Archive for May, 2011

Geography Student Melissa Wygant Writes Editorial on Red River Floods

Geography major Melissa Wygant turned her class project on the proposed Red River diversion project into a newspaper editorial. For the Nature and Socity course, Melissa studied the effects of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ proposed diversion project on rural areas.  Noting that the project would actually make flooding worse for some rural areas […]

Swedish Geographer Measures Costs of Distance on Personal Relationships

A Swedish geography dissertation examined the costs and benefits of long-distance commutes. Geographer Erika Sandow of Umea University found that men were more likely than women to gain from long commutes in terms of higher salaries and career advancement. On the other hand, men who commuted longer than 45 minutes to work saw negative effects […]

Old School Geography Picnic

The Gustavus Geographers gathered at the ca. 1860 Borgeson log cabin for their annual picnic. Amidst the fragrant wild plum blossoms and spring blooms of the Linneaus Arboretum, students, faculty, and families gathered to enjoy a meal together. The menu included kabobs grilled by Dr. Douglas and sambusas, humus, and other Mediterranean delights from Lencho […]

Gallo pinto!

Professor-Chef Bob Douglas (left) cooks and serves gallo pinto, the national dish of Costa Rica, for breakfast on his 9 AM morning show (also known as GEG-233 Latin America and the Caribbean).