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COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

A student looks a mapping program in class.

The Department of Geography and the Environment integrates the disciplines of geography and environmental science in teaching and research to seek a better understanding of the spatial patterns in the natural and built environments, the physical and social processes that produce those patterns, and their interactions.

We are witnessing global change at a pace unique in human history, and we clearly must understand and manage our interactions with natural systems. Our department emphasizes integrated thinking and learning at the nexus of science, policy and human behavior to prepare our graduates to solve some of the most pressing issues facing society today. The Department of Geography and the Environment (GEV) is home to three undergraduate majors (BS in Environmental Science, BA in Environmental Studies, and BA in Geography), two undergraduate minors (Geography and Sustainability), and a graduate program (MS in Environmental Science). Students undertake timely and important research under the guidance of research-active faculty mentors who are leaders in their fields.

Department of Geography and the Environment
Suite G67, Mendel Science Center
Villanova University

Chair:
Dr. Nathaniel B. Weston

Undergraduate Program Directors:
Dr. Steven Goldsmith (Environmental)
Dr. Stephen Strader (Geography)

NEWS & EVENTS

FULBRIGHT AWARDED

Environmental Science and Geography double-major Benjamin Moy ’20 CLAS of Cohasset, Massachusetts, received a Fulbright Award. Moy will be conducting his Fulbright year in Indonesia where he will learn Bahasa Indonesian through the Critical Language Enhancement Award. His project will study socioeconomic impacts on regulation of shark fisheries in Tanjung Luar Village on the island of Lombok. Upon completion of his Fulbright year, Moy will return to New Zealand to pursue a graduate degree in oceanography with a concentration in marine management. Moy is one of 17 Villanova University students to receive a Fulbright Award in 2020-2021. MORE...

BECKMAN SCHOLARSHIP FOR STUDENT RESEARCH

Gillen Curren ’22 CLAS, received a Beckman Scholarship for academic years 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 to fund her research project titled "Heavy Metals in Estuarine Food Webs" with her Faculty Mentor, Nathaniel Weston, PhD, associate professor and Chair of the department of Geography and the Environment. Gillen will be working to compare the heavy metal concentrations found in various plants, insects, fish, benthic infauna, and filter feeders from coastal tidal marsh systems in the Delaware Estuary (New Jersey and Delaware) and the Plum Island Estuary (Massachusetts). Gillen is one of five students at Villanova to be awarded a Beckman Scholarship. MORE...

FACULTY AWARD

Stephen Strader, PhD, received the American Meteorological Society’s 2020 Outstanding Early Career Award in Societal Impacts Award. Dr. Strader is a hazards geographer, atmospheric scientist, and geographic information systems (GIS) analyst with interests in coupled human-environment interactions, severe and local storms, mesoscale meteorology, natural hazard vulnerability and risk, and GIScience applications. MORE...

GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP AWARDED

Nicole Marks ’20 MS, was one of nine students nationwide to be awarded a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Management Fellowship. Marks will work with the Delaware Coastal Management Program to develop an outreach and education program for Delaware that details the actions communities, homeowners, business owners and land stewards can undertake to address encroaching coastal waters. Link to graduate homepage MORE...

COLLABORATIVE GIS MAPPING

Geographic Information Systems, or GIS, are computer-based technologies used for mapping and supporting geographically based decisions. Students in the Department of Geography and Environment—alongside students from Business, Engineering, French, Peace and Justice, Political Science and Nursing—used drones and GIS mapping to advance Catholic Relief Services’ efforts in Madagascar. Students collaborated to bring new knowledge to light and worked with local people, joining in efforts to improve the quality of their lives. MORE...

EDUCATION WITH IMPACT

 

AN EDUCATION IN THE LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES promotes intellectual curiosity and rigor; instills the fundamentals of critical insight, mature judgment and independent thinking; and strengthens students’ sense of their moral responsibility for others and for the betterment of society.