Environmental Studies students present at national geography conference

Tate Pashibin and Meg Little, candidates in the Master of Science in Environmental Studies program, presented their thesis research at the American Association of Geographers annual conference in Washington, D.C. on April 4 and 5.

Pashibin presented her research on the history of conservation conflicts in Canyonlands National Park in Southeast Utah with geography graduate student Natalie Mumich. Little’s presentation focused on her work investigating the social, political, and economic drivers of illegal logging in Kosovo’s newest national park, “Bjeshkët e Nemuna.”

“As an environmental studies student, it was a really neat experience to go to a geography conference,” Little said. “One of the goals of our program is its interdisciplinary nature, so I enjoyed seeing the diversity of work being done in that field and meet some different people there.”

The conference was attended by over 8,500 people, and the students’ travel was partly funded by the Graduate Student Senate Travel Award.