WKU Students, Faculty Featured In Geography Magazine

April 28, 2008

Bowling Green, Ky. - Research by faculty and students from Western Kentucky University’s Department of Geography and Geology is featured in the Spring issue of “FOCUS on Geography,” the international magazine of the American Geographical Society.

“FOCUS” is a full-color, peer-reviewed quarterly magazine with articles written by well-known academic and professional geographers, in-depth theme sections, maps and photos, and special state and country issues. Written and edited by geographers, “FOCUS” for decades has provided geographical information and perspectives in a relaxed and readable style for a wide audience.

The issue is dedicated to research on and in Kentucky by Kentucky geographers and was conceived by Geography and Geology Department Head Dr. David Keeling.

“Because ‘FOCUS’ magazine is widely read by P-12 teachers across the U.S., as well as an international non-academic audience, I wanted to organize an issue that highlighted research conducted in the Department of Geography and Geology that connected to Kentucky communities and their issues,” Dr. Keeling said.

Dr. L. Michael Trapasso leads off the special Kentucky issue with “The Rise and Fall of a Confederate State Capital: Bowling Green, Kentucky.” Dr. Trapasso is well-known around the region for his expertise in Civil War matters and he can often be seen around the wider community giving talks on the geography of this defining event in American history.

Dr. Gregory Goodrich worked with three graduate students and four undergraduates over the past year to develop new methodologies to measure the impact of snowfall, and their research is featured in the article titled “Development of a Kentucky Snowfall Impact Scale.”

This article is an example of collaborative work by a team of students under the supervision of a faculty member. Contributing to the project, and listed as co-authors, were graduate students John M. Walker of Jefferson, La., Ronnie D. Leeper of Bowling Green and Petrina Smith of Murfreesboro, Tenn., and undergraduates Mary L. Johns (now a graduate student at Mississippi State), Brian M. Biache of Bowling Green, William N. Rodgers of Bowling Green and Kylie J. Batson of Lexington.

The final article is a collaborative effort between Dr. Rezaul Mahmood and Dr. Stuart Foster titled “Mesoscale Weather and Climate Observations in Kentucky for Social Benefit.” This research results from their experiences with setting up the Kentucky Mesonet, a statewide system of about 100 weather stations that, when fully implemented, will collect and disseminate weather and climate data in near real time.

“Problems such as climate change, land conservation, historic preservation and resource management present challenges that local communities must deal with every day,” Dr. Keeling said. “Part of our mission in the department is to engage students with these challenges not just academically but practically through community centered research.”

Other articles were contributed by geography colleagues Glenn Campbell and Dr. Richard Sambrook at Eastern Kentucky University.

Dr. Keeling is a National Councilor of the American Geographical Society, the country’s oldest national geographic organization, and the Society’s webmaster. “FOCUS” magazine is available through subscription at http://www.amergeog.org/focus_magazine_subscription_form.htm, and the Kentucky publication can be purchased as a single issue.
               
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 David Keeling at (270) 745-4555.