found!

out!it's!a!great!field!to!be!in!too.!I!also!think!part!of!being!a!geographer!is!realizing!that!people!

in!different!places!think!and!live!differently!from!you,!and!that!this!makes!the!world!

interesting.”!!

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What!would!you!like!to!do!after!graduation?!“I’m!planning!on!going!to!grad!school!for!geography,!then!either!looking!for!a!job!in!GIS!or!

going!into!a!PhD!program.”!!

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What!are!things!you!enjoy!about!Geography!at!JSU?!“Working!directly!with!professors!on!different!projects!has!been!a!highlight!for!me.!The!small!

class!sizes!mean!we!have!a!lot!of!interaction.!We're!also!a!really!active!department,!with!

chances!to!do!field!work,!internships,!and!service!projects!coming!up!all!the!time.!“!!

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Contact&us&to&learn&more!&&&

206!Martin!Hall!700!Pelham!Road!North!

Jacksonville,!AL!36265!

Phone:!256K782K5232!

Email:!tcasey@jsu.edu!

Website:!!http://www.jsu.edu/pes/geography/index.html!

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