The Association of American Geographers has selected Shaunna Burbidge (PhD, 2008) as one of four finalists for the 2009 Nystrom Award. Named after former AAG Executive Director J. Warren Nystrom, the award is given for a paper derived from the best recent dissertation in the discipline of Geography. Shaunna’s dissertation was titled “Evaluating the Impact of Neighborhood Trail Development on Active Travel Behavior and Overall Physical Activity.”
According to Shaunna’s UCSB Geotrans profile, she completed her undergraduate education at Weber State University (Ogden, Utah) with a double major in History and Geography (with an emphasis in urban planning). Shaunna began her graduate studies at UCSB in the fall of 2003, and she quickly became notorious for completing an MA in Geography faster than any student in the history of the department (Fall, 2004). While working on her doctoral dissertation, Shaunna was selected for two 2007 American Planning Association Awards by the APA’s Utah Chapter. The first was the George Smeathe Student Planner Award, given to an outstanding student in a planning-related field (only awarded when warranted—this was the first time it had been given since 2004). The second was an award for Excellence in Plan Development, given for a technical report Shaunna authored which was titled “Public Health and Transportation: Planning for active modes along Utah’s Wasatch Front.” This document was later abridged and included as the first “public health” component of any Regional Transportation Program in the US. Upon completion of her PhD in Spring, 2008, Dr. Burbidge accepted a position as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.
Shaunna will present her paper at this year’s AAG Annual Meeting in Las Vegas. The Nystrom Award finalists’ papers will be evaluated on the originality of ideas and potential contribution to the advancement of knowledge in particular subfields of the discipline, the clarity and effectiveness of written style, and the quality and effectiveness of oral presentation at the annual meeting. Following the presentations, the winner will be honored at the annual AAG award luncheon on March 27, 2009. All finalists will be invited to submit their papers for publication in The Professional Geographer, and will be eligible for one of two cash prizes. Congratulations to Shaunna for such a prestigious honor—the Department is deservedly proud of her accomplishments!
