Press Release

On Thursday, April 3, 2008, the Department of Geography at Rutgers University will host a visit from approximately 200 sixth grade students from Terrill Middle School, Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District.

Terrill Middle School will have the opportunity to explore various themes in geography including a discussion of cartography (map-making) by Mike Siegel, Geography Cartographer and presentations on New Jersey geography, climate change and hazards, globalization, water resources, visual geography, and topics in human geography. Presenters include Geography faculty members David Robinson (Chair), Robin Leichenko (Grad Director) and Trevor Birkenholtz, the Geography Department's newest faculty member. Alexis Buckley, Kari Burnett, Jim Jeffers and Brian Stromberg represent the Rutgers Geography graduate program.

The visit will include a tour of Livingston Campus and a demonstration of Second Life interactive software and its applications to geography guided by Catherine Weresow and Karen Campbell from the Office of Instructional and Research Technologies. The visit to Rutgers will conclude with a tour of the football stadium courtesy of Gene Bataille, Director of Football Relations.

The visit is hosted as part of geography outreach and education. In a similar outreach program this month, David Robinson, NJ State Climatologist and Geography Department Chair, spoke as part of a "Science in Cinema" discussion of global warming. The videoconference included the participation of 100 students from four (4) New Jersey high schools.

The Department of Geography at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, can be reached at (732) 445 4103 or by emailing Theresa Kirby (tkirby@rci.rutgers.edu).

To see some snapshots of the visit, click here