Department of Geography Impact Report FY24-25

College of Arts and Letters

Department of Geography Environment, Society, and Technology

Fiscal Year 2024-2025

Dear Donor,

The Department of Geography is at the forefront of research and teaching— our students are our inspiration. This past year, joint research between faculty and students focused on topics such as urban forestry in San Diego–Tijuana, water use and conservation in the Imperial Valley, and climate controls on 400 global watersheds.

Geography is an ever-evolving discipline. Our faculty and students are engaged in several new projects, including studying smallholder rice in Cambodia, understanding the impacts of wildfres in California, and exploring Middle Stone Age human coastal occupations in South Africa.

This year, we distributed $44,000 in scholarships and awards to 18 undergraduate and graduate geography students. With this donor support, our students have been able to focus on their studies and research, attend conferences, present papers, and travel for feldwork. Faculty also benefted from endowments that supported feldwork, graduate students, and post-doctoral researchers.

We appreciate your support as we continue our teaching and research missions!

Fernando J. Bosco, Ph.D. Chair and Professor

Propelling the SDSU Community Forward

Geography Annual Awards for Student Excellence

The Department of Geography received donations to support students with awards for excellent academic performance, including the Human Geography Award, the Social Geography Award, and the Award for Outstanding Citizenship in the department.

The Campanile Foundation Endowed Chair

Professor of Geography Janet Franklin, Campanile Foundation Endowed Chair, recruited distinguished remote sensing scientist Dr. Compton J. Tucker from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center to give a research seminar at SDSU. The title of his talk was “A Tool to Address Restoration Eforts and the Role of Trees Outside of Forests in Rural Livelihoods: Mapping African Semi-Arid Trees at the Tree Level South of the Sahara & North of the Equator.”

Dr. Tucker continues to lead innovations using cutting-edge, open-source data and machine learning tools to develop data products that are remarkable in both scope and detail—enhancing everything from international carbon accounting to rural livelihoods in Africa.

Students, faculty, and staf at SDSU were excited to welcome Dr. Tucker, who was especially generous with his time—particularly with our students.

Thriving in the Aztec Experience

Andrés Peñalosa Reyna, Class of 2025

Class Level: Graduate Student

College: College of Arts and Letters

Major: Geography

I transferred to San Diego State University in Fall 2021. As a non-traditional student, I initially felt out of place at such a large university. However, I soon met inspiring professors and amazing students who made me feel welcome and supported.

Over the past four years, I’ve had the privilege of being a student in the Department of Geography. I’m especially grateful for the outstanding professors in the department. I earned my bachelor’s degree in May 2023 and completed my master’s degree in May 2025. I’m honored to be the frst in my family to earn a master’s degree.

As an undergraduate, I served as the treasurer of the Geography Club, a leadership role that helped me develop my social skills. As a graduate student, I’ve benefted greatly from the academic and social programming ofered by the Geography Graduate Student Association.

Looking ahead, I’ve accepted an ofer from the University of California, Irvine, where I’ll pursue a Ph.D. in Urban and Environmental Planning and Policy at the School of Social Ecology starting next September. The encouragement and mentorship I received from the Geography Department have prepared me well for this next chapter.

Pictured from left to right: Dr. Fernando Bosco, Department of Geography Chair, and Andrés Peñalosa Reyna

The encouragement and mentorship I received from the Geography Department have prepared me well for this next chapter.