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Students
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Playa near Gigante -- Punta Norte
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Students Past and Present
Doctoral Students
Thomas LaVanchy, 2015. Tenure track position at Oklahoma State University
Diego Pons, 2017. Post Doc at Columbia University, now Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology and Geography at Colorado State University,
Sarah McCall, 2018. Metro State University, Denver and CU Denver Lecturer
Anna Guðbjört Sveinsdóttir, 2019. Postdoctoral Research Associate (in)Secure Landscapes Lab, The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Nikolai Alavarado, 2020. Tenure Line Assistant Professor, Department of Geography and Geographic Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
MA students
Caitlin Lebeda, 2019
Nico Earhart, 2015
Nikolai Alvarado, 2013
Dan Kasper, 2012 and on to Ph.D. at Univ. Maryland
Jim Casey. 2010
Jeff LaFreniere, 2009. Ph.D completed at Ohio State
Maria Caffrey, 2007. Ph.D. completed at U. of Tennessee
Bobby Bascomb, 2005
Prospective graduate students
Specifically, I welcome students who want to conduct human-environment research in Guatemala and Nicaragua.
For MA students I have a plethora of research questions. These questions arise from my years of fieldwork in Guatemala and Nicaragua. If you enjoy being in the field in rural areas to get beneath the skin of rural livelihoods in the face of globalization, then I can help you. Moreover, many of my research projects arise from community-based research and thus are not only academic, but also of a very applied nature. I am working with rural communities in highland and lowland Guatemala in efforts to obtain water and to make that water potable. In Nicaragua I am conducting baseline research in Pacific Coast communities to try and understand the multiple impacts of rapid tourism development on natural resources and society.
I gladly advise Ph.D. students. Again, I stress that my focus is on rural human-environmental issues in Latin America with a specific focus on Guatemala and Nicaragua. Of course, as a Ph.D. student I expect you to come up with your own research agenda within the realm of expertise offered by DU faculty.
I expect all students to hit the ground running. Be prepared to work hard and READ. I will not read the Graduate Handbook for you. In other words, the onus is on you to follow guidelines and follow the steps toward completion of your degree in a timely manner. I also expect Ph.D. students to work on more than one research project. Working on several projects at the same time better prepares you for the real world. Stay busy and you will do well.
Undergraduate students
DU provides many avenues for undergraduate research. I gladly advise undergraduates who are interested in rural development in Latin America. If you are interested in getting into remote areas of Guatemala and Nicaragua, please contact me. I have worked with undergraduate students on potable water projects, fog collecting studies, and community surveys. Be prepared for bad roads, simple food and life-transforming experiences as you begin to understand how and why most rural Latin Americans live the way they do.