Current Members
Anthony Robinson
Faculty Director / Associate Professor, Department of Geography
Email: acr181@psu.edu
My research focuses broadly on designing and evaluating geovisualization tools to improve geographic information utility and usability. I’ve done work in epidemiology, crisis management, higher education, and ecology domains. In recent work I have explored the geographic dimensions of learner engagement to identify leverage points for spatial analysis and representation in learner analytics, designed methods for representing the presence of absence in big spatial data, and analyzed the design of viral maps in social media. For the Department of Geography, I serve as the Director of Online Geospatial Education Programs. In service to the discipline I am a board member of the Cartography and Geographic Information Science Socieity (CaGIS), I’ve been a past-President of the North American Cartographic Information Society (NACIS), and I co-Chair of the International Cartographic Association (ICA) Commission on Visual Analytics.
Chris Fowler
Faculty Co-Director of The Peter R. Gould Center for Geography Education and Outreach / Associate Professor, Department of Geography
Email: csfowler@psu.edu
At its core my research examines the way our choices about geographic boundaries shape the outcomes we are able to observe. I examine neighborhoods, school catchment areas, electoral districts, metropolitan areas, and labor markets with a focus on how these units of observation reflect the distribution of populations in space. My work focuses in particular on patterns of clustering and dispersal by race and income as these two characteristics can tell us a lot about inequality in economic, education, health, and political outcomes.
Alicia Adelle Iverson
GeoGraphics Lab Creative Director & Teaching Faculty, Department of Geography
Email: aliciaiverson@psu.edu
My research privileges mapping processes over map products and centers the emotional dimensions of mapping, particularly for the individual(s) creating the map. At the heart of this work, I focus on building community through cartographic collaborations.
Fritz Kessler
Affiliate Faculty / Teaching Professor, Department of Geography
Email: fck2@psu.edu
Some focal areas of my research include examining map projections, especially investigating people’s understanding of distortion, the history of thematic cartography, and cartographic education. I also add my expertise of spatial statistics to studies in cancer epidemiology. I am a co-author of Thematic Cartography and Geovisualization and Working with Map Projections: A Guide to Their Selection. I currently serve on the editorial board of Cartographic Perspectives and was also the journal’s past editor. I was a board member of the Cartography and Geographic Information Science (CaGIS) and North American Cartographic Information Society (NACIS). I am also past president of NACIS.
Lily Houtman
Graduate Student: MS + PhD, Department of Geography
Email: lmh5991@psu.edu
My research is at the intersection of cartography and data journalism. As people transition to reading news stories primarily on their phones, rather than on desktop or on paper, I am interested in the design challenges that are specific to thematic maps viewed on small touchscreens. In addition to my primary research focus, I am also interested in the applications of queer and trans theory in cartography. During my undergraduate degree at University of Wisconsin-Madison I conducted research on the design of American presidential election maps by major news organizations.
Harman Singh
Graduate Student: Dual-Title MS + PhD, Department of Geography & Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences
Email: hxs5376@psu.edu
My PhD research focuses on identifying future urban pluvial flood risks in India under a changing climate. I utilize disaster risk science and computational social science of disasters (CSSD) to gather and visualize information from secondary datasets. I also aim to explore cross-scale interactions that impact floods in India at the intersection of climate science, sustainable policy, and mitigation. Previously, I worked part-time at the Center for Immersive Experiences at Penn State, and I have been a graduate teaching assistant for GEOG 464: Advanced Spatial Analysis, GEOG 361: Cartography, and GEOG 364: Spatial Analysis.
Zhaoxu Sui
Graduate Student: PhD, Department of Geography
Email: zxs5236@psu.edu
My primary research focus as a cartography researcher is on integrating cartographic designs into various cultural contexts, closely examining how mapping practices have evolved over time. I am passionate about exploring mapping cultures around the world, investigating how local communities portray their lands, and understanding their interactions with western-led cartographic technologies and structured power dynamics. Additionally, I have a strong interest in toponymy, data visualization, and political geography.
As a cartographer, I specialize in creating general reference maps using various tools, including ArcGIS, Mapbox, Adobe Suites, and hand-drawing. You are invited to view my portfolio at zhaoxusui.com.
Michael Cattell
Undergraduate Geography Major
Email:mjc7493@psu.edu
I am a fourth-year undergraduate student dual majoring in Geography and Education & Public Policy. In addition to map projects in the GeoGraphics Lab, I have worked on projects analyzing school segregation, data usage, and corporal punishment and out-of-school suspension usage in schools. Currently, I am a teaching intern for the introductory cartography course and am researching how school districts are considered as a geographic unit in legislative redistricting.
Julia Byrnes
Undergraduate Geography Major
Email: jbb6461@psu.edu
I am a third year geography student focusing on community development. I was previously a research assistant for the Center for Economic and Community Development (CECD) working to develop a community development based model for a recovery friendly workplace. I am interested in how cartography and a spatial perspective can be used to highlight social injustices within communities and motivate change. I focus on cities, as I was born and raised in Philadelphia, considering the distribution of resources within a melting pot of people and environments.
Cooper Price
Undergraduate Geography Major
Email: ckp5508@psu.edu
I am a 2nd year student majoring in Geography with a minor in Environmental Resource Management. With interests in the impacts environmental issues have on different aspects of human life. I have been able to look into topics such as wildfire risk and impacts on forests and farms due to highway construction. Additionally, I also collaborate with Penn State Extension’s Water Team, working on research regarding PFAS in ground water springs, and the resulting impacts on folks drinking water in rural parts of the state.
Michael Coupland
Undergraduate Geography Major
Email: mwc5907@psu.edu
I am a second-year undergraduate student majoring in Geography, with interests in cartographic design, spatial statistics, and human-environment interactions. I have previously worked on projects where I mapped language data from the U.S. census and examined job data over time in the city of Pittsburgh. Through my work at the Donald W. Hamer Center for Maps and Geospatial Information, I contributed to the indexing and orthorectification of historical aerial imagery.
Josh Smith
Undergraduate Geography Major
Email: jls8822@psu.edu
I’m a fourth-year adult learner pursuing a B.S. in Geography interested in spatial statistics, sustainability, and urban planning. After fifteen years owning and operating a property management company in Washington, D.C., I sold the business and returned to university to complete my degree. I’m now eager to apply my expertise by partnering with local communities on their mapping and spatial analysis projects.
Recent Alumni
Timothy Prestby
Graduate Student: MS + PhD, Department of Geography
Email: tprestby@psu.edu
I am a geography PhD student examining design factors and psychological mechanisms that influence people’s trust in maps. My master’s thesis characterized the design of COVID-19 story maps in data journalism. Previously, I interned with the Apple Maps Cartography team where I developed design guidelines for multiscale mapping problems pertaining to territories. During my undergraduate studies, I worked on production and research projects at the University of Wisconsin Cartography lab.
Camilla Baumer
Undergraduate Geography Major
Email: cmb7946@psu.edu
I am a fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in Geography. I am deeply passionate about understanding complex earth-system processes and addressing critical environmental challenges through the use of spatial statistics, GIS, and satellite imagery. My current research aims to better understand the linkage between exposure to volcanic ash and long-term health outcomes, with a specific focus on Icelandic populations.
James Schafer
Undergraduate Geography Major
Email: jps7340@psu.edu
Arlo Nemerson
Undergraduate Geography Major
Email: amn5698@psu.edu
Nathan (Nate) Vincent
Undergraduate Geography Major
Email: ngv5032@psu.edu
I am a senior at Penn State pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Geography, with interests in land use change, transportation, and urban planning. In the future, I want to improve the walkability and quality of life in cities. As a Geospatial Assistant at the Donald W. Hamer Center for Maps and Geospatial Information, I contribute to digitizing archival imagery of the Susquehanna River Basin. I also serve as a Geography Club chair and have assisted graduate students in their research through Penn State’s UROC Program. My internship at Amtrak’s Infrastructure Maintenance and Construction Services department provided me with valuable experience in nationwide transportation projects.
Harrison Cole
Creative Director / Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Geography
Email: harrisoncole@psu.edu
I hold a doctorate in Geography from Penn State, where I researched the design and use of tactile flood maps for users who are blind or have low vision. My research has generally focused on accessibility and UX topics. In a professional capacity, I have provided cartographic services to a diverse clientele, including those in commercial as well as academic domains. My work currently focuses on physical maps, including those made for paper, signage, and even stone.
Rylie Adams
Intern / Undergraduate Geography Major
Email: rja5562@psu.edu
I am a current undergraduate student studying geography and GIS with my research focusing on cartography. While at Penn Sate, I was a NASA PA Space Grant Intern where I worked on integrating virtual reality systems with GIS applications. Additionally, I had the privilege of collaborating with undergraduate, graduate, professors, faculty and alumni of the geography department when I was the Penn State geography programs promotions intern where I worked in departmental marketing and communications.
Nate Cherok
Undergraduate Geography Major
Email: nac5635@psu.edu
I am an undergraduate student studying geography and pursuing certificates in GIS, Geospatial Big Data Analytics, and Global Environmental Systems. I am currently working as a cartography intern, updating and designing maps and figures for the newest edition of the book Designing Better Maps. I have also worked as a research intern doing data cleaning and mapping of irrigation systems in Morocco and had the opportunity to conduct my own study exploring the nutritional yield of its agroforestry systems.