Department of Geography holds open house

The Department of Geography will host an open house at Science Hall on Friday, Sept. 25, for alumni and friends of the department.

The event is meant “to create more connection with our alumni and friends via some organized events and activities,” says Karen Tuerk, the department’s GIS certificate program manager.

The event, free and open to the public, starts at 10 a.m. at Science Hall, 550 N. Park St., and goes until 5:30 p.m. No registration is required.

Participants can stop by and visit with faculty and staff in the department’s units, including the physical geography labs, the state cartographer’s office and the publicly utilized Robinson Map Library.

“People love this building,” Tuerk says. “It’s one of the oldest buildings on campus.”

Tours led by Geography Club undergraduates will meet at 2 p.m. in the front hall and will last 45 minutes to an hour.

Guests can also attend a lecture by professor Matthew Turner on “Geographies of Environmental Change: The Case of the West African Sahel” from 3:30-4:30 p.m. in 180 Science Hall.

Visitors can wind down and socialize at the reception immediately following the lecture in the Map Library on the third floor from 4:30-5:30 p.m.