There are several prestigious UCSB Fellowships available to qualified graduate students, and three of our Geography grads have just garnered some of the top awards. Phaedon Kyriakidis, our Vice Chair, recently sent a departmental note, stating: “On behalf of the Graduate Committee and the Geography Department, I would like to congratulate Rodrigo Bombardi and Srinath Ravulaparthy for wining a Graduate Division Dissertation Fellowship, as well as Daniel Ervin for wining a Graduate Opportunity Fellowship. Well done!!!!”
The Graduate Opportunity Fellowship Award is given to advanced graduate students in the final stages of writing the dissertation: For this 1-year award, the Graduate Division provides a stipend, and payment of fees and health insurance for all awardees. Nonresident tuition is not included in the award package. The Graduate Opportunity Fellowship award provides an academic year fellowship for a continuing graduate student. It is intended to assist recipients in acquiring and developing sophisticated research skills under faculty mentorship. The fellowship’s goal is to increase the number of students who contribute to the diversity mission of the university, who persist towards the doctoral degree, and who show promise as candidates for faculty appointments. This award provides a $22,000 stipend plus the payment of in-state tuition and health insurance.
Rodrigo Bombardi’s dissertation topic is “The South Atlantic Coupled Variability and the South Atlantic Convergence Zone.” Abstract: The dominant mode of coupled variability over the South Atlantic Ocean is known as “South Atlantic Dipole” (SAD) and is characterized by a dipole in sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies with centers over the tropical and the extratropical South Atlantic. Previous studies have shown that variations in SST related to SAD modulate large-scale patterns of precipitation over the Atlantic Ocean. Here we show that variations in the South Atlantic SST are associated with changes in daily precipitation over eastern South America. Rain gauge precipitation, satellite derived sea surface temperature and reanalysis data are used to investigate the variability of the subtropical and tropical South Atlantic and impacts on precipitation. SAD phases are assessed by performing Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) analysis of sea level pressure and SST anomalies. We show that during neutral El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events, SAD plays an important role in modulating cyclogenesis and the characteristics of the South Atlantic Convergence Zone (SACZ). Positive SST anomalies over the extratropical South Atlantic (SAD negative phase) are related to increased cyclogenesis near southeast Brazil as well as the migration of extratropical cyclones further north. As a consequence, these systems organize convection and increase precipitation over eastern South America.
Daniel Ervin’s dissertation topic is titled “Twin Gods: A Mixed-Method Investigation of Diet Change in Latino Immigrants to the United States.” To quote Daniel, “In my dissertation, I will address the question of how does migration and geography influence diet and diet-related health in Latino migrants to the United States? To accomplish this I will apply a mixed-methods approach, collecting information from recent Latino immigrants about their demographics, immigration history, health history, acculturation, and diet. I will also collect biometrics in the form of body-mass index (BMI), blood pressure readings, and A1C measurements of blood glucose level. Finally, I will collection hair samples for stable isotope ratio analysis (SIRA). I anticipate that this study will reveal some significant linkages between immigrant’s origin or current geography, their migration path, lifestyle, and current health. I hope to shed light on the chronic disease burden that Latino immigrants face, with an eventual aim of lowering incidence.”
Srinath Ravulaparthy’s research centers around “Firm Mobility Dynamics.” Abstract: Many Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO) develop state of the art policy making tools that are now required for much more sophisticated policy analysis than in the past. This is especially true in California context where there is heavy emphasis being laid on sustainable transportation and communities through integration with land use and transportation. In this context, my dissertation research would address the gap in literature by bridging the concepts of economic geography, transportation and land-use planning within the framework of integrated urban models. This research study contributes to the field in three main areas. The first is in improving the concepts and quantifying the dynamic phenomenon of agglomeration economies (clustering of firms in space and over time). The second area of research is in characterizing central places or regional centers through spatial configuration of roadway networks, market areas, built environment and other locational factors. Thirdly, dynamic mobility of firms in an urban area also influences the spatial distribution of economic activities and employment in a region over time. Using the spatial and temporal measures of agglomeration economies, central places, and accessibility, the dynamic location and relocation choice models of firms are developed. Furthermore, mobility factors like firm-level attributes, production factors, and land development will be incorporated in these models to explain the mobility dynamics of firms in a region. For this purpose, retail trade and service firms are analyzed in Santa Barbara County.
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