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Geography Awards

The Anderson Award

Each year, the  top graduate is honored with the Anderson Award for High Achievement in Geography.  This award honors outstanding academic performance.  Dr. James R. Anderson, an alumnus of this Department, was a prominent applied and academic geographer. At the time of his death in the late 1980s, he was The Geographer of the U.S. Geological Survey.  The award consists of a certificate documenting the honor and a prize, which are presented at the annual awards ceremony.

The Harper Award In Geographic Writing

The Robert A. Harper Award is given for excellent undergraduate writing. Dr. Robert A. Harper is a former Department Chair who highly valued writing ability. Any undergraduate Geography or GIS major or minor may submit a paper that was written for a Geography course. Winners are presented with a certificate, a $100.00 prize, and publication of their paper on the Geography Department's web site. Their winning of the award is also mentioned at their graduation.

The paper need not have been written in the semester in which it is submitted and can be submitted at either the Geography main office (2181 Lefrak Hall) or to Allen Eney via the main office. For any questions concerning this award please contact Allen Eney at aeney@umd.edu or 301-405-4112 or his office, 2121 Lefrak Hall. The last date for paper submissions is the first Friday of April.

Previous Recipients of the Harper Award

Below are papers written by previous recipients of the Harper Award and are examples of undergraduate writing and research interests:

2002: Hernan G. Hidalgo, "The First Inhabitants of the Great Lakes Region in North America."  A paper written for Geography 320: Canada, United States, and Adjacent Areas (PDF, 41 KB)

2003: Jason Speck, "Three Dimensional Islam: A Multi-Scale Approach to Hindu/Muslim Violence in India." A paper written for Geography 423: Political Geography (PDF, 24.5 KB)

2004: Bertha Berrios, "San Juan River-- Border Dispute Between Costa Rica and Nicaragua." A paper written for her Honors Program Proposal (PDF, 119 KB)

2004: Jade Alvey, "The Human Implications of Pfiesteria: The Eastern Shore of Maryland and the impacts of a toxic dinoflagellate bloom on the culture, health, and economics of a community." A paper written for Geography 212: The World in Cultural Perspective Laboratory(PDF, 33 KB)

2005: Jamie Worms, "Valley Region of the Appalachian Mountains and Subsequent Karst Regions in the State of Virginia." A paper written for Geography 312: The United States and Canada (PDF, 360 KB)

2006: Kevin Belanger, "Ecotourism and its Effects on Native Populations"  (PDF, 60 KB)

2007: Crescent Moegling, "The Automobile's Contribution to Identity in America: Nostalgia, Nationalism and Status"  A paper written for Geography 212: The World in Cultural Perspective (PDF, 210 KB)

2008: Elise Alkire, "Beach Nourishment on United States Coasts" A paper written for Geography 431: Culture and Natural Resource Management.

2009: Olivia Marinelli, "The Consequences of Labor Replacement in the Automobile Industry" A paper written for Geography 331: Introduction to Human Dimensions of Global Change.

The Alumni Writing Award In Regional Writing

The Alumni Writing Award In Regional Writing is sponsored by one of the department's Alumnus, who has been very successful at practicing Regional Geography and wants to encourage this approach to the study of Geography. To do this, he sponsors this award each year. Winners are presented with a certificate, a $100.00 prize, and publication of their paper on the Geography Department's web site. Their winning of the award is also mentioned at their graduation. The award is open to all undergraduate Geography and GIS majors and minors.

The paper must have been written using the regional approach to Geographic study (or written for Geography 310 or 312), it need not have been written in the semester during which it is submitted and can be submitted at either the Geography main office (2181 Lefrak Hall) or to Allen Eney via the main office. For any questions concerning this award please contact Allen Eney at aeney@umd.edu or 301-405-4112 or his office, 2121 Lefrak Hall. The last date for paper submissions is the first Friday of April.

Previous Recipients of the Alumni Writing Award

Below are papers written by previous recipients of the Alumni Writing Award and are examples of undergraduate writing and research interests:

2006: Andrew T. Schmitt, "Chesapeake Bay." A paper written for Geography 310: Maryland and Adjacent Areas. (PDF, 22 KB)

2007: Robert Albritton, "The Atacama Desert: A Physiographic Dissection of the Hyper-Arid Desert Region of Chile." A paper written for Geography 330: Cultural Geography. (PDF, 35 KB)

2008:Rachel Levine, "The Early Waves of Jewish Migration to Maryland." A paper written for Geography310: Maryland and Adjacent Areas

2009:Lance Stockett, "The Impact of Anthropogenic Change on the Transmission of Malaria in sub-Saharan Africa." A paper written for Geography331: Introduction to Human Dimensions of Global Change.