A collective noun is one that is singular in form but refers to a group of people or things (e.g., “a faculty of academics”), and I’m sure that our Geography grads can empathize with such collective nouns as “a fortitude of graduate students,” “a doggedness of doctoral candidates,” “a dilation of pupils,” and, particularly, “an angst of dissertations.” Please join me in congratulating the following “slate of candidates” for overcoming the angst and successfully (and collectively!) completing their PhDs in Geography in 2006-2007:
David Lulka (SDSU; Winter 2006): “Networks Affecting the Geographical Distribution and Position of Bison in Modern America”
Rebecca Powell (Winter 2006; Roberts, chair): “Long-Term Monitoring of Urbanization in the Brazilian Amazon Using Remote Sensing”
Sarah Battersby (Spring 2006; Gollege & Montello, co-chairs): “Distortion of Area in the Global-Scale Cognitive Map: A Geographic Perspective”
Izaya Numata (Spring 2006; Roberts, chair): “Characterization and Analysis of Pasture Degradation”
John Ryan (SDSU; Spring 2006; Clarke, chair): “Using Spatial Updating Bias to Explore the Robustness of a Collaborative Geovisualization”
Jianyu (Jack) Zhou (Fall 2006; Golledge, chair): “Empirical Tracking and Analysis of the Dynamics in Activity Scheduling and Schedule Execution”
Douglas Fisher (Spring 2007; Still, chair): “Ecological and Biogeographic Impacts of Fog and Stratus Clouds on Coastal Vegetation,
John Gallo (Spring 2007; Goodchild, chair): “Engaged Conservation planning and uncertainty mapping as means towards effective implementation and monitoring”
Jeff Onsted (Summer 2007; Clarke, chair): “The Effectiveness of the Williamson Act: A Spatial Analysis”
Kirk Goldsberry (Summer 2007; Clarke, chair): “Real-Time Traffic Maps”
(for details of all dissertations from 1982 on, see
