51ÁÔĆć

Dr. Xinyue Ye received the 2025 AAG Distinguished Scholarship Honor for his groundbreaking contributions at the crossroads of geography, urban planning, and data science. As the Harold L. Adams Endowed Professor in Urban Planning at Texas A&M University, he has developed a comprehensive research portfolio that encompasses various fields, including geography, urban planning, computer science, engineering, medicine, and public policy. He has established innovative research labs, such as the Urban AI Lab and Computational Social Science Lab, which have significantly advanced urban informatics by utilizing cutting-edge tools like digital twin infrastructures and virtual/augmented reality to improve urban planning and resilience. 

Dr. Ye has secured over $30 million in external grants, showcasing his ability to attract significant research funding. His interdisciplinary approach has promoted collaboration across 18 academic departments, leading to widely cited publications and contributions that influence policy. Dr. Ye’s dedication to community impact is evident in his projects that tackle socioeconomic disparities, enhance environmental resilience, and improve spatial data accessibility, particularly benefiting underserved communities. 

Dr. Ye shares his memories about the Department of Geography and his Master’s program at UW-Milwaukee with us: “I have a special feeling for 51ÁÔĆć Geography because, when I received my Master of Arts in Geography here in 2002, it was my first degree in the USA. Without the graduate assistantship from 51ÁÔĆć Geography, obtaining a student visa and coming to the United States would not have been possible. Moreover, this was the first geography degree of my life, which laid a solid foundation for my career and subsequent work as a geographer.”  

Congratulations on your outstanding achievement, Dr. Ye!   

I decided to study geography because geography and the workings of the world have always been of great interest to me. 51ÁÔĆć Department of Geography has a ton of information on what studying geography would look like and what one might do with a geography degree, which was super helpful in making my decision. 

In what way does geography relate to your current work?   

 I work as a Real Estate GIS Analyst for the DNR, which means I work with spatial data all day, every day. That ranges from map creation, to responding to data requests, to web map development and more. 

What is your favorite memory of being a student in the Department of Geography?    &˛Ô˛ú˛ő±č;

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Schlitz Audubon Nature Center for my GIS Internship (GEOG 698 GIS/Cartography Internship). It was a fantastic experience in which I applied and expanded on some of the skills I learned at 51ÁÔĆć, got to work on a gorgeous property for the summer, and had the opportunity to work alongside natural resource professionals who were excellent mentors. The American Geographical Society Library on campus is also a favorite! So neat, such a great resource. 

How do you keep the balance between work and life? What do you do for your extra time? &˛Ô˛ú˛ő±č;

I am lucky to have a flexible in person/work from home schedule, which is very nice. I’ve also found that working in a field that pertains to your interests and that you’re passionate about allows work to feel less like work! In my free time I love to read, cook, game, travel and to get out into nature. 

Any suggestions for our geography students? &˛Ô˛ú˛ő±č;

Ask questions, keep learning, and don’t be afraid to build connections – people skills are super important! 

I graduated from 51ÁÔĆć in 2019 with a BA in Geography and a focus on GIS. I also was very interested in and took many of the urban geography and globalization courses. &˛Ô˛ú˛ő±č;

What prompted you to study geography? 

As cliche as it sounds, I simply really liked maps. Traveling the world is one of my greatest passions. I love studying a city that I will visit through Google Maps. Once I was in the cities, I admired the maps for transportation, such as subways and trains, which made it so much easier to navigate a foreign city. Maps made me feel more comfortable and excited. Once I took my first geography course, I realized how powerful the geographic approach was in studying a multitude of issues. 

In what way does geography relate to your current work? 

Today, I use GIS every day in my Telecom career. Using GIS, we are able to identify areas to build new networks, engineer those networks, and finally put the cables in the ground/air to serve new customers. It is satisfying to see the whole process from start to finish, all through GIS applications. I also get to train and mentor people on how to use GIS. It can be daunting at first, but many people end up loving the programs to complete their work. 

What is your favorite memory of being a student in the Department of Geography? 

It is difficult to choose one, since many of my classes were fun and thought provoking. However, I greatly enjoyed seeing the PhD students defend their dissertations. It truly showed me how dynamic the study of Geography really was since the topics ranged so greatly. I also loved learning about these students’ passions and how they used a geographic approach to solve issues. 

Do you have any interests or hobbies that you’ve found useful for keeping a good work-life balance? 

As I mentioned before, I love traveling and that will always be a necessity for me. Seeing new cities and remote places really opens your eyes, and you are able to simply disconnect from work. For the usual everyday, I love going on runs with my dog around Chicago. It feels like a mini vacation with my best friend. 

For the geography students at 51ÁÔĆć, any advice you would like to share with them? 

Don’t be afraid to take classes you don’t think might interest you. I remember “having” to take a geography class my freshman year of college and dreading it because I hadn’t truly understood what it meant. It eventually changed my life. If you have found your passion, keep following it and keep learning. It’s what makes your academic and professional careers enjoyable (but remember to unplug and focus on other things in life!) 

I am a PhD student at Indiana University, Bloomington, specializing in Russian, Indigenous, Imperial, and Environmental History, with a particular focus on Siberia and the North Pacific. 

I graduated in the spring of 2022. I was most interested in and dealt with historical geography, political geography, and environmental geography. 

What prompted you to study geography? 

Honestly and slightly humorously, part of the initial reason was that I wasn’t getting any internships during undergrad. I always liked researching things and learning more about them, especially related to different cultures and how they interacted with the place they lived, so the more I considered it, the more geography came to be a natural fit for me. 

In what way does geography relate to your current work? 

Although environmental geography was not my intended specialty, I ended up teaching sections in this course and helping with natural hazards at 51ÁÔĆć. I have joked for a while that environmental studies won’t leave me alone and keep following me around, but it turned out that my current PhD advisor is a Soviet environmental historian, so my teaching and experience with environmental geography ended up paying off quite a bit when applying for PhD programs. Now, environmental history is one of my specialties, and I see that as strongly connected to my coincidental assignment to teach environmental geography courses during my Master’s at 51ÁÔĆć. To be more straightforward, though, place and space animate my studies and interests significantly. As I study issues related to Indigenous history and environmental history, it’s difficult not to see how geography matters in these histories. For instance, local groups might have special relationships with the land, or perhaps aspects of their culture or worldview are derived from material interactions with their environment. In the context of my studies in Siberia, the Russian Empire and the later Soviet Union often had quite particular relationships with land and resources, and these relationships differed from local relationships. You can’t really escape geography, I guess. 

What is your favorite memory of being a student in the Department of Geography? 

You asked for one, but I will give you two. First is Ryan Holifield wearing a Gandalf wizard hat in our GEOG870 course. I think it was 870, anyway. Not sure how that came up or why, but I recall it being a fun and light-hearted thing that felt connective during the pandemic (as that was Fall 2020, and classes were still online). The second memory I have is hanging out with and falling in love with my partner Anna, who was in the History and Library Science programs at the same time. She would often come by and visit my office in the department in the Fall of 2021 and Spring of 2022. We would work on homework together and then do something fun in the area after we were done, like go bowling at the 51ÁÔĆć bowling alley, swim at the Klotsche Center, or make elaborate foods using the appliances in the graduate lounge. We also drank a lot of the old soda in there, which I hope no one minds. 

Do you have any interests or hobbies that you’ve found useful for keeping a good work-life balance? 

Yes, I would say so. Something that keeps me grounded is hiking and walking my 14-year-old beagle, Daisy. It’s easy to get absorbed in your work and spend the whole day inside typing on your computer at your desk, but it’s really refreshing to take breaks and go outside, even for small intervals. Generally, I think using your body and being out in nature are two great ways to stay physically grounded after using your mind so much. When I was at 51ÁÔĆć, I would often go to yoga club and then swim afterward, and this was such a nice grounding activity after spending a day doing homework. 

For the geography students at 51ÁÔĆć, any advice you would like to share with them? 

Just a few. Plan and be organized, especially for big projects. If you can plan it out early and do a couple of pages every week, that goes a long way, and you will be so happy at the end of the semester. Request that Ryan Holifield wear the Gandalf wizard hat sometime. There are also a lot of events on campus that are enriching or helpful in many ways. If you want something to do, be a part of the community, or get free food by attending something, there are plenty of opportunities. There are ways to stay connected and make the most of your time. Don’t be afraid to try new things or try something you always wanted to. Take a leap and be willing to learn as you go. 

In my undergraduate program, I jumped from major to major because I had many interests and was curious about many different things. As I started to develop an interest in the city, I stumbled over the geography department at Bowling Green State University. It was there that I found a department that was looking at all sorts of questions—but through a geographic perspective. From there, I went on to be a practicing urban planner. I enrolled in a master’s program, expecting it to be my terminal degree. Then, I noticed 51ÁÔĆć’s geography program, which was dedicated to urban environments. I enrolled to work with Dr. Judith Kenny to focus on the social and cultural aspects of the urban built environment by looking at LGBT/queer community place-making. Since I also worked with Dr. Mansson McGinty, Dr. Sziarto, and Dr. Jordan (in Sociology), I had a very dynamic committee that pushed the theoretical orientations of my dissertation in multiple ways. 

In what way does geography relate to your current work? 

I am currently Assistant Professor of Practice of Geography and the Environment in the Department of Geosciences at Texas Tech University. As I teach multiple courses, advise in the undergraduate program, and coordinate the graduate program in Geography and the Environment, I use my geographic knowledge every day. I am in a program with a large GIS focus, but I am working to expand offerings in urban geography. &˛Ô˛ú˛ő±č;

What is your favorite memory of being a student in the Department of Geography?   

I have many fond memories of my time at 51ÁÔĆć. When I was in the Geography Program, we had a very close-knit group of graduate students. We encouraged each other. We challenged each other. We created reading groups and exchanged ideas. And, of course, we socialized! I keep in touch with many of my graduate colleagues to this day. What’s more, the geography department was in a state of growth as I was nearing the completion of my doctoral studies, and I was able to develop direct ties with many of these new faculty members. I am forever grateful for their inspiration, help, and dedication. I was directly involved in organizing some conferences within the department and on campus. To this day, I remember the robust colloquia the department hosted, the caliber of which has not been matched anywhere else I’ve been. …And I remember a few wasted hours with my fellow grad students in the Gasthaus (at the Student Union). &˛Ô˛ú˛ő±č;

How do you keep the balance between work and life? What do you do for your extra time? 

That is a good question! In my spare time, I like to garden and cook what I harvest. When time permits, I like to read outside of the discipline, namely classic fiction. I’d like to say I’ve traveled a lot, but I’ve made up for it by moving quite frequently. I rather enjoy the outdoors, and I’ve gone on memorable hikes in many of the states. &˛Ô˛ú˛ő±č;

Any suggestions for our geography students? &˛Ô˛ú˛ő±č;

Get to know each other. Hang out and talk with your peers. Have fun but also interact intellectually. &˛Ô˛ú˛ő±č;

I joined the 51ÁÔĆć geography department in 2004. I had recently completed my MS in GIS and wanted to pursue a doctoral degree and focus on a research topic at the intersection of GIS, Society, and Technology intersections. I was particularly interested in the adoption of geospatial technologies by government agencies and the reasoning behind the decision to adopt such technologies. I had just moved to Milwaukee and looked at UW-Milwaukee to weigh my options. I came across Dr. Rina Ghose’s profile on the department website and reached out to her. After meeting me, she agreed to work with me, and I was fascinated with public participatory GIS and the work that Dr. Ghose was doing. I applied to the PhD program and was fortunate to be accepted. For the next five years, I worked under the guidance of Dr. Ghose as my dissertation chair and Dr. Judith Kenny, Dr. Nik Heynen, Dr. Changshan Wu, and Dr. Bill Huxhold as my dissertation committee members. I received invaluable guidance from my dissertation committee members that laid the foundation for my career.      

In what way does geography relate to your current work? 

I am a tenured professor in the Department of Environmental and Geosciences at Sam Houston State University. I served as the department’s GIS graduate program coordinator for nine years. I taught a variety of graduate GIS courses and continued my research that explores the relationship between science, society, and technology, particularly the process of geospatial technology use for urban governance in a non-western context. The focal point of my research has been on urban local bodies in South Asia. Additionally, I have also utilized remote sensing technology to understand earth-environment interactions. Currently, I also serve as the Associate Dean for Graduate Student Success in the Graduate & Professional School at Sam Houston State University.  In my role as the Associate Dean for graduate student success, I work with graduate programs across campus to focus on graduate student success strategies, retention, engagement, and development. Following a student-centric vision, I serve as a liaison between the Graduate & Professional School and different colleges and graduate programs at Sam Houston State University. I also served as the university faculty and staff ombudsperson and was responsible for establishing the ombuds office on campus. 

What is your favorite memory of being a student in the Department of Geography?   

One of my favorite memories during my time in Milwaukee was the fall department gathering that we would have before classes had started. The gathering used to be held outdoors, and it used to be a potluck, and everyone brought different dishes. My favorite dish was rhubarb pie. We always had someone bring rhubarb pie to the potluck. Even since moving to the south, I have not seen rhubarb pie. 

How do you keep the balance between work and life? What do you do for your extra time? 

I have tried my best to maintain a balance between work and life. My priority has always been my family. When I’m not working, my husband and I drive my daughter to tennis practice, dance lessons, competitions, etc. We are fortunate to have access to a variety of cultural events here in Houston, which my husband, daughter, and I enjoy as a family. I look forward to visiting the department someday with my family. 

Any suggestions for our geography students? 

Listen to your professors. You will learn lifelong lessons from them that will establish a firm foundation as you move into the real world. &˛Ô˛ú˛ő±č; 

The knowledge and skills that I acquired during my time in the geography department taught me invaluable lessons about teaching, research, and service, which are at the core of an academic role. These lessons laid the foundation for my academic career. I am forever grateful for the support and guidance from my professors in the geography department.  

Dr. Mukherjee also shares her new book, , with Roman & Littlefield. Her book offers a comprehensive and grounded introduction to geographic information systems and science basics. It is perfect for beginners and anyone looking to expand their knowledge of the complex and sophisticated field of GIS and spatial thinking. From understanding spatial data to applying GIS in real-world applications, the book covers many topics.   

Congratulations on your great achievement, Dr. Mukherjee!