Department of Geography, Environment, & Sustainability

Department of Geography, Environment, & Sustainability

Geography prepares students to explore and understand cultural, bio‐physical, and geospatial environments, and their interactions and transformations, thereby empowering our students to shape a just and sustainable world.

Major & MinorCourses

Upcoming Courses

Sloth Rescue!

This summer, University of Richmond Geography professor, Dr. David Salisbury, rescued a three-toed sloth while in the Amazon Rainforest. While sloths can swim, the current in the Jurua River in Peru was too strong at the time for the sloth to make it safely across.

 Department of Geography, Environment, & Sustainability Student Award Winners

Student Award Winners

We’re pleased to recognize our 2023 departmental award winners:

Outstanding Senior Geographer: Tereza Hernandez

Exemplary Geography Research Award: Charles Mullis

Exemplary Service Award: Sydney Thomas

Outstanding Service to the Spatial Analysis Lab: Will Heinle

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Geography Trip 2022

Experiential Learning

The Department of Geography, Environment, and Sustainability prepares students to explore and understand cultural, bio‐physical, and geospatial environments, and their interactions and transformations, thereby empowering our students to shape a just and sustainable world. Geography professors offer exciting, experiential courses on a range of important issues like global climate change, industrialization, resource management, agricultural change, urbanization, land use, deforestation, and hydrology. Students will learn to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and related geospatial technologies to prepare them for exciting employment and research opportunities in many different fields.

Global Environment Speaker Series

Speaker Series

Each year the Department of Geography, Environment, & Sustainability, the Environmental Studies Program, and Global Studies Program partner to bring noteworthy speakers and scholars to Richmond to present lectures related to our global environment. All events are free and open to the public.

Upcoming Events

Faculty and Staff Highlights

Dr. David S. Salisbury
Salisbury Published

David Salisbury, associate professor of geography, environment, & sustainability, and Stephanie Spera, assistant professor of geography, environment, & sustainability, and undergraduate students in the Amazon Borderlands Spatial Analysis Team (ABSAT) lab published their work mapping official and informal road networks of the Brazil in the Monitoring of Forest Roads (MOCAF) Bulletin, Second Edition.

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Dr. Stephanie Spera
Spera Published

Stephanie Spera, assistant professor of geography, environment, & sustainability, and David Salisbury, associate professor of geography, environment, & sustainability, and undergraduate students in the Amazon Borderlands Spatial Analysis Team (ABSAT) lab published their work mapping official and informal road networks of the Brazil in the Monitoring of Forest Roads (MOCAF) Bulletin, Second Edition.

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Dr. David S. Salisbury
Salisbury Awarded

David Salisbury, associate professor of geography, environment, and sustainability, received the 2023 Distinguished Educator Award from the University of Richmond at Colloquy.

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Dr. Todd Lookingbill
Lookingbill Promoted

Todd Lookingbill was promoted to professor of geography, environment, and sustainability; and biology. Dr. Lookingbill is a landscape ecologist whose areas of research include environmental stewardship, climate change, watershed assessment, and battlefield ecology.

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Celebrating Class of 2023
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  • WillAward
  • SydneyAward
  • TerezaAward
  • CharlesAward
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Scholarship Repository Readership

The University of Richmond's Scholarship Repository shares faculty publications with a world-wide audience. The map below shows where articles from geography faculty are being read around the globe.

Contact Us

Mailing address:
Department of Geography, Environment, & Sustainability
Carole Weinstein International Center, 3rd Floor
211 Richmond Way
University of Richmond, Virginia  23173

Phone: (804) 287-8661
Fax: (804) 484-1577

Spatial Analysis Laboratory: (804) 484-1518

Department Chair:  David Salisbury
Major Advisors: Mary Finley-Brook, Todd Lookingbill, David Salisbury and Stephanie Spera
Academic Administrative Specialist: Nancy Propst

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