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Waleed Abdalati: Voices in the Field - Sounds and Senses of the Polar Regions

Gabriela Rocha Sales — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 14:49:10 +0000

Waleed Abdalati: Voices in the Field - Sounds and Senses of the Polar Regions Gabriela Rocha Sales Wed, 07/16/2025 - 08:49

Copied from NASA's ICESat-2 website.

Transcript

My name is Waleed Abdalati. I study ice from space, in particular the Greenland ice sheet and its contributions to sea level by using satellites to observe gains and losses in the mass of the ice. I have been deeply involved with NASA satellites, especially the ICESat satellites, which help us measure and investigate how Earth's ice sheets and glaciers are changing and what those changes mean for our planet and our communities. And as part of that work, I've had the good fortune of going to Greenland, among other ice covered places in the world. But I've spent most of my boots on the ground.

Time in Greenland.

Greenland is a beautiful place. The coast is rocky and rugged, and it's where the glaciers meet the water and the sounds of iceberg calving are simultaneously beautiful and deafening. The feel of the cold air on your face while the other covered parts of your body are warm, are just really difficult to describe. I was lucky that before heading from the coastal village on to the ice, I was able to hike along the coast to one of the world's fastest glaciers, the Jakobshavn ice stream, which moves at about seven kilometers a year, but sometimes as much as twice the speed.

So, standing on the shore of Greenland, on one of those hikes and just looking at this immense river of ice, you can see enormous cracks and crevasses throughout the ice as the face of the ice front rises above the water to a height that's really the equivalent to the length of a football field about 100 yards. But what's especially remarkable is that it's about nine times as deep into the water as it is above the water. The enormity of it all is difficult to imagine. It makes you feel very small.

So we're looking at the face of this huge flowing ice river being about a thousand yards in height and depth combined, flowing down from the main ice of the ice sheet above. And one thing that has really stuck with me, particularly from those hikes, has been the sound of the ice moving,

settling and cracking as it flows. But most impressive has been the sound of an iceberg calving. It's enormously loud. It starts low and soft and you know something is going to happen, and there's an explosion of noise as the ice breaks off. The sound of the separation, and then a tremendous splash as it falls into the surrounding seas. There's nothing like it in the world. And I've had the privilege of experiencing this, particularly the first time I went into the ice before I even got onto the ice, before I got to do my work.

We had a few days in a village on the coast, and I took the hike through the low lying moss on the coast of Greenland and the very rocky shores, and just took it all in. But eventually I went onto the ice to do the work I came to do. I've done most of my on-ice work on the ice sheet itself, and it begins by climbing into a helicopter. You get in the helicopter, the blades are spinning, tilts just a little bit in order to fly forward, and you know you're going someplace adventurous. And as we would fly over the ice to our field destination, the team and I would take in its beauty and eventually we'd land. And the first time we landed, I didn't know what to expect as the helicopter lowered itself onto the ice. I didn't know what to think. Would it be soft and would we sink, or would it be firm and would do we sit on top? How deep did the landing skis beneath the helicopter go?

Well, I quickly got my question answered as we settled on to the firm ice snow surface. It held up the helicopter just fine. It was much harder packed than I imagined it would be from the strong winds and within what seemed like a minute, we threw our gear onto the snow and the helicopter blades roared into motion again, and it took off, and we listened to the sound of the helicopter gradually give way to the sound of the steady stream of wind that frequently occurs on the ice sheet. As the helicopter got further and further away. And eventually it was gone. There was a strange sound of silence and loneliness at this point, knowing that we were farther from civilization than nearly everyone else in the world. And the steady sound of the wind blowing across the snow. You get used to the sound of the wind, and then you notice other sounds like when we call out to each other, it seems softer and a little more muffled than we're used to. Because cold air doesn't transmit the sound waves in the same way as warm air, and the snow that spreads out beneath our feet absorbs those sounds.

The sounds are very different on the ice. They're duller, just not quite as sharp. But given that there's no real background noise except the wind, they can still be clear. But there's one sound that sticks with me as much as anything. That's the sound of walking on snow surfaces. The snow is hard and wind packed, so it supports your weight well. The crunch under your feet is very distinct as the crust breaks. It's a significant cracking sound that's quickly silenced by the snow underneath. And each step has a certain rhythm cracking under your boots. And even though it's muffled, the fact that this is the only sound apart from the wind and your own breathing makes it stand out.

Another remarkable thing about camping on the Greenland ice sheet is the fact that the sun, this is in summer rather than rise and said, simply goes around you in circles 360 degrees. It's higher at noon, but still well above the horizon at midnight. It takes some getting used to. Obviously, the sun doesn't move in an arc from darkness to light and back to darkness like it does at low latitudes, but rather it moves in a complete, albeit tilted, circle around you. It's really quite beautiful. The light on the snow. It's just remarkable. And this leads to another beautiful aspect of the Arctic in general. And that's the fact that the long distance the sunlight has to travel through the atmosphere at high latitudes scatters away or strips off some of the blues and greens and yellows of sunlight, leaving an orangish red hue. When the sun is low on the horizon, the reddish light illuminates the ocean before you, with distinct colors, revealing in detail its undulating texture that extends endlessly into the horizon. These waves of snow and ice on the surface are created and shaped by a steady stream of wind that seems to grow louder at night as the other sounds grow quieter. I remember just falling asleep to it in that tent.

The relentless drone of the wind against the tent along the snow. And I knew I was in a harsh but beautiful and natural place. And even though the sun is out for 24 hours during the day, there's a clear difference in how the sun feels during the day when it's high up above the horizon than when it's night and the sun is low on the horizon and that's because the snow and ice are so reflective that direct sunlight coming from above is almost 100% reflected back at you from the surface. So it's an effective doubling of the sunlight because of the snow. So what this means is that despite these low temperatures, on those occasions when the wind isn't blowing, it actually feels warm on the ice and the day when the sun is high because you're effectively getting the heat from two suns, one from above and one reflected from below, from the snow at night. However, this effect goes away because the sun is low on the horizon and the coldness of the Arctic can really chill your bones.

But the Greenland ice sheet is beautiful, it's peaceful, it's pristine, and it offers a view of part of the earth that so few ever get to experience. And I feel very, very lucky. Finally, after a few weeks or months, the sounds with which one has become so familiar give way to the sound of a helicopter on the horizon, blades whirring softly at first, getting louder and louder as our ride home approaches. And as we roll our equipment in, we hear a number of thuds slamming down on the floor of the helicopter, and we climb on board, and it takes off as quickly as it arrives. Each of us, and that moment of departure looks back on the place we called home. And we carry with us not just the visuals, but the sounds, the feel of cold on our exposed skin and that very, very clean smell of what was untouched by the ice.

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Sara Fleming: Students are shaping (and leading) CU’s climate response

Gabriela Rocha Sales — Fri, 30 May 2025 17:39:01 +0000

Sara Fleming: Students are shaping (and leading) CU’s climate response Gabriela Rocha Sales Fri, 05/30/2025 - 11:39

Cody DeBos

As the ɫ��ֱ�� continues to advance its Climate Action Plan (CAP), an interdisciplinary group of graduate students has championed a new way to involve students in shaping a more sustainable future.

Initially, the CU steering committee creating the CAP did not involve students. In response to the exclusion of student voices, a group of graduate students began work to give students a seat at the table and engage the undergraduate community in CU’s climate-planning work. First, the group launched a petition calling for student participation in the drafting of the CAP. Then the group helped pass a resolution through student government to grant student seats on the committee implementing the CAP in the future.

“Students have always been key drivers of sustainability and climate action on campuses across the U.S., including at ɫ��ֱ��,” the team says. “As young people, our futures are jeopardized by the climate crisis, so we have a collective stake in rapidly reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.”

But the group didn’t stop there. Fueled by a shared passion for climate mitigation and the belief that students should help shape the university’s future, the group of five graduate students from four different departments spent hundreds of hours co-designing and now teaching an undergraduate course on climate-action planning.

The course gives undergrads hands-on experience with CU’s campus emissions data, collaboration opportunities with university stakeholders and a chance to develop sustainability strategies that could be implemented campuswide.

Their efforts recently earned the group ɫ��ֱ��’s 2025 Campus Sustainability Award for Student Leadership. The group also won a $5,000 scholarship from the women-led nonprofit Zonta Foothills Foundation, in recognition for their groundbreaking work in climate education and advocacy. The CU School of Engineering, following advocacy from generous faculty members David Paradis and Carol Cogswell, was also gracious enough to provide funding for their work.

A more engaging climate classroom

The group of graduate instructors brings an interdisciplinary approach and myriad perspectives to the classroom.

The teaching team includes Mariah Bowman (law), Sara Fleming (geography), Sean Benjamin (mechanical engineering), Brigid Mark (sociology) and Jonah Shaw (atmospheric and oceanic sciences). Each has worked to tackle climate-related issues through the lens of their expertise, from Indigenous environmental justice to climate-change modeling.

The team’s diverse makeup is reflected in the design of their course and has fueled their success. But the road to this point hasn’t been easy.

“This is a labor of love,” the team says. “We are doing this because we care. Funding and the time required have been challenges.”

Before the course launched, each graduate instructor spent many unpaid hours creating the syllabus, listing the course and building campus partnerships to access emissions data. During the semester, they spend many hours a week on teaching responsibilities that come in addition to their regular duties.

Financial support from the School of Engineering and the Zonta Foothills award has helped, but long term, the team hopes to see the course institutionalized and funded.

The team says, “Institutionalizing the course so that it runs each year and guaranteeing funding for instructors and teaching assistants would ensure the longevity and sustainability of this course. It would ensure continued involvement of students in the Climate Action Plan, and a more robust, actionable plan.”

Hands-on climate action

From the start, the group has viewed student involvement as essential, not symbolic.

At the start of the semester, students gain foundational knowledge on topics like climate justice, global carbon budgets and emissions accounting. From there, they split into teams to tackle different emissions categories on campus: commuting, waste, business travel and student/parent flights.

“Students work in four teams, each focused on a different category of campus emissions. They’re developing strategies to reduce emissions for their category, adding depth and student perspective to the high-level strategy suggestions in the CAP,” the instructors say.

Guest speakers, including administrators and national experts, round out the curriculum. Students have heard from Stanford University’s sustainability team and ɫ��ֱ�� faculty like Professor Karen Bailey (environmental studies) and Professor Nadav Orian Peer (law). They also meet with stakeholders across campus to refine their proposals.

The team believes this approach is the best way to facilitate opportunities to create actionable, equity-centered climate strategies grounded in real data.

“Involving students in climate initiatives enables them to apply knowledge about climate change to their own institution, experience they will carry to become leaders in climate action in their future workplaces and communities,” says Mark.

The results are already visible on campus.

One student team is working with CU’s transportation specialist to revise the campus commuting survey. Another is working on a survey for better tracking of student and parent air travel. Others are collaborating with dining services and facilities to reduce waste and consulting with faculty to provide more accurate emissions calculations of flights taken by faculty and staff.

“Students often learn about the gravity of climate change without learning about solutions, which can be quite depressing,” says Mark.

“Involving students in climate-action planning and implementation can combat feelings of hopelessness and enable participation in creating real change.”

Impact on both sides

This student-led course has already sparked engagement on both sides of the classroom. One undergraduate took the initiative to launch a campus club to raise awareness about the CAP. Others hope to join implementation committees or pursue careers in sustainability.

“To me, this demonstrates that students are hungry for interdisciplinary courses that enable them to apply their skills and creativity to issues on campus and engage with solutions to the climate crisis,” Fleming says.

For Bowman, the most rewarding part of the experience is the students themselves. “They are passionate, knowledgeable, interested, hardworking and fun to be around! It has been deeply meaningful to get to train them on something I care so much about, and have them care about it in return,” she says.

And for Fleming, designing and teaching the course has also given her much. She adds, “Team teaching is so much fun, and I’ve learned so much from each of my teammates on both content and pedagogical skills.”

As for the future, the graduate instructors each plan to continue fighting for climate action in their respective fields, using their knowledge and experience to make a difference on campus, in state government and in the community.

They also hope CU continues what they started so future students can participate in a course that gives them a voice in the climate conversation through data, creativity and real-world collaboration.

“Involving students in climate-action planning and implementation can combat feelings of hopelessness and enable participation in creating real change.”

Impact on both sides

They also hope CU continues what they started so future students can participate in a course that gives them a voice in the climate conversation through data, creativity and real-world collaboration.

“Involving students in climate-action planning and implementation can combat feelings of hopelessness and enable participation in creating real change.”

Impact on both sides

They also hope CU continues what they started so future students can participate in a course that gives them a voice in the climate conversation through data, creativity and real-world collaboration.

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Shelby Ross: Geography PhD student receives prestigious dissertation writing fellowship

Gabriela Rocha Sales — Fri, 23 May 2025 19:45:41 +0000

Shelby Ross: Geography PhD student receives prestigious dissertation writing fellowship Gabriela Rocha Sales Fri, 05/23/2025 - 13:45

Shelby Ross is one of this year’s 2025-2026 Elouise Cobell Dissertation Writing-Year Fellows

Shelby Ross, a PhD student in geography, has been named as part of the second cohort of the prestigious Elouise Cobell Dissertation Writing-Year Fellow, Indigenous Education, Inc. (IEI) announced last week.

The Elouise Cobell Dissertation Writing-Year Fellowship provides $30,000 in support over 12 months to up to ten American Indian and Alaska Native scholars who are completing their doctoral dissertations.

These distinguished recipients demonstrate exceptional academic performance, a commitment to advancing their chosen fields, and strong potential for future contributions as scholars and leaders. Each Fellow utilizes Indigenous research methodologies to enrich their academic disciplines, benefit their tribal communities, and engage meaningfully with their institutions of higher education.

“These ten Scholars truly embody the spirit of our namesake, Elouise Cobell, by dedicating their studies to ‘understand how the world works and question everything that comes before them’,” IEI President and CEO Melvin Monette-Barajas reflected in the organization’s press release.

John Garland, director of research and scholar success at IEI, agreed, adding, “Beyond their impressive academic accomplishments, these Fellows reflect the vision Elouise Cobell held for Indian Country. Success is not solely measured by achievement—it is a way of life rooted in lifting others and creating opportunities for Indigenous students and thriving tribal communities. The visibility of this Fellowship empowers future generations of Native scholars to envision their own success.”

Ross holds a master's degree in environmental science and engineering from Oregon Health & Science University and a bachelor's degree in conservation biology from Oglala Lakota College. She has extensive experience working with the Oglala Sioux Tribe's Natural Resources Regulatory Agency, focusing on forestry and mining, and has held numerous research appointments, including the North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center and the ɫ��ֱ��’s Natural Hazards Center. Additionally, Ross has been recognized with several awards, including the Native Forward Scholars Fund and the FEMA Region 8 Quick Respond Research.

Committed to environmental science and Indigenous health, Ross’s dissertation is dedicated to improving responses to climate change impacts on Native American health in the North Central region, which includes Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Iowa. Her dissertation employs mixed methods to center Native Americans as experts of their experiences, aiming to understand the effects of Extreme Weather Events (EWE) on health and healthcare access, particularly for those with Type 2 Diabetes. Through literature reviews, surveys, and interviews with Elders from the Pine Ridge Reservation, Ross investigates how Tribes are preparing for climate change, the differential impacts of EWEs, and the cultural connections to the land and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK).

Ross's research highlights the importance of integrating TEK with academic evidence to address climate change and its health impacts on Indigenous communities. Her findings will contribute to the limited body of research on this topic and guide future actions to support tribal sovereignty and resilience. The dissertation is set to be completed by May 2026, with chapters published in peer-reviewed journals for wide accessibility.

Supported by the Cobell Board of Trustees, the Board of Directors of Indigenous Education, Inc., a dedicated network of Native mentors and scholars, and the Research and Scholar Success team, this fellowship cohort will contribute meaningfully to the future of doctoral research shaped by Indigenous perspectives and priorities.

Modeled after the nation’s most respected dissertation fellowships, the Elouise Cobell Dissertation Writing-Year Fellowship is distinct in its foundation: it is created, governed and guided by and for enrolled members of U.S. federally recognized tribes. It complements IEI’s already successful Graduate Summer Research Fellowship Program, further expanding opportunities for advanced Indigenous scholarship.

More information about the Eloise Cobell Dissertation Writing-Year Fellows is available on the Cobell Scholar Community’s website. Applications for their third cohort of Elouise Cobell Dissertation Writing-Year Fellows open on Sept. 1, 2025.

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Spring 2025 Commencement Photos

Gabriela Rocha Sales — Tue, 13 May 2025 13:06:13 +0000

Spring 2025 Commencement Photos Gabriela Rocha Sales Tue, 05/13/2025 - 07:06

Congratulations Department of Geography 2025 graduates! To view and download your photos, please see Spring 2025 Commencement photos.

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Spring 2025 Newsletter is Now Published

Gabriela Rocha Sales — Fri, 09 May 2025 18:07:56 +0000

Spring 2025 Newsletter is Now Published Gabriela Rocha Sales Fri, 05/09/2025 - 12:07

Thank you for reading our departmental newsletter. We publish newsletters at the end of the Fall and Spring semesters. If you have any updates, please let us know using our alumni update form or send an email with your information to the department. We would love to hear from you about how your career has progressed since attending CU.

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A Place-based History of Yellowstone National Park: New Book from Randall Wilson, MA 1993, Featured in Various News Outlets

Gabriela Rocha Sales — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 19:25:41 +0000

A Place-based History of Yellowstone National Park: New Book from Randall Wilson, MA 1993, Featured in Various News Outlets Gabriela Rocha Sales Tue, 04/29/2025 - 13:25

A Place Called Yellowstone: The Epic History of the World's First National Park

I just published a place-based history of Yellowstone National Park (A Place Called Yellowstone) with Counterpoint Press. It has received positive reviews from Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, and the LA Times. It has also been featured in articles in USA Today (Sunday Dec. 15), the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, and other outlets. The book is intended for general audiences and uses a historical geographic approach to articulate the profound legacies of Yellowstone on the way nature is valued and perceived in American society.

The program at CU led me to a PhD program at the University of Iowa, and then to a decades-long career as an educator and researcher. I have been a professor of environmental studies at Gettysburg College since 2000. My research has focused on public lands and resource management issues in Colorado and across the western United States (and beyond).

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Phurwa Gurung to Join UBC Geography, Advancing Research on Indigenous Territorialities and Biodiversity Conservation

Gabriela Rocha Sales — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 19:15:43 +0000

Phurwa Gurung to Join UBC Geography, Advancing Research on Indigenous Territorialities and Biodiversity Conservation Gabriela Rocha Sales Tue, 04/29/2025 - 13:15

Tashi Delek! My name is Phurwa Dondrub Gurung, a fifth-year doctoral student at the department. I also did an MA here. Over the years, I feel so grateful to have received rigorous training from and with outstanding teachers and peers in theories and methods relevant to the key areas of my focus: political ecology, critical development studies, and Indigenous geographies. I have benefited immensely from the dedicated support of my Committee and the unparalleled mentorship from my Advisor, who guided me in all aspects of graduate training: teaching, research, publishing, grant-writing, and the job market. I feel truly fortunate to have been part of the vibrant and supportive ɫ��ֱ�� Geography community!

Based on nearly two years of ethnographic field research (2023-24) in Dolpo, Nepal, my home and research site, my PhD dissertation research develops a deep and critical understanding of how Himalayan lifeways interweave and fare with global biodiversity conservation efforts and national state-making projects. I focus on two key nonhuman agents, the caterpillar fungus and the snow leopard, to understand the intersections of global and national conservation governance with Indigenous territorialities and place-based governance. I examine how these nonhumans participate in coproducing the state, Dolpopa identity, and multispecies worlds in a context of profound socio-environmental transformations in the high Himalaya.

My research is grounded in participatory, visual, community-engaged, and Indigenous methodologies. To this end, I employed ethnography, documentary filmmaking, participatory mapping and painting, solicited journals, and a collaborative in-situ documentation of oral literature as the primary methods of knowing and being in good relation with my community. The dissertation fieldwork and the multimodal, community-engaged works have been supported by generous grants from the Social Science Research Council (SSRC IDRF), Wenner-Gren Foundation, Firebird Fellowship, National Geographic Society, American Philosophical Society, and the CU Office of Outreach and Engagement. I am currently working on my dissertation, which I plan to defend in August 2025.

I accepted a new position in the Department of Geography at the University of British Columbia (UBC). I will join in July 2025 as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Indigenous Environmental Studies and Sciences. UBC is an ideal academic home for the kind of work I do, with its vibrant community of Indigenous scholars engaged in critical work on Indigenous issues, both locally and globally. In addition to teaching, I will continue expanding my community-engaged works I began during my PhD studies here. I am especially looking forward to the postproduction of a documentary film I shot during my field research and publishing a bilingual multimedia book of Dolpo folk songs.

I will also be affiliated with UBC’s Interdisciplinary Biodiversity Solutions Collaboratory, where I am eager to collaborate with scholars across the disciplines to develop policy-relevant solutions to biodiversity conservation that center Indigenous knowledge. I also look forward to joining and getting to know new colleagues in the Department of Geography, the Himalaya Program, and Critical Indigenous Studies at UBC. And of course, my family is excited to explore the beautiful mountains and waters of British Columbia!

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Rebecca Theobald, MA, PhD: Maps for Everyone

Gabriela Rocha Sales — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 20:24:18 +0000

Rebecca Theobald, MA, PhD: Maps for Everyone Gabriela Rocha Sales Mon, 04/28/2025 - 14:24

Whenever I prepare a presentation, I always try to provide a map so that participants can explore multiple spatial perspectives or situate themselves in relationship to the discussion. And of course, giant floor maps command the most attention! The comprehensive Department of Geography at ɫ��ֱ�� provided me with the ability to explore multiple spatial perspectives and to collaborate across a variety of disciplines. Learning that physical and human geography, as well as environment-society relations and geographic tools, were all honored within the department cemented my understanding of the value of a broad education for students at all levels. Following six years of commuting from Colorado Springs, I joined the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at UCCS where for ten years, I coordinated the Colorado Geographic Alliance, which supported professional development for elementary and secondary teachers across the state. I also served as a consultant to National Geographic’s Alliance for Geographic Education, expanding my understanding of policy and professional practices across the country. Drawing on these geography education connections, I edited the National Council for Geographic Education’s journal, “The Geography Teacher”, for nine years. I could not have made it through that process without the willingness of graduate school colleagues and CU faculty to provide service to the discipline as authors and reviewers.

Giant Map of Colorado

My time in elementary and secondary classrooms reinforced the knowledge that geospatial technology tools continue to be unfamiliar to the majority of K-12 teachers. While geography is often not taught as a separate course in middle or high school, government or civics classes are usually required, so I developed GeoCivics (geocivics.uccs.edu) in 2017 to introduce online mapping tools as part of an instructional unit on electoral redistricting. I am working to keep these tools in place as we approach the 2030 Census. More recently, I have turned to the connection between civic action and environmental issues. Last November, I attended the United Nations Climate Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan as an observer for the United States League of Women Voters (USLWV). You can read my impressions (and see some maps) at https://ges.uccs.edu/news-events, and view a presentation from several of the national League’s participants at https://youtu.be/HsPtH8TboiI. When I share my experience, I always try to offer information about the location, which has been well received. I continue to appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with ɫ��ֱ�� geographers throughout the last several decades. As geographers, no matter the setting, we are all educators, so don’t hesitate to locate a map to illustrate your story.

Rebecca is currently an Associate Research Professor with the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs.

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Lionel D Lyles (PhD 1977)

Gabriela Rocha Sales — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 20:14:38 +0000

Lionel D Lyles (PhD 1977) Gabriela Rocha Sales Mon, 04/28/2025 - 14:14

My name is Dr. Lionel D. Lyles. I graduated in August 1977 with my Doctoral Degree in Urban-Historical Geography with an emphasis on the evolutionary development of contemporary urban problems. My major Professors at the time were, namely, Theodore Myers, Melvin Albaum, Yuk Lee, and Nicholas Helburn.

These Professors prepared me for the social, economic, political, judicial, and environmental (e.g., climate change) problems that the American Working Class People are facing today. From the moment I graduated, and my training taught me that the cause of all the mentioned categories in which problems exist cannot be understood without first conducting an exhaustive, scientific analysis of the American Capitalist System.

Thus, for the past 40 years, I researched and objectively examined this system using the dialectical method, from pre-colonial times to 1980 and the present. The central theme is if an American is a wage earner, then he or she belongs to the American Working Class; if an American is a wealthy, non-producer, who owns multiple million and billions of dollars, he or she belongs to the American Ruling Class. My work shows American Society is the product of an historical class struggle between these mentioned classes.

At this time-2025-the American Working Class is only aware of itself via trade unionism. This level of political awareness can only win the working class people a disproportionate increase in wages relative to the millions of dollars of surplus value they lose during the process of production.

To help American Working Class People realize their historical mission of change, it took me five years to research and write the following books:

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Joseph Kerski contributed a chapter to the new book Thriving in An Academic Career

Gabriela Rocha Sales — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 20:12:27 +0000

Joseph Kerski contributed a chapter to the new book Thriving in An Academic Career Gabriela Rocha Sales Mon, 04/28/2025 - 14:12

Thriving in an Academic Career: An International and Interdisciplinary Guide for Early Career Faculty

Joseph Kerski wrote Chapter 13 - Integrating web mapping and geospatial technologies – in a new book that should be very helpful for all students considering a faculty career – and all faculty as well – Thriving In An Academic Career, recently published by AAG and Routledge. Kerski’s chapter will help faculty teach with web mapping tools in and out of GIS courses, in physical geography, cultural geography, mathematics, business, economics, and in other disciplines.

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