Recent News
On June 11, 2025, the Department of Geography celebrated over 190 B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. recipients at our annual Convocation Ceremony! Professor Michael Brown, Incoming Undergraduate Program Director, and Professor Bo Zhao, Graduate Program Director, announced the following honorees who received awards from the department:
Graduate Awards & Recognitions
Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching
Liz Peng
Edward L. Ullman… Read more
The Office of Global Affairs celebrates Tony Lucero for the Global Visionaries series. Dr. José Antonio (Tony) Lucero, is Professor and Chair of the Comparative History of Ideas Department and a Professor in the Jackson School of International Studies. He describes his experience centering reciprocity in his research and teaching, and leading study abroad programs to Peru and Ecuador.… Read more
The historic parallels that help explain Elon Musk’s rampage on the federal government. Erin McElroy, assistant professor of geography at the UW, is quoted.Featured
on The New Yorker
Since graduating from UW with a B.A. in Geography and History in 2005, Mike Mamic has followed a relatively straightforward path in the GIS career field. First, he began as a GIS Intern with the City of Puyallup. After that, Mike worked as a GIS Technician for Wahkiakum County, Washington, for two years before moving to Bend, Oregon. From 2008 to 2018, Mike served as the Chief GIS Cadastral Cartographer for Jefferson County, Oregon. Now, for the past six years, Mike has been working as a… Read more
We are thrilled to announce the results of our recent GeoAI Prompt Contest, a remarkable event that witnessed wide participation from the University of Washington community. This year’s contest received an impressive 55 submissions from universities and high schools across the United States, showcasing the incredible creativity and innovation of participants.
Choosing winners was no easy… Read more
The Department of Geography is pleased to announce two new faculty members that begin their positions this academic year: Chrystel Oloukoï and tish lopez. Read more about them below.
Chrystel Oloukoï
Chrystel Oloukoï joins us as an Assistant Professor after recently completing their Ph.D. in African and African American Studies from Harvard University. They hold a B.A. and M.A. in Geography from the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (France). They bring expertise in urban geography,… Read more
In celebration of Geography Awareness Week 2024 (November 18-22) and GIS Day (November 20), the Department of Geography and GeoDat: Society for Geo-Data Science are excited to announce the second annual GeoAI Prompt Contest! This contest aims to use Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) to inspire deep thought and creative expression about critical geographical issues facing the humanity and the planet such as climate change, food security, social and economic inequality, and… Read more