FSU Geography Newsletter 2010 Gaining a Reputation for ...

information and insights into cutting edge
technologies, while instilling the ideals of best
practices and the benefits of good science to
humanity. I was fortunate to win a competitive,
12 month internship with the Florida Institute of
Government at Florida State University while
still in the MS‐GIS program and remain happy
with this group as a career professional, four
years later. One of our most recent
accomplishments is currently highlighted on the
FSU website. I am very pleased to have played a
role in this endeavor.”
http://www.fsu.com/Featured‐Stories/FSU‐
helps‐North‐Florida‐region‐secure‐30‐million‐in‐
federal‐funding‐to‐increase‐high‐speed‐
Internet‐connectivity‐in‐rural‐areas
In other news, three doctoral students
successfully defended their dissertations: Kelly
Watson who took up employment in the
Department as a full‐time teaching instructor in
geography; Kelsey Scheitlin who is now an
assistant professor of geography at Longwood
University in Virginia; and Sunny Sim who is an
assistant professor of geography at the
University of North Alabama. In addition, eight
master’s degrees in geography were awarded.
Faculty News
Victor Mesev
Victor Mesev, Professor
& Chair, Bellamy 323A,
850/645‐2498,
vmesev@fsu.edu.
Victor’s research is on
the integration of GIS
and remote sensing. He teaches courses on
maps and advanced geographic information
science. He recently presented his on urban
remote sensing at conferences in Chile and
China, as well as completing work on the use of
GIS in unraveling the distribution of sectarian‐
fueled deaths in Northern Ireland (Annals of the
Association of American Geographers).
2
Jim Elsner, Shaw Professor,
Bellamy 310, 850/644‐8374,
jelsner@fsu.edu.
Jim’s research explores the
tracking of hurricane activity.
He teaches quantitative
methods courses and storm
chasing. An international expert on hurricane
tracking and damage Jim frequently publishes in
Geophysical Research Letters and for the
American Meteorological Society. He holds
annual meetings on hurricanes and climate
change.
Phil Steinberg, Professor,
Bellamy 305, 850/644‐8378,
psteinbe@fsu.edu
Phil is the director of FSU’s
Social Science & Public Affairs
Living‐Learning Community
and chair of the FSU chapter of the United
Faculty of Florida. Phil was recently awarded a
major grant ($377,000) from the National
Science Foundation to conduct research on
Arctic sovereignty claims and had articles
published in the Annals of the Association of
American Geographers and Political Geography,
as well as presenting at international confer‐
ences in Canada, Finland, and the United States.
Phil’s international reputation was further
recognized when he was asked to join the
editorial board of The Journal of the Indian
Ocean Region and named reviews editor of
Political Geography. His work on Arctic
sovereignty was widely publicized by a number
of media outlets including USA Today and The
Toronto Globe & Mail.
Jay Baker, Associate Pro‐
fessor, Bellamy 303,
850/644‐8380,
jbaker@coss.fsu.edu.
Jay investigates human
responses to natural
hazards and emergency
preparedness, especially as a result of hurricane