Blue Box Seminar Series

Department of Geography

Blue Box Seminar Series Special Seminar Present

Hillary Renick,
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM),
Tribal Liaison Coordinator

"Green Colonization: Sustainability for whom, and where?"

When: Wednesday, April 16, 2025, 3 - 4 pm

Where: SN2025

HSS Highlights

On this episode of The Signal, Adam Walsh speaks with a panel of experts from Memorial University who share what they're watching for during the federal election campaign.

Featuring: Kelly Blidook (Political Science), Yolande Pottie-Sherman (Geography), Rochelle Côté (Sociology) and Robin Whitaker (Anthropology).

Audio link (CBC).

Video link (YouTube).

Blue Box Seminar Series

Department of Geography

Presents  Geography Blue Box Seminar

Domenique Ciavattone, PhD candidate in Geography, MUN
will speak about;  “What, When, Where, Who is the Ocean? Putting Rights of Nature into Practice in Ontologically Multiple, Fluid, International Spaces”  

Zeinab Salehiankia, Masters student in Environmental Science, MUN
will speak about, "Evaluating the Effectiveness of Green Infrastructure in Mitigating Stormwater Runoff in St. John’s Using an Ecohydrology Model"

When: Friday, April 4, 2025, 3 - 4 pm

Where: SN2025

HSS Understanding Our World Series

A Roundtable on Reframing Non-Human and Human Relations

Featuring: Sarah Martin (Political Science and Geography), Charlie Mather (Geography), and Sam Morton (Geography)

Friday, April 4th, from 4-5 pm

SN4022 and online

HSS Highlights

 Yolande Pottie-Sherman (Geography) talks Newfoundland and Labrador’s signing of a deal to extend the federal child care program.

Full article.

Blue Box Seminar Series

Department of Geography

Blue Box Seminar Series Present

Dr. Michael Peers, Department of Biology, MUN

“Crafting your scientific screenplay: Incorporating elements of screenwriting into our scientific papers”.

Michael Peers is an ecologist and lecturer at MUN who also works as an actor and filmmaker. His talk will focus on applying elements of screenplay structure into our science writing to more effectively communicate the impact of our science and make our papers more engaging.

When:  Friday, March 28, 2025, 3 - 4 pm

Where: SN2025

Blue Box Seminar Series

Department of Geography

Blue Box Seminar Series Present Special Seminar

Dr. Dan Duda, Memorial University

“Where are we Now?” - Memorial’s Map Collection

Dan Duda is the Map Librarian with Memorial Libraries and has been in that position for over 20 years. He will give a brief history of the collection and its close relationship with the Department of Geography at Memorial. But you will also see the breadth of the collection – from Ptolemaic works to the present day. Maps, atlases, gazetteers, and aerial photographs, and other formats will be on display for you to see and discover.

When: Friday, March 21, 2025,  3 - 4 pm

Where: QEII Library Map Room

HSS Understanding Our Worlds Series

A Roundtable on what comes “After Church”?

Responding:

Bryhanna Greenough (Geography), Dale Jarvis (Heritage NL), Nicholas Lynch (Geography) and Barry Stephenson (Religion and Culture).

Friday, March 21^st, from 4-5pm

 SN4022 and online

HSS Understanding Our Worlds Series

Friday, March 14^th

A Roundtable on Mario Blaser’s For Emplacement (Duke UP, 2025; available open access)

Featuring: Mario Blaser (Archaeology/Geography), responding: Charlie Mather (Geography), Oscar Moro Abadía (Archaeology) and Robin Whitaker (Anthropology)

SN4022 and online
4-5 pm

MUN Geography Per Course Instructors Position Open

The Department of Geography invites applications from individuals interested in teaching the following undergraduate GEOG 1050, Geographies of Global Change, course in the Spring 2025 semester (May 2025 - August 2025).

For more information please check here PCI Spring 2025

On The Climate Change

Dr. Joel Finnis at the Department of Geography, Memorial University,

Joins The Signal to dive deep into a discussion about the ocean and climate change. 

From off the chart sea surface temperatures to risks to marine ecosystems and species, the talk will cover what we know is happening, what we are trying to figure out, and talk projections for low and high carbon futures. 

Audio clip.

HSS Highlights - Department of Geography

Dr. Max Liboiron has been awarded the American Association of Geographers (AAG) Presidential Achievement Award.

This esteemed award is conferred by the AAG Past President and recognizes individuals who have made long-standing and distinguished contributions to the discipline of geography.

"Dr. Liboiron is recognized for their extraordinary work in developing participatory and anticolonial environmental science practices. Via careful critique of current academic norms and concrete examples of how we can do better, Dr. Liboiron has inspired students and scholars across Geography and the environmental sciences to change their lab manuals, citation practices, collaboration protocols, and research methods."

Full details.

Dr. Yolande Pottie-Sherman comments on why hiring immigrant workers alone won’t solve the workforce crisis in early learning and child care

“Just adding immigrants is not going to solve our workforce crisis, but we need to retain them in the jobs as well as retain them in the province.” 

Full story.

Hot-wiring Research Methods

Hot-wiring Research Methods

In this rescheduled session, Max Liboiron (Geography), Megan Mackinnon (ID, PhD), and Mark Stoddart (Sociology) share their “hot-wired” research methods. 

Wednesday, February 19th 

1-1:50pm, SN4022 and online.

Ottawa’s immigration cuts threaten provincial economy

Ottawa’s recent changes to immigration will strain Newfoundland and Labrador’s social security programs. 

Dr. Yolande Pottie-Sherman, Department of Geography, and Dr. Tony Fang, Department of Economics, Memorial University, comment on impact of immigration cuts to Newfoundland and Labrador's workforce strategies in priority sectors.

Dr. Pottie-Sherman,  specializes in immigration, says the cuts will hurt the province’s “immigration momentum.” Newfoundland and Labrador’s unique age demographics and comparatively low immigration numbers make the province more vulnerable to new restrictions.

Full article

HSS Understanding Our Worlds Series

Bring your mug for informal conversation with colleagues and students in HSS.

Friday, February 14^th from 1-1:45pm in SN2000 with faculty and graduate students in the Department of Geography.

International Treaty on Plastics: To End Waste Colonialism

Dr. Max Liboiron teaches geography at Memorial University of Newfoundland and directs the Civic Laboratory for Environmental Action Research (CLEAR).

As the final round of negotiations for the adoption of an international treaty on plastic pollution approaches, calls for reducing production are increasing. However, they are being met with refusal by states that prefer to focus on improving recycling techniques. This discourse, carried by petrochemical powers, embodies the colonialism of waste.

This is explained by Dr. Max Liboiron, who has been studying plastic pollution for almost 20 years.

“Traité international sur le plastique : pour en finir avec le colonialisme des déchets (International Treaty on Plastics: To End Waste Colonialism),” Valérie Boisclair, CBC Radio Canada

Blue Box Seminar

Department of Geography

Blue Box Seminar Series 

Present

Chris Phelan, MA, Department of Geography, MUN

Examining the Circular Potential of Atlantic Canada’s Makerspaces.
Exit Seminar
This presentation will focus on research investigating the relationship between ideas proposed by the circular economy and makerspaces located in Atlantic Canada. The following will be addressed: Can makerspaces benefit from incorporating ideas surrounding circularity in their practices and if so desires, how is that relationship facilitated? What kind of barriers might exist that prevent the expansion of circularity in makerspaces and how are they overcome?

Tyler Fountain- PhD candidate, Departmen of Geogrpahy, MUN

"Shaping Cold-Water Coral Communities in the Labrador Sea and Eastern Canadian Arctic”.
Research Proposal
Cold-water corals (CWCs) live within a wide range of environmental conditions. Due to their ecological significance and the ongoing transformation of the world’s oceans it is important to understand what biophysical factors determine their distribution, especially in rapidly changing areas such as the Arctic. My research looks to investigate the factors that contribute to structuring the biogeography of CWCs within the Labrador Sea and Eastern Canadian Arctic, while also attempting to predict their distributions under present and future scenarios. This work has the capacity to help inform conservation decision making and promote climate resilient marine spatial planning strategies within this region.

When: Friday, December 6, 2024, 3 - 4 pm

Where: SN 2025

MUN HSS/Department of Geography

The Department of Geography at Memorial University invites applications for a permanent, tenure-track, Assistant Professor position in Physical Geography, subject to budgetary approval. The position will commence on July 1, 2025 on the St. John’s campus. Candidates must be fluent in the theory and practice of physical geography and should hold a PhD in geography or a relevant discipline. Our ideal candidate will be engaged in environmental change and/or coupled human-environment systems research. This hire is specific to applicants who are Black or a Person of Colour as per approval granted by the Human Rights Commission pursuant to Section 8 of the Human Rights Act.

The deadline for applications is January 10, 2025

For the full job ad and how to apply, see  https://tinyurl.com/5a2t3xrh

Blue Box Seminar

Blue Box Seminar Series

Departments of Geography and Political Science Present

Green Hydrogen Projects and their Implications

Éric Pineault, UQAM

Green hydrogen as a new extractivism?
Éric Pineault is a professor at the Environmental Sciences Institute and Sociology Department of UQAM.
This presentation examines green hydrogen projects in Québec and the development of hydrogen-based infrastructures worldwide. What is the political economy and ecology behind this push for hydrogen production? How intertwined with fossil capital is the push to develop green hydrogen production ? What forms of extractivism are tied to green and not so green hydrogen production? 

Dr. Camille Ouellet Dallaire, Grenfell Campus, Memorial University.

Gender equality in Wind-to-Hydrogen projects: The Ultimate Hide-and-Seek Champion.
Dr. Camille Ouellet Dallaire is an assistant professor and program chair of Environment and Sustainability at Grenfell Campus, Memorial University.
This presentation will focus on wind-to-hydrogen in Newfoundland and the more than 2000 wind turbines that are moving through the NL provincial environmental assessment process. A key question is who will benefit from these projects, beyond shareholders. I will present the current state of wind-to-hydrogen on the island with a cumulative assessment lens and draw from critical geography to investigate how gender equality is and is not presented.

When: November 29, 2024, 3-4:30 p.m.

Where: SN 2025

Blue Box Seminar

Blue Box Seminar Series

Department of Geography Presents

"Behind the Research II: How my Research Came to Be"

Join us for our second collaborative exploration of diverse methodologies being used across the department. In this reflective session, faculty and students come together to share the story behind their research. We’ll explore how research questions emerge, how methods are chosen, and how personal and academic experiences shape the trajectory of a project. The session invites participants to think beyond data and results, focusing instead on the journey -- the ideas, challenges, and insights that define their work.

When: Friday, November 22, 2024, 3 - 4 pm

Where: SN2025

Art Presentation and Celebration

The group of burgeoning artists facilitated by Gerald Vaandering

Invites you to the Arts and Culture Centre, second floor art atudio to view a one night art presentation

Saturday, November 16 at 6:30 - 9 pm.

Artists exhibiting: Rolayne Lewis Bartlett, Natalie Beausoleil, Geralyn Christmas, Maurice Devine, Vanessa Hoskins, Bruce Melvin, Jessica McLachlan, Melissa Porter, Yolande Pottie Sherman, Tasha Roberts, Ed Vanderkloet, Denis Viau.

Blue Box Seminar

Blue Box Seminar Series

Department of Geography Presents

IT IS A GOOD PROJECT AND SHOULD BE BUILT: Artist talk with Fred Schmidt-Arenales

Fred Schmidt-Arenales is an artist and filmmaker. His projects attempt to bring awareness to unconscious processes on the individual and group level. He has presented films, installations, and performances internationally at venues including SculptureCenter, The Bronx Museum, and the Storefront for Art and Architecture (New York), Links Hall and The Logan Center for the Arts (Chicago), The Darling Foundry (Montreal), LightBox, The Institute of contemporary Art, and Vox Populi (Philadelphia, Artspace (New Haven), The Museum of Fine Arts and FotoFest (Houston), Künstlerhaus Halle für Kunst und Medien (Graz), and Kunsthalle Wien (Vienna). His film Committee of Six was awarded a Jury Prize for Best of the Festival at the 2023 Onion City Experimental Film Festival.

In this presentation Fred Schmidt-Arenales introduces filmmaking practices and show clips from previous films using participatory filmmaking methods, which invite people to engage in process based encounters around issues that materially impact their lives. Past projects engage historical and current dynamics of gentrification, governance, land grabs, privatization, and climate change adaptation. The presentation ends with an introduction to a new work in progress on wind energy development in Newfoundland.

When: Friday, November 15, 2024, 3 - 4 pm

Where: SN2018

Blue Box Seminar

Blue Box Seminar Series

Department of Geography Presents

Dr. Maximilian Viatori

“La Otra Cordillera’: Conservation and Extraction in a Peruvian Marine Protected Area” 

How is an emergent nexus of ocean conservation and extraction creating new ocean frontiers in zones previously considered politically and geographically “marginal”? And, how is this process generating new social and multispecies inequalities and inscribing them in ocean space and volume? I explore these questions by analyzing the scientific and regulatory debates surrounding the recent creation of Peru’s first large-scale, open ocean marine protected area, the Reserva Nacional Dorsal de Nasca (RNDN). I argue that the RNDN’s three dimensional model of ocean governance fostered a particular way of seeing the ocean that supported a new legal regime for inscribing a conservation-extraction nexus in the eastern Pacific Ocean’s volume. As such, the RNDN provides an interesting example for examining how the ocean and its volume are being reconceptualized to ensure the ongoing production of value in the face of political, economic, and climatic challenges.

When: Friday, November 8, 2024, 3 - 4 pm

Where: SN 2025

33rd Meeting of Atlantic Division of the CAG (2024)

Welcome (bienvenue) to Zoom-based

2024 ACAG / ACGA 33rd Annual Meeting

Thursday, November 21st  to Friday, November 22nd 

Conference Registration is free by completing the 2024 ACAG Conference Form

Presentations will be Zoom-based. The meeting is free to attend. Your local host for this meeting is Dr. David Lieske of the Department of Geography and Environment, Mount Allison University.

For details: http://arcgis.mta.ca/acag24

New Spring 2025 Harlow Program open to Geography students

The upcoming Harlow Program on Empire and Colonial Process, offered by the Archaeology Department

New Spring 2025 Harlow Program

May 5 - June 13, 2025

Explore the landscapes of Old Sarum and Stonehenge, visit the Roman Baths as well as a variety of other iconic sites and museums in York, Bristol, Oxford, Cambridge, Colchester, and (especially) London.

More information about the program can be found here: https://www.mun.ca/archaeology/programs/field-school--study-abroad-opportunities/

Please contact Dr. Yolande Pottie-Sherman

Blue Box Seminar Series

Blue Box Seminar 

Department of Political Science & Geography Presents

Dr. Jean Michel Montsion, York University

Canada through the looking-glass International Canadian Studies amid a lack of cultural diplomacy.

In 2012, the federal government ended the ‘Understanding Canada’ program. This program aimed to support international Canadianists in their efforts to contribute to the study of Canada, or ‘to know ourselves better’ as Thomas Symons (1975) put it. In this presentation, we examine the evolving profile, trends and realities in the field of international Canadian Studies over the last 12 years. A survey with international Canadianists, interviews with executives of local associations of Canadian Studies and centres, as well as in-depth archival work reveal the resiliency of the field despite limited means, growing and concerning geographical inequities in how the study of Canada is supported abroad, as well as the profound misunderstanding of the Canadian government for the importance of such cultural and scientific diplomacy initiatives. 

When: Friday, November 1, 2024, 3 - 4 pm

Where: SN 2025

Blue Box Seminar

Blue Box Seminar Series

Department of Geography Presents

Dr. Yolande Pottie-Sherman, Dr. Ben Misiuk and MSc Shima Bahramnejad

Behind the Research I. Navigating Methods and Approaches in Geography.

Join us for our first collaborative exploration of diverse methodologies being used across the department. Faculty and students will discuss the tools, techniques, and challenges they encounter in their current projects, offering a candid look at how research methods shape outcomes.

When: Friday, October 25, 2024, 3-4 pm

Where: SN2025

Winter 2025 Course Offerings

Winter 2025 Courses Update

MUN Geography Per Course Instructors Position Open

The Department of Geography invites applications from individuals interested in teaching the following undergraduate courses in the Winter 2025 semester (January 2025 - April 2025):

Geography 1050, Geographies of Global Change

Geography 2195, Intro to Geographic Information Sciences

For more information please check here - PCI Winter 2025

Art in the Arts Nexus Centre

MUN

Multifarious talents of members of the Faculty of HSS

Friday, October 17th

SN 4022 at 12 pm

Nexus Centre invites you for informal drop-in discussion about the art practices of the Faculty and Staff of HSS and about art  generally.

Nexus Center and The Lantern proudly presented the hidden talents of the Faculty of HSS in this public exhibition of Visual Arts, Poetry, and Music.

On September 12 and 13,
Visual Works of the Faculty of HSS were on Display in the Nexus Centre (SN 4022), followed by
An Evening of Poetry Readings and Music, The Lantern. 35 Barnes Road on September 13th.

See more at an evening of literary readings and musical performances at the Lantern.

Art in the Arts 2024

2024-2025 Blue Box with MUN Geography

Fellow Geographers and Blue Box aficionados!

2024-2025 Blue Box with a Geography social at the Breezeway.
Grab a cup of coffee, a tea, or a pint of your favorite beverage and join us on

Friday, September 27,

from 3-4 pm 

to mark the start of the new semester.

Spring 2025 at Harlow Campus

Spring 2025  - Empire & Colonial Process

Uncover the past, explore the present, and be part of a transformative experience at Harlow Campus - 

Geography cross-list courses at Harlow Campus

Harlow Campus Spring 2025

Read more here 

Exploring the Edges. Memorial University to host annual Canadian Association of Geographers conference

For the first time  in over a decade, Memorial University welcomed hundreds of the country’s leading scholars as host of the Canadian Association of Geographers (CAG) 74^th annual meeting and conference.

CAG 74 emphasized the intersections where disciplines meet, boundaries are pushed and transformations occur.

Dr. Arn Keeling, Dr. Carissa Brown - Department of Gepgraphy, Memorial University, Dr. Grace Akese - Universität Bayreuth, Pirette Janes-Bourque - MUN Graduate Student -  Memorial’s organizing committee has planned a week that aims to highlight scholarship at the margins, offering a platform for voices, approaches and sub-disciplines that often go underappreciated or underused.

CAG2024 gives researchers from across the country a chance to experience St. John’s and Newfoundland and Labrador,” said Dr. Keeling.

For more information, visit the CAG 2024 official website.

Geographic education matters in today's world

University geographic courses aren't about memorizing maps — they're about researching big concepts, like the extent of humans' impact on the Earth.

Join host Adam Walsh and a pile of geographers as they talk about why a geographic education matters in today's world.

Dr. Carissa Brown, Dr. Arn Keeling, Dr. Mahyar Masoudi, and Dr. Yolande Pottie-Sherman,  Department of Geography, Memorial University, were recently featured on an episode of CBC Radio’s The Signal with Adam Walsh: The World has been mapped – so does a geographic education matter in today’s world?

A Memorial University researcher is mapping the unknown

'Piece of the Puzzle' - Researcher Mapping Seafloor to better protect Northwest Atlantic region

Dr. Benjamin Misiuk (PhD’19) and his team are conducting a multi-year project to obtain high-resolution data and map the seafloor of the northwest Atlantic.

He recently received two grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada valued at a total of $142,500 over five years for the project, High-resolution Seabed Mapping in Support of Regional Management and Science Priorities.

Read here

East Harbour Heroes

Dr. Carissa Brown at the Department of Geograpgy, Memorial University, talks about the schooner shipwreck recently discovered of Cape Ray. 

As the heroes try to save the trapped ship, a mystery 200-year-old shipwreck washes ashore.

Dr. Brown is working on determining the age and type of wood samples from the wreck to help figure out its origin.

Clip here.

CAG 2024

Drs. Arn Keeling, Carissa Brown, the Department of Geography, Memorial University, Dr. Grace Akese, Universität Bayreuth, Pirette Janes-Bourque - Graduate Student, Department of Geography, MUN.

For the first time  in over a decade, Memorial University will welcome hundreds of the country’s leading scholars as host of the Canadian Association of Geographers (CAG) 74^th annual meeting and conference.

Fall 2024 Semester Course Offerings

Fall 2024 Undergraduate Courses Update

Upcoming Graduate Courses

Breakthroughs and Answers

Forty-five Memorial University researchers spanning 16 disciplines have received more than $9.1 million in federal funding. HSS is proud to recognize Dr. Benjamin Misiuk (Geography) who received an NSERC Discovery Grant and Discovery Launch Supplement amounting to $142,500. Dr. Misiuk's funding will support his research in high-resolution seabed mapping.
Read more about it in the Gazette!

Cold Oceans & Northern Strength - oceans and northern research, teaching and learning, public engagement

People, Places, and Partnerships that make Memorial great

May 2024 issue talks about what's been happening so far this year, in terms of oceans and northern research, teaching and learning, public engagement, and more. 

MUN Geography Professor, Dr. Arn Keeling, who looks at the historical and contemporary encounters of Indigenous communities with mineral development in Northern Canada, with his recent work focused specifically on the often-neglected challenge of mine closure and reclamation. 

Geography's Dr. Arn Keeling
"[My] research focus grew out of concerns expressed by Northern research partners about issues of mine closure and reclamation, both at abandoned sites and at active, yet-to-close mines. At the same time, I joined two interdisciplinary networks of researchers, one Nordic and one Canadian, examining the science, policy, and practices around mine reclamation. These initiatives have led to ongoing work focusing on the social aspects of mine closure, including the engagement of local and Indigenous communities in planning for post-mining transitions while ensuring positive environmental outcomes."

Canadian Association of Geographers Annual Conference


2024 CAG Conference

Canadian Association of Geographers Annual Conference


Interested in interdisciplinary exchanges with geographers from across the country and beyond?

Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Department of Geography is hosting the 74th annual CAG meeting in St. John’s, NL!
CAG 2024: edges presents a great opportunity to network and exchange ideas with geographers and other scholars by presenting “edgy” research, displaying posters, and organizing special sessions. 
To review special sessions, submit an abstract, and register, please visit https://www.cag-acg.ca/cag-2024-home
Questions? Email cag2024mun@gmail.com
Registration ending May 15.
We look forward to seeing you there!

Semiconductors ‘very narrow aperture’ to view water conflicts, drought

In a recent ScienceDirect publication, Dr. Josh Lepawsky, a professor in Memorial’s Department of Geography, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, highlights how semiconductor manufacturing is projected to be impacted by water stress globally, particularly in already vulnerable areas. The electronics sector is “a very narrow aperture that allows you to see a very broad field of problems.”

Read here

Teaching Term Appointment: Department of Geography

Memorial University of Newfoundland's Department of Geography is seeking applicants for a 9-month teaching term appointment during the Fall 2024 and Winter 2025 semesters. Contract begins August 1 and on-campus teaching duties commence with the 2024 Fall semester.

The successful candidate will teach the following course configuration during the 2024-2025 academic year:

Fall 2024:

Geography 1050 (Geographies of Global Change)—2 sections (1 online)
Geography 2001 (Cultural Geography)—online

Winter 2025:

Geography 1050 (Geographies of Global Change)—2 sections (1 online)
Geography 2001 (Cultural Geography)—online

Please forward a curriculum vitae, a cover letter demonstrating evidence of effective teaching, and the names and contact information of three referees, to: Dr. Arn Keeling, Head, Department of Geography (akeeling@mun.ca), by May 15th, 2024.

For detailed information, please check here

Teaching Term Appointment 2024

Blue Box Seminar

Blue Box Seminar Series

Department of Geography
PRESENTS:

Two Graduate Students Exit Seminars

Sam E. Morton
PhD Candidate, Vanier Scholar,
Department of Geography, MUN

"Fish Aid: how 'wasted fish' from NL ended up as food in Canada's international food aid basket"

Meghan Power
M.Sc. Geography Candidate,
Northern EDGE Lab
Department of Geography, MUN

“Please Do Not Walk on the Dunes: Assessing Cumulative Impacts on Coastal Vegetated Sand Dune Systems in Newfoundland”

When: Tuesday, March 26,  12 - 1 pm

Where: SN2018

Blue Box Seminar

Blue Box Seminar Series

Department of Geography

Presents:

"Graduate Student Conference Workshop"

Invited Speakers:

Dr. Arn Keeling, Dr. Carissa Brown, and Dr. Yolande Pottie-Sherman

This seminar will focus on preparing graduate students for the upcoming conference season by presenting information on designing posters and writing abstracts, as well as discussing conference etiquette and networking techniques. The workshop will include a panel of three Geography Department professors, Dr. Arn Keeling, Dr. Carissa Brown, and Dr. Yolande Pottie-Sherman. It will be divided into three parts, with a designated question period at the end of the talk. Please feel free to send any discussion topics you would like to see in advance of the workshop to ggsa@mun.ca

When: Friday, March 22, 2024, 2-3 pm

Where: SN2025

Blue Box Seminar

Geography Blue Box Seminar Presents

Edgar E. Becerril-García
Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Geography, TBTI Global,
Memorial University of Newfoundland

From Shark Research to Blue Justice

This seminar will share experiences on studying and conserving sharks and rays through collaboration with academia, government, NGOs, tourism operators, and small-scale fisheries in Latin America. General information about these marine resources will be included, as well as research carried out on 32 species distributed in a range of 0-1890 m, including commercial and protected taxa such as the white shark, whale shark, and manta rays. The seminar will delve into conservation research priorities and the relevance of interdisciplinary science to analyze socio-ecological stressors affecting the natural, social, and governance systems linked to small-scale fisheries. Preliminary insights regarding Blue Justice concerns and communities' adaptability will be shared, highlighting the relevance of collaborative efforts to identify pathways for sustainable solutions.

When: Friday, March 15, 2 - 3 pm

Where: SN-2025

Blue Box Seminar

Department of Geography 
Blue Box Seminar
Presents

Two graduate student exit seminars

Sam E. Morton
PhD Candidate, Vanier Scholar,
Department of Geography, MUN

"Fish Aid: how 'wasted fish' from NL ended up as food in Canada's international food aid basket"

Meghan Power
M.Sc. Geography Candidate,
Northern EDGE Lab
Department of Geography, MUN

“Please Do Not Walk on the Dunes: Assessing Cumulative Impacts on Coastal Vegetated Sand Dune Systems in Newfoundland”

When: Friday, March 8, 2 - 3 pm

Where: SN2025

Upcoming 2024 Spring-Intersession-Summer Courses

2024 Spring-Intersession-Summer Courses in Geography

Blue Box Seminar

Department of Geography and the Department of Religious Studies
Blue Box Seminar
Presents

Bouchra Mossmann
PhD candidate,
University of Southern Denmark

Making the Arctic a Muslim Home
Strategies of place-making in Northern Canada”

Presented research  contribute insights into the formation of modern Muslim subjectivity and take the study of Islam into new geographical directions, namely Arctic Canada.

When: Monday, February 26, 12 - 1 pm

Where: SN 2025

MUN Geography Per Course Instructors Position Open

The Department of Geography invites applications from individuals interested in teaching the following undergraduate courses in the Spring 2024 semester (May to August 2024):

Geography 1050, Geographies of Global Change

For more information please check here - PCI Spring 2024

Climate change induced water stress and future semiconductor supply chain risk

Dr. Joshua Lepawsky, Department of Geography at Memorial University,

A resent publication with Science Direct of the research regarding climate change induced water stress and future semiconductor supply chain risk.

Climate change is a driver of water stress risk globally. Semiconductor manufacturing requires large volumes of water. Existing research at the intersection of water stress risk and semiconductor manufacturing offers snapshots of current conditions but has not investigated how future climate scenarios may impact semiconductor supply chain security.

People of the Ice

Dr. Trevor Bell,
Honorary Research Professor at the Department of Geography, Memorial Univesity

Dr. Katherine Wilson,
Director, Knowledge co-production, SmartICE

Honouring a community-based partnership that centres Inuit knowledge.

MUN Geography MSc Position

The Department of Geography at Memorial University invites

Applications for a fully funded two-year MSc position based within the Earth & Geospatial Science Lab (EarthGS) at Memorial University of Newfoundland, in collaboration with Fisheries and Oceans Newfoundland and Labrador (DFO-NL).

The candidate: The successful candidate will have a Bachelor of Science degree in one of biology, ocean science, geography, environmental science, or similar. An honours degree will be preferred.

For details, please go to Movement and habitat use of Greenland Halibut -MSc Position.

To apply, please forward a transcript to Dr. Benjamin Misiuk - bmisiuk@mun.ca 

Blue Box Seminar

Geography Blue Box Seminar Presents

William O'Grady

Professor, Department of Sociology & Anthropology, University of Guelph

EXPLORING HOMELESSNESS IN SMALL-TO-MID-SIZED AND LARGE CANADIAN CITIES: AN ANALYSIS OF THE CANADIAN HOUSING SURVEY

Most research on homelessness in Canada has been undertaken in large cities such as Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal.

This talk explores levels of homelessness in small-to-mid-sized Canadian cities (50-500,000) compared to large cities/Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) with populations over 500,000. As part of a larger project which is studying homelessness in 3 mid-sized Ontario cities, which is mainly based on qualitative methods, this research will analyze data from the Canadian Housing Survey for the years 2018 and 2021.

When: Friday, December 8, 2023 3-4 pm

Where: SN 2025

Blue Box Seminar

Geography Blue Box Seminar
Presents

Maro Adjemian-Baskerville
PhD candidate, Department of Geography
Memorial University of Newfoundland

Atikamekw Nehirowisiw Indigenous Protected Area Creation: Conservation for Self-Determination

The research is focused on supporting the elaboration of a management plan for an Atikamekw Nehirowisiw IPCA in Quebec, in collaboration with the Atikamekw Nation Council (CNA).

The IPCA, Masko Cimakanic Aski - a protected area project initiated by an Atikamekw Nehirowisiw extended family who have been working for over 20 years to have their ancestral territory recognized by the Quebec government as a protected area.

This Seminar will bring in focus the research methods that include the archival research, interviews with Atikamekw Nehirowisiw participants and with government and conservation professionals involved in protected area establishment in Quebec.

This research examines the capacity of IPCAs to transcend the colonial power structures and systems within which conservation policy is embedded, and to protect space for Indigenous self-determination and resurgence.

When: Friday, December 1, 2023, 3 - 4 pm

Where: Fully virtual seminar
Meeting Link:

https://mun.webex.com/mun/j.php?MTID=m03c3bdb2ae913d0e184bf6a4f03c5257

Blue Box Seminar Series

Department of Geography
PRESENTS

Dr. Keith Storey

Honorary Research Professor, Department of Geography,
Memorial University

Digitalization and the new geography of mining

Digitalization is the use of digital technologies (computers, related software, the Internet, etc.) to change a business model and provide new revenue and value-producing opportunities. In the mining sector, digitalization is affecting where, how, and by whom work is done, and therefore a new geography of mining is emerging. The seminar will explore this new geography and its implications with a particular focus on experience in Australia and Canada.

When: Friday, November 24, 3-4 pm

Where: SN2025

Winter 2024 Courses

Geography Undergraduate and Graduate Course Listing for the Winter 2024 Semester
Winter 2024 Courses Listing

Special Blue Box Seminar Series

Geography Blue Box Seminar presents

María José Barragán-Paladines
Science director, Charles  Darwin Foundation, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

"Marine conservation in the Galapagos of XXI Century: facing challenges Charles Darwin did not encounter.”

Along the last 35 years, marine conservation in Galapagos has followed different patterns and formats, based on the varied values and principles sustaining the goal of marine protection. The islands currently face different levels of threats and the diverse stressors are influencing changes at different pace and scales.  Illustrations of these marine conservation schemes will allow a better understanding of how the marine conservation aims have (or not) been achieved in the so called 'paradise'.

When: November 20, 2023, 10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Where: SN 2025

2023 World Fisheries Day Celebration

Geography Awareness Week November 13-17 (and beyond)

Celebration of

The New Era of Support for Small-Scale Fisheries

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2023, 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Arts Building Atrium, Memorial University

Join us in celebrating 2023 World Fisheries Day, an event that focuses on promoting sustainable fisheries and viable communities. Throughout the event, we will feature local initiatives and organizations that work towards creating progressive and sustainable practices for our ocean and fisheries. Come and check the exhibits, listen to the talks by international and local speakers, join us in the celebration of the launch of TBTI Canada and experience a seafood cooking demo.

For more information, visit  https://bit.ly/47kdNr7

The event is open to the public, with free admission. 

Blue Box Seminar

Blue Box Seminar Presents

Greg Jeddore
Natural Resources Manager with Miawpukek First Nation

"Indigenous-led marine conservation in Miawpukek  First Nation Traditional Territories"

This talk focuses on the importance of indigenous-led marine conservation and applying western science . The indigenous people have been the protectors of Mother Earth for thousands of years and passing down those indigenous laws to protect her for generations. The talk will describe Miawpukek First Nation marine conservation activities in our traditional waters along the South Coast of Newfoundland.

When: Friday, November 10, 2023

Where: SN 2025, 3 - 4 pm

MUN Geography Awareness Week

Geography Awareness Week November 13-17, 2023

Open Doors on November 15, 11 a.m.-1 p.m

We invite the University Community to visit our spaces, to meet our students, Faculty and Staff.

Please check GAW 2023 for more information.

ACAG 2023 conference

Atlantic Division of the Canadian Association of Geographers

Annual Conference 2023
Hosted by the Department of Geography, Memorial University

The program covers a huge diversity of the sub disciplines of Geography, both within and outside of Atlantic Canada. 

To join please follow the link below

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86829113352?pwd=cHJDejdtN2Y5RHBVRWZNbEUzVjlLUT09

For details, please go to ACAG 2023 Full Program

Trade-Related Transportation Infrastructure in Canadian Municipalities: Challenges in Incorporating Local Perspectives

Friday, October 27, 2023

Geography and the Political Science
Bluebox Seminar series present

Speakers:

Jean-Michel Montsion, Director of Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies, York University; Peter Hall, Urban Studies and Geography, SFU; and Stephan Nieweler, PhD candidate, Geography, SFU

Trade-Related Transportation Infrastructure in Canadian Municipalities: Challenges in Incorporating Local Perspectives

The upcoming talk at the Nexus Centre is part of the Political Science and Geography bluebox seminar series. What are the connections between the decisions made at the federal and provincial levels for major trade-related transportation infrastructure projects, and local concerns? How can we, as social scientists, best study such connections within Canadian political configurations that actively ignore or undermine local democratic processes and development aspirations? In this seminar we will discuss and illustrate two frameworks that have helped us understand the implications for municipalities of major infrastructure projects. The first framework focuses on mapping stakeholders and their collaborations within particular urban gateway coalitions, their membership, as well as who is missing from the table. The second framework focuses on the pat dependencies that limit and shape the potential for revitalization in the downtowns of small port and resource-oriented communities that have recently experienced renewed economic growth following decades of decline.

Time: 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Location: Nexus Centre (SN-4022)

Blue Box Seminar Presents

Georgia Mclellan

PhD Student at the Department of Geography, University of Auckland (NZ)

Ms. Mclellan will  present the discussions on Following Aotearoa's kuku economy, the research focused on Whakatōhea's kuku (green-lipped mussel) economy. 

The conversations will focus on indigenous economies, indigenous food sovereignty, economic geography and more-than-human geographies. The presentaion will follow the kuku across space and time and highlight important kuku relations across Aotearoa (New Zeland).

When: Friday, October 20, 2023

Where: SN 2025, 3-4 pm

Local research, global impact

Dr. Evan Andrews, Department of Geography in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, received support from one of the country’s most prestigious research fellowships - the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship. 

Valued at $140,000, the program aims to attract and retain top-tier post-doctoral talents and position them as the leading researchers of tomorrow.

Dr. Andrews's research focused on the sutainability, social and economic safety net for Canada's small-scale fisheries.

Blue Box Seminar

Blue Box Seminar Presents

Dr. Richard Shearmur
Professor of Economic Geography at the McGill School of Urban Planning.

Dr. Shearmur, Memorial's inaugural AIR, sponsored by the Department of Geography will draw on his more than 25 years of academic experience to help students and the public better understand what it is to be a researcher in academia. 

Discussions on Innovations and Local Development

When: Friday, September 29, 2023
Where: SN2025, 3 - 4 pm

Academic-in-Residence Unpacked, Settled and ready to Help

In partnership with Memorial’s Office of Public Engagement and the Department of Geography, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Signal Hill Campus opened its doors to Dr. Richard Shearmur, professor of economic geography and former director of McGill’s School of Urban Planning. While staying at Signal Hill Campus  for the fall and winter semesters, Dr. Shearmur will draw on his more than 25 years of academic experience to help students and the public better understand what it is to be a researcher in academia. 

One of the most important aspects of his tenure is his connection with Memorial’s graduate students.

The first student office hours will take place on Sept. 22. Students can register by visiting the AIR website.

Dr. Shearmur will also work with graduate students from the Department of Geography, including guest lecturing in one of Dr. Nicholas Lynch’s courses in January.

Knowing, doing and being

The initiative of the project, the IndigeLab Network: Building Research Collectives Through Gendered Indigenous Theories of Change, led by Dr. Max Liboiron, professor, Department of Geography, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. is receiving a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Grant.

The research collaboration provides an opportunity to strengthen and enhance connections among international Indigenous scholars and community members. The project, the IndigeLab Network: Building Research Collectived Through Gendered Indigenous Theories of Change.

Global Climate Strike

MUNL Geographers for Climate Justice.

We call for justice for people and the planet.

Memorial University of Newfoundland is committed to: taking immediate and decisive action against one of the most globally urgent crises of our time - climate change.

Global Climate Strike – St. John’s

Sustainability and Climate Actions  for support and to bring a contibution to a thriving planet.

Fantastic Four

The group of four Memorial Researchers earn top honours from the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists (RSC).

Dr. Carissa Brown, professor, Department of Geography, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences – is among the latest cohort elected to the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists (RSC) – one of the nation’s highest scholarly honours.

Blue Box Seminar Presents

Dr. Mauro Lucherini
a leading conservationist in South America

presenting a talk on the Andean Cat Conservation and its challenges

When: Friday, September 8, 2023

Where: SN 2025, at 3 pm.  

Child-care advocate Dr. Yolande Pottie-Sherman, Department of Geography at Memorial University, focuses the attention on the government's child-care update.

Childcare advocates say the provincial government needs to do more to help with the demand in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Dr. Yolande Pottie-Sherman points out to needs in the expansion of the child-care system to be a government-led public system, like the healthcare system or the school system.

Read more on CBC News: Advocates criticize N.L. government’s child-care update

Geographer contributes to Smithsonian cellphone exhibit

A major exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. explores the technological, environmental and cultural impact of the devices.

Dr. Josh Lepawsky, professor, Department of Geography, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, played an important role in helping bring the first-of-its-kind exhibit to life, providing input on the design, narratives and the overall visitor experience.

Read here: seeing the unseen Geographer contributes to exhibit exploring impacts of cellphones.

MUN new local research is diving into the housing experiences of international students.

Dr. Yolande Pottie-Sherman, Memorial University Department of Geography, is conducting research on housing experiences of international students and newcomers to St. John's Newfoundland.

To view the talk on NTV News click on the link below

about the housing experiences of international students and newcomers

Upcoming Fall 2023 Undergraduate Courses

For 2023 Fall Semester Undergraduate Courses in Geography

Please check Fall 2023 Course Offerings

New course GEOG 4261 Offering in Fall 2023

New course announcement!

The Department of Geography is please to announce an offering in Fall 2023 of a new, combined undergraduate/graduate course in Advanced GIS/Geospatial Modelling and Analysis (GEOG  4261 6120). See attached for more information.

Advanced GIS Course

For details on course and lab slot, please visit https://www.mun.ca/hss/upcoming-undergraduate-courses/?subject=GEOG.

What it means to practice values-based research

Environmental scientist Dr. Max Liboiron ties principles of humility and accountability to research that respects people and their relationship with the land.

Click featured in an article “nature” to read.

MUN Geography Per Course Instructor Position Open

The Department of Geography invites applications from individuals interested in teaching the following undergraduate course in the Fall 2023 Semester (September 2023- December 2023) for Geography 2195 (Intro to GIS).

For more information please click here - PCI Geog 2195 Fall 2023 Semester

Doctoral Research

Memorial University Geography PhD Student
Maro Adjemian 

Discussed her doctoral research in collaboration with Atikamekw Nation Council on the Conversation through Reconciliation Partnership website.

Dean's Awards - HSS

An Annual Celebration of Success in HSS
A Fine Crowd 2023

Winners of the 2022 Dean’s Awards in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Geography are:

Pamela Murphy  – was awarded the Dean’s Award for Exceptional Service to the Faculty (Staff).

Keith Storey  – was awarded the William J. Kirwin Award for Research by Retired Faculty.

Congratulations on this great accomplishment!

Teaching Term Appointment: Department of Geography

Memorial University of Newfoundland's Department of Geography is seeking applicants for a 9-month teaching term appointment during the Fall 2023 and Winter 2024 semesters. Contract begins August 1 and on-campus teaching duties commence with the 2023 Fall semester.

The successful candidate will teach the following course configuration during the 2022-2023 academic year:

Fall 2023:

Geography 1050 (Geographies of Global Change)—2 sections
Geography 2302 (Economic Geography)

Winter 2024:

Geography 1050 (Geographies of Global Change)—2 sections
Geography 2302 (Economic Geography)

Please forward a curriculum vitae, a cover letter demonstrating evidence of effective teaching, and the names and contact information of three referees, to: Dr. Arn Keeling, Head, Department of Geography (akeeling@mun.ca), by May 15, 2023.

For detailed information, please click here
Teaching Term Appointment

Mark Earth Day on April 22

Dr. Josh Lepawsky
Department of Geography –

His capstone course "Geography in Action" was featured in the Gazette as part of Earth Day celebrations. The course partnered with MUN's Sustainability and Climate Action Office.

Blue Box Seminar

Blue Box Seminar Presents

Carissa Wasyliw
Geography MSc Candidate

Beyond Black Spruce: Alternate Trajectories in Subarctic Yukon

When: Friday, April 21st, 3-3:30 pm

Where: online https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82820660139?pwd=dGFTZkNDTkp6VmxqVHFaemZYNGs5Zz09 

Blue Box Seminar

Blue Box Seminar Presents

Dr. Deondre Smiles (Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe)
assistant professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Victoria, B.C. 

Dr. Smiles will speak on his current work which seeks to draw connections between the ways that Indigenous nations protect cultural resources
and what this might mean for Indigenous political and cultural sovereignty in an era of climate crisis.

Geographic Indigenous Futures Lab

 Please join us from the Webinar Link

Upcoming Undergraduate Courses

2023 Spring-Intersession-Summer Undergraduate Courses in Geography

Spring 2023 Undergraduate Courses

Blue Box Seminar

Blue Box Seminar Presents

Dr. Robert Briggs
Researcher, Ocean, Coastal and River Engineering group (NRC)

Chasing Your Passions: sensing ice for community, government and industry needs.

When: April 6th from 3-4pm

Where: SN2025

Blue Box Seminar

Blue Box Seminar Presents

Caitlynn Beckett
PhD Exit Seminar

Reclamation in Northern Canada: Confronting, Caring for and Living with the Legacies of Extractive Industries

When: Friday March 31st

Where: Join us remotely

Plastics vs. Land Protectors

Max Liboiron (Geography) 

Featured in the Telegram for their work investigating plastics pollution in Nunatsiavut and receiving the Killam Fellowship for their work.

Geography PhD sharing his love of the ocean with N.L. school children.

Workshops will share ocean opportunities with N.L. classrooms.

Simone Cominelli, the PhD student in Memorial’s Department of Geography share hands-on activities and a chance to better understand what is happening below the surface of our oceans.

Profiled in the Gazette for his outreach work with elementary & junior high students.

Blue Box Seminar Series

Blue Box Seminar Presents

Ellise Proctor & Hannah Kosick
MUN, Geography

Forest management alternatives to prescribed burning in Terra Nova National Park, NL 
Ellise Proctor

Drivers of change in the temperate-boreal forest refugium of Cape Breton Highlands National Park
Hannah Kosick

Blue Box Seminar March 24th 2023

When: Friday, March 24th, 3-4pm 

Where: Remote: Please use this link to join us

Cisco Webex Meetings

Killam Program recognizes Memorial Scholar

Dr. Max Liboiron, one of Memorial’s most inclusive interdisciplinary researchers,

is a recipient of a high-profile academic award:

National Killam Fellowship.

https://gazette.mun.ca/research/sharpening-focus/

Blue Box Seminar Series

Blue Box Seminar Presents

Dr. Katherine Side
Professor, MUN Department of Gender Studies

Making Borderscapes:

Place Making and Citizenship in
Mosney’s Transitions

The presentation highlights the site of Mosney in County Meath construction as a borderscape and its various relations to gendered citizenship.

When: Friday, March 17th, 3-4pm

Where: SN2025

Blue Box Seminar

Blue Box Seminar Presents

Dr. Steve Bonnell
Adjunct Professor, MUN Geography
Director, Impact Assessment Agency of Canada

50 Years of Environmental Assessment in Canada
Challenges, Changes, Lessons, Opportunities

This presentation will provide an overview of the EA process, the continued evolution of its nature and scope, and some key areas of on-going discourse - based on observations from my 25 years as an EA practitioner in Canada. 

When: Friday, March 10th, 3-4pm

Where: SN2025

Lab Manager Position at CLEAR Lab, Department of Geography

CLEAR lab, directed by Dr. Max Liboiron, Department of Geography, St. John's
Campus, is hiring for the position of full-time (35 hours/week) lab manager
with full benefits. Please see the complete position description here:
https://civiclaboratory.nl/2023/02/22/job-posting-ft-lab-manager/

Winner of Royal Canadian Geographic's Trebek Initiative Grant

Jenine Otto - Geography Grad student

Won a Royal Canadian Geographic’s Trebek Initiative Grant for her project: on reimagining housing policy to account for climate change across Inuit Nunangat.

Ms Otto's research contributes to our understanding of how storytelling can be used to bridge communication gaps between governments and communities to ultimately address urgent climate change priorities.

Per Course Instructor Spring 2023 Semester

The Department of Geography invites applications from individuals interested in teaching the following undergraduate course in the Spring 2023 semester (May - August 2023) for Geography 1050 (Geographies of Global Change).

For Ad, please click here PCI Spring 2023

Tolulope Victoria Akerele was the inaugural winner of HSS’s Three Minute Thesis competition for her pitch.

Mrs. Akerele, a PhD candidate in the Department of Geography, was the inaugural winner for her pitch, titled Building Inclusive Cities and Mobility Systems for Immigrants in Atlantic Canada.

First No. 1 (mun.ca)

Why Study That? Featuring Dr. Carissa Brown

Dr. Carissa Brown (Geography) won the 2022 President’s Award for Outstanding Research. Check out the unexpected things her lab is discovering about climate change impacts in the inaugral episode of Why Study That?

President's Award 2022 in Outstanding Research

Recipients of the President’s Award for the outstanding research for 2022:
Dr Carissa Brown and Dr Max Liboiron

President’s Awards for Outstanding Research were awarded to
Dr. Max Liboiron, Department of Geography, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences;
Dr. Carissa Brown, Department of Geography, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Below is the link to the YouTube video from the 2022 President’s Awards ceremony:
MUN President's Awards 2022 - YouTube
Go to the clip that starts at 17:02.

President’s Award November 30, 2022
The story on the Gazette:
https://gazette.mun.ca/campus-and-community/exceptional-and-exemplary-2/

Dr. Carissa Brown
Associate professor, Department of Geography, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, is recognized worldwide for research examining impacts of climate change and fire activity on tree distributions in the boreal forest.
She has led a circumpolar-wide synthesis of data on reproduction at treeline -- where forests transition to non-forested ecosystems -- which was published in the leading journal, Ecography.

Dr. Max Liboiron
Associate professor, Department of Geography, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, is a globally renowned Métis/Michif scholar and leading figure in feminist science studies, Indigenous science and technology, and discard studies.
At the forefront of plastic pollution research, Dr. Liboiron’s work has had a direct influence on national policy for plastic pollution.

MUN Research Week and Geography Awareness Week

The Department of Geography marked the beginning of the Memorial University's research week — and the end of Geography Awareness Week — by showcasing its research efforts through a floor map of Newfoundland and Labrador with researchers stationed at different parts of the province.

The successful Giant Floor Map event saw about 125+ visitors to the map at The Rooms on Sunday, November 20^th and CBC dropped by at the QEII library event on Monday, November 21^st.

You can find coverage of the Monday event on the CBC Here and Now program. Click on the November 22 episode and go to the clip that starts at 47:50.

See the web site story here.

MUN Geography students presenting their research work at The Rooms.

Pair of Geographers win President's Award for Outstanding Research

The President's Award for Outstanding Research recognizes young researchers who have made significant contributions to their scholarly disciplines. In 2022, 2 of its 3 recipients were in our Department of Geograpghy: Drs.Max Liboiron and Carissa Brown. Read more in the Gazette.

Blue Box Seminar Presents

Blue Box Seminar Series

Department of Geography Presents

November 25, 2022, Blue Box Seminar

Erin Pearson

MUN, Geography

Searching for climate change solutions in Newfoundland’s urban forests

Emi Husband

Northumbria University, UK

The formation and evolution of Caribbean coral reef islands

When: Friday, November 25, 2022 @ 3 - 4 pm

Where: SN 2025

Blue Box Seminar presents

Department of Geography Blue Box Seminar presents

Roza Tchoukaleyska
Schools of Science and the Environment, MUN Grenfell Campus
Dawn Pittman
Western Regional School of Nursing, MUN Grenfell Campus
Marie Louise Aastrup
Faculty of Business Administration, MUN

Building community-university partnerships on the Great Northern Peninsula.

Through this presentation, will introduce the Great Northern Peninsula Research Collective,
GNP-RC, a community-academic partnership, and will reflect on the role of the network in creating
durable research relationships that positively contribute to the local area.

When: Friday, November 18th, from 3 - 4pm

Where: SN 2025

Congrats to All Students Named to the 2021-2022 Dean's List!

Congratulations to all students named to the 2021-2022 Dean's List, as well as the Program Book Prize winners, and receipients of the Dean's Award for Academic Excellence, and the HSS International Student Excellence Award. 

Blue Box Seminar

Blue Box Seminar

Department of Geography Presents

Norm Catto

MUN, Department of Geography

Storms, Seas, Sensitivity, Sustainability. Coastal Newfoundland 2022

When: Thursday, November 10, 2022 @ 3 - 4 p.m.

Where: SN2025

Blue Box Seminar Series

Department of Geography Presents

Gregory Jeddore

Miawpukek First Nation

The Gateway: Indigenous-led conservation on Miawpukek
First Nation lands and waters

When: Friday, November 4, 2022 @ 3:00 pm

Where: New Core Science Facility, CSF1302

Blue Box Seminar

Geography Blue Box Seminar Presents

John Jamieson

Canada Research Chair in Marine Geology

When: October 28th, 3-4pm

Where: SN2025

Description: Deep-sea mining of hydrothermal vents: Who? Where? When? How? and Why?

Deep-sea mining of hydrothermal vents

Seafloor massive sulfide (SMS) deposits form at sites of “black smoker” hydrothermal vents on the seafloor. These deposits form in all ocean basins and are being targeted as potential sources for Cu, Zn, Pb, Au, and Ag. However, these deposits also host rare chemosynthetic-based ecosystems found nowhere else on Earth. In this talk, I will describe where these deposits form, how we find them, and the current state of the deep-sea mining industry. I will present the primary arguments in favor of and against the proposed exploitation of these deposits and offer some predictions for the future of this industry.

Per Course Instructor Winter 2023 Semester

MUN Geography Per Course Instructor Position Open

 The Department of Geography invites applications from individuals interested in teaching the following undergraduate courses in the Winter 2023 semester (January 2023 - April 2023) for Geography 1050 (Geographies of Global Change), Geog 2195 (Intro to GISciences), and Geog 3260 (Intro to GISystems).

 For ad, please click here PCI Winter 2023

Blue Box Seminar

Blue Box Seminar Presents

Lissandra Souto Cavalli
Postdoctoral Fellow, MUN

Ms. Cavalli will discuss occupational health and safety in aquaculture under Brazilian Perspective
and present some overview of risks and hazards, decent work, minorities and social organization of work, and some official and survey collected injury data.

When: Friday, October 21, 2022
Where: SN2025, 3 - 4 pm

Winter 2023 Courses

Geography Course Listing for the Winter 2023 Semester

Winter 2023 Courses Listing

Finding an elective has never been easier

The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) has hundreds of courses that have zero or one prerequisite. To make it easy for our students to find electives of interest, we have launched a searchable listing of electives that you can browse by semester and subject. 

Fall Welcome Session for New Students

On Sept. 6, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences is hosting a welcome event to help new students get started on the right track. At this interactive event, you'll hear from the Dean and Associate Dean of Curriculum and Programs, learn more about areas of study in HSS, and meet other HSS students! Register now: https://loom.ly/TTXWfYo

Per Course Instructor Fall 2022 Semester

The Department of Geography invites applications from individuals interested in teaching the following undergraduate courses in the Fall 2022 semester (Sept-Dec 2022) for Geography 1050 (Geographies of Global Change) and Geog 2195 (Intro to GIS).

For ad, please click here PCI fall 2022

HSS Commons Student Space Cozier Than Ever

When we think of university campuses, we picture lecture halls and labs. But what about a space for that time between classes? It is equally essential to have a comfortable space to study or kick back and relax between lectures. The newly refurbished Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) Commons, in SN-1107, offers HSS students such a space. Check out this Gazette article on why interim Dean, Dr. Craig, wanted to rejuvenate this space for students. 

Gradcolades 2022

In the last academic year, graduate students in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Memorial University won more than 40 awards, 40 grants, and 140 fellowships & scholarships. Additionally, they produced more than 40 publications and creative endeavours. Watch the video celebration of all this success.

More Mindful Mining

Department Head of Geography, Arn Keeling, is on the organizing and scientific committees for this month's Mining the Connections conference in Quebec. He says "the main goal is to connect researchers, community members, stakeholders, industry actors and others around the social aspects of mineral development for mutual exchange and learning.” The conference is another example of his ongoing efforts to improve the legacy of mining. Read more in the Gazette.

Geography Blue Box Seminar presents Dr. Thomas Froelicher, Marine heatwaves and ocean biogeochemical extremes: Key processes, changes and impacts

When:  April 1, 2022  3-4 pm

Where:  online https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84804173562?pwd=WHFsNnpnZ0V5ai9QdzlPTERBQ1Rvdz09

Blue Box Seminar

Who:    Sarah Martin (Political Science) and Charlie Mather (Geography)

When: March 25, 2022, 3:00 – 4:00 pm

Where:  online  https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84872527714?pwd=alNXeW93N3VkUmF0NDhIZ241ZERaZz09

Blue Box: PhD Exit Seminars – Friday, March 18, 2022

Candidate:  Mairi Miller-Meehan, PhD Candidate, Geography Department 

When: March 18, 2022, 3:00-3:30 pm

Where:  https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83219713031?pwd=UG9UODJ1a0NYVkFVNGVYRWNKOXUzZz09

Who: Geography Blue Box Seminar presents Dr. John Robinson, University of Toronto When: March 17, 2022, 3-4 pm Where: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/8967298556

Description: Regenerative Sustainability

Abstract:  Conventional approaches to sustainability focus mainly on the environmental dimensions and tend to adopt an approach oriented toward damage reduction and harm limitation. This presentation argues instead for thinking of sustainability as embracing both human and environmental wellbeing, and as aiming at outcomes that are net positive in both dimensions. Examples of such a regenerative sustainability approach will be given and some if its implications discussed.

About the author:  John Robinson is a Professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, and the School of the Environment, at the University of Toronto; an Honorary Professor with the Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability at The University of British Columbia; and an Adjunct Professor with the Copenhagen Business School.

At the University of Toronto, he is also Presidential Advisor on the Environment, Climate Change and Sustainability. Prof. Robinson’s research focuses on the intersection of climate change mitigation, adaptation and sustainability; the use of visualization, modelling, and citizen engagement to explore sustainable futures; sustainable buildings and urban design; the role of the university in contributing to sustainability; creating partnerships for sustainability with non-academic partners; and, generally, the intersection of sustainability, social and technological change, behaviour change, and community engagement processes.

Geography Blue Box Seminar presents Ken Paul, Maliseet First Nation at Tobique, New Brunswick, Canada (wolastoqew neqotkuk)

When:  March 11, 2022  3-4 pm

Where:  online https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82163409743?pwd=WE9XMmZyOE9OZHVVVWJUNXJTWmJIUT09

Description:    Issues between Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Western Science Systems

Abstract:  This talk will highlight some paradigms that have created the foundation of Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Western Science to highlight similarities, differences and efforts to pull both approaches together. There will also be an introduction of the 4-directions model for First Nations and explore concepts on why balance is essential in areas such as ocean and coastal management.

Geography Blue Box Seminar presents Dr. Roger Pielke Jr. Department of Environmental Sturdies – University of Colorado

When:  March 4, 2022  3-4 pm

Where:  online https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86588596629?pwd=VDhEVmlISXdKSmVISjRzUkZCME9aZz09

Blue Box Seminar: Towards a mechanistic science of global change: from cells to ecosystems and human well-being

Dr. Joey Bernhardt

NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow, Biodiversity Research Centre, UBC

3 - 4 pm | February18^th 2022

Towards a mechanistic science of global change: from cells to ecosystems and human well-being

Winter 2022 Course Offerings

Winter courses 2022

Huge congrats to professor Trevor Bell (Geography) for winning the Martin Bergmann Medal for Excellence in Arctic Leadership!

The Department of Geography would like to send out a huge congratulations to Dr. Trevor Bell on his winning of the Martin Bergmann Medal for Excellence in Arctic Leadership from the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. 

A link to the announcement can be found here.

Geography Department Publishes Research Report for 2020-21

The Geography department is pleased to announce the production of our fifth annual Research Report,, sharing the exciting research happening in the department with the wider university community and beyond!

Course offerings for Fall 2021

The course offerings for Fall 2021 have now been determined.Click here!

We are looking forward to welcoming all our majors and minors as well as all Geography course registrants “back to class” this fall. Below you will see our course offerings for the fall. As you will see, we have planned for a blend of remote offerings and in-person, on-campus courses. This both follows the university recommendations for large courses, but also aims to provide some choice for students as we all transition from fully remote delivery to more on-campus learning. There are remote and in-person courses available at every level (except first-year, which are required to be remote). A reminder that our second year core courses (with the exception of 2102) will all be offered again in Winter, so you can choose the semester you prefer to take them.

If you have questions about meeting your degree requirements and general registration issues, you can contact our undergraduate program co-ordinator, Norm Catto (ncatto@mun.ca) or email geog@mun.ca. If you have questions about specific courses, please contact the instructor listed. Have a great summer, and see you in the Fall!

For tentative Winter 2022 courses, click here.

FAQ: All Majors, Minors, Honours students

FAQ click here

HSS Researcher of the Month!

Dr. Yolande Pottie-Sherman is an assistant professor in geography at Memorial University of Newfoundland and co-lead of the Adaptive Cities & Engagement (ACE) Space, a research collective promoting social justice and inclusivity in small cities. She is an urban and political geographer who writes primarily about human migration.

Public Lecture

As Part of the George Story Distinguished Lecture Series

The Market for Human Rights: The Politics of Global Bottled Water Consumption within a Human Right to Water Framework

A Lecture by Dr. Raul Paheco-Vega

October 29 from 7-9pm

Bruneau Innovation Centre IIC 2001

Blue Box Seminar

This week's Bluebox will be by our very own Robert Deering presenting his PhD exit seminar so please come out to support him!

MUGS will be serving a new and improved selection of beverages after the talk.

September 30th 2019

3-4pm

SN-2025

In memoriam - Dr. Alan G. Macpherson

Memorial University’s flags will be displayed at half-mast on Tuesday, August 6, from 6 – 9 p.m. in remembrance of Dr. Alan G. Macpherson, professor emeritus, Department of Geography, who passed away on Oct. 26, 2018. A memorial reception to celebrate the life of Dr. Macpherson will take place in the atrium of the Bruneau Centre, St. John’s Campus, on Aug, 6. Details of the memorial, including RSVP information, can be found on the Google form: https://forms.gle/apnyWeybjavpSDV27. The online obituary can be found at: http://www.inmemoriam.ca/view-announcement-2358663-alan-macpherson.html.

New Horizons at L'Anse Aux Meadows

New archaeological information uncovered at L’Anse aux Meadows

Memorial University researchers have discovered a previously unknown archaeological layer at the L’Anse aux Meadows National Historical Site. While working about 30 metres from the 1,000-year-old Norse ruins at the very tip of Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula, Dr. Paul Ledger and his colleagues, including Dr. Veronique Forbes, encountered new evidence for human activity at the site. While the new location did not produce any culturally specific artifacts, archaeologists did discover charcoal and wood-working debris. Laboratory analyses also confirmed insect remains, including early records for beetle species assumed to be post-Columbian (1492) additions to the Canadian fauna. “We are still not sure what this new deposit is,” said Dr. Ledger, Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. “Its general character and microscopic content resembles Norse deposits elsewhere in the North Atlantic, but carbon dating indicates it dates from the late 12th to mid-13th century, after the Norse settlement.” This would suggest the deposit contains material left by the region’s Indigenous Peoples. Their findings are published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. View the full article online.

CLEAR launches documentary: GUTS- Does Recycling Matter?

Check out our new documentary showcasing CLEAR's feminist, anti-colonial plastic pollution science!  For link to the documentary, click here

Congrats to Jessica Hogan

Huge congratulations to former Master's student Jessica Hogan for being awarded Memorial's 2019 Rothermere Fellowship which will fund the full cost of her PhD studies at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland under the supervision of Dr. Charles Warren. http://bit.ly/2IUoskp

Fall 2019 course list

Geography course listing for the Fall 2019 semester: Undergraduate and Graduate

Blue Box Seminar

The next presentation in the Geography's Department Seminar Series will be a presentation by Quin Webber. He is a PhD student in the Cognitive and Behavioral Ecology (CABE) interdisciplinary program at MUN where he studies social behaviour and space use of caribou in Newfoundland. Prior to starting his PhD he completed his BSc and MSc at The University of Winnipeg where he studied bats.

Sn 2025

3-4pm

Feb 8, 2019

Senior Research and Teaching Fellow in Resource Sustainability and Coastal Community Development

The Department of Geography at Memorial University invites applications for a Senior Research and Teaching Fellow in Resource sustainability and coastal community development (regular term position, 3 years, non-renewable, Assistant Professor rank), subject to budgetary approval. It is intended for senior post-doctoral candidates interested in developing a teaching portfolio and research experience on topics related to economic and resource geography, coastal and ocean sustainability, fisheries governance, and community development. The position will be based at the Department of Geography in St John’s. The appointment is for three years, non-renewable, beginning on July 1, 2019 and will involve both teaching (limited load) and research.

What's SUP, anyway? Here's what you need to know about single-use plastics

Dr. Max Liboiron, a geographer at Memorial University in St. John's, studies the effect of plastics on the ocean and marine wildlife.

Of all the plastic the world throws away, half of it is just packaging. About 150 million tonnes of bottles, bags, cigarette butts, coffee lids, straws, Styrofoam containers and more all wind up being thrown out. Tonnes of that petroleum-based waste makes its way into the ocean, putting the marine environment and species at risk. Designed to be discarded in moments, single-use plastics have an afterlife that can last for centuries.

Single-use plastics — collectively known by the acronym "SUP" — are also called disposable plastics, because they're manufactured to be used just once. The most common types are plastic straws, grocery bags and water bottles, but they also include a lot of the materials you buy every day, and may not have noticed.

Blue Box Seminar

Lynda Collins, Professor with the Centre for Environmental Law & Global Sustainability at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law, will be giving a presentation called Strange bedfellows? The uncomfortable marriage between science and law in environmental decision-making. The seminar will be held from 12:00 - 1:00 pm in SN 2025.

Student Success: Emilie Novaczek

Emilie Novaczek came to Memorial for a master of science but was inspired to pursue a PhD in geography instead. Her experience with Dr. Devillers’ Marine Geomatics Research Lab introduced her to a research topic she could be passionate about and gave her an ideal learning environment in which she could thrive. She credits the strong relationships she built with her supervisors as the secret to her successful graduate student experience. Ms. Novaczek now studies seafloor mapping and marine biogeography, particularly how marine habitats change over time, and hopes her research will aid conservation planning.

Postdoctoral study opportunity

Applications are invited for a postdoctoral fellowship in marine forcast production, communication and implementation, funded through the Ocean Frontier Institute and based at Memorial University in St. John's, Newfoundland.  Learn more about this opportunity here. 

Blue Box Seminar

We have a special lunchtime Blue Box lecture next Wednesday (May 30th).

Marilyn and Olivia will be presenting their masters exit seminar: "There's no rhyme or reason to it!": Exploring Climate Variability Perceptions in NL Should be an interesting one! Hope to see you all there.

Congrats to Faith Ford

Congrats to Faith Ford on being this years recipient of the James Cook scholarship!

Blue Box

Friday, March 23, 2018

3-4pm Sn 2025

Hillary Bradshaw from MUN Environmental Science: Low Marine Plastic Pollution in Iqaluit, Nunavut.

and

Anna Crofts: The Case of the Missing Seed: biotic filtering of alpine treeline advance.

Blue Box

This week David Mercer from the MUN Map Library will be in to give his talk, Mapping the Royal Newfoundland Regiment at Gallipoli.

Sn 2025

3-4pm

Congratulations to Jenelle Pardy

Congratulations to Jenelle Pardy, winner for the 2018 Stuart Semple Scholarship.  The  Stuart Semple Scholarship is presented annually by Canadian Geographic Education, Royal Canadian Geographic Society, to a graduating student in Geography who will be pursuing an Education degree. Jenelle will graduate with a B.Sc. in Geography this spring, and will be pursuing a Bachelor of Education degree in the fall, as she works toward certification as an Intermediate/Secondary teacher of Geography. All of us congratulate Jenelle, and appreciate her commitment to Geographical Education!

Spring 2018 courses: Undergraduate and Graduate

Geography course listing for the Spring 2018 semester: Undergraduate and Graduate

Travel and Wine: South Africa

Join Charlie Mather and Cecile Badenhorst on a virtual tour of South Africa while sampling the region’s wines. What more could you ask for on a winter evening? This is a not-to-be-missed event, and tickets will go quickly. Pre-registration info is on the poster.

Bethany Downer, a recent Geography graduate, hopes to be Newfoundland and Labrador's first astronaut.

Newfoundland and Labrador’s Bethany Downer hopes to someday touch the stars she has studied!

World Fisheries Day Celebration

World Fisheries Day Celebration Tuesday, Nov. 21, 5-9 p.m. Bruneau Centre, Memorial University Join Too Big To Ignore – Global Partnership for Small-Scale Fisheries Research in celebrating World Fisheries Day 2017!

Perfect fit Newly minted master of arts graduate signs up for PhD

Originally from Regina, Sask., Caitlynn Beckett thought attending graduate school in St. John’s, N.L., would be a “fantastic adventure.”

Now about to graduate from Memorial with a master of arts degree in geography on Oct. 19, she is already enrolled in a PhD program in the same department. As an added bonus, she recently received an F.A. Aldrich Graduate Award.

SmartICE a recipient of the UN Momentum for Change Climate Solutions Award

Memorial University’s SmartICE project, headed by Dr. Trevor Bell, Department of Geography, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, has been named one of 19 recipients of the United Nations (UN) Momentum for Change Climate Solutions Award.

E-waste recycling in Palestine

Conference: "Adapting Heritage: Engage, Innovate, Rejuvenate!"

"Adapting Heritage... Engage, Innovate, Rejuvenate!"   St. John's, October 25-28, 2017

Small and Adaptive Cities 2017

This fall Memorial University will host the first-of-its-kind conference in Canada focused exclusively on small and medium-sized cities (SMCs) around the world. Urban scholars and professionals are invited to come together to St. John's, the capital of Newfoundland and Labrador, to present, learn, and discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the contemporary small city. We welcome research and projects on SMCs across four themes: equity and inclusiveness, sustainability and adaptability, policy and governance, and demography and immigration. To learn more and to register, visit www.munacespace.com/conference.

Ready and able: Temporary foreign workers can help solve labour gap in N.L.

Honourary Research Professor, Dr. Keith Storey, director of the Population Project, notes that demographic changes in the province will present some significant policy challenges in the coming years.

Blue Box Seminar

Caitlynn Beckett, MA Candidate
"Mine Closure and Community Engagement, A Case Study of Giant Mine, NWT”

and

Dr. John Sandlos, Department of History
"Warning Signs: Communicating with the Future at a Contaminated Northern Mine”

Friday, March 10
3-4pm
SN-2025

Andrew Arreak Is Helping Inuit and Arctic Researchers Work Together - Motherboard

A community-led project called Ikaarvik prioritizes traditional Inuit knowledge.

Blue Box Seminar

Blue Box Seminar Series Presents:

Public Dialogue on Social Licence to Operate

Dr. Arn Keeling (presenting) and Dr. Trevor Bell

AND

Ends of Repair

Dr. Josh Lepawsky and Dr. Charles Mather

Friday Feb 10, 3-4pm, Sn 2025

SmartICE awarded prestigious Arctic Inspiration Prize!

SmartICE, led by Dr. Trevor Bell of MUN Geography, is one of three projects awarded the Arctic Inspiration Prize at the ArcticNET meeting in Winnipeg.

Nature article featuring PhD student John-Michael Davis

Geography's PhD student John-Michael Davis' has his work highlighted in "Nature."  The article focuses on e-waste flows between Israel and the West Bank. 

New graduate study opportunities

Several geography faculty have announced fully funded studentships MA, MSc., and PhD programs, starting in Spring or Fall 2017. These opportunities include positions studying local immigration practices, place-based knowledge, community participation in mine remediation in Northern Canada, anthropocene and decarbonization and social licence and community planning in Newfoundland's aquaculture sector. Each of these positions comes with an attractive student stipend and exciting research opportunities. Learn more about these opportunities here. 

Blue Box Seminar Series presents "Hanging on the Edge of Extincition?"

Hanging on the Edge of Extinction? Managing the future of Limestone Barrens endemic plants to decrease the probably of extinction. 

Presentation by Dr. Luise Hermanutz, Dept. of Biology, Nov. 18, 3-4 pm, Sn-2025

Recent MUN Geography PhD, Michelle Porter has been long listed for the National CBC Poetry Prize!

Michelle's poem explores the topic of home and was composed during her dissertation research and writing on decolonizing notions of place and home in Canada.
 
Please join us in congratulating Michelle for this achievement and for bringing a spotlight on MUN Geo-Humanities research and writing.

Congrats to Prof Emeritus Ches Sanger!

Congratulations to Department of Geography, Memorial University's Prof Emeritus Ches Sanger on his nomination for a Saltire Award for his book Scottish Arctic Whaling.

Finding Food Workshop

You are invited to participate in a panel and workshop on local food policy taking place on Thursday, October 20 from 6:30 to 8:30pm in the Foran Room at St. John’s City Hall.

What matters to People

Protecting marine life, promoting sustainable resource development and addressing issues around climate change aren’t the only things that add up to safe and sustainable ocean development.

Congrats to the Dean's List recipients!

“Congratulations to Natalya Dawe, Stephanie Wright, and Christopher Dabon for their academic success in being named to the Dean’s List for Humanities and Social Sciences!”

Blue Box Seminar Series Presents "Revitalization and capitalization of heritage landscapes"

Presentation by John Norman from Bonavista Living & Bonavista Creative.  Friday, Sept 30th, 3-4pm, Sn-2025.

Advancing Ocean Exploration and Discovery

Memorial is celebrating a milestone that will see researchers and graduate students from multiple disciplines undertake some of the world’s most ambitious research aimed at unlocking the secrets of the North Atlantic.

Refugees, Migration, & Arrival by Water: A Public Symposium marking the 30th anniversary of the rescue of Tamil refugees

On August 13th, 2016, from 10:00am to 12:00pm, the Canadian Tamil Congress and the Geography Department at Memorial University invite you to attend a ‘Refugees, Migration, and Arrival by Water’ Symposium at the Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland.  

Congratulations to Steve Bonnell

Former MUN Geography Grenfell undergraduate and St. John's graduate student, Steve Bonnell, recently successfully defended his PhD dissertation in geography at the University of Dundee, the topic of which was "Strategic Environmental Assessment: Its Potential Adoption and Use in Corporate Strategic Planning and Decision Making."

Steve Bonnell is currently Environmental Assessment Practice Leader at Amec Foster Wheeler in St. John's.

SmartICE project takes on climate change

Trevor Bell, geography professor, is the lead investigator of the SmartICE project in the Inuit-controlled region of Nunatsiavut in the north of Labrador, which will see a new system combining traditional ice knowledge with the latest technology in satellite tracking and ice sensing equipment. 

Launching "Guardians of Eternity"

You are invited to join Arn Keeling and John Sandlos for the St. John’s launch of “Guardians of Eternity,” the collaboratively produced documentary film by France Benoit about the toxic legacies of Yellowknife’s Giant Mine. This free screening is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 26, 7 p.m., SN 2109. Parking for this event is available in Lot 15B.

Dr. Bruce Braun: Geography's Visiting Researcher

Dr. Bruce Braun, Professor at University of Minnesota, will be visiting the department this week as part of our Scholarship for the Arts Speaker Series. 

Dr. Stuart Kirsch: Geography's visiting speaker

Dr. Kirsch will speak about the intersections of scholarship and activism this week as he visits Memorial as part of the Scholarship in the Arts speakers series.

Canadian Northern Studies Trust Scholarship winners

Geography’s Jeanette Carney and Merran Smith each recently were awarded a Canadian Northern Studies Trust Scholarship.  The awards, sponsored by the Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies, encourage research and provide experience for graduate students in Canada’s North.

New Opportunities for Graduate Study

We are pleased to announce three new fully funded graduate study opportunities for an interdisciplinary, STS-driven project on Action-Research Methods for the Anthropocene.

Geography Department Faculty and Staff Members Celebrate 100 Years Combined Service in 2015

Four faculty and staff in the Geography department recently reached landmarks in years of service at MUN. Charlie Conway (pictured) has worked with the Geography Department for 35 years.

Geography’s Trevor Bell featured in cover story of latest issue of Luminus

Trevor Bell is featured in the cover story (and wrote the last word) in the Winter 2015 edition of Luminus, Memorial's alumni magazine.

Our Recent Award Winners

MUN Geography is pleased to recognize our most recent graduate award winners!

Dr. Lance Morgan, President of the Marine Conservation Institute, to Visit the Geography Department Next Week

Dr. Morgan will participate in a number of activities within the department, the faculty-wide Arts on Oceans program, and a workshop organized by the Marine Institute. His Arts on Oceans talk, “Quest for healthy seas: a lasting future for people and marine life” is part of the Scholarship for the Arts Speaker Series. Dr. Morgan will also speak in the Geography Department’s Blue Box Seminar Series; both events are free and open to the public.

Geography's John-Michael Davis awarded SSHRC PhD Fellowship

John-Michael Davis, currently doing his PhD under the supervision of Drs. Yaakov Garb and Josh Lepawsky, has been awarded a PhD Fellowship through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Dr. Donald Forbes Talks about the Martin Bergmann Medal

Dr. Donald Forbes, 2014 recipient of the Martin Bermann Medal, visited the Geography Department within days of the receiving this recognition of "excellence in Arctic leadership and science."

Dr. Keith Storey's Research on Fly-in/Fly-out Jobs Covered by CBC

Dr. Keith Storey, an Honorary Research Professor with the Department of Geography, recently shared a paper at the 4th Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec Mining Forum; his research was covered in a CBC article on the future of fly-in/fly-out (FIFO) work arrangements.

Dr. Keith Storey's Research on Fly-in/Fly-out Jobs Covered by CBC

Dr. Keith Storey, an Honorary Research Professor with the Department of Geography, recently shared a paper at the 4th Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec Mining Forum; his research was covered in a CBC article on the future of fly-in/fly-out (FIFO) work arrangements.

The 2WSFC was a Resounding Success

We are happy to report on the success of The Second World Small-scale Fisheries Congress (2WSFC) and to acknowledge the major role that Memorial University, and in particular the Geography Department, contributed to the event's realization.

Award winners at the Atlantic Division of the Canadian Association of Geographers

Memorial University's Geography Department hosted a joint meeting of the Atlantic Canadian Association of Geographers and the Canadian Remote Sensing Society (Atlantic Region).  Congratulations to our award winners!

Geography students shine at Science Faculty Prize Giving

Robert Deering and Piers Evans were recognised for their excellent work at last week's Science Faculty Prize Giving

MUN Geography represented at Arctic-FROST meeting in Alaska

Geography PhD candidate Rudy Riedlsperger presented at the annual meeting of Arctic-FROST at the University of Alaska Anchorage. 

MUN Geography represented at Arctic-FROST meeting in Alaska

Geography PhD candidate Rudy Riedlsperger presented at the annual meeting of Arctic-FROST at the University of Alaska Anchorage. 

Information Session for Spring Harlow Programme

There will be an information session for everyone interested in finding out more about “Consuming Cultures: From Field to Plate,” a new food studies program to be taught in Harlow during Intersession 2015. 

Visualizing Transboundary Shipments of E-waste

How are the international trade and traffic of electronic waste organized? New interactive maps available from the Reassembling Rubbish project help answer that question. The maps allow users to click on a country and find out which other countries report importing e-waste from it.

Canadian Astronaut Jeremy Hansen visits Memorial University Geography Department

Major Jeremy Hansen, an astronaut with the Canadian Space Agency, was a guest speaker at the Department of Geography.

Study finds marine-protected areas tend to be leftovers from extractive uses

A paper co-authored by Memorial University’s Dr. Rodolphe Devillers and an international group of researchers argues that established global marine protected areas (MPAs) are too often a case of all show with no substance and do not adequately protect the most vulnerable areas of the world’s oceans.

Study finds marine-protected areas tend to be leftovers from extractive uses

A paper co-authored by Memorial University’s Dr. Rodolphe Devillers and an international group of researchers argues that established global marine protected areas (MPAs) are too often a case of all show with no substance and do not adequately protect the most vulnerable areas of the world’s oceans.

Vincent Lecours recipient of the 2014 ESRI Canada GIS Scholarship Award

Vincent Lecours, graduate student in the Geography department, has been awarded one of the ESRI Canada GIS Scholarship Awards.

MUN Geography Major Studies in Antarctica Over Christmas Holidays

Third year Geography student Caitlyn Baikie spent her Christmas holidays in Antarctica studying the impacts and management of tourism in the region.

MUN Geography Major Studies in Antarctica Over Christmas Holidays

Third year Geography student Caitlyn Baikie spent her Christmas holidays in Antarctica studying the impacts and management of tourism in the region.

Carissa Brown to address Women in Science and Engineering

Carissa Brown is the featured presenter at next week's  Women in Science and Engineering Newfoundland and Labrador (WISE-NL)-Statoil Speaker Series.

Blue Box Seminar Series: Evan Edinger

This week's Blue Box presentation is by Dr. Evan Edinger (MUN Geography and Biology). 

Memorial graduate research featured on Nunavut Government website

Memorial geography master’s program graduate Tara Cater’s research on mining and development is having an immediate impact on communities and decision-makers in Nunavut.

This week's Blue Box Seminar

The final Blue Box Seminar of the semester takes place today.

Fly-in/Fly-out: Community tensions and planning approaches in Canada and Australia

Fly-in/Fly-out is now common practice among resource sector workers. However, transient workers may be a cost to host communities through their use of infrastructure and services and contribute little to community development.  Addressing these problems is the focus of this research.

Climate Change and Energy in Atlantic Canada with David Suzuki

The Department of Geography, along with the Newfoundland & Labrador Environmental Network (NLEN), is pleased to announce an evening with David Suzuki on November 23^rd.   The event will close our annual Geography Awareness Week activities, and will include a screening of a documentary on climate change in Atlantic Canada followed by a panel discussion with local climate experts.  All proceeds from the event will be donated to the NLEN.

Congratulations to Geography scholarship recipients

Congratulations to the Geography undergraduate students who are receiving scholarships for the 2013-14 school year.

Climate Change and Energy in Atlantic Canada with David Suzuki

The Department of Geography, along with the Newfoundland & Labrador Environmental Network (NLEN), is pleased to announce an evening with David Suzuki on November 23^rd.   The event will close our annual Geography Awareness Week activities, and will include a screening of a documentary on climate change in Atlantic Canada followed by a panel discussion with local climate experts.  All proceeds from the event will be donated to the NLEN.

Congratulations to Geography scholarship recipients

Congratulations to the Geography undergraduate students who are receiving scholarships for the 2013-14 school year.

Three of our own participate in the Harris Centre Coast of Bays Regional Workshop

On October 22, two Geography graduate students, Chris Baird and Sharmane Allen, and post-doctoral fellow Easkey Britton travelled to the south coast of the Newfoundland to participate in the Harris Centre’s Coast of Bays Regional Workshop.

Geography graduate student Beth Cowan recognized for excellence

Over the past couple of months Beth Cowan (BSc Dalhousie, 2012), a second-year MSc student in Geography at Memorial University, has been earning awards for her hard work and creativity.

Geography graduate student Beth Cowan recognized for excellence

Over the past couple of months Beth Cowan (BSc Dalhousie, 2012), a second-year MSc student in Geography at Memorial University, has been earning awards for her hard work and creativity.

Kyle White, Honours Geography Student awarded Economic Development Legacy Award

Kyle White is this year’s recipient of the Economic Developers Association of Canada Student Legacy Scholarship for outstanding contributions to Economic Development in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Blue Box Seminar Series: Ryan Gibson

The first talk in our Blue Box Seminar Series will be given by Ryan Gibson, a PhD candidate in the department. 

Kristen Lowitt successfully defends her PhD thesis

Kristen Lowitt, a student in the Interdisciplinary Programme at Memorial University, successfully defended her PhD thesis on Friday the 13^th of September.  Kristen was co-supervised by Barbara Neis (Sociology) and Charles Mather (Geography) and her thesis examined the intersections of community food security and fisheries restructuring in the Bonne Bay region on Newfoundland’s west coast.

Geography Department releases research report for 2012-13

The Geography Department's first research report was released last week. The report covers the period 2012-13 and was produced as part of the Provost's Scholarship in the Arts programme. 

Long-range climate projections to assist climate adaptation in the province

The Province of Newfoundland & Labrador has released a summary of climate projections for the province, prepared by the Department of Geography’s Dr. Joel Finnis. 

Long-range climate projections to assist climate adaptation in the province

The Province of Newfoundland & Labrador has released a summary of climate projections for the province, prepared by the Department of Geography’s Dr. Joel Finnis. 

Geography Speaker Series: Hugues Lantuit

The final speaker in the Geography Speaker Series is Dr. Hugues Lantuit (Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research & University of Potsdam). He will be speaking about "Arctic coasts in a changing climate" on Friday, May 24 at 3:00 p.m. in SN 2025. The abstract can be found at the end of this post.

Geography Grads shine at the annual Aldrich Interdisciplinary Conference held in St John’s

Several geography graduate students presented papers at the annual Aldrich Interdisciplinary Conference held in St John’s in April this year, and two were award winners!  

Geog 3907 celebrates end of semester with a potluck

Students in Geography 3907: Globalizing Food Systems  finished the semester with a class potluck featuring foods from near and far.  From toutons and molasses to guacamole, the students each contributed a dish to share.

Geography Speaker Series: Michael Woods

Dr. Michael Woods, Professor of Human Geography and Director of the Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences at the University of Aberystwyth, joins us this week for the final presentation in the Geography Speaker Series this semester. He will be discussing "Grounding Global Challenges and the Relational Politics of the Rural" on Friday, April 5 at 3:00 p.m. in SN 2025.

In memoriam: Dr. William F. Summers

Dr Bill Summers, the first Head of Geography, passed away yesterday at the Veteran’s Memorial Caribou Pavilion in St. John’s. He is survived by his many children, grandchildren, and great grandchild.

MPs visit St. John's campus to discuss marine biodiversity

NDP MPs Ryan Cleary and Jack Harris came to Memorial last month to meet with researchers involved with the Canadian Healthy Oceans Network. 

Blue Box Seminar Series: Rachel Hirsch

This week's Blue Box Seminar will be presented by Dr. Rachel Hirsch, a postdoctoral fellow at the Labrador Institute. She will be discussing "Building connections for community resiliency: Working together to implement and evaluate a youth-hunter mentoring program in Nain, Nunatsiavut" on Friday, March 8 at 3 p.m. in SN 2025. 

Ratana Chuenpagdee provides keynote speech at Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute meeting

Dr. Ratana Chuenpagdee was a keynote speaker at the most recent annual meeting of the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI),  an organization that promotes information exchange on marine resources use and management through the organization of an annual meeting devoted to technical presentations and workshops on issues relevant to marine resources in the Gulf and Caribbean region.

Economic Geography position

The Department of Geography is currently seeking applications for a tenure-track position in Economic Geography. The deadline for application is March 29, 2013. 

Geography Speaker Series: Lawrence Hamilton

Dr. Lawrence Hamilton (University of New Hampshire) is joining us this week as part of the Geography Seminar Series. He will be discussing "Integration of Social and Natural-Science Data" on Friday, March 1 at 3:00 p.m. in SN 2025. Click on the "read more" button to see his abstract.

Geographers get engaged

Drs. Trevor Bell and Kelly Vodden will be participating in Engage Memorial, a week of events launching Memorial's new Public Engagement Framework, February 12th - 15th, 2013. They will be giving workshops on Wednesday, February 13, as part of Lessons from the Field, a day-long series of workshops focussed on practices of public engagement.

Geographers get engaged

Geography Speaker Series: Danika van Proosdij

The Geography Speaker Series continues on Friday with a presentation by Dr. Danika van Proosdij, Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at St. Mary's University. She will be discussing "Vulnerability of dykelands in the Bay of Fundy to climate change" on Friday, February 8 at 3:00 p.m. in SN 2025.

Carly Sponarski to present at the Geological Survey Winter Seminar Series

Geography PhD student Carly Sponarski will help kick off the Geological Survey Winter Seminar Series on Thursday, January 31. She will be presenting a paper co-authored with Drs. Alistair Bath (MUN; Geography) and Jerry Vaske (Colorado State University) entitled "Using Potential Conflict Index to understand attitudes towards wildlife: A case study using human-coyote interactions". The talk will be held in the basement cafeteria of the Natural Resources Building, starting at 3:00 p.m.

Geography Speaker Series: Heather Castleden

Congratulations to Alistair Bath

Blue Box Seminar Series: Joel Heath

Joel Heath (University of British Columbia) is the first Blue Box seminar speaker this semester. He will be discussing "Dynamics of winter sea ice and ecology in Hudson Bay: impacts of hydroelectric developments" on Tuesday, January 15 at 1:00 p.m. in SN 2025.

Upcoming meeting of the NL section of the Geological Association of Canada

The annual Spring Technical Meeting of the Newfoundland and Labrador Section of the Geological Association of Canada will be meeting at the Johnson GEO Centre next month.

Upcoming meeting of the NL section of the Geological Association of Canada

Geography Speaker Series: Sharron A. FitzGerald

Dr. Sharron A. FitzGerald from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München joins us this week as part of the Geography Speaker Series. She will be discussing "Securitisation through vulnerability: Human trafficking, sexuality and extraterritoriality’" on Friday, November 30 at 3:00 p.m. in SN-2025.

Geography Speaker Series: Sharron A. FitzGerald

Geography lecturer elected CRRF President

Ryan Gibson, lecturer in the department, was elected President of the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation in Olds, Alberta.

Charting the Canadian North: Seabed mapping along the coast of Baffin Island, NU

Grabbing ‘Green’: Questioning the Green Economy

Memorial Geography well represented at Atlantic Conference

Memorial students were among the record-high 114 participants at the Annual Meeting of the Atlantic Division of the Canadian Association of Geographers. With topics ranging from cultural and physical geography, presentations were a learning experience for both audience and presenters.

Steve Sutton presents on marine protected areas in Australia

Steve Sutton from the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, at James Cook University in Australia is presenting a seminar this Friday on marine protected areas and the response of commercial and recreational fishers in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

An ill wind good news for Memorial geographers

While the debris from Leslie remains piled in parks and yards in through St. John's, Dr. Trevor Bell and Maggie Danek of the Department of Geography have used tree falls to further lead research. Follow the link for more.

An ill wind good news for Memorial geographers

TA Position Available

Job Opportunities, Fall 2012

Geography Student's Climate Adaptation Research Highlighted

Beatrice Frank successfully defends her PhD dissertation >

Residential soil analysis in St. John’s reveals elevated levels for 10 metals

A collaborative approach to food security in Labrador

A piece in the latest MUN Gazette highlights Dr. Rachel Hirch's research on Labrador food security. Dr. Hirsch is a postdoctoral researcher with the Geography Department, working through the Labrador Institude.

Avalon Field School: Meeting March 6th

Dr. Norm Catto will be leading a one week field school this August. This is an excellent opportunity to explore the Avalon Peninsula, while gaining experience with field research methods. An info meeting will take place Tuesday, March 6 at noon (SN2000). Visit the News page for more information.

Avalon Field School: Meeting March 6th