As part of this year’s cohort, Brian will travel to New York City to workshop his research in critical human geography and network with NYU’s leading faculty and deans.
Congratulations, Brian!! 🎉
PhD Candidate Brian Boyce has been selected as a 2026 NYU Faculty First Look Scholar!
Hosted by NYU Arts & Science , this highly competitive national program recognizes emerging scholars with exceptional potential to become future faculty leaders.
Known as the “Green Cowboy,” Freeman championed clean energy and climate‑conscious policy long before it became mainstream, and his legacy continues to inspire new generations of sustainability leaders.
This award honors S. David “Dave” Freeman, a UT alum and nationally recognized pioneer in energy policy whose career transformed public utilities, accelerated renewable energy adoption, and shaped environmental decision‑making across multiple U.S. presidential administrations.
Open to rising juniors and seniors.
📅 Deadline: April 6
🔗 More information + application here: geography.utk.edu/the-departme...
We’re excited to share a brand‑new funding opportunity for undergraduate students majoring or minoring in Sustainability — the S. David Freeman Sustainability Scholarship! ✨
✈️ The scholarship will provide support for travel for study abroad, conferences, or workshops
Saturday, March 21
Friday, March 20 ⬇️
Thursday, March 19 ⬇️
Wednesday, March 18 ⬇️
Tuesday, March 17 ⬇️
Where can you find UTK at #AAG2026 next week? Scroll this 🧵 or click the 🔗 below to check out some of the papers, posters, and panels we’re part of at the annual meeting in San Francisco starting March 17!
www.canva.com/design/DAHCq...
❗️Publication alert ❗️Dr. Sally Horn and collaborators have published a paper in Physical Geography on a new sediment record of environmental history from a landslide-dammed lake in Costa Rica.
Read it at the 🔗 here: www.tandfonline.com/eprint/EMIUG...
They're also supporting Knoxville Parks and Rec and collected data for Buck Toms park (next door to the cemeteries) that they are going to use to help determine if they can add trails to the park.
They collected data for three cemeteries, Crestview Cemetery, Southern Chain Cemetery, and Longview Cemetery, that they plan on using to help plan future clean up days and to help with mapping headstones and graves.
Michael Camponovo (GIS Outreach Coordinator), Tim Kane (GIS Lab Manager), Ellie Bernstein (Undergraduate Student), and Linus Parrish (Research Specialist, UTIA) were in the field recently, collecting UAV data in support of a community outreach project with Keep Knoxville Beautiful and Knox Heritage.
Last week, the Friesen Black Cultural Center hosted “Taste of Appalachia,” featuring regional food and live bluegrass music. Huge shoutout to our own Jake Watkins for helping plan the event, and it was wonderful to see folks from our department there in support!
Dr. Derek Alderman, Dr. Katrina Stack, and PhD Candidate Seth Kannarr recently published a new article, “Bringing The Conversation into the Geography Classroom: Public Storytelling as Authentic Learning” in The Professional Geographer.
Read at the 🔗 here: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Dr. LaToya Eaves and her co-authors recently published a new article, “Fostering Harassment-Free Geography Departments: Proactive Strategies for Departments and Their Leaders” in The Professional Geographer.
Read it at the 🔗 below! www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
@spacedemands.bsky.social
Their discussion, “A conversation on Katherine McKittrick and Clyde Woods (eds), Black Geographies and the Politics of Place” has been published in Progress in Human Geography.
Read it at the 🔗 here: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
📸 : Rosemary Ayelazuno (UTK Geog alumna!)
At AAG Detroit in 2025, Dr. LaToya Eaves was in dialogue with Drs. Katherine McKittrick, Willie Jamaal Wright, and Kevin Grove about the pathbreaking book, Black Geographies and the Politics of Place.
@spacedemands.bsky.social @blackgeographies.bsky.social @geographers.bsky.social
Dr. Nikki Luke just published a new article for The Conversation US, “Data centers told to pitch in as storms and cold weather boost power demand.”
Read it now at the 🔗 here: theconversation.com/data-centers...
Dr. Jack Swab just published a new article for @us.theconversation.com, “From flammable neighborhoods to moral hazards, fire insurance maps capture early US cities and the landscape of discrimination.” Read it now at the 🔗 below!
theconversation.com/from-flammab...
Ocmulgee Mounds preserves ancient earthworks in an area occupied by humans for 12,000 years. Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Big news for #conservation and cultural heritage! Seth Kannarr, Ph.D. Candidate @utkgeography.bsky.social explains how the Ocmulgee Mounds in Georgia may soon earn the prestigious designation of National Park. buff.ly/Bm65LE4
📌 Should more historical and cultural sites receive national park status?
PhD candidate Seth Kannarr @sethographer.bsky.social published another new article for @theconversation.com, “Trump administration replaces America 250 quarters honoring abolition and women’s suffrage with Mayflower and Gettysburg designs.” Read at the 🔗 below!
theconversation.com/trump-admini...
Special thank you to her advisor, Dr. Derek Alderman, and her committee members Drs. Stefanie Benjamin, LaToya Eaves, Solange Munoz, and Joshua Kenna (Theory and Practice in Teacher Education).
Congratulations to Dr. Katrina Stack, who successfully defended her dissertation, “From Freedom Houses to Tent Cities: Historic ‘Homes’ and the Preservation of Civil Rights Memory,” today!
PhD candidate Seth Kannarr @sethographer.bsky.social published a new article on @theconversation.com today, “What does it mean to be a new national park? Ocmulgee Mounds in Georgia may soon find out.” Read it now at the 🔗 below!
theconversation.com/what-does-it...
Her co-authors of this paper are Nancy Mukami Nthiga, Jane Southworth, Mehedy Hassan, and Jason K. Blackburn.
We had a great SEDAAG meeting! In a paper session on Physical Geography and Environmental Systems. Dr. Hannah Herrero presented her work, “From Global Drylands to Texas: Seasonal Dynamics of Anthrax Persistence.”
