Recap of 2019 Annual Reception and Awards Presentation

On May 10th, 2019 the Department of Geography and Environmental Science held their Annual Reception and Awards Presentation. Each year this event is held to honor and award students within the department majors who have exceled in their field, participated in competitions, and who’s outstanding merit granted them induction into the International Geography Honor Society. This year alongside student accomplishments the Department also honored the Assistant to Chair, Dana G. Reimer, with the Anastasia Van Burkalow Award for Distinguished Service.

Leading the reception, Professor and Chair of the department, Marianna Pavlovskaya, began her welcoming remarks with humor and the consciousness of today’s worldly scientific and technological advances and challenges. Commending the importance of learning not only what the Earth is capable of but learning the tools that connect both the environment and the people who live in it, which are exactly what geography, earth and environmental science, and geographic information science and remote sensing does. It enables people to find solutions to global problems. Professor Pavlovskaya gave many thanks to all parties for their continued support to the Department of Geography and Environmental Science including, Hunter administration; President Raab, Provost Kaufman, and Dean Polsky. The Society of Woman Geographers, for the outstanding female graduate students’ award. Miriam and Saul Cohen, for the ambitious student researchers’ prize. The New York Map Society who sponsored the new Alice Hudson award, all map submissions are currently on display on the 10th floor of the North building. The department’s very own Dana Reimer for sponsoring the royalty gifts for the departmental banner and logo competition and to all the veterans of the department and their partners for their generous donations - Monica Barnes and David Fleming, Alice Hudson, Susan Leonard, Dana and Richard Reimer, Karl and Aurora Szekielda, Susan and Anthony Grande, GeoClub, and Haydee Salmun. With many more thanks to Alumni, former colleagues and staff, Professor Pavlovskaya proceeded with addressing the department challenges, upgrades and changes. By redefining the department’s identity, improving programs and strengthening the collective faculty and staff the Department of Geography and Environmental Science ended on a high note.

As the ceremony continued a congratulations was given to graduating students and winners of awards and competitions. Twelve students were commended for graduating with honors in the department and two students were inducted into Gamma Theta Upsilon, International Geography Honor Society. The winners for the Alice Hudson Map Award were announced and are currently on display within the Geography and Environmental Science hallways of the 10th floor of the North building. The winner of the Miriam and Saul Cohen Prize for Geographic Excellence was announced by Professor Ines Miyares. The Society of Woman Geographers presented the Graduate Fellowship Award. Additionally, after changing the department’s name, students were given the chance to participate in the design of a new logo and banner which the winners to the competition were revealed live during the ceremony. This award was sponsored and announced by the department’s Assistant to Chair, Dana Reimer.

Awardees and Honored Students
Presented by Professor Marianna Pavlovskaya

Ashley Brown, Cum Laude*
Vivian Chen
Yu Qiao Chen
Ryan A. Edwards
Zhi Keng He
Stephanie A. Herbert
Destiny A. Kelley
Carah Naseem
Hiristina Stoynova
Melanie P. Tang
David John White, Magna Cum Laude*
Samuel Genchikmakher, Magna Cum Laude*

Gamma Theta Upsilon, International Geography Honors Society Induction
Presented by CLT Amy Jeu and Professor Ines Miyares

Vivian Chen
Zachary Connor
Ming Tao Lei
Marissa Alexis Smith

 

Alice Hudson Map Award
Presented by Stephen Hannon, New York Map Society

Paul Bendernagel - Best interactive map

Yu Qaio Chen - Best printed map

Miriam and Saul Cohen Prizes for Geographic Exellence
Presented by Professor Ines Miyares

Julia Jong

Society of Woman Geographers Graduate Fellowship Award
Presented by Susan S. Leonard, Society of Woman Geographers

Rebecca Kukla

Logo and Banner Competition Winners
Presented and sponsered by Dana Reimer

Yvonne Chow – Banner

Ming Tao Lei – Logo

To cap off the awards, the Assistant to Chair, Dana Reimer, was awarded the Anastasia Van Burkalow Award.

As a pioneer in Geoscience and after four year terms Van Burkalow continued to help the department of Geography and Environmental Science flourish and to mark her fifty years of service to Hunter College in 1990 the award was created. This award is given as the highest honor for service to the Department of Geography and Environmental Science and was proudly presented to Dana for her excellence and commitment to seeing the Department prosper before her retirement. During this award presentation, previous Chairs gave remarks and recognition of Dana as a key member to the department and her service over the past fourteen years. After wishing Dana good luck on her departure from the department and all the best on her retirement the ceremony continued with a mingling of department faculty, staff, students, and friends.