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Department of Geography

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Department of Geography News — Summer 2024

 

Message from the Chair 

Headshot of Jerry Mitchell

 I have witnessed 20 years of activity in this department as a faculty member and an earlier 4 years as a graduate student in the mid-1990s. The people who make up our department — those here now and those who have left — have always been curious, hard-working, and adventurous in their own way. It is an exciting view as Chair to see so many do so well as you’ll read here about two of our students and one faculty member. Another joy is being the first one to offer congratulations when accolades are bestowed. Let me highlight three recent accomplishments for our undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty, as examples.
 
First, Kate Barnwell, a 2023 undergraduate, received an Erasmus Mundus scholarship that will allow her to continue graduate work at the University of Copenhagen and the University of Padua. When we say that geography can give you the world, well, here you have it.   
 
Next, Jill Thornton, a current doctoral student, received the Alexander Murphy Dissertation Award to support her doctoral research. Anything named after our good friend Alec is a prestigious nod, indeed.
 
Finally, Susan Cutter, professor and co-director of HVRI, was recently elected to both the National Academy of Science and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Like me, you may be wondering what took so long! These two honors in back to back weeks are truly extraordinary.
 
That’s a good word to end on: extraordinary. USC Geography’s research, teaching, and service is just that. Thank you for supporting us on this mission.

— Jerry Mitchell,  professor & department chair


Undergraduate Alumni Spotlight —  Ansley Brock 

Headshot of Ansley Brock

 Ansley Brock will graduate in December 2024 with a bachelors in geography and minors in Islamic World Studies and International Studies. Her focus has been in human geography, specifically refugee studies and political geography. She is the Vice President of Partnerships for Gamecocks Aiding Refugees in Columbia and the President of the Arabic Language and Culture Organization. Geography has allowed her to explore a wide range of topics ranging from water resources to global food politics.
 
Ansley has worked at the South Carolina Department of Public Safety as a Program Assistant in the Criminal Justice Grant Programs. At the Department of Public Safety, Ansley analyzes new government bills, writes reports to be reviewed by the federal government, and assists subgrantees in their applications. She loves connecting with law enforcement agencies and solicitor’s offices in South Carolina and helping them receive the resources they need.
 
After graduation in December 2024, Ansley plans to attend law school to study immigration law. She is passionate about helping refugees and asylum-seekers have better lives and believes law is the most practical way to do so. She especially hopes to work with refugees from the Arab world and utilize the Arabic she has learned. Ansley holds the Department of Geography in high regard for how it equips students for a wide range of fields and opportunities.


Graduate Alumni Spotlight — Bri Ferguson Barrineau

Headshot of Bri Barrineau

 Bri Barrineau (M.S. Geography, 2020) attended the University of South Carolina from 2018 to 2020. Originally from all over the place, Bri settled in Houston in middle school. She attended Texas A&M University and worked as a Geospatial Analyst in the investment banking sector before attending USC for her master’s. 
 
While at USC, she assisted in research within the WINDLab. Her thesis research project investigated the role of coastal dune vegetation on aeolian transport and dune morphology. Throughout the program, Bri received several accolades including the Rhude Patterson Fellowship, the Masachi Award, and the American Association of Geographers' Norb Psuty Student Paper Award . 
 
In Spring 2020, Bri used her interest in environmental management/planning to begin work in the aviation field, where she began as a Planning Support Specialist at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport. She has since dovetailed that experience as an Aviation Planner for a local civil engineering firm (WK Dickson & Co., Inc.), where she has been happily employed since Fall 2021. She creates 20-year forecasts of aviation activity for airports of all different sizes, using this information to create phased plans for airfield development based on the latest FAA guidance. She also helps clients by formulating municipal ordinances for airspace protection and compatible land use and assists with varying types of site suitability/alternatives analysis. 
 
In 2023, Bri completed all the requirements for her American Institute of Certified Planners license through the American Planning Association. Last year, she was also appointed as a Richland County Airport Commissioner, where she serves on the advisory board for Jim Hamilton–L.B. Owens Field Airport (CUB). She and her husband spend their free time exploring all things outdoors, playing with their beloved fur-babies, getting crafty, gardening, and reading. Both are proud Rosewoodians and USC Geography MS Alumni—if you see them out and about, say “Hey!”


Faculty Spotlight — Dean Hardy

Headshot of Dean Hardy

 Dean Hardy is an Assistant Professor jointly appointed in the School of Earth, Ocean, and Environment and the Department of Geography. The core of his research examines how climate change exacerbates issues of environmental justice with a particular focus on how these issues relate to increased coastal flooding under rising seas. More broadly, his research spans from assessing the move from public to private conservation in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina to examining processes that produce social inequities and vulnerability from local to global scales. He applies mixed methods in his research including spatial analyses, interviews, and participant observation.
 
Currently, Dean has several ongoing research projects including one in coastal Georgia where he is examining increasing flood risk under climate change for a Saltwater Geechee community. At this location, he serves as an Affiliated Investigator with the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems Long-Term Ecological Research Program funded by NSF. And, as part of conducting anti-racist and community-based social science research, he is an Advisory Board member to the UGA Cornelia Walker Bailey Program on Land and Agriculture, an organization that seeks “to address important questions on the history, present status, and future of agriculture, property politics, and related issues” at this site. Additionally, he and colleagues at Mississippi State University recently received an NSF EPSCoR RII Track award to examine resilience to climate change in marginalized communities of the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta Region. Dean also serves on the Governance Committee for the Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center hosted by NC State.
 
Dean teaches several courses on environmental science, water, and coastlines. He strives to bring critical social theory on environmental justice, urban development, and the politics of the environment into his teaching to guide students toward a better understanding of how the world operates as a complex web of interactions between the environment and society.


Support Our Mission 

USC’s Department of Geography is successful in part due to the generous support of our alumni and friends. Your donations fund scholarships, student research travel, and the incoming graduate student field experience among others. If you’d like to help support our geography students and programs, you can visit our Giving page.

College of Arts and Sciences 

As an alum of the Department of Geography, you are also part of the university’s College of Arts and Sciences. To connect with the College and other departments, visit the college’s home page or read the college’s latest news. 


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