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Administrative
Assistant
Adjunct Faculty
Members 
Michael Pretes,
PhD
(Assistant Professor) Education: BA ~ Political Science, 1984, University of California-Berkeley MA ~ Political Science, 1986, Northwestern University PhD ~ Geographical Sciences, 2006, Australian National University Research Interests: Economic development, geography of finance, political geography, cultural geography, tourism and recreation Regional Specialties: Australia, Pacific Islands, North America, Arctic Why did you choose geography as your career? Because I am interested in everything. If you combine economics, politics, anthropology, and ecology you end up with geography. Besides a college professor, what other professional jobs have you held? I’ve worked as a consultant for indigenous peoples’ organizations in Australia and Canada, and as a consultant for the governments of the Yukon Territory and Northwest Territories in Canada and the Murmansk Province in Russia. I have been a research associate at the Arctic Institute of North America in Canada, the Arctic Centre in Finland, and the Centre for the Contemporary Pacific in Australia. More recently, I worked for the Village Enterprise Fund, a non-profit foundation concerned with supporting microenterprises and reducing poverty in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
Justin L. Hart,
PhD
(Assistant Professor) Education: BS ~ Environmental and Earth Science, 2002 ~ University of Memphis MS ~ Geography, 2004 ~ University of Alabama PhD ~ Geography, 2007 ~ University of Tennessee Research Interests: Biogeography, Forest Dynamics, Riparian Environments, Natural Resource Management Regional Specialties: US South Why did you choose geography as your career? I was curious about earth systems and human-environment interactions. I wanted a discipline with breadth and one that would provide an opportunity to spend time outside. Geography was the perfect fit. Besides a university professor, what other professional jobs have you held? I have been involved with environmental and outdoor education throughout my academic training. I was the Environmental Education Coordinator for the University of Alabama Arboretum. I served as a NSF Graduate Fellow on the University of Tennessee Earth Project where I integrated active research in environmental and earth science into middle school curricula through laboratories, hands-on activities, and demonstrations. In addition, I worked as an outdoor outfitter for over seven years. All class information for Dr.
Hart is found on his website. |
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William R. (Bill) Strong, PhD
(Professor and Chair) Education: BA ~ Anthropology, 1966, University of Texas MS ~ Geography, 1969 ~ University of Texas PhD, Geography, 1979 ~ University of Texas Research Interests: Geography education, cartography, map interpretation, aerial photography, history and philosophy of geography Regional Specialties: Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America Why did you choose geography as a career? My roommate in college was a geographer, and he told me I had to take one geography course before I graduated [in Anthropology]. So I did. The rest is history Besides being a college professor, what other professional jobs have you held? I was a freelance cartographer for books and magazines, a cartographer for the Texas highway department, and the Geographer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society. All class information for Dr. Strong is found in BlackBoard.    |
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Research Interests: Hazards research, disaster recovery analysis, remote sensing, economic geography, disaster monitoring, GIS, web development, good practices in university teaching, active learning, distance education and on-line teaching
Regional Specialties: South and Central America, Asia, United States
Why did you choose geography at your career? I majored in geography because I wanted to do what Aristotle told Alexander, to "Go and see." Geography allowed me to understand what was actually on the surface of Earth, what I was seeing, and why it was there.
Besides a college professor, what other professional jobs have you held? I was a cartographer for several publications, a Systems Analyst for Intergraph Corporation (Huntsville), a Remote Sensing Scientist for Teledyne Brown Engineering (Huntsville), the GIS Manager and Business Developer for DBA Systems (Virginia), and a GIS consultant to Exxon Corporation (Houston).
All class information for Dr. Keys-Mathews is found in BlackBoard.
Research Interests: Physical geography, urban planning, participatory GIS
Regional Specialties: Africa, US
Why did you choose geography as your career? I chose geography as my career because I am very interested in the environment and my surroundings. I was also fascinated with places and wanted to learn about them.
Besides a college professor, what other professional jobs have you held? I was a high school teacher (geography and history); I was a GIS technician at West Virginia University Technical Center and I was a research assistant for the UCGIS/HUD sponsored Urban Indicators Program.
All class information for Dr. Koti
is found on his website.
http://www2.una.edu/ftkoti/
Research Interests: Physical geography, Geographic Information Systems, remote sensing, low-cost air photo systems, field mapping
Regional Specialties: Europe and US
Why did you choose geography as your career? It chose me. I wanted to know why the world looks like it does. I then started looking at remote sensing images and fell in love with it.
Besides a university professor, what other professional jobs have you held? I was a high school science teacher, a GIS consultant and researcher, GIS Director at CRRL and a system administrator and director of the NASA Affiliated Research Center at Oregon State University.
All class information for Dr.
Gaston is found on his website.
http://www2.una.edu/gggaston/
