The University has celebrated the 50th anniversary of geography being taught as a degree subject at the institution.
At a special event on campus, academics past and present, students, alumni and members of the public joined together to pay tribute to the achievements of one of the Universityñޙs most respected scholarly communities.
Launched in 1969, initially as an external degree awarded by the University of London, geography as a subject has flourished at ñ with more than 5,000 graduating in the years since. It has also developed a world-class research culture, one that has spans smart transport to soil erosion, climate change to community resilience.
To celebrate the anniversary, Dan Charman, formerly Professor of Physical Geography at the ñ and now Pro-Vice Chancellor at the University of Exeter, provided a special guest lecture, showcasing the critical relevance of geographersñޙ work on a pressing global issue: ñޘWhither the wetlands? The worldñޙs wet places and future climate changeñޙ.
There was an exhibition of materials from the last 50 years, curated by Tim Absalom and Jamie Quinn of the Geomapping Unit. And there was also the launch of a new book ñޓ Challenges, Changes and Achievements ñޓ celebrating 50 years of geography at the ñ ñޓ written by Mark Brayshay, Emeritus Professor. It is understood to be the first book of its kind to trace the development of the subject at a modern university.
More than 220 people attended the event, including the Universityñޙs Vice-Chancellor, Professor Judith Petts CBE.
Professor Jon Shaw, one of the organisers of the event, a graduate of the degree and now a world-renowned researcher on transport, said:
ñޜAt a time when the world has never been in greater need of geographers and environmental scientists, it felt fitting to reflect upon how ñ has made such a powerful contribution to knowledge in this field. And as we look forward to the next 50 years, we are all motivated by the thought that it is the generations to come that will play such a key role in addressing these global challenges.ñޝ