Geography students conduct research under the guidance of a faculty mentor, typically to complete an honors pathway in the degree. Students conducting research may earn academic credit as Geog 197/198, typically in the junior year, or as Geog 297/298, typically in the senior year.

 Our students have also been successful in winning highly competitive spots in the National Science Foundation’s Research Experience for Undergraduates at sites around the country.  Interested in getting research experience?  Check out our faculty web profiles to see the types of research our faculty are conducting and schedule a time to talk with faculty whose research interests you.  A great way to get into research is to offer to work with a professor on a project he or she is conducting.  Selected faculty research projects provide funding for student research assistants through grant awards and through a generous gift from the Oaklawn Foundation (Word).

Research Spotlights

  • Gllian Tiley

    Research experience leads to grad school at UPenn

    Gillian Tiley’s interests cover a lot of territory, and she mixed and matched several combinations of majors before settling on political science and geography, with a minor in French. In large part, she managed to craft her own educational experience, combining her interests in policy, geography, language and social advocacy.

    She graduated this May with two degrees and a pair of awards in political science: The Departmental Prize in Political Theory and the Philo Sherman Bennet Essay Prize. She was recently accepted into the University of Pennsylvania’s Masters of City and Regional Planning Program.

    Read more of Gillian's story

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Geography 273: Advanced Topics in Political Economy and Ecology

Seeing Green -The Cultural Politics of Consuming Nature. What is it that makes popular culture so popular? How is our experience of the physical world and material reality shaped, distorted and redefined by the work of imagination? How does marketing and cultural imperialism relate to popular culture? Drawing on multiple forms of critique and analysis, this course examines how a variety of media texts within this popular culture help to shape, redefine, and reconstruct our understanding of nature, the environment, and environmentalism. 

Student Project #1: Creating Environmental University (PDF)

Student Project #2: Vermont a Local's Guide

 

Geography 244: Dendrochronology

Dendrochronology is the study of tree rings and what tree rings can tell us about the past. This course introduces students to the principles and theory, as well as field and lab techniques used by dendrochronologists to unravel the mysteries contained within tree rings.

Student Project #1: The La Platte River Marsh (Powerpoint)

Geography 153: Arctic Canada

Canada is an arctic nation with over one third of its land surface dominated by northern forests and tundra landscapes. This course seeks to acquaint students with the physical, biological, cultural, political, historical and economic characteristics of the Canadian Arctic.

Student Project #1: New Opportunities and Challenges (PDF)

 

Geography 274: Social Justice and The City

The formation and evolution of cities has always depended on social inequality – marginalized racial/ethnic/religious populations have been separated into ‘ghettos’, gender has shaped one’s access to public spaces, the poor have been squeezed out (or in) to the worst sections of town, the disabled and elderly have been immobilized by physical barriers, uneven surveillance and policing fan the flames of hate and violence, and the exploitation of labor has built monuments to the rich.

Student Project #1: Poverty and Education in Philadelphia

Student Project #2: Sexuality and Public Space in Austin, TX

Student Project #3: Sexuality and Health/Violence in Chicago

Student Project #4: Poverty and Housing in Oakland, CA

Student Project #5: Poverty and Housing in Washington, DC

Student Project #6: Race, Age, and Health in New Orleans, LA

Student Project #7: Environmental Justice (Race and Health) in Miami, FL

Student Project #8: Education and Dis/Ability in Baltimore

Student Project #9: Ethnicity and Food in San Francisco

Student Project #10: Race and Transportation in Atlanta

GEOG 186: Qualitative Research Methods

“College Life in a Pandemic: Experiencing and Enacting

The COVID-19 pandemic has surely shaken up many aspects of life, not shying away from the lives of college students across the globe. How has social interaction and the college experience shifted for UVM students this year?

College Life in a Pandemic Final Video Presentations

UVM Pandemic Interactive StoryMap

Undergraduate Research Summer Opportunities

Season Research Assistant Positions Available for Summer 2023 -  Initial Reviews Begin: January 25, 2023. Position closes February 1, 2023.

Penn State is seeking applicants for their REU in climate and earth system sciences (PDF) for Summer 2020. Applications are due Feb. 15, 2020.

The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies is hsoting a paid REU for Summer 2020 for qualified undergraduates. Applications are due Jan. 24, 2020.

Graduate School Opportunities

The Department of Geography and the Environment at the University of Denver offers several graduate programs, including an MA and PhD in Geography, and an MSGIS (both on ground or fully on-line), with the opportunity for funding. Applications for Fall 2020 admission to our graduate programs are due January 15, 2020.

 

Funding and Fellowships

The Office of Fellowships, Opportunities and Undergraduate Research (FOUR) provides competitively awarded funds for students conducting research.  Check out their grant opportunities and guidelines here. Targeted funding opportunities are available for students interested in conducting community-based, Vermont-based research, and environmentally-related research.

Funding awards to support student research projects are also available through the College of Arts & Sciences APLE awards program.  Applications for these awards are due on October 31 and February 15 each year.

Our students have been highly successful in winning these competitive grant awards to support their research. Interested in pursuing research funding?  Speak with your advisor or research mentor about preparing an application.