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Penn State has launched its first cancer-related Story Map, “The Story of Cancer in Central Pennsylvania.” The interactive geospatial map illustrates the extent of the cancer problem in the region. It also highlights patient navigators who help people overcome barriers to cancer care and action steps to help address cancer in the community.

Using a browser-based software called Esri ArcGIS Online, the Story Map pairs geospatial data with text and multimedia content. It allows viewers to drill down to population and cancer data at the county and sub-county levels.

The Department of Geography at The Pennsylvania State University invites applicants for a tenure-track assistant professor position in Climate Variability and Change, to join the physical geography group. Applicants should have the potential and desire to collaborate with colleagues across disciplines who are engaged in understanding how climate change reshapes physical and human environments. Candidates will contribute to the Dual-Title Doctoral Climate Science program within the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. Excellence in teaching, research, and service is expected, as is the development of an externally funded research program.

To apply please upload: 1) a letter describing how your interests would integrate with the teaching and research programs within the department, 2) a curriculum vitae, 3) up to four reprints, and 4) the names, addresses, and contact information of four potential referees. Review of applications will begin October 5, 2018, but applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

Questions about the position should be directed to the search committee chair: Dr. Andrew Carleton: e-mail amc7@psu.edu. Please do not email documents or completed applications to this address as they will not be considered.

The Department of Geography at The Pennsylvania State University invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position at the assistant or associate professor rank. We seek an established scholar whose research and teaching contributes to the area of Environment and Society as a subfield of Geography. Areas of investigation could include water, sustainability, health, urbanization, social justice, globalization, global environmental change, political ecology, planning, or governance. 

A Ph.D. in Geography or a related field is expected at the time of appointment. It is expected that applicants in related fields will demonstrate how their work will fit within a diverse Geography department. Excellence in teaching, research, and service is expected, as is the development of an extramurally funded research program.

Applicants should upload the following materials to the web link listed below: 1) a letter describing how they would contribute to the Department’s research and teaching program; 2) a complete curriculum vitae; 3) a maximum of five reprints; and 4) the names and addresses (including e-mail) of three references. All materials must be submitted electronically. Review of applications will begin October 8, 2018, but applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Applications from women and under-represented groups are encouraged.

Questions about the position should be directed to the search committee chair, Dr. Brian King, Department of Geography, The Pennsylvania State University, 302 Walker Building, University Park, PA 16802; Phone: (814) 865-2612; E-mail: king@psu.edu.

As the 2016 presidential election was heating up, the statistical news website FiveThirtyEight released a projection map asking what if only women voted.

The map, sent out in a tweet by FiveThirtyEight founder Nate Silver, quickly went viral on social media and was viewed millions of times. That viral cartography event, and what quickly followed, is the subject of research conducted by Anthony Robinson, assistant professor of geography at Penn State.

The map spawned a series of copycat maps, many of which also went viral. They range from serious offshoots along racial lines, “What if Only People of Color Voted,” to silly, “What if Only Goats Voted,” to the hard-to-verify, “What if Only Taxpayers Voted.”

Visitors to Penn State’s locations statewide will find it easier to navigate their way around campus with the launch of new, enhanced online maps.

Growing up can be hard no matter what a family's circumstances, but it is often more so for children living in the Kyrgyz Republic in Central Asia, one of the poorest countries in the world, known for its dry environment, high mountains, nomadic culture and animal-husbandry heritage.

Brookelynn Constant was about halfway into her 10-year career as a data analyst for the U.S. Department of Defense when she enrolled in a master’s program through Penn State World Campus.

Constant, who always wanted to squeeze graduate school into her busy schedule, took advantage of the online-learning format for the master of geographic information systems (GIS) as a way to elevate her leadership role with the U.S. Defense Department.

Morocco's food landscape has been undergoing a major shift: Obesity is on the rise while traditional, healthy food is becoming more scarce.

Penn State geography researcher Bronwen Powell wants to know what’s driving these trends. To do that, she and her team are on the ground in Morocco investigating how different foods end up in markets and how community members view those foods.

The next time you see your favorite collegiate athlete on the field or court, think again about their road to getting there.

That is something Clio Andris, assistant professor of geography at Penn State, has spent the past several years piecing together. Her findings were published in The Professional Geographer.

Plastic bottles. Kitchen bags. Toys. Medical devices. Each year, mankind produces more than 320 million tons of plastic — roughly the same weight as all of humanity itself put together.

“Think about that,” said Denice Wardrop, professor of ecology and geography at Penn State. “Every year we recreate humanity in plastic.”