Departmental Awards


» Undergraduate Students

The UCSB Geography Department has established three awards which honor students graduating with superior grade point averages.

    The first, Outstanding Achievement in Geography, is awarded to students graduating with a grade point average of 3.5 or higher.

    The second, Distinction in Geography Major, is awarded to students who are graduating with a GPA of 3.6 or higher and have undertaken a major independent study project and/or graduate-level studies.

    The third, Chair’s Award for Excellence in Geography, is awarded to the graduating seniors who have majored in Geography and have attained the highest overall grade point average.


» Graduate Students

The Department of Geography Excellence in Teaching award for students who have an outstanding teaching track record.

The Department of Geography Excellence in Research award for students who have an outstanding research track record.


» Endowed Chairs

Endowed Chairs honor, encourage, and support the professors whose brilliant minds and commitment to education and research promote the University’s mission. An Endowed Chair is the most significant honor the University can offer to faculty, by way of a donor’s generosity. Holders of Endowed Chairs represent the most distinguished scholars who are selected for brilliant scholarship, inspirational teaching, and leadership. An Endowed Chair is a permanent endowment created by a philanthropic gift that supports the teaching and research of the scholar. A gift of $500,000 or more will support the creation of a new Endowed Chair and will provide a legacy for the donor on the UC Santa Barbara campus. For more information, please contact Beth Ptalis Hough at 805-893-5198. or .


» IDEAS Gift Fund

The IDEAS Gift Fund was established in 2011 by Professor Dar Roberts to support the continuation, improvement, and expansion of the “Innovative Datasets of Environmental Analysis by Students” (IDEAS) web site and associated instrumentation. The primary goal of this fund is to improve undergraduate learning in environmental sciences by providing open access to environmental observations collected by a series of micrometeorological towers and webcams deployed across steep environmental gradients in the Santa Barbara area. The open access data are available to any instructor at UCSB or at any institution in the United States and internationally for use in instruction. Key requirements, such as sensor calibration, data transfer costs, and sensor replacements, will be supported by this fund.