Congratulations to Sydney Clements for successfully defending her dissertation, which is titled: Distributing Equity: An Analysis of Existing Food Hub Distribution Models in Connecticut.
Author: Rich
Prof. Dan Wanyama featured in UConn Today article about GIS Training and Conservation
Assistant Professor-in-Residence Dan Wanyama and a group of his closest friends and colleagues have collaborated to share their expertise with sustainability and conservation scholars and specialists in Africa. They developed a free advanced Geographic Information System (GIS) training program that is attracting interest from around the globe.
The full story can be found here: today.uconn.edu/2025/09/snapshot-a-unique-collaboration-helps-boost-conservation-with-gis-training
Prof. Debs Ghosh invited to give colloquium at UMass Amherst
Prof. Debs Ghosh is invited to give a colloquium talk at the Department of Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences, UMass Amherst, on Friday, Sept 19th.
The title of her talk is “Listening to Communities, Measuring Inequities: A New Index of Structural Racism and Discrimination”
Congcong Miao: Using StreetView images for transport safety research
Google Street View images are digital snapshots of real streets, widely used for navigation and urban planning. Congcong Miao, a PhD student in GSCU, recently published a study in Journal of Transport Geography analyzing how people’s perceptions of street design affect transport safety. The study suggests emotional reactions to streetscapes can lead to non-motorist crashes and could help cities predict danger zones and design safer roads.
The study has been covered by several media outlets, including State Smart Transportation Initiative (SSTI) and Streetsblog USA.
Peter Chen receives Climate, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Award
Congratulations to 
Peter Chen for receiving the UConn College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (CLAS) 2025 Climate, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategic Goals Award. Peter’s work leading DEI programs funded by CLAS have been examples for efforts he is now leading at the Graduate School.
This award is well deserved. We thank you for your leadership.
UConn geographers active at the 2025 AAG conference
GSCU faculty and students were very active at the 2025 AAG conference in Detroit. Below are some notable items from UConn geographers.
Awards and Competitions
- Shahriyar Parvez received the AAG Marble Fund Award for Innovative Master’s Research in Quantitative Geography
- Shahriyar Parvez placed 3rd for AAG Cyberinfrastructure Specialty Group (CISG) Robert Raskin Student Competition
- Ailing Jin was a finalist in the Health and Medical Geography Peter Gould student paper competition
- Arunima DasGupta was a finalist in the Health and Medical Geography Peter Gould student paper competition
- Yunhe Cui was a finalist for the J Warren Nystrom Dissertation Award
Specialty Group Election Outcomes
- Yoo Min Park was elected to serve as an at-large board member for the Health & Medical Geography Specialty Group
- Sabina Bhandari was elected to serve as student board member for the Health & Medical Geography Specialty Group
- Samuel Ayivi was elected to serve as student board member for the Energy Environment Specialty Group
GSCU students receive 2025 UConn SURF Awards
Congratulations to GIS major Katherine Patrick and UCS minor Rafe Kimball for each receiving a 2025 Summer Undergraduate Research Fund (SURF) Award.
Katherine will work with faculty mentor Dr. Dan Wanyama on a project titled: Proposing Spatially Explicit Land Suitability Models for Orphan Crops to Support Food Security Initiatives in East Africa.
Rafe Kimball will work with faculty mentor Dr. Phil Birge-Liberman on a project titled: Examining The Perceived Nutritional Environment in the North End of Hartford.
The SURF program is jointly sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Research, the Provost’s Office, the Office of the Vice President for Research, the Honors Program, donors to the university, and the Deans of the Schools and Colleges.
GSCU Graduate student awarded 2025 AAG Marble Fund Award
Congratulations to Shahriyar Parvez for earning a 2025 AAG Marble Fund Award for Innovative Master’s Research in Quantitative Geography.
This award recognizes excellence in academic performance for the best research in quantitative geography leading to the Master’s degree.
Read more about the Marble Fund Award on the AAG website.
Dr. Peter Chen: Enriching Mentorship to Ensure Success in Grad School
The Graduate School has developed the Network for Enriched Mentorship (NEM) program to provide individualized mentorship for graduate students. GSCU faculty member Dr. Peter Chen is now directing the program. The story is featured on UConn Today.
Thanks to the GSCU graduate student Elaina Hancock for writing the story.
UConn Students Compete in Sustainability Challenge
UConn and Fort Hays State University competed in Werth Innovation for Sustainability Challenge. Two teams of students, one from UConn and one from Fort Hays State University, pitched their sustainability-focused start-up business plans to address food waste in the second Werth Innovation for Sustainability Challenge held on Nov. 2 at UConn.