The Towson Compass

From the Towson University Department of Geography and Envrionmental Planning

Student News

February 21, 2012

Students Float to the Top of the Geography Bowl

The Annual Conference of the Middle Atlantic Division (MAD) of the Association of American Geographers (AAG) took place at the end of October. MAD is an excellent way to hear what others in the region are working on, to share your work whether undergraduate, graduate, or faculty member, and to support our local geography community.

 At the paper session on the first morning, Towson was introduced in an interesting way by Martha Geores, out-going president of MAD and professor of geography, University of Maryland-College Park: “Jeremy Tasch is here from Towson University. Towson will participate after a long hiatus in tomorrow’s Geography Bowl. We are happy to have Towson back and look forward to their participation.” This was followed by a call from the audience, “And we’re going to crush Towson in the Bowl.”

Friday afternoon included paper presentations by undergraduate students, and a panel discussion as part of the AAG’s “EDGE Project.” Enhancing Departments and Graduate Education in Geography (EDGE) is attempting to enhance the preparation of geographers for professional careers in education, business, government, and nonprofit sectors. Jeremy has been a contributing participant in this program for a year and a half.

Friday afternoon’s panel included representatives from state, federal, and military branches of government, faculty, and one TU student, Alex Stapleton. Although the panel was there to discuss opportunity and diversity in geography, it consisted entirely of white males in jackets and oxford button-ups. Part of the additional irony was that the panel followed Audrey’s discussion of social justice.

Five students represented Towson in the Geography Bowl on Saturday morning. The team consisted of Eddie Cronin, Louis Heying, Ashton Kundrick, and David Marin (all undergrads), as well as Mike Strong, a graduate student. Three other universities sent teams:  UMCP, Salisbury State, and George Washington University.  Towson lost the team competition (three out of four), but we did well individually.  Two students, Mike Strong and Ashton Kundrick, were among the top scorers and will be part of the MAD team at the national Geography Bowl at AAG meeting that will be held in New York in February

 

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February 21, 2012

Geography Internship through Towson University

By Charles Meyer

An internship through Towson University can be a great learning opportunity for students in search of alternatives to classroom learning.  In the Fall, I am interned in the GIS and Research Department at MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate. This experience has afforded me the opportunity to learn GIS tools and techniques that are specific to the real estate industry.  It is a unique blend of local economic analysis and utilization of the technical skills of GIS.  This internship has given me a good look into the professional environment of GIS. It has also presented the opportunity to think critically and make decisions without much oversight; it is a real chance to sink or swim without the safety net of the classroom setting. 

In order to be a competitive intern in the GIS field you must have a strong eye for detail and a good work ethic.  The combination of these attributes will go a long way in separating you from other interns.  Overall the intern experience will be a fun learning experience that provides you with perspective not available in the classroom.