Faculty & Staff

The department includes six full-time professors and several adjunct professors with expertise in particular specialties that are important to our programs. The faculty members represent a wide variety of expertise and experience in all parts of the world.

Note: When calling extensions from off-campus, 508-531- precedes all extensions.

Staff

Ms. Brenda Crowley
Clerk IV - Departments of Geography and Department of Earth Sciences

Ms. Crowley is our department's office manager. She is responsible for budgets and many of the other details that keep both departments functioning. She can help students with questions about our programs to find the appropriate faculty member or campus office.




Mr. James Munise
Staff Associate - Departments of Physics, Earth Sciences & Geography
   

Full Time Geography Faculty

Dr. Bob Amey

Dr. Robert Amey
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., University of Florida, 1998
http://webhost.bridgew.edu/ramey/
ramey@bridgew.edu
x2633

"My research interests have included the problem of siting waste management facilities in the US (for low-level radioactive waste) and in Ireland (regional management of municipal sanitary wastes).  More recently, I am focused on urban planning, with primary interests in affordable housing concerns, undesirable facilities location and the concepts of the “new urbanism” – reconsidering the exclusive-use zoning practices of the past.  I want my students to find their own ideas to find the balance that blends the peacefulness of a small town life (the idealized “New England town” ) and the buzz of an urban pace (the social and economic diversity of city neighborhoods) into healthy social, economic, built and natural environments by integrating their academic experience with working knowledge of planning issues faced by the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District, Old Colony Planning Council and local planning boards in Bridgewater and Brockton."

   

Dr. Darcy Boellstorff
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., University of Nebraska, 2005
dboellstorff@bridgew.edu

http://webhost.bridgew.edu/dboellstorff

x1461

"Coming from a background in human-environmental geography and natural resource management, I am interested in the linkages between land use and management and resulting impacts on the physical environment.  I'm especially interested in soil resources. My most recent research focuses on European Union subsidy policy and the land change it’s brought about in the Castilla-La Mancha region of Spain. I use geographic technology for the development of information that's crucial to making environmentally sound policy and planning decisions.  As a new BSC Geography faculty member I look forward to supporting students in developing their own skills and understanding of geographic technologies from both the technical and applied perspective."



Dr. Sandra L. Clark
Professor - Geography

Ph.D., Arizona State University, 1995
sclark@bridgew.edu
x2099

"Science begs to be done in the great outdoors. For the past two summers, I’ve worked in a mentoring and research program with our students and other faculty from chemistry and biology in the National Council for Undergraduate Research (NCUR)/Lancy program. We tackled serious environmental and water quality issues dealing with the Taunton River Watershed employing both field and lab research. The fruits of this research carries directly over into the classroom. In my Air Photo Interpretation and Remote Sensing course we will assess the accuracy of a portion of the state’s current Taunton River data base, and in Senior Seminar all our majors' skills will be applied to an investigation of the Taunton River’s status for potential inclusion in the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers program."

   
 

Dr. Vernon Domingo
Professor - Geography

Ph.D., Clark University, 1980
http://webhost.bridgew.edu/vdomingo
vdomingo@bridgew.edu
x2101

"My research interest focuses on water supplies and water systems in both western societies as well as in the Third World. I am also a strong believer in the outreach that college faculty can do in the community. I am a member of SEMAGNET (Southeastern Massachusetts Geography Network), a teacher-focused organization that works with teachers and K-12 students to improve the quality of geography teaching and learning. In addition, I am the director of SEMGEC (Southeast Massachusetts Global Education Center) based at BSC. We present workshops and lectures that help introduce global perspectives in classroom teaching and we also sponsor annual Geography Fair, an event that attracts about 150 mostly middle school students to the college campus."

   

Dr. James Hayes-Bohanan
Associate Professor & Chair
Coordinator - Latin American & Caribbean Studies
Interim Co-coordinator - BSC Sustainability Center

Ph.D., University of Arizona, 1998
http://webhost.bridgew.edu/jhayesboh
jhayesboh@bridgew.edu
x2118

"I first became a geographer after learning about the clearing of tropical rain forests in the Brazilian Amazon. This led me to build a career in environmental geography, and along the way I have studied soil erosion in Ohio, volunteered for several environmental organizations, and worked as a consultant on environmental hazards throughout the United States. When it came time to go to the Amazon, I chose Rondônia, which has experienced some of the most rapid forest clearing in the world and which is now home to an energetic and diverse human population. At Bridgewater State College, my growing experience with the New England environment and the latest Internet technologies help me to bring a world of experience with the environment to my students."

   

Dr. Robert Hellström
Assistant Professor

Ph.D., Ohio State University, 2000
http://webhost.bridgew.edu/rhellstrom/
rhellstrom@bridgew.edu
x2842

"I am a microclimatologist specializing in the role of atmospheric forcing on the evolution of polar ice sheets and seasonal snow cover. In 1996, this research brought me to the South Pole where I extracted snow and ice cores to reconstruct past climates. My current research involves integrating computer simulations and field measurements to detect weather patterns that lead to abrupt warming of the atmosphere. I have also established a new automated weather station at BSC that provides real-time weather conditions over the Internet and I am currently building a wind tunnel laboratory to study fluid dynamics of the atmosphere. These new facilities will provide more research opportunities for physics, aviation, earth science, and geography students at BSC."

   

Dr. Madhu Rao
Associate Professor - Geography

Ph.D., Kent State University, 1988
mrao@bridgew.edu
x2120

"My practical experience adds value to the teaching and learning environment within the classroom both in the technical and cultural elements of Geography. Having been intensely involved in the application of Geographic Information Systems and advanced quantitative analytical techniques such as recursive and non-recursive path models and linear structural equations (LISREL) to regional development, I endeavor to continue my research in these areas with the active involvement of students in projects related to these fields. I also offer consulting services in geo-technology to several reputed public and private organizations, which keeps my finger on the pulse of current topical concerns in the field of geography."

   

Visiting Lecturers

   

Mr. Philip D. Birge-Liberman
B.S., Geography, Bridgewater State College, 1997
M.A., Geography, Western Michigan University, 1999
Ph.D., Geography, Syracuse University, in progress
phil.birge-liberman@bridgew.edu
x1390

Mr. Birge-Liberman is currently teaching human geography in the ES&G Department. His dissertation research is on Boston's historic Emerald Necklace public lands.
   

 

Mr. Peter Fletcher
M.S., University of Massachusetts Amherst, 1972
pfdigsoil@aol.com
x1390

Mr. Fletcher is retired from US Department of Agriculture, with 30 years of field experience in soils, and now does consulting for government agencies, teaching through UMass, and training for state employees. He is the author of the soil survey of Barnstable County. He teaches a popular course on soil identification for the department.

   

Mr. Marc Jaffee
M.S., Urban Planning, University of Michigan, 1980
mark.jaffee@bridgew.edu
x1390

Mr. Jaffee is currently teaching environmental geography in the ES&G Department.
   

 

Mr. Gerard Martin
B.S., Earth Science (Geology), Bridgewater State College, 1981
M.S., Michigan State University, 1984

gerard.martin@state.ma.us
x1390

Mr. Martin is an environmental scientist at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. He teaches contaminant hydrology at BSC.

   

Mr. Ronald Reynolds
B.S., Education / Earth Science Bridgewater State College, 1961
M.Ed., Chemistry Bridgewater State College, 1970
ronald.reynolds@bridgew.edu
x1390

Mr. Reynolds is currently teaching physical geography in the ES&G Department.
   

Dr. Shahram Shadbash
Ph.D., International Relations and History, Boston University, 1994
shahram.shadbash@bridgew.edu
x1390

Dr. Shadbash is currently teaching geography of non-Western cultures in the ES&G department.


Last Modified: September 17, 2007