Academic Life

Background

Like many meteorologists, I have always been fascinated by the weather.  In elementary school my science fair projects dealt with weather; in middle school I interviewed a local TV weatherman for "career day;" in high school I focused my college search on schools with meteorology programs.  It should surprise few people that in December 1998 I graduated from Penn State with a degree in meteorology.

In Erie, PA, I worked full-time in the television industry and taught part-time at Penn State Erie. With time, I realized that eventually I would want to pursue collegiate teaching on a full-time basis.  I decided the timing was right for graduate school.  Now I am full-time student in the Ph.D. program in Geography at Syracuse University, where I also completed my Master's degree.

Why Geography...

...and not meteorology?  Geography is better suited for my research interests than meteorology.  My thesis examined snow and society; I’ve looked at the weather & society relation through other coursework as well.  Meteorologists study issues such as what causes hurricanes and how global warming may change the amount of snow that falls.  My research explores the implications of such findings, and by using the integrative ability of geography, I can more easily bring in cultural and human issues (such as economic policy, politics, and media influence).

Academic Interests

Another reason for geography is my fascination with everything; my interests span a broad range of topics.  Alas, academics must specialize, so these are my primary interests:

1. Climatology, focusing on mid-latitude winter weather
2. Hazards, especially natural hazards
3. Geographic Communication
4. Pennsylvania/New York

Course Work

M.A. Course Work
  Techniques: GIS, Cartography, Basic Statistics, Research Methods in Geography
  Space, Place, and Landscape:  History of Landscape Arch, Parks, Utopias, Theories of Space and Place
  Misc.: Maps and the Media, Geography and Collective Memory, Field Geography
  Music:  Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Band, Jazz Improvisation I and II

Ph.D. Course Work
  Techniques: Multivariate Statistics, Spatial Statistics
  Readings Courses in Hazards and Climatology
  Misc.: Biogeography, History of Geographic Thought, Urban Historical Geography
  Music: Jazz Improvisation III

Publications and Grants

Publications
  • Call, David A., 2006. “Fair Weather Ahead? Changes in Newspaper Weather Maps: 1902-2005.” The Pennsylvania Geographer 43, No. 2, 45-64.
  • Call, David A., 2005. Rethinking snowstorms as “snow events:” A regional case study from Upstate New York. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 86, No. 12, 1783-1793.
  • Call, David A., 2005. Physical geography of Onondaga County and Physical Geography of Renssalaer County. In The Encyclopedia of New York State, Peter Eisenstadt, ed. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press.
  • S.W.S. Millar, Schroer, C.J., and D. A. Call, (?). Spatial characteristics of trends in New York State seasonal snowfall and variability. Accepted pending revisions by The Professional Geographer.

Grants

  • Call, David A., 2006. Roscoe Martin Grant, Maxwell School of Syracuse University, $600.
  • Call, David A., 2005. Natural Hazards Center Quick Response Grant, $2000. (Pending an ice storm)
  • Call, David A., 2005, 2004, 2003. Maxwell School of Syracuse University Summer Stipend, average of $2700 each year.

Teaching Experience

I have teaching experience as both an independent instructor and a teaching assistant under supervision by a faculty member.
  • Introduction to Meteorology: 4.5 semesters independently, 1 semester TA
  • Introduction to Physical Geography: 2 semesters independently, 2 semesters TA
  • Introduction to Geography: 1 semester independently (at Onondaga Community College)
  • Quantitative Geographic Methods: 1 semester TA
  • Geographic Information Systems: 1 semester TA
Additional Research Experience

Besides my own research I have served as a research assistant for Drs. Daniel Griffith (now at the University of Texas) and Dr. Mark Monmonier. As a research assistant, I ran statistical models, assisted in creating presentations and publications, did bibliographic research, and conducted various other tasks. Other experience includes serving as a GIS consultant for FEMA in summer 2003.

This page was last updated on 3-May-2006 at 2031 UTC.

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