Department of Geography News — Summer 2024
Message from the Chair
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
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
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
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.