Geography more than the map

By JOSH NEWTON
Staff Writer

TAHLEQUAH DAILY PRESS November 18, 2008 11:13 am

— Northeastern State University Department of Social Studies Chairman and Professor of Geography Chuck Ziehr has a slogan: “Everything happens somewhere, for reasons, and with consequences.”
That, he says, is why geography matters. And during Geography Awareness Week, experts in this field of study encourage others to consider the world around them, from the next-door neighbor to parts of the Earth they may never experience.
Geography is a study of the human and physical environment and the interactions between the two at a particular location – something that has dominated news in recent years, from Islamic schisms American troops encounter in the Middle East; the location of continents on the map and how they impact climate change; and even how the U.S. should deal with Russia, a country not far from the coast of Alaska.
“Geography integrates social and environmental sciences to answer some of the most pressing questions of our time,” said NSU Associate Professor of Geography Lallie Scott. “How will climate change affect society? Has globalization led to increasing inequality? How do land-use changes, such as deforestation, impact food security?”
This field plays an important part in global conflict between humans, said NSU Professor of Geography John A. Milbauer.
“Wars stimulate an interest in geography, and we are fighting two,” said Milbauer. “To deal with conflicts, we must understand the salient features of the regions in question. These include language, religion, natural resources, economic development, and location on a map.”
In honor of GAW, NSU on Monday hosted Dr. Richard Marston, head of geography at Kansas State University, and will host other guest speakers the rest of the week. Marston spoke on land, life and environmental changes in the Himalayas. But even with one topic on the mind, he stretched into the broader depth of geography to explain its importance.
“You need training not just in physical or social sciences, but both,” said Marston. “The environmental problems we face today are too complicated to address on our own. We have a better chance at coming up with the right answer in the end if we collaborate.”
Geography, he said, allows people to be part of something bigger than themselves. “I think the only thing that fills you up in life is helping other people,” said Marston. “You can use geography to do that.”
While traveling and studying different regions, Marston has learned one thing that holds true to each expedition.
“Most of my studies have turned out different than I first predicted,” he said. “[The earth] is more complicated than we previously assume. We have to go out and get our boots muddy to find the answers. When we find a link between a cause and effect – a cause and a problem – we cannot assume the same linkage exists somewhere else.”
Scott said geography is more than learning about places on a map, but instead about viewing life in a larger context. “Geography is the key to ethical citizenship in a democracy,” said Scott.
Ziehr said most research areas, jobs and careers deal with something with a location, be it a customer, resource, client, river, culture or road.
“Understanding why those things are located in those places and not another, and why they interact with other places in the natural and human environment, is often important in solving, managing resources, and making a profit,” said Ziehr. “Things in particular locations for particular reasons have consequences for global issues, businesses and the environment.”
Milbauer believes America’s interest in the rest of the world is minimal, though it “might increase a bit in times of conflict.” To fix that, and to bring more interest in the world to students, Americans should be required to take at least one class in the geography field, he said.
Scott said there’s a huge demand, and small supply, for people trained in geospatial technologies like Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), and the use of satellite images in monitoring the earth.
“There’s a huge job market for geography majors and we are not filling it,” she said.
There’s a never-ending list of career possibilities for those who focus on geography. The U.S. Department of Labor has noted that geospatial technology is one of the hottest career paths.
“We don’t know enough about the world,” said Scott. “The world has become increasingly complex, so we need to know more than ever before.”
Ziehr said that while a stronger grasp of global knowledge in the U.S. should have improved over the past few decades, it really hasn’t changed much to keep up with the times.
“The opportunity to know more about the rest of the world has never been greater, with the Internet, Google Earth, satellite images, and extensive TV news coverage,” said Ziehr. “But unfortunately, much of the general public does not take advantage of these opportunities to improve their knowledge of the world in a systematic way.”

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