James Graham, Department of Environmental Science and Management
Where are you originally from?
I was born in Truckee, Calif., and grew up mostly in the Sacramento Valley.
Where did you complete your education?
My Ph.D. is from Colorado State University’s College of Natural Resources.
Where have you taught prior to coming to HSU?
Both at Colorado State University and Oregon State University.
What do you feel are are your specific areas of expertise?
Integrating large spatial data sets to perform analysis to help make better decisions in how we interact with the world (GIS,applications of spatial analysis to natural resources, programming).
What classes are you teaching this year?
GSP 270: Introduction to GIS, GSP 470: Advanced GIS, GSP 370 Intermediate GIS, and GSP 570: Spatial Modeling.
What attracted you to Humboldt State?
The ocean, the trees and that HSU is focused on teaching.
What do you do in your free time (if you have any) outside the classroom?
Mediate, sail, hike and dive.
What is your favorite classroom technique to engage students?
Overall, it’s letting them select their own projects. Specifically in the classroom, putting up an interesting slide and asking them questions about it (typically a map or aerial photo).
What is the best thing about being a university professor?
Watching students faces when the “get it.”
Where is the strangest place you’ve done research?
In front of a computer (really, we spent too much time in front of a computer which is a place that is completely alien to our planet and we need to get out more).
If you weren’t an HSU professor, what would you be?
Either a captain on a schooner or a small business owner (or both).
What superpower would be most valuable to your research?
The ability to show everyone how the decisions we make have a huge impact on what that state of humans will be 100 or even 1000 years from now (and have them care).
Monica Stephens, Department of Geography
Where are you originally from?
I grew up in a small town in Vermont.
Where did you complete your education?
My B.A. is from Clark University and my M.A. and Ph.D. are from the University of Arizona.
Where have you taught prior to coming to HSU?
I was a visiting scholar (research) at the University of Kentucky and I
previously taught at the University of Arizona.
What do you feel are are your specific areas of expertise?
My research focuses on the geographies of the Internet, online social
media, community mapping, Big Data, open-source technology, and
exclusions of gender, race and sexual identity from maps and media.
What classes are you teaching this year?
I will be teaching GSP 316 (Cartography)
What attracted you to Humboldt State?
I was attracted to HSU by the small class sizes, a strong focus on teaching, and the stunningly beautiful location near the ocean.
What do you do in your free time (if you have any) outside the classroom?
I have a cat. I used to kayak, play ultimate frisbee, garden and cook.
What is your favorite classroom technique to engage students?
Each class I teach includes an in-class activity where students
diagram/draw/doodle/color the concept by hand before trying it out on
a computer.
What is the best thing about being a university professor?
I love having conversations with interesting people from diverse backgrounds.
Where is the strangest place you’ve done research?
I do research on the internet. Sometimes it can be offensive,
sometimes it can be funny.
If you weren’t an HSU professor, what would you be?
Between college and grad school I worked for a consulting firm traveling and conducting financial forecasts for real estate markets. It was an interesting career.
What superpower would be most valuable to your research?
I’ve heard some super heros have teleportation abilities. It would be
useful if I could travel between Arcata and anywhere else in the world
in less than a minute.