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Intro to Physical Geography
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Research Interests: water resources in Florida and California , climate change, and the historical geography of landscape change.
Department of Geography
Minnesota State University
7 Armstrong Hall
Mankato, MN 56001
Phone: 507-389-1610
FAX: 507-389-2980
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Ph.D. in Geography, October 1993; Urban and Regional Planning, minor (focus on zoning, natural resources, and environmental law). Dissertation Topic: Changes in Landscape Form and Function in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta , California : 1920-1993.”
University of Georgia : M.A. Geography, June 1986. Thesis topic: “Radiation Fog and Its Impact on Transportation in Sacramento County , California .”
California State University , Chico : B.A Geography, Agricultural Business, minor May 1984. Graduated Summa Cum Laude
Assistant Professor, 1993-1995, Promoted to Associate 1996, then Full Professor 2000, Minnesota State University , Mankato. Elected Chair 1999-2002 Re-elected 2002-2005.
Teaching Associate, Semester II. 1991-92, University of Illinois . Responsible for preparing twenty-eight course lectures, three examinations, final grades and supervising nine sections of 100 level weather and climate labs.
Teaching Assistant, 1988-93, Univ. of Illinois ; 1985/86, University of Georgia . Taught weather and climate laboratory sections. Conducted four sections of 25 students, prepared exams and administered grades.
Research Assistant, 1990-1991, University of Illinois , Collected and analyzed outdoor lighting in the United States 1895-1990. Emphasis on technological change, implementation of street lighting plans, and the recognition of American cultural trends.
Land Use Planner, 1986-1988 (full-time), Contra Costa County Community Development Department, Martinez , California . Assisted in the processing of land use permits, general plan amendments and environmental impact reports for sanitary landfills, a solid waste transfer station, and a toxic waste incinerator. Evaluated and set conditions for subdivisions and commercial developments and staffed the Delta Advisory Planning Council (a five county inter-agency policy forum).
Member, Board of Directors and Recycling Aide, 1980-1984, Butte Environmental Council, Chico , California . Board duties included formulating a market plan for buying used newsprint, negotiating labor pay and benefits and explaining recycling benefits at public events and to locally elected officials. Recycling Aide: serviced and recruited supplies of used cardboard for recycling.
University of Illinois , Outstanding Teaching Award: 1990, 1991, 1993
Fred Foster Fellowship in Geography, 1989
Gamma Theta Upsilon: National Undergraduate of the Year, 1984
“Climate Change: Length of Growing Season in the US Corn Belt, 1911-2000,” (under review at the Ohio J. Science), with Pam Miller and Jose Lopez.
“The Black Hills : Sketches of a Western Landscape,” Focus 46:4 (2002) 22-28.
“From Salina , Kansas to Taos , New Mexico : “The 1936 Travels of Geographer George J Miller Revisited Sixty Years Later,” Focus 46:3 (2001) 21-28..
“What’s Changed: Assessing CRP,” with Heidi Buskol, Jose Lopez and Kurt Haroldson, Geo-Spatial Solutions 11:6 (2001) 22-23.
“Variation of the Koppen C/D Climate Boundary in the Central United States During the 20th Century,” with Phil Suckling, Physical Geography 21:1 (2000), 38-45,
“From the Dust Bowl to the Middle 1990’s: Small Towns in Kansas Experience Changes in Their Landscapes and Economies over Six Decades,” Small Town 29:5 (1999), 22-27.
“Landscapes and Literature: A Look at the Early Twentieth Century Rural South,” Journal of Geography, 97:4/5, (1998) 204-212.
“Constructing a Multi-Year Geographic Data Base: A Case Study of Farm Program Lands in South Central Minnesota ,” with Mayumi Kaneko, Heidi Buskol and Kurt Haroldson, Geo-Info Systems, 8:6 (June 1998) 22-27.
“Gentile Perceptions of Salt Lake City : 1849-1870” Geographical Review, 87:3, (1997), 334-352.
“A Climatological Analysis of the Koppen Dfa/Dfb Boundary in Eastern North America, 1901-1990,” with Jeff Kienholz, Ohio Journal of Science, 97:3, (1997) 53-58.
“The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta: Initial Transformation into a Water Supply and Conveyance Node, 1900-1955,” Journal of the West, 35:1 (1996), 44-53.
“Land and Water Policies in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California ," Geographical Review, 84:4 (1994), 411-423.
"Landfill Siting and Abandoned Coal Mines in Contra Costa County , California ," California Geographer 32 (1992) 1-18.
"Fog Climatology of the Sacramento Urban Area," Professional Geographer, with Philip Suckling, 40:2 (1988), 186-194.
"Winter Fog and Air Transportation in Sacramento , California ," Climatological Bulletin, with Philip Suckling, 21:3 (1987) 16-22.
"Perceptions of Latin America as Portrayed by Selected United States Newspapers: 1845-1917," Geographical Perspectives, 58/59 (1986/1987) 27-42, with Mr. Ed Luft.
" Westlands Water District Fresno County , California : Problems with the National Reclamation Act," Yearbook of the Association of Pacific Coast Geographers, 46 (1984) 117-128.
“Climate Change: Length of Growing Season in the US Corn Belt : 1911-2000,” with Pamela Miller and Jose Lopez. West Lakes Division of the Association of American Geographers, Kalamazoo , MI October 18, 2003
“Constructing a Multi-Year Geographic Data Base: A Case Study of Farm Program Lands in South Central Minnesota,” with Mayumi Kaneko, Heidi Buskol and Kurt Haroldson, Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium Meeting, St. Cloud, MN, October 9, 1998. [2a. Also presented by invitation at the MN Planning EPPL7 Users Conference, St. Paul, MN, October 20, 1998.]
“Southeastern Colorado and the Upper Rio Grande Valley , NM : Landscape Change 1936 to 1996,” Association of American Geographers, Boston , MA , March, 1998.
“From Manhattan KS to Santa Fe NM: Landscape Change from 1936 to 1996,” Association of American Geographers, Ft. Worth, Texas, April 1997 and by invitation at the South Dakota State Geography Conference, April 1998.
“A Climatological Analysis of the Koppen Dfa/Dfb Boundary in Eastern North America, 1901-1990,” with Jeff Kienholz, West Lakes Division, Association of American Geographers, Valparaiso, Indiana, October 1996.
“Non Mormon Perceptions of Salt Lake City , 1849-1870,” Association of American Geographers, Charlotte , North Carolina , April 1996.
“American Indian Cartography and Cartographic Education,” West Lakes Division, Association of American Geographers, Mankato , Minnesota , September 1995.
“Human Transformations of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta , California :1850-1917,” Association of American Geographers, Chicago, Mach 1995.
“Historical Evolution of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta as a Water Supply and Conveyance Node,” Association of American Geographers, San Francisco , March 1994.
"Urbanization in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta , California : A Contrast Between City and County Land Use Policies," West Lakes Division, Association of American Geographers, Milwaukee , Wisconsin , October 1993.
“Natural Landscapes in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta of California : A Case Study,” Association of American Geographers, Atlanta , Georgia , April, 1993.
“Landfill Siting and 19th Century Coal Mines: The Role of the Historical Geographer in Contra Costa County , California ,” Association of Pacific Coast Geographers, Fairbanks , Alaska , September 1989.
"Radiation Fog and Its Impact on Transportation in Sacramento , California ," Association of American Geographers, Portland , Oregon , April 1987.
"Problems with the National Reclamation Act in the Westlands Water District, Fresno County , California ," Association of Pacific Coast Geographers, Arcata , California , September 1983.
“Challenges in Constructing and Designing an Atlas of Rural Minnesota ,” with Jose Lopez, Association of American Geographers, Pittsburgh , PA , April, 2000.
“Variation of the Koppen C/D Climate Boundary in the Central United States During the 20th Century,” with Philip Suckling, Southeast Division Association of American Geographers, Memphis,, November 1998.
Lopez, Jose, Martin Mitchell, Cynthia Miller and Pamela Schmutz Atlas of Minnesota : Social and Economic Characteristics of the North Star State (Mankato, MN: Center for Rural Policy and Development, 2000) 83 pp.
Martin Mitchell and Donald Friend, Introductory Physical Geography (Lab Book), ( St. Paul , Paradigm Press, 2000).
Five Chapters on Physical Geography, “Fund to Improve Geographic Curriculum,” National Science Foundation Grant 627046, 1998.
Kimmel, R.O., M. Mitchell, N. Moritz, A. Berner, and K. Haroldson, “Landowner Attitudes and Perceptions Regarding Wildlife Benefits of the Conservation Reserve Program,” in Summaries of Wildlife and Research Findings (St. Paul, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 1997) 25-27.
Kaneko, M., H. Buskol, M. Mitchell and K. Haroldson, “Creating Annual Vegetation Cover Maps with a GIS to Quantify Habitat Abundance and Distribution,” in Summaries of Wildlife and Research Findings (St. Paul, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 1997) 28-31.
Water and the California Dream: Choices for a New Millennium. Journal of the West (in press)
Behind the Label: Inequality in the Los Angeles Apparel Industry. Journal of the West Journal of the West 41:2 (2002) 104-105
Uphill Against Water: The Great Dakota Water War. Journal of the West 40:1 (2001) 113.
The Pa;cific Northwest: Geographical Perspectives. Journal of the West, 38:2 (1999) 105.
Bust to Boom: Documentary Photographs of Kansas . Journal of the West, 37:4 (1998) 106.
Storm Over Mono: The Mono Lake Battle and the California Water Future. Journal of the West, 37:1 (1998), 125.
Adventures and Prophets: American Autobiographies in Mexican California , 1828-1847. Journal of the West, 36:4 (1997) 126.
George J Miller Memorial Lecture, Mankato State University, “Landscapes of the Dust Bowl and the Upper Rio Grande Valley, 1936 and 1996,” October 7, 1996. Minnesota State University .
"The Black Hills: Sketches of a Western Landscape," November 30, 2001, Minnesota State University
Faculty Research Grant , MN Sate University , Mankato $1568. Grant to attend training in ERDAS Imagine Imaging software, Atlanta GA June 20-23, 2004.
Minnesota State Universities and Colleges, $50,000. Program Implementation Grant. Grant to implement a Bachelor's of Science in GIS/Plant Science. June 2001.
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, $500 Small Research Grant. Funding to field map and document landscape change in a post crown fire context at Jewel Cave National Monument , South Dakota . October 2000
Faculty Improvement Grant , MN State University , Mankato , $150. Grant was to attend a spatial statistics workshop held at the EPPL7 GIS Conference, St. Paul , MN , October 1999.
Joint Proposal for developing a Bachelor’s of Applied Science Degree with Minnesota West, MNSCU Grant, January 1999, $20,000. Explored the possibility of setting up a joint GIS/Agronomy degree with Minnesota West Community College and Minnesota State University , Mankato . Outcome: proceeded with a new program application, but were denied implementation funds by MnSCU.
Faculty Research Grant, Mankato State University , June 1998, $3,626. Grant was for research in comparing dust bowl landscapes in western Kansas and southeastern Colorado based on a set of 1936 photographs to the same landscapes re-photographed 60 years to the month later in 1996. Outcome: one accepted paper and another under review.
Faculty Research Grant, Mankato State University , June 1995, $1,500. Grant was for research on Hmong migration and subsequent land use and settlement changes in St. Paul , MN . 1975-1995. Incorporated into a graduate student thesis.
Faculty Improvement Grant, Mankato State University , October 1993, $300: Grant was for participation in two GIS workshops offered at the 1993 GIS/LIS conference in Minneapolis , MN .
Faculty Improvement Grant, Mankato State University , June 1994, $1390: Participation in a week long Arc-Info GIS training seminar held by ESRI in St. Paul .
Cultural Diversity Grant, Mankato State University , Summer 1994, $970: Travel grant for visiting three Chippewa Indian Reservations in northern Minnesota to garner information on Tribal and BIA natural resource management practices. Also visited the Hmong community in St. Paul and established contacts with community leaders.
Cultural Diversity Grant, Mankato State University , Fall 1994, $450: Funding for a research project on the design of maps by American Indians. Material was incorporated into the cartography course.
Minnesota , Department of Natural Resources, Farmland Research Group, Madelia , MN. Supervised the initial construction of a database for winter cover pertaining to grassland nesting birds. Funds: $35,000, December 2002-2004. Contact: Kurt Haroldson (507) 642-8478
Minnesota , Department of Natural Resources, Farmland Research Group, Madelia , MN . Supervising the construction of a GIS data base that will be used for analyzing the impact of different farm set-aside programs on pheasant populations. Contract funds two students per annum on 12-month research assistantships. Funds: $17,500 each year from 7/1/95 through 6/30/98 and $21,500 each year from July 1, 1998 through June 30, 2001. Total: $118,500. Contact: Richard Kimmel (507) 642-8478
U.S. National Park Service, Jewel Cave National Monument , Custer , SD. Supervising the drafting of maps from aerial photographs depicting trail and service roads at Jewel Cave . Funds: $300. Project timetable: began September 15, 1995, completed March 15, 1996. Contact: Karen Rosca (605) 673-2288
U.S. National Park Service, Jewel Cave National Monument , Custer , SD. Supervised the designation and field mapping of 12 sites along three transects to monitor vegetation recovery following the Jasper Fire of August 2000. Current research over a five-year contract (2001-2006). Contact: Mike Wiles. Funding: MSU College Social and Behavioral Sciences $500.
Matthew Longtin. 2002. Alternate Plan Paper. “ Nicollet Avenue : A Photographic Comparison in Minneapolis , 1950 and 2002.”
Pam S. Miller. 2002. Thesis. “Growing Season Length Change in the US Corn Belt Region, 1911-2000.”
Jason Kennedy. 2002. Thesis. “Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to Analyze the Relocation of Minnesota State University , Mankato from the Downtown to the Campus Neighborhood.”
Harold Perkins. 2001. Thesis. "An Assessment of Gypsy Moth Catches in the Upper Midwest Using Spatial Analysis."
Heidi Buskol. 2000. Thesis. “An Assessment of Soil Erdodibility and the Spatial Distribution of Farm Program Lands.”
Steve Brothers. 1999. Alternate Plan Paper: “George Perkins Marsh: A Review of the Author of Man and Nature.”
James Chamernick. 1999. Thesis: “The Evolution of the Gas Station in Minnesota .”
Terry Smith. 1998. Alternate Plan Paper: “A Spatial Analysis of Tornadoes in the Southern Hemisphere.”
Catherine Hansen. 1998. Thesis: “A Historical Geography of the Fernberg Corridor in Northeastern Minnesota to 1948.”
Mayumi Kaneko. 1998. Alternate Plan Paper: “Constructing Vegetation Cover Maps for Farmland Wildlife Research by Using Geographic Information Systems.”
Jeff Kienholz. 1996. Thesis: “A Climatological Analysis of the Koppen Dfa/Dfb Boundary in North America .”
Nicole Weiberg. 1996. Alternate Plan Paper: “Spatial Distribution of Annual Set-Aside Land in South-Central Minnesota .”
Jeff Saholt. 1995. Thesis: “The Effectiveness and General Attitude Toward the Annexation Process in Minnesota .”
Elected Department Chair, 1999-2005
Elected to the Board of Directors, Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium, 2004-2005
University Planning Committee 1998, elected Co-Chair 1999-2002
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Research Committee, 1997-1999
Student Relations Advisory Committee, 1998-1999
Social Studies Task Force, 1998