UW-Milwaukee Department of Geography

Huge congratulations to Jay Jensen on earning his MS in Geography (GIS Professional track)! 🎉🗺️ So proud to celebrate this milestone — the work and dedication it takes to get here is no small thing. Wishing Jay all the best in the next chapter.

🎓 Congratulations to Dr. Matthias Dietmar Schilli on the successful completion of his Ph.D. in the Department of Geography at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee!
Dr. Schilli’s dissertation, “Effects of Social Vulnerability, Built Environment, and Human Mobility on Violent Crimes in Chicago,” explores the spatial and structural forces driving urban violence — examining how social disadvantage, the built landscape, and human movement collectively shape violent crime patterns across Chicago’s neighborhoods.
We are incredibly proud of your achievement, Dr. Schilli. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Schilli on this well-deserved milestone!

🎓 Congratulations to our very own Thea Brenner on the completion of her Master of Science in Geography!
Thea’s thesis, Siting and Funding: Situating Milwaukee’s Performing Arts Landscape, explores the geographic and financial dimensions of Milwaukee’s performing arts scene, a truly fascinating contribution to our geography department’s growing body of work.
We are incredibly proud of everything you have accomplished Thea. Wishing you all the best in your next chapter!
👏 Please join us in congratulating Thea in the comments below!

As the semester comes to an end, the Department of Geography would like to thank all students, faculty, and staff for a wonderful semester filled with learning, research, collaboration, and discovery.

We wish all of our geography students the very best in their finals, future academic and professional endeavors, and summer activities. May your summer be restful, productive, and filled with new experiences and opportunities.

Thank you for being part of our geography community, and we look forward to seeing you again next semester. 🌎

We’re happy to share news about our former undergraduate student, Michelle Hess. Michelle’s research project for Geog 600 Perspectives on Geography (Spring 2025), Community Spotlight: Tree Canopy Cover On Milwaukee School Properties, is featured on the Wisconsin DNR Forestry News.

Congratulations on your great achievement, Michelle! Well done!
link: https://forestrynews.blogs.govdelivery.com/2026/04/20/community-spotlight-tree-canopy-cover-on-milwaukee-school-properties/

We have two exciting pieces of news to share with everyone.

A new book, Muslims in Milwaukee: Placemaking, Belonging, and Activism (Syracuse University Press), by UWM geography faculty Drs. Anna Mansson McGinty and Kristin M. Sziarto, along with Dr. Caroline Seymour-Jorn (World Languages & Culture, UWM), offers a nuanced portrait of Muslim communities in Milwaukee—exploring everyday life, belonging, and activism through years of research.

Also, you can join the celebration at the Community Book Talkback on May 20th. The event features a talkback panel with local community leaders and the authors. Free and open to the public (light refreshments provided). Please see the details of this book talk event.
Community Book Talkback
Date: Wednesday, May 20 | 7:00–8:30 PM
Location: Islamic Resource Center

🌍 Geography 600 Undergraduate Research Symposium
📅 May 8, 2026 | 11:00 AM – 2:10 PM
📍 American Geographical Society Library

We are excited to share the full program for this year’s Undergraduate Research Symposium! Come support our students as they present their original research on cities, communities, environment, and equity. All are welcome!

🏙️ SESSION 1: Cities, Communities, and Changes

11:00–11:12 AM
Alexandria Vyborny
“Crash Patterns Along the Fond du Lac Avenue Corridor: A Comparative Intersection Analysis in Milwaukee, 2018–2022”

11:12–11:15 AM | Q&A

11:15–11:27 AM
Daniel Shumway
“The Comeback of Downtown Detroit: A Case Study”

11:27–11:39 AM
Ryan Waller
“Local Impact of Bikeability in Riverwest, Milwaukee: Bikes and Community”

11:39–11:51 AM
Henry Valley
“Courthouse Geographies: An Ethnographic Study of Space, Language, and Inequality in Milwaukee County Eviction Court”

11:51 AM–12:01 PM | Q&A
12:01–12:10 PM | Break
🎓 12:10–1:10 PM | Graduation Award Ceremony & Lunch

🌱 SESSION 2: Environment, Energy, and Equity

1:10–1:22 PM
Ethel Randolph
“Nuclear Plant Closure: Impacts on Host Community Demographics and Economies”

1:22–1:34 PM
Ryan Polasky
“Evaluating the Impact of Land Service Replacement on Housing Value Change in Milwaukee, WI”

1:34–1:46 PM
Vaughn Kerrigan
“Equity & Access: A Case Study of Green Spaces in Milwaukee County”

1:46–1:58 PM
Shannon Schuler
“Dane County Land Use Change and Perceived Nitrate Contamination Risk”

1:58–2:10 PM | Q&A

Open to the public — all are welcome! 🎓

UrbanGeography EnvironmentalJustice Milwaukee GreenSpaces

🌆 Geographers, this one’s for you!

Join us this Friday at 2:30 PM at the AGSL as PhD student Lulu Liu presents her research on microclimate variability across Local Climate Zones exploring how urban form and vegetation shape the temperatures we experience in our cities.

📍 American Geographical Society Library
🕑 Friday · 2:30 PM

All are welcome. See you there! 🌿🌡️

🗺️ Maps & America Lecture Series | Coming This Thursday!

We're excited to welcome Dr. Julio Pedrassoli for our next Arthur Holzheimer Lecture:

📍 "Mapping Brazil from Within: Remote Sensing, Collaboration, and Counter-Cartographic Perspectives"

How is Brazil being mapped — and by whom? Dr. Pedrassoli explores how satellite data, collaborative fieldwork, and indigenous counter-cartography are reshaping our understanding of one of the world's most ecologically and culturally complex territories.

📅 Thursday, April 30, 2026
🥂 Reception: 5:30 p.m.
🎙️ Lecture: 6:00 p.m.
📍 American Geographical Society Library
Golda Meir Library, 3rd Floor, East Wing
2311 E. Hartford Ave., Milwaukee, WI

✅ Free and open to the public
🔗 Register: https://uwm.edu/libraries/event/maps-america-2026/

This lecture is sponsored by the late Arthur Holzheimer and his wife Janet Holzheimer. We hope to see you there!

📢 Mayer Lecture Announcement

Join us for the Harold and Florence Mayer Lecture hosted by the Department of Geography.

Speaker: Eric Tate
Professor of Public Affairs, Princeton School of Public and International Affairs

Title:
Advancing Social Vulnerability Modeling for Equitable Flood Adaptation

🗓 Date: Friday, April 24
🕒 Time: 2:30–3:30 PM
📍 Location: AGSL

This talk will explore how social vulnerability can be better measured and applied to support equitable flood adaptation, planning, and policy.

We hope to see you there!