Program: Geography, School of Global Integrative Studies
Specialization: cultural, historical, and gender geographies; Great Plains, human trafficking, geographic and experiential education
Courses you are teaching this year:
Elements of Physical Geography (GEOG 155) (Fall 2020)
Women of the Great Plains (GEOG/GPSP/WMNS 377) (Fall 2020)
Cultural Geography (GEOG 431/831) (Spring 2021)
Seminar in Human Geography (GEOG 940) (Spring 2021)
What is your favorite course to teach and why?
Geography Field Tour (GEOG 491/891) is my favorite course to teach because it manifests the power of experiential education-- maximizing student growth professionally and personally via formal and informal lessons 24/7.
How and/or why did you choose this field?
Like many other geographers, Geography chose me. For a variety of reasons, geographically, especially spatially and visually, is how I think. During childhood, endless adventurous explorations of near and far wild places is most likely a big factor. Geography-- thinking about all of the pieces of the puzzle and how they fit together-- is how I see and understand our world and make decisions.
What are you currently researching?
Human Trafficking in Nebraska and the Great Plains Domestic Sex Trafficking in the United States experiential education, geographic inquiry, and field methods development for formal (K through post-secondary) and informal in-service teachers and education professionals Cultural and Historical Geography of Entertainment, Leisure, and Tourism in the Great Plains Intersections of Place, Time, and Entertainment in Nebraska’s Hidden Paradise
What are some ways students can be involved in your research?
Though I encourage and like to empower students to research in their own areas of interest, if they'd like to be involved in my research, they are certainly welcome. They might do so in a multitude of informal and formal ways including, but not limited to, helping with field tours and physical geography labs and journeying through Undergraduate Creative Activities and Research Experiences (UCARE), a Geography Masters Thesis, or a Geography Doctorate Dissertation.
Why should students major in your field?
Do you want to make powerful innovative change, be flexible in your career path, and follow your interests? Major in Geography.
Geographers have superpowers in that they see and understand all scales and all intricacies of phenomena. Anyone who wants to be an informed, positive (informal or formal) decision-maker should major in Geography. Geography is about seeing and understanding the whole picture of any scenario, understanding the complexities of each of the pixels and how they all interrelate.
Curious, adventurous, and a travel aficionado?
Major in Geography.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work (hobbies, other interests)?
traveling, outdoor recreation, enjoying movies and music, reading, meeting new people and learning new things
