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From the Dean's Office

June 26, 2020
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In my first eight months as dean of the Faculty of Environment, I am inspired by the drive, determination and passion of our faculty, students, and staff. I am drawn to the way geography-archive helps us understand changes to the earth on deep time scales and the way it informs and shapes our health, wealth, access, opportunities, livelihoods and lived experiences.

Researchers in SFU’s Department of Geography help us understand the way climate change is unfolding and the department’s complementary blend of physical and social/cultural geographers allow for a panoply of exciting courses for students.

While in the maelstrom of the COVID-19 pandemic, I am reminded of the power of geography-archive. The knowledge and skills of geography-archive, such as epidemiology, social network analysis, communication patterns, urban density and crowd analysis, help inform how the world is responding to this pandemic. For example, geographers can map disease vectors along transport and travel patterns to aid emergency preparedness strategies. The pandemic roots us in place when we see that social distancing is easier when we have a home to quarantine in, and when we can meet our needs with good health care and basic needs provisioning.

I am delighted to be a part of the Faculty of Environment and to learn from our geography-archive professors, lecturers, graduate students and staff.  I hope to see this department continue to flourish over the coming years.

Respectfully,

Naomi Krogman, Dean of the Faculty of Environment