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
PRESENTS
a fascinating talk by Riley Cotter entitled: I hate bad numbers: Stories about microplastic research.
Riley Cotter is a recent graduate of Memorial University’s Department of Geography whose Master's thesis investigated plastics in Arctic surface waters using place-based analytics. Currently a Research Specialist at CLEAR, in this talk Riley will reflect on his early career as a marine microplastic researcher, highlighting opportunities he's found to produce “better numbers” in microplastics research through a critical interrogation of methods and analytics. The talk will conclude with a preview of Riley’s upcoming PhD work, which will aim to harmonize community-based approaches for marine microplastic monitoring in pursuit of more locally meaningful, comparable, and actionable research.
When: Friday April 10th, 2026 | 12-1pm
Where: Arts 2071
What happens to Newfoundland forests in drought conditions.
Dr. Carissa Brown, MUN Geography, speaks about the conditions which led to last year's wildfires.
"A lot of the species that grow on the ground of the boreal forest are actually able to resprout after a fire. But if the fire burned very deeply, then those underground roots that might have normally survived a fire might have been killed. So that could change what comes back after a fire"
Developing this province's mining potential, in a socially and environmentally responsible way
Dr. Arn Keeling (Geography) and Dr. John Sandlos (History) discuss the social, political and environmental realities of developing NL’s mining sector.
"The Newfoundland and Labrador Critical Mineral Strategy talks about hosting at least 31 of the 34 critical minerals on Canada's critical minerals list.