Our Vision
Memorial Geography will be at the forefront of building connections with our dynamic societies and environments, and become the beating heart of collaborative and cooperative knowledge within and beyond the university.
Come study the world with us! The Department of Geography celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2020-21 and remains the only comprehensive geography program in Atlantic Canada, offering BA, BSc., Honours, MA, MSc., and PhD programs. At Memorial, Geography aims to teach students how to investigate environmental and human systems using interdisciplinary, field-informed concepts and approaches. Our Faculty teach students theories, methods and analytical techniques applicable to a wide range of questions and broad spectrum of occupations and to foster a spirit of inquiry about geography. Our research encompasses local, national, and international interests, including climate change, Arctic communities, coastal governance, electronic waste, immigration, marine habitat mapping, microplastics pollution, resource development, and urban development. Visit our Research and Faculty pages to learn more, and read our most recent Research Report.
News
Politicizing Science: how quota quarrels lose sight of sustainable fishing.
Dr. Dean Bavington, Department of Geography, MUN, is quoted about the federal government's increase in cod quotas.
DFO’s decision to up this year’s Northern cod quota is “managerial choreography disguised as ecological concern.”
Scientists issue urgent call ahead of final plastics treaty talks
Dr. Max Liboiron, Department of Geography, MUN, was one of five academics to present at the briefing event for the upcoming Plastics Treaty Talks.
The event (August 5—14) is being touted as “the most significant global environmental agreement since the Paris Climate Accord.”
Canada downplayed arsenic exposure as an Indigenous community was poisoned
Dr. Arn Keeling, Department of Geography and Dr. John Sandlos, Department of History, Memorial University, discuss their forthcoming book, which exposes how colonialism, corporate greed and lax regulation led to widespread air and water pollution, particularly affecting Tatsǫ́t’ıné (Yellowknives Dene) communities.
"Archival records show that federal public health officials recommended the roaster be shut down until arsenic emissions could be controlled. But the company and federal mining regulators dragged their feet, fearing the economic impact."
A climatologist explains what coastal communities can expect in terms of climate change
How will climate change affect coastal communities like Petty Harbour in the next few years?
Climatologist Dr. Joel Finnis, Department of Geography at Memorial University, explained it all to us at the Petty Harbour Mini Aquarium.
Dr. Finnis is interviewed on the St. John's Morning Show about the impact of climate change on coastal communities.
"When I think about what a place like Petty Harbour has to be concerned with, it really is a lot of those shifts in extreme events."
Canadian Honours - June 2025
Dr. Trevor Bell, Honorary Research Professor at the Department of Geography, Memorial University has received the Meritorious Service Medal (Civil Division) from the Governor General for his work as the founder of SmartICE, an Indigenous-led social enterprise that empowers communities to record sea, lake and river ice conditions by combining traditional knowledge with state-of-the-art ice monitoring and mapping.
The award recognizes individuals who have performed an exceptional deed or activity that brings honour to Canada or improves the quality of life in their community.