GW Geography students gathering on a snow-capped rocky mountain slope near the Arctic Circle

Research

Research in the Department of Geography spans a range of topics across our core focus areas. From South Asia to South America to the Middle East, geography faculty are widely published experts in regions across the world. Faculty are also dedicated mentors to students, helping them pursue awards, present at research conferences and gain the skills they need to pursue competitive careers.

Undergraduates engage in independently funded projects under faculty guidance and can travel abroad for short-term research classes around the globe. Graduate students work closely with faculty on grant-funded projects and as research assistants in the topic areas that interest them. Recent student research projects have examined the role of adult soccer leagues in immigrant communities, the impact of wildfires in the West, climate change impacts on the Arctic, reprecincting in Texas and protecting mangrove trees in Costa Rica. On campus, students also take advantage of the department’s state-of-the-art Spatial Analysis Lab and other research centers.

 

Research Expertise Areas

The Department of Geography represents a vast diversity of research expertise across the main three subfields of the discipline: physical, human and techniques. The department spans both the natural and social sciences and is engaged in research and teaching that addresses the world’s most critical issues, in six areas of notable strength. Collectively, these research areas holistically address a more sustainable and just future using qualitative and quantitative analytical approaches.

Many of these six areas are intersectional and interconnected: work on urban stormwater also addresses issues of sustainability; research on poverty integrates theory and geospatial application; and study of climate change also analyzes its impact on urban infrastructure.

 

 

Kean McDermott, MA '17

Kean McDermott

MA '17

"In my time here, the professors' doors have always been open. ... I've always felt that I had the support I need to pursue the research that I'd like to pursue."

Department Initiatives and Centers

 

Geographers in the Field

  • Fingers holding a piece of grass under a microscope.1 of 12

    Researchers identifying grasses during a fieldwork trip to Mongolia.

  • GW Geography students visit the Arctic Circle on a fieldwork trip to Alaska.2 of 12

    GW Geography students visit the Arctic Circle on a fieldwork trip to Alaska.

  • Professor Hinton with a group of students huddled around a map set out on a table3 of 12

    Geography students attended a two-week geography course in Botswana, where they lived with the San Bushman in Dekar and digitally mapped the community.

  • Three students in orange vests sit in snow-frosted tundra with cameras and other equipment4 of 12

    Geography students conduct fieldwork in the Arctic as part of the Circumpolar Active Layer Monitoring (CALM) project.

  • Elizabeth Chacko and three students stand in front of signs for Quality Education, Gender Equality and Clean Water5 of 12

    Elizabeth Chacko led a group of geography students to visit the United Nations, pictured here with the UN's sustainability goals.

  • GW students on a research trip to Siberia, where they studied mountain permafrost and glacial landscapes.6 of 12

    GW students on a research trip to Siberia, where they studied mountain permafrost and glacial landscapes.

  • A slum in Accra, Ghana, with houses and a river7 of 12

    Accra, Ghana, is at the center of Ryan Engstrom’s work using high-spatial resolution satellite data to map developing cities.

  • Drone images of vegetation restoration projects in Inner Mongolia, utilizing the "Straw checkerboard" technique. PHOTO CREDIT: L8 of 12

    Drone images of vegetation restoration projects in Inner Mongolia, utilizing the "Straw checkerboard" technique. Photo credit: Lian Jie

  • Two scientists in long sleeves and gloves work in a grassy field collecting samples.9 of 12

    Colleagues at the Naiman Desertification Research Station in China collecting data on photosynthesis.

  • Orange sandy desert dunes against a bright blue sky10 of 12

    Geography researchers visited the Gobi Desert on a fieldwork trip to China, including this section of the Urad Rear Banner in Bayannur, Inner Mongolia.

  • Students in the woods working with tape measures and mapping equipment11 of 12

    Geography students frequently conduct trips to local parks and watersheds to complete research projects.

  • Ginger Allington taking a selfie with a green hilly park in the background.12 of 12

    Ginger Allington during a research trip to Hustai National Park, Mongolia.

  • Fingers holding a piece of grass under a microscope.
  • GW Geography students visit the Arctic Circle on a fieldwork trip to Alaska.
  • Professor Hinton with a group of students huddled around a map set out on a table
  • Three students in orange vests sit in snow-frosted tundra with cameras and other equipment
  • Elizabeth Chacko and three students stand in front of signs for Quality Education, Gender Equality and Clean Water
  • GW students on a research trip to Siberia, where they studied mountain permafrost and glacial landscapes.
  • A slum in Accra, Ghana, with houses and a river
  • Drone images of vegetation restoration projects in Inner Mongolia, utilizing the "Straw checkerboard" technique. PHOTO CREDIT: L
  • Two scientists in long sleeves and gloves work in a grassy field collecting samples.
  • Orange sandy desert dunes against a bright blue sky
  • Students in the woods working with tape measures and mapping equipment
  • Ginger Allington taking a selfie with a green hilly park in the background.

 

Geography Research in Action

Maura Welch

GW Geography Alumna Named George J. Mitchell Scholar

Former geography major Maura Welch, B.A. ’13, plans to study comparative social change at Ireland’s Trinity College Dublin after receiving a prestigious scholarship for American students to pursue graduate studies.
Michael Mann sitting in front of a computer screen showing mapping software

Researchers Follow Social Distancing’s Path

Associate Professor of Geography Michael Mann is using GPS data to create a block-by-block map of the Washington, D.C., region, pinpointing social distancing behavior. Once completed, the model will be able to detect patterns by comparing real-time information to social distancing metrics.

Prof Dima Streletskiy

Radical warming in Siberia leaves millions on unstable ground

Geography Professor Dmitry (Dima) Streletskiy quoted in Washington Post article on climate change in Siberia.