Geography Awareness Week: November 14-20
Say “geography” to most people, and they think about trying to locate countries on a map or globe. But that’s only scratching the surface, according to Kelly Frothingham, associate professor and chair of the Geography and Planning Department.
“Geography is about the interaction between human beings and their environment,” said Frothingham. “It’s not just about places, but about people’s movements from one place to another.”
This year, National Geography Awareness Week will be observed from November 14 to 20.
“The global freshwater crisis is the theme this year,” said Frothingham. “It has been said that twentieth-century conflicts were about oil; twenty-first century conflicts are expected to be about water.”
On campus, Geography Awareness Week will be celebrated with a kick-off event on Tuesday, November 16, at 12:15 p.m. in Upton Hall 230. Winners of the geography photo contest, which began in October, will be announced. The award-winning documentary FLOW: For the Love of Water will be screened on Tuesday, November 16 at 7:00 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center East. The film explores the privatization of freshwater resources in a thirsty world. Admission is free.
In keeping with this year’s theme, members of the college community are invited to take part in the 3.7-Mile Walk for Freshwater to be held on Thursday, November 18, at 12:15 p.m. Participants will walk the same distance that people—mostly women—travel to obtain freshwater in the developing world. The walk begins in the Student Union Quad and circles Hoyt Lake.
Participants will ask for sponsors to raise funds for Pong Nam Rong Village School, which serves pre-school to high-school hill-tribe students in a remote and impoverished jungle area of northern Thailand.
In January, Kim Irvine, professor in Geography and Planning, will lead ten Buffalo State students to Thailand on a field course. The students, who are helping to coordinate the walk, will use the funds raised from the walk to present the school with supplies, laptops, and money for lunches.
An understanding of geography is an asset to students in many different disciplines, according to Frothingham. “As globalization progresses,” she said, “understanding the complex relationship between people and place, and the impact of movement of people from one place to another over time, becomes essential to understanding geopolitics, global economics, and cultural changes.”
“Geography is about the interaction between human beings and their environment,” said Frothingham. “It’s not just about places, but about people’s movements from one place to another.”
This year, National Geography Awareness Week will be observed from November 14 to 20.
“The global freshwater crisis is the theme this year,” said Frothingham. “It has been said that twentieth-century conflicts were about oil; twenty-first century conflicts are expected to be about water.”
On campus, Geography Awareness Week will be celebrated with a kick-off event on Tuesday, November 16, at 12:15 p.m. in Upton Hall 230. Winners of the geography photo contest, which began in October, will be announced. The award-winning documentary FLOW: For the Love of Water will be screened on Tuesday, November 16 at 7:00 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center East. The film explores the privatization of freshwater resources in a thirsty world. Admission is free.
In keeping with this year’s theme, members of the college community are invited to take part in the 3.7-Mile Walk for Freshwater to be held on Thursday, November 18, at 12:15 p.m. Participants will walk the same distance that people—mostly women—travel to obtain freshwater in the developing world. The walk begins in the Student Union Quad and circles Hoyt Lake.
Participants will ask for sponsors to raise funds for Pong Nam Rong Village School, which serves pre-school to high-school hill-tribe students in a remote and impoverished jungle area of northern Thailand.
In January, Kim Irvine, professor in Geography and Planning, will lead ten Buffalo State students to Thailand on a field course. The students, who are helping to coordinate the walk, will use the funds raised from the walk to present the school with supplies, laptops, and money for lunches.
An understanding of geography is an asset to students in many different disciplines, according to Frothingham. “As globalization progresses,” she said, “understanding the complex relationship between people and place, and the impact of movement of people from one place to another over time, becomes essential to understanding geopolitics, global economics, and cultural changes.”
Media Contact:
Mary A. Durlak, Senior Writer | 7168783517 | durlakma@buffalostate.edu