Bowling Green, Ky. - Four geography faculty members, an emeritus faculty member and four students from Western Kentucky University attended the 61st annual meeting of the Southeastern Division of the Association of American Geographers convened in Morgantown, W.Va., earlier this month.

Dr. Katie Algeo served as chair of the association’s Honors Committee and organized the annual student Honors competition. 

Dr. Mark Lowry II, Emeritus Professor of Geography, presented a poster titled “A Geographer's Novel for Academia and the General Public.” Dr. Lowry has recently published his latest book “White Pilgrim from Sumac Ridge.”

Dr. Stuart Foster, director of the Kentucky Mesonet and the Kentucky Climate Center, and Dr. Rezaul Mahmood, assistant director of the Kentucky Mesonet and the Kentucky Climate Center, presented “The Kentucky Mesonet: Building a Foundation for Success.”

Scott Dobler, Kentucky State Geographer and co-coordinator of the Kentucky Geographical Alliance, worked with colleagues on developing region-wide initiatives to improve geographic education in the P-12 system.
Undergraduate meteorology student William Rogers of Bowling Green presented research on “Flash floods in the Appalachian Region, 1993-2005.”

Undergraduate meteorology student Nicholas Lawalin of Tell City, Ind., presented research on “Diurnal Temperature Range Analysis.”

Graduate geoscience student Ronnie Leeper of Bowling Green presented his research titled “Increase in Near Surface Atmospheric Moisture Content due to Land Use Change.” This co-authored paper was recently published in the Journal of Global and Planetary Change.

Graduate geoscience student Ashley Littell of Louisville presented her research on “Spatio-Temporal Variations of Observed Soil Moisture in Nebraska during the Warm Season.”  Littell’s poster and her discussion of the research were awarded joint first place in the graduate student honors competition. She received an award of $250 and a plaque.

The student research projects were supervised by Dr. Mahmood and Dr. Foster.

“Student engagement opportunities are rapidly expanding as a result of the department’s initiatives with the Mesonet,” said Geography and Geology Department Head Dr. David Keeling. “These four students are wonderful examples of how classroom theories can be applied in a practical way to address societal problems across the region. With new programs in meteorology and GIS currently in the approval process for fall 2007, students from across the region will have the opportunity to engage with cutting-edge and innovative research at WKU.”

More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.

For information, contact Dr. Rezaul Mahmood at (270) 745-5979.

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