Welcome to new Professor of Geography, Dr. La Frenierre! Posted on September 9th, 2014 by

This is a guest post written by Geography major Brianna Furey (’15).

jeff_in_berry_heavenJoin in a welcome for the new Assistant Professor of Geography, Dr. Jeff La Frenierre.

Raised in Colorado, Dr. La Frenierre became interested in rocks and landscapes after many trips to the mountains during his childhood. While originally pursuing a degree in journalism in college, Jeff took a geography class and knew that’s what he wanted to do.

Jeff received his B.A. in Geography from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, and went on to work for a company that makes maps for vehicle navigation systems. After a while, Dr. La Frenierre decided he wanted to go back to school and become a professor.

Dr. La Frenierre achieved his M.A. in Geography from the University of Denver and recently finished his doctoral work, graduating with a Ph.D. in Geography from Ohio State University on August 10.

While at Ohio State University, Dr. La Frenierre taught Climate Change, GIS, and The Elements of Cartography as a teaching assistant. For the 2013-2014 academic year at Gustavus, Dr. La Frenierre will teach Weather, Climate, & Society and Fundamentals of GIS in the fall, and Fundamentals of GIS, Hydrology & Water Resources, and Earth Systems in the Anthropocene in the spring. Dr. La Frenierre hopes to lead a J-term class to Ecuador to explore the Andes in January 2016, where he has conducted much of his research on mountain landscapes, investigating the relationships between glacier retreat, mountain hydrology, and water resources vulnerability.

So far, Jeff loves the community aspect at Gustavus.

“I’m really impressed with how well everyone seems to relate, communicate, and help one another. I was looking for an environment where I was going to get to be a part of the community and get to know my students and they would know me. People have been outstandingly friendly and very welcoming.”

As part of the Faculty/Administrator in Residence program, Jeff lives with his wife Paula and their cat Loki in Sorenson Hall, where Jeff is in charge of the sophomore year experience.

Jeff loves to be outside. In their free time, Jeff and his wife like to backpack, sea kayak, ski, and snowshoe.

“We won’t be doing as much downhill skiing as we’re used to in Colorado, but we snowshoe a lot, and we’re looking forward to doing more cross country skiing.”

Jeff is excited to be part of the Gustavus community.

“I’m really excited to be part of the Geography Department at Gustavus. I think the other faculty here are outstanding, and I love how engaged everyone is.”

Welcome to Professor La Frenierre! Thank you for joining the Gustavus community and bringing your enthusiasm and knowledge to the Geography Department.

 

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