His colleagues and students say he practices his philosophy. They credit Finchum’s hardware, software and networking improvements for giving the department one of the best educational setups in the country. They also say his emphasis on the applied use of GIS (geographic information systems) technologies and problem solving enlarges student understanding of geography. His office, they say, is a meeting ground for undergraduate and graduate students where technical problems are solved on a one-on-one and small-group basis. Former student Jeffrey Amos says he recently found himself explaining the geographic importance of urban areas to a friend. “That knowledge came directly from Dr. Finchum’s lectures,” Amos says. “He presents materials in a way the student can easily understand and apply to real-world situations.” This is just what Finchum hopes to achieve. “The student needs to be shown how the topic can be used in everyday application,” he says, “and how the continued development of knowledge in the subject can aid in furthering their goals and providing them a better understanding of the world around them.” Janet Varnum Erika Contreras Dr. Peter Shull, professor of physics and astronomy and 2004 Regents Distinguished Teacher, has turned his lifelong fascination with space into an astronomy program with the goal to teach his students to appreciate the process of science. Exploring the Universe Applying Knowledge to the Real-World Geography professor Allen Finchum, recipient of the 2004 Regents Distinguished Teaching Award, believes teaching is more than simply conveying information to a student. faculty excellence qCarlos Cordova, below right, collects samples in Qa’ Abu Nukhayla in the Wadi Rum Region of southern Jordan as part of two international programs investigating the prehistory of Jordan. The associate professor of geography is working with Regina Kalchgruber of the physics department. Cordova is obtaining proxy data for reconstructing effects of the northwestward enhancement of the Indian Ocean monsoon approximately 7,000 to 9,000 years ago. The project, led by anthropologist Donald Henry of the University of Tulsa and funded by the National Science Foundation, aims to obtain paleoecological and geomorphological information that may link human activities with climatic conditions. The other project focuses on the alleged coexistence of Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans in the area. This project, which is directed by archaeologists from the University of Victoria, British Columbia, and McGill University, Montreal, is part of an effort to understand hominid migration pathways from Africa into Asia and Europe. College of Arts and Sciences
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAxMjk=