Department of Geography and Anthropology at Kennesaw State University

From Dr. Teresa Raczek: Material Life of Museums students visited 10 museums this summer and met with over 20 professionals to learn about museum careers. Thanks to the wonderful staff at Etowah Mounds / , Savoy Automobile Museum / , National Center for Civil and Human Rights / , Tellus Science Museum / , Booth Western Art Museum / , Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park / , KSU Museum of History & Holocaust Education / , KSU Rare Books / (KSU Bentley Rare Book Museum).

Students have been working with Dr. Susan Kirkpatrick Smith in the Greek Osteology Field School at the Institute for Aegean Prehistory Study Center for East Crete. Samy Ibarra-Rodriguez, Morgan Fowler, and Jess Drilling observe native plants on a hike through the Sarakina Gorge led by Dr. Carly Henkle, a paleobotanist. This plant, Prasium majus, common name is hedge-nettle in English, is collected in the winter to make traditional Cretan hortapitakia, or pie with wild greens.

Students have been working with Dr. Susan Kirkpatrick Smith in the Greek Osteology Field School at the Institute for Aegean Prehistory Study Center for East Crete. Samy Ibarra-Rodriguez pointing out a photo of the graves from Chryssi Island that held the burials we are studying. The photo is in the Agios Nikolaos Archaeology Museum in Crete.

Students have been working with Dr. Susan Kirkpatrick Smith in the Greek Osteology Field School at the Institute for Aegean Prehistory Study Center for East Crete. Bella Churchill inventorying dentition.

Students have been working with Dr. Susan Kirkpatrick Smith in the Greek Osteology Field School at the Institute for Aegean Prehistory Study Center for East Crete. Morgan Fowler assists with taking x-rays of some of the human remains.

Students have been working with Dr. Susan Kirkpatrick Smith in the Greek Osteology Field School at the Institute for Aegean Prehistory Study Center for East Crete. Jess Drilling is learning to use a scaler to separate bones that have been fused together by soil concretions.

Congratulations to undergraduate student researchers Sean Clark (Geospatial Sciences), James Greer (Geospatial Sciences), Edward Whitehurst (Environmental Science), and Caillou Guzman (Aerospace Engineering), on winning first place for the top undergraduate research presentation, "3D Visualization of a Local Freshwater Reservoir Using Terrestrial LiDAR (Laser Scanner)," at the Spring 2026 Symposium of Student Scholars at Kennesaw State University! Dr. Ranbir Kang, Assistant Professor of Geography and Geospatial Sciences, served as faculty mentor on their project.

The team’s project, part of the First-Year Scholars Program, used a laser scanning tool called LiDAR to create a detailed 3D model of the dam at Frey Lake in Kennesaw. The team scanned the reservoir 37 times from different locations, producing more than 800 million data points. This work provides a new lens to look at freshwater landscape by curating high-resolution spatial data that different agencies can use to manage those landscapes.

Read more about their project and experience here: https://www.kennesaw.edu/news/stories/2026/ksu-celebrates-30-years-symposium-student-scholars.php

Geography Club Faculty Advisor Dr. Doran hopes to see y'all at the last Geography Club meeting of the year (Thursday, May 7, at 11:00 AM in Social Sciences room 3020) so the club can plan events for the fall semester at KSU - Go Owls 🦉

major Emma Holland presented her directed study research at the Spring Symposium of Student Scholars!

On Wednesday, students Alex Nottage and Claire Baker presented their insightful research at the Spring Symposium of Student Scholars.