Autumn 2022 | Department of Geography | University of Washington

Dear Friends,

Hello from the Department of Geography! I write to wish you well and share recent news and highlights. As I write this, we are nearing the end of a busy autumn quarter on campus and in the department.

Among our students, faculty, and alumni, there are countless accomplishments and recognitions to celebrate! At the 4^th annual Geographers in Practice panel discussion, we were delighted to learn from the career pathways and reflections of alumni now working in New York City, Auckland, and Glasgow. We invite you to view a video of the event on the Geographers in Practice website. Graduate student Yasmin Ahmed’s labor rights research and organizing was profiled in the the Whole U’s “People of UW” series. In November, Professor Megan Ybarra was one of the featured speakers at UW Honors’ annual Global Challenges event, “The Power of Place." Alum Natasha Rivers was named to the Puget Sound Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list, and we invite you to read the accompanying interview, in which Natasha reflects on her life, career and educational journeys.

We have marked several transitions in recent months, some with celebration and others with sadness. In summer, we welcomed new staff colleague, Drew Gamboa, serving as Undergraduate Advisor, and in the fall, welcomed 4 outstanding new graduate students from around the world. We were saddened to learn of the passing of 2 of our emeritus faculty, George Kakiuchi and Guenter Krumme, and Ph.D. alum Joe Hannah, who was a longtime instructor and adviser in the UW’s Interdisciplinary Social Science program. New faculty hiring continues apace, and this year we are searching for one assistant professor in urban geography and an assistant teaching professor in geographies of climate justice.

As friends and alumni, you play a crucial role in supporting these accomplishments. We are so grateful for your gifts, your involvement in department events and programs, and your efforts to champion geography in your professional and personal communities. Please keep in touch as we are always happy to hear from you!

UW Alums Share Their Stories as "Geographers in Practice"

UW Geographers learn to understand their discipline as, essentially, "The Why of the Where." This phrase has even been memorialized on an original UW Geography logo design! After years of developing critical spatial analysis, research skills, and various technical methodologies in college, as students get closer to graduation they are frequently wondering about the relevance of… Read more

From Student Activist to Intersectional Labor Organizer: Meet Yasmin Ahmed

Like many first-year college students, Yasmin Ahmed, who uses they/them pronouns, suffered from a bit of imposter syndrome when they arrived at UW in 2014. Although Yasmin was born in Seattle, they hadn’t been in the Pacific Northwest since they were a small child. Their family lived first in Muscat, Oman—where they recall playing in canals, studying Arabic and caring for stray cats—and later in Chang Mai, Thailand, where instead of snow days they took what students colloquially dubbed “coup… Read more

40 Under 40: Natasha Rivers, BECU

Natasha Rivers declared geography as her major in the spring of her first year in college. "I didn’t know what opportunities lay ahead. I just knew I loved studying geography," she said. She followed up with a Ph.D., a stint teaching in academia and then a job as the first district demographer for Seattle Public Schools. That was all before her current role as the sustainability and measurement director for BECU,… Read more

Introducing Our New Undergraduate Advisor, Drew!

Geography Staff Members Parwati Martin, Nell Gross, Lindsay Cael and Drew Gamboa

This summer, the Department of Geography welcomes our new undergraduate advisor, Drew Gamboa! Beginning July 1, 2022, Drew will be available to support current and prospective geography students through one-on-one advising appointments and career development instruction. As Director of Academic Services, I am excited for Drew to bring a unique set of personal and professional experiences to the Geography Advising Office, and I am very grateful to the hiring committee for their contributions to… Read more

Remembering Geography Professor Emeritus George Hiroaki Kakiuchi

Born August 9, 1924, to Jitsuo and Kano Kakiuchi, George would have celebrated his 98th birthday this month. George was raised in Lincoln, California, on the family plum farm where he learned the value of hard work and his love of gardening. As a high school senior in 1942, he was unjustly incarcerated with his family, as were thousands of other Japanese Americans, at Tule Lake concentration camp, later moving to Minidoka. Upon his release, he served in the Military Intelligence Service, for… Read more

Remembering Geography Professor Emeritus Guenter Krumme

Guenter [Krumme] was a sailor, academician, community volunteer and devoted husband, father and grandfather. Guenter taught as a Professor of economic geography for 38 years at Columbia University in New York City, the University of Hawaii in Honolulu, and the University of Washington School of Arts and Sciences in Seattle. His keen analytical mind challenged colleagues and students alike to embrace new pathways to learning. He was among a cadre of pioneering professors to integrate the… Read more

SEAC community mourns loss of Joe Hannah

The Southeast Asia Center and Viet Nam Studies community in Seattle is mourning the passing of our dear friend and cherished colleague Joseph “Joe” Hannah, at 61, after a courageous battle with cancer. Joe is survived by his loving wife, Dr. Hoàng Thị Diệu Hiền and their two sons, Ian and Bảo-Ân, as well as many siblings and a host of close friends. Find the full article at UW… Read more