Laurels by The Geography Faculty & Staffs

  • Deshonay Dozier – Winner of the 2021 American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Award

Dr. Deshonay Dozier was awarded the 2021 American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Award for its Project Development Grants program. Her research project is entitled “Contested Development: A Poor People’s Movement for a Better Los Angeles, 1930s to 2020.” Now in its fourth year, this ACLS program offers flexible support to faculty at teaching-intensive colleges and universities whose research projects will significantly advance humanistic studies and interpretive social sciences. Projects awarded grants for the 2021-22 academic year represent schools from across the country and a wide range of subject materials, disciplines, and methodologies, reflecting ACLS’s commitment to inclusive excellence.

  • Hyowon Ban Awarded 2021 Korea Hydrographic and Oceanographic Agency Research Grant

Dr. Hyowon Ban, collaborating with Dr. Hyo Hyun Sung (PI) at Korea Seabed Information (KOSBI), Inc., South Korea, was awarded a grant funded by the Korea Hydrographic and Oceanographic Agency (approximately $191,600) to work on a project titled “2021 Standardization of Marine Geographical Names and Promoting Awareness.” The project aims for developing a guideline about the marine geographical names of South Korea 1) to produce the GEBCO World Map of the International Hydrographic Organization, and 2) to enhance the existing marine geographical names of South Korea in selected international web portals. Also, Dr. Ban will lead research to spatially analyze and visualize the semantic uncertainty of the marine geographical names by using GIScience in this project.

  • Geography Professors Linna Li and Hyowon Ban Awarded 2020 ORSP Multidisciplinary Research Grant

Drs. Linna Li and Hyowon Ban, collaborating with Dr. Shuhua An and Dr. Jyotsna Pattnaik in the College of Education, were awarded an ORSP Multidisciplinary research grant to work on a project titled “Improving STEM Education by Integrating Geospatial Technologies into K-8 Mathematics Curriculum.” With the guidance and coaching of the faculty research team, preservice teachers will develop age-appropriate geospatial technology (GT) integrated activity modules for the K-8 mathematics curriculum and will test them out in selected elementary classrooms in Los Angeles County. A mixed-method design will be adopted to assess the change in preservice teachers’ knowledge of GT integrated math education and the K-8 students’ math learning skills before and after the adoption of the modules. This will be one of the first studies to utilize geospatial technologies as a major media to teach computational thinking and mathematics in K-8 classrooms in a fun, visual, and meaningful learning environment. Funding will be available for graduate students with skills in GIScience, data collection, data analysis, surveys, and focus group interviews.

  • Hyowon Ban Awarded 2020 Korea Hydrographic and Oceanographic Agency Research Grant

Dr. Hyowon Ban, collaborating with Dr. Hyo Hyun Sung at Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea, was awarded a grant funded by the Korea Hydrographic and Oceanographic Agency, South Korea (approximately $233,000) to work on a project titled “2020 Standardization of Coastal Feature Names and the Informing.” This project aims for 1) national notification of the standardization and international registration of the coastal feature names; 2) effective and systematic management of the coastal feature names through publication; 3) outreach activities including K-12 learning programs of coastal feature names, research of databases for global coastal feature names, and support for activities in international organizations; and 4) successful hosting of an international symposium of coastal feature names. Among the four items, Dr. Ban will lead the research of databases for global coastal feature names in item 3. 

  • Geography Professor Gary Hytrek Awarded LB Community Foundation Grant

On May 6, 2019, the Long Beach Community Foundation awarded Gary Hytrek and the CSULB 49er Foundation a grant to fund a four-week, no-cost leadership development and capacity building program.  The focus of this program will be to accelerate civic engagement by connecting and empowering historically disenfranchised residents to critically analyze community challenges, and to mobilize and organize these residents to protect and revitalize their communities.  Initial activities including a community outreach are currently underway.  Nice work Gary!

  • CSU Long Beach Geography Department Receives AAG Honorable Mention for Masters Programs

Our own CSULB Geography Department received the 2019 Honorable Mention for MA/MS Program Excellence Award from the American Association of Geographers (AAG), runner-up to Western Michigan University. We were nominated by our Regional Division, the Association of Pacific Coast Geographers, one of nine regional divisions in the AAG. Up to two programs from each division may be nominated.  Our Geography Department received the Honorable Mention for both our MS in Geographic Information Science and MA in Geography programs.

The AAG Program Excellence Award is now entering its fifth year and recognizes geography programs granting masters-level as the highest degree. Congratulations to our faculty and students in the MA and MSGISci programs!

  • Professor Laris Receives 2018 President’s Award for Outstanding Faculty Achievement

Congratulations go out to Professor Paul Laris who was recently selected as a recipient of the inaugural President’s Award for Outstanding Faculty Achievement.  This award is presented by President Conoley to professors who have been recognized as having truly meritorious achievements over the past five years.  Dr. Laris, as well as awardees from other colleges, will be formally recognized and celebrated at the Convocation and at other events during the coming year.

  • Geography Professor Gary Hytrek Quoted in LA Times Article about New Long Beach Civic Center

Geography Professor Gary Hytrek was recently quoted in an LA Times article about the new civic center currently under construction in downtown Long Beach. Dr. Hytrek, who specializes in urban and social geography, shared his thoughts about the impact that the new civic center will have on tourism and about the changes that have taken place in downtown Long Beach in recent years. The article, titled “Long Beach civic center is getting a $900-million makeover that’s a model for other cities” appeared in the February 17th issues of the LA Times and can be read in full at the following link http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-long-beach-civic-center-20180217-story.html.

  • Geography Lecturer Scott Winslow Featured in Inside CSULB

Geography lecturer Scott Winslow was recently featured in Inside CSULB for the great work that he is doing to help expand the Geography department’s utilization of Unmanned Aerial Systems (also commonly known as UAVs or drones). The article discusses both how the Geography department is working to take full advantage of this promising new technology and the role that Scott is playing in this process. Read the full article here

  • Professor Christine Jocoy Comments on Role of Geography in Quantifying Homelessness in CityLab Article

In the May issue of the The Atlantic’s CityLab newsletter, an article titled “The Tech That’s Changing How Cities Help the Homeless” features a 2012 commentary by Dr. Jocoy regarding the benefits and limitations of Point In Time (PIT) counts of homeless population in US cities.  To see the full text of the article, please click on this link: The Tech That’s Changing How Cities Help the Homeless.  Additional information can be found in the October, 2012 CityLab article The Hidden Cost of Counting the Homeless.