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This semester we welcomed Dr. Bharat Rastogi to our faculty as a new Assistant Professor. Dr. Rastogi’s research focuses on examining the role of CO2 emissions on climate change and impacts on a variety of territorial ecosystems. We had a busy semester that included three job searches for new faculty and transitioning Isaac Rivera’s Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship for Faculty Diversity to a tenure track Assistant Professor position in our department. Dr. Rivera, featured in this newsletter, will join the Department of Geography as a new faculty member in August 2024.  Additional new hires, include Katherine Siegel, who will join the Department of Geography in fall 2024, focusing on environmental data science, and Dr. Federico Andrade-Rivas, a health geographer focusing on global environmental health and human well-being, and will join our faculty in the fall of the 2025 academic year. We are also in the process of hiring a new Assistant Professor in Physical Geography.

This semester we also hosted two groups of first year CU undergraduate students involved in the Miramontes Program at CU-ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ through their Science Bound program. One group was interested in learning more about Physical Geography and GIS, and the other group was interested in Human Geography and Environment-Society relations. We hope to continue these types of outreach programs in the future to grow our undergraduate majors.

Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee initiated several new programs this semester. The first program, which we will continue, incorporate holiday traditions from different cultures that are celebrated by some of our faculty, staff, and students. In February we celebrated Lunar New Year, featured in this newsletter, and in April we celebrated Nowruz, a Persian New Year celebration. These events offered the opportunity for faculty, students, and staff to learn about these holidays and participate in hands-on-activities such as dumpling making for Lunar New Year, and egg decorating for Nowruz. 

The DEI committee organized a two-day inclusive pedagogy workshop that was facilitated by . This workshop provided an overview of inclusive practices for all aspects of teaching, and practical hands-on activities for faculty to implement in their courses. In addition to this program, we implemented a tutoring program for undergraduate students, provided by graduate students, Alek Berg, Taylor Johaneman, and Nic Tarasewicz, and George Charisoulis.

This June 8-9, 2024, we are hosting an Alumni and Friends of Geography Celebration that will include an open house in Guggenheim, Cocktail Party followed by Dinner at Chautauqua on Saturday, and then a field-visit to the Mountain Research Station on Sunday. 

In closing, I would like to congratulate all of the students who graduated this semester. We are proud of you and wish you all the best in your future pursuits.

Warm Regards,
Jennifer Fluri