Student Work
Weston Brinkley first came to the UO from Seattle, Wash., because Eugene was far enough from home to allow him to “go away” for school, but also because UO was big enough to have so many learning opportunities that he could study anything he wanted.
He ultimately decided on a double major in economics and geography in order to delve into the world and the circumstances that define a location. “I thought it would be a good background [that] could be applied in a variety of ways in many fields,” he says.
“I have always been interested in geography,” Brinkley says. “I love places and maps and facts.”
Brinkley worked as a research assistant for professor Don Holtgrieve on a series of professional and academic projects. Brinkley was also an assistant for professor Susan Hardwick, where he did original research, worked with Hardwick on a paper that they published together, and finally presented the final paper at the Association of Pacific Coast Geographers annual meeting in 2006.
It was the prospect of finding a major that would let her be outside as much as possible that drew senior Katie Argo to UO. “I knew about the program,” she says. “It’s a great program.”
Argo worked in assistant professor Daniel Gavin’s lab as a research assistant for one term. She collected, measured and then cross-dated tree-ring samples, which aided Gavin’s research on forests’ response to climate change.
“It was a great experience,” she says. “It let me create my own project.” Her research project, which she is working on as a part of her honors in geography, centers her own research on tree rings and how they are affected by climate and environmental changes. She completed her research in the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest near the Blue River in Oregon.
“I like geography because it teaches you to question the world in ways others don’t,” says Alexandra Marcus. “It’s so inclusive and is very interdisciplinary.”
During her three years at UO, Marcus has spearheaded the formation of an on-campus section of Gamma Theta Upsilon, the international geography honors fraternity. In addition, she helped set up and facilitate a series of movie nights—but instead of simply watching a movie, these groups watch a disaster movie then have it dissected by a guest speaker. Movies like The Day After Tomorrow and Dante’s Peak were discussed last year, with each guest speaker explaining why events would or would not occur in the way the movie suggested.
“You can do all sorts of things with geography,” Marcus says. She explains that you are not limited: If you are interested in science, geography offers you plenty of opportunity to delve into the lab and research. Or, if you are interested in human interaction, you can explore international conflict, mediation and the migration of people. “It depends on what you want to do,” Marcus says. “You can relate geography to anything.”
Selected Faculty Work
ProfessoAssociate professor Peter Walker focuses on social, political, and economic factors that shape human relationships with the environment and landscapes. His regional interests are in the western U.S. and southern Africa.
Assistant professor Amy Lobben’s research interests include behavioral geography, cartographic research methods, and visualization. She investigates spatial abilities, tasks, strategies, and processes affecting and used in navigational map reading and use. She hosts a weekly Spatial Cognition Research Group where students discuss their own current and future research and writing projects.
Career Prospects
Geography has many applications in the "real world." You might decide to do research or become a teacher. You might decide to apply your mapping skills to a career in architecture, city planning, or environmental activism. The knowledge you will have gained is valuable in the travel industry as well as politics. Your background will allow you to evaluate polls, demographic studies, and other geographic data. Geography touches upon so many different fields it can lead you places you never would have imagined.