The Department of Geographical Sciences is one of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences’ 10 interdisciplinary departments and programs, all
DEPARTMENT OF
Geographical Sciences
committed to investigating and improving the human condition. www.bsos.umd.edu AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES BE EMPOWERED ANTHROPOLOGY BE CULTURAL CRIMINOLOGY & CRIMINAL JUSTICE BE JUST ECONOMICS BE EFFICIENT GEOGRAPHICAL SCIENCES BE GLOBAL GOVERNMENT & POLITICS BE CIVIL HEARING & SPEECH SCIENCES BE HEARD JOINT PROGRAM IN SURVEY METHODOLOGY BE COUNTED
Geographical Sciences at Maryland >>
PSYCHOLOGY BE UNDERSTOOD SOCIOLOGY BE SOCIAL
At the University of Maryland’s Department of Geographical Sciences, we’re discovering new knowledge about critical societal and environmental issues through integrated science. We examine the causes of and the impact of climate change— rising sea levels and increased severe weather, droughts and wildfires—and what can be done to combat these problems. We inform resource management decisions at all levels of government. We work closely with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight
BE GLO BAL
Center to create satellite-based, comprehensive new data sets and models of changing land use. We inspire Maryland pride and turn imagination into innovation by developing tools and research methods that are used to promote environmental knowledge and to improve policies around the world. Through internships and research opportunities via partnerships with government agencies and global organizations—such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the African Wildlife Fund and the World Resources Institute—we are transforming the student experience. Photo by Sike (Lydia) Li, M.S. ’16, at the Kyoto Imperial Palace Garden in Kyoto, Japan. Li conducted research in Japan.
2181 SAMUEL J. LEFRAK HALL 7251 PREINKERT DR. COLLEGE PARK, MD 20742 WWW.GEOG.UMD.EDU P 301.405.4050 / F 301.314.9299
Research in Action
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Our faculty, students, partners and alumni focus their work in four main areas: »» Geospatial-Information Science and Remote Sensing »» Human Dimensions of Global Change—Coupled Human
and Natural Systems
“ I contributed to an official government report presenting hard evidence of the food security situation in my study area of East Africa, which resulted in immediate action to send relief food to the area.”
Faculty Research Highlights
The faculty featured below work with UMD’s Center for Geospatial Information Science (CGIS), which supports the development of next-generation geospatial information science: geospatial.umd.edu. To learn more about all faculty members in the Department of Geographical Sciences—who teach and conduct research across diverse fields of study—visit go.umd.edu/GEOGPeople.
»» Land Cover—Land Use Change »» Carbon, Vegetation Dynamics and Landscape–Scale Processes
CATHERINE LILIAN NAKALEMBE, PH.D. ’16 Faculty Specialist, AgriSense-STARS Project
LEILA DE FLORIANI, who has a joint appoint-
go.umd.edu/GEOGResearch
ment at the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, focuses on
WE EXAMINE AND MITIGATE THE CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL
changes around the world.
Innovative Centers & Projects
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UNDERGRADUATE OFFERINGS
organizations locally, nationally and globally on innovative research and applications. These organizations and ventures include:
GRANT MCKENZIE takes a computational approach to better understand the concept of place, how it is defined, and the role it plays in
Environmental Science and Policy (ENSP), Land Use, ENSP-Coastal
»» National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center
and Marine Environments, ENSP-Global Environmental Change
»» Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center
our human environment. To do this, he uses geographic information (GI) to study temporal patterns in human activity behavior. Much of
»» Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites
his work examines how human activities vary within and between local neighborhoods and global communities.
go.umd.edu/GEOGCollaborations
»» Minors: Geographic Information Systems, Remote Sensing of
This ongoing work has driven McKenzie’s interests in issues related
Environmental Change
to geo-privacy and credibility in geospatial information, as well as the
GEOG Points of Pride
go.umd.edu/GEOGUndergraduate
Master of Professional Studies »» Geospatial Information Sciences
schemes to support and enhance GIS users’ spatial skills and abilities
Earth System Science Center »» MPOWER
GRADUATE OFFERINGS
analysis. Her work supports visualization projects in CGIS. CGIS is producing a diverse array of visualization
»» UMD-Beijing Normal University Joint Global Change &
»» Majors: Geography, Geographic Information Systems (GIS),
Combined Bachelor of Science/Master of Science
spatial data visualization, and social network
as they explore and build understanding of the world around them.
Global Carbon Cycle Center
»» Joint Global Change Research Institute
Systems and Natural Resources; Development and Sustainability
analysis through topological methods, geo-
The Department of Geographical Sciences collaborates with prestigious
Bachelor of Science
»» Tracks: GIS, Cartography and Remote Sensing; Environment
modeling, spatial data structures, and big data
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»» UMD-NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Joint
Academic Offerings
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OUR AWARD-WINNING FACULTY ARE EXPERTS IN THEIR FIELDS, ARE FREQUENTLY INVITED TO PUBLISH AND LECTURE, AND ARE OFTEN FEATURED BY THE MEDIA.
»» Geospatial Intelligence
Doctor of Philosophy
broader role that GI science plays at the intersection of information
>>
#3
OUR PROGRAM IS RANKED #3 IN THE NATION BY THE NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL.
go.umd.edu/GEOGGraduate
technologies and society. KATHLEEN STEWART, Director of CGIS, works in the area of geographic information science that uses geographic information systems (GIS) to study patterns of different phenomena over space and time—and how geospatial approaches might be improved to better detect these patterns. For example, she is interested in geographic patterns of the use of certain street drugs such as heroin; or how the movements of a population might put its members at risk from an infectious disease like malaria; or the how the behaviors of
“ The skills I acquired at Maryland have helped me develop innovative tools that help researchers around the world measure forests and share knowledge.” JON NORDLING, B.S. ’12, GIS M.P.S. ’14 Founder and Solutions Architect, GeoMarvel; Developer, Geographical Open Data Kit
OUR PROXIMITY TO D.C. ALLOWS FOR EXCEPTIONAL INTERNSHIPS AND OPPORTUNITIES.
THE DEPARTMENT’S UNIQUE RESEARCH CENTERS AND PROJECTS ADDRESS MAJOR SOCIAL ISSUES.
drivers, including their speed, varies by location as they go about their daily activities. Through this research, Stewart is using GIS to shed light on human behavior. go.umd.edu/GEOGPeople
STUDENTS WORK WITH FACULTY ON CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH PROJECTS.
STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS OFFER LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCES.