23 Dr. Thomas LaVanchy Dr. Thomas LaVanchy: I completed my 5th year at OSU in 2024 and continue to enjoy the mix of teaching, research, and service that make up my life as a professor. On the teaching front, I taught Global Sustainability (GEOG/GLST 2002), Global Water Resources & Sustainability (4910/5510), and a Physical Geography (1114) Honors add-on that explored America’s public lands. In August, I moved from being a member of our Graduate Committee to becoming the Graduate Coordinator for the department. Despite a big learning curve, the position is rewarding and allows me to walk alongside our graduate students as they progress from applying to our program to graduating as future leaders. As an adviser, I had the privilege of seeing four of my students defend their thesis/dissertation and graduate. Each of them had interesting research that advanced knowledge in water resources and contribute to making the world a better place. I am proud of their hard work and celebrate their accomplishments: Emmanuel Kumi (MS in Geography) - The Impact of Land Use Change on Hydrological Ecosystem Services in the Tano River Basin of Ghana. Kathy Osei (MS in Geography) - Analyzing the long-term trend of evaporative water loss at Lake Hefner for Sustainable Urban Water Management. Brice Zoungrana (PhD, Geography) - Sustainable Water Resources Management and Agricultural Production in Central Burkina Faso: Perspectives of Environmental Change. Yaema Fornah (MS, Environmental Science) - The Role and Efficacy of the Private Sector in Urban Water Provision: A Case Study of Water4ever in Waterloo, Freetown. On the research front, I continued collaboration with colleagues at the Future Water Institute of the University of Cape Town. Our research evaluates the efficacy of nature-based solutions to improve water security and contribute to economic stability and social justice. I published an article in the Annals of Tourism Research Empirical Insights on the role of tourism water literacy in hotel management during climate shocks and submitted two proposals to the NSF to support student involvement in my water research. In the Field: I traveled back to southern Africa in June to collect data and work at the Water Hub research site near Cape Town. The trip began with a side journey to Windhoek, Namibia to tour the Wingoc Water Reclamation Plant. The city of Windhoek has successfully recycled wastewater for potable use since 1968 and provided a good resource and point of reference for a paper I am writing on Cape Town’s initiative to adopt water recycling as well. I also spent a week working at the Water Hub on a variety of practical tasks and collecting data. Helping students from the University of Cape Town with water testing. The source of the water contamination Is an informal settlement, visible in the top center of the picture. Enjoying a sunset in Betty’s Bay, South Africa with research colleague Dr. Kevin Winter. Sampling sun-dried mopane worms in an open Market in Windhoek, Namibia. (all Photos by Thomas LaVanchy) The job of Graduate Coordinator is never finished – working on tasks during a flight delay at the airport.
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