Even 欧美口爆视频, which has enjoyed a relatively cool early summer, was bracing for mid- to high-90s starting Sunday and stretching through next week.

Excessive heat can sicken and, in some cases, kill, said Colleen Reid, an assistant professor of geography at 欧美口爆视频 Boulder. During last summer鈥檚 heat wave in Europe, . Yet the threat heat poses is often underestimated.

Colleen Reid

欧美口爆视频 Boulder Today spoke with Reid about how heat impacts health, who is most vulnerable, and what people can do to protect themselves.

Heat waves are deceptively dangerous. Why? 

The interesting thing about heat is that you don鈥檛 see it. You look out your window and you don鈥檛 see a tornado or a hurricane or a fire. It looks normal, and without clear imagery, it鈥檚 tough to get people to understand the severity of the threat. A lot of people don鈥檛 take precautions.

Temperatures around the country are all over the place right now. Is this the new normal?

We will definitely see more of this in the future. Already, we are seeing hotter, longer and more frequent heat waves than we did 10 or 20 years ago, and that is exactly what was predicted by the climate scientists. The projections are, unfortunately, suggesting it will get worse.

What goes on inside your body when exposed to extreme heat? 

Your body tries to cool off as best as it can, so you sweat more. When you sweat, you lose electrolytes, and you need those electrolytes for lots of different bodily functions. You are also losing fluid, so you can get dehydrated, which can cause confusion and inhibit the good judgment it takes to stop and cool off. If you can鈥檛 cool off, your insides essentially cook.

We know from research that people are more likely to have heatstroke and show up in the hospital or the emergency department with electrolyte imbalance or kidney problems during a heat wave.  in the U.S. each year from heat-related illness. (By comparison, about 88 perish in floods and .)

Are certain populations particularly vulnerable?

People with kidney disease, as kidneys are very affected by the heat. Some prescription medications (including psychotropics, diuretics and medications for Parkinson鈥檚 disease) also interfere with body temperature regulation. The elderly, as their bodies have trouble thermoregulating just due to the natural aging process. Similarly, really young children, particularly those too young to be able to use words to explain their discomfort. And, of course, anyone who does not have access to places to cool off. 

Are there socioeconomic factors at play here, too?

Yes. We know from my research and that of others that homes that have air conditioning are more likely to be homes owned by wealthier families. And even when people have an air conditioner but are struggling to pay their electric bill, they don't always turn it on. People with lower economic means also tend to live in communities that have less tree cover and fewer parks, and areas with vegetation are cooler than areas filled with concrete.

It鈥檚 also been documented that even when you control for income, predominantly whiter communities have more green space, and Black and brown communities tend to have less green space. There's an environmental injustice there. Cities are getting hotter and hotter, and the most vulnerable individuals鈥攖he people least likely to have air conditioning鈥攁re also the ones least likely to have a park nearby to cool off in.

• An extremely high body temperature (above 103 F) Red,
• hot and dry skin (no sweating)
• Rapid, strong pulse
• Throbbing headache
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Confusion
• Unconsciousness

How can individuals protect themselves?

When you hear there's an extreme heat warning, take note and modify what you're doing that day or at least when you're doing it. If you're going to exercise outdoors, try to do it before the temperature gets too hot. As far as work goes, 欧美口爆视频 has a law to protect agricultural workers by requiring their employers to provide shade and water breaks. But not all outdoor workers鈥攖hink about construction workers or roofers鈥攈ave those laws in place in 欧美口爆视频.

If you must be out in the heat, drink lots of fluids, including electrolyte drinks. Don't drink alcohol or other things that dehydrate you. Seek shade when you can. 

How can society prepare for a hotter future?

We need to be doing everything we can to stop emitting fossil fuels to try and slow down climate change. But that's going to take a long time to have an effect.

Meantime, we need to protect people's health now and be ramping up for the fact that it's going to get worse in the future. We need to think about shifting when the workday is in the hottest times of the year. Already, in Arizona, some construction is done at night. We need to think about shifting when sports practices are for kids. And we need to have plans in place to help vulnerable individuals when a heat wave strikes.

How do we help the most vulnerable people?

Cooling centers are great, but you need to get the word out that they exist and you need to provide transportation to them, because a lot of the individuals who need them the most do not have their own vehicles. These centers also need to allow for pets, because people don't want to leave their pet suffering in the heat.

There's a lot of people who just don't want to go to a community cooling center, but if you said they could go to a movie theater or to the library or to the grocery store or a mall and just spend some time to cool their core body temperature down, they might go for that. There are also efforts to create networks where people check on their elderly neighbors who live alone and may be overheating and not realize it.

Most importantly, we need to recognize that extreme heat can kill, and we need to take it seriously.

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• Message from the Department Chair, pg 2
• 鈥婱ara Goldman: Reaction to Coronavirus, pg 3
• Page Hartwell: An Undergraduate's Perspective on COVID-19, pg 4
• Satellite-based snowpack information to inform water resource management during the COVID-19 pandemic, pgs 5-7
• Professors Seeking COVID-19 Funding, pg 8
• Human Geography Dimensions of COVID-19 in China, pg 8
• New Faculty: Introducing A. Marie Ranjbar, pg 9
• Narrating Nature: book by Mara Goldman, pg 10
• Emily Yeh: Sabbatical Report: Pastoralists of the Upper Yangtze, pgs 11-12
• Alumnus Update: Brooke E. Marston, pg 13
• Department News, pg 14
• Donor Support, pgs 15-16

All previous newsletters are on our Newsletters page.

For a more enjoyable reading experience, open the newsletter file and adjust your browser window to the same size as the newsletter page. The Table of Contents and other links are active within the document. 

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Professor Colleen Reid was awarded the Emerging Scholar Award from the Health and Medical Geography Section of the American Association of Geographers. Normally this is announced in person at the AAG meeting in April, but since the convention was cancelled this year, it was handled differently. For more information about the award, see the .  Two scholars were chosen this year.

The award seeks to recognize early career scholars who show significant potential for distinguished scholarship in health and/or medical geography. Early career scholars who are in their 2nd-8th years of receiving their Ph.D. degree from an accredited degree program at the time of the 2020 AAG meeting are eligible for the award.

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"I walk away from every single meeting with Dr. Colleen Reid feeling inspired and valued. Working with her has been one of the defining aspects of my undergraduate experience. I now feel confident writing all sections of a scientific publication and speaking in both formal and informal settings. From interviews with potential Ph.D. advisors at the top biostatistics programs in the country, I recognize how well I have been supported and prepared for this next stage of my career."

Student Nominator: Ellen Considine鈥�

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Gina Li (MA, 2019)

In June 2019, Gina Li will be starting a job as a Geospatial Data Engineer at in San Francisco, CA. Headquartered in Santa Fe, NM, Descartes Labs is a start-up founded by several top scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory in 2014. The company focuses on building cloud-based geospatial tools that can retrieve and process massive amounts of different types of earth observation data (i.e. satellite imagery and weather) at scale and on the fly. In addition, the company develops machine learning models that can be run on such data in their cloud platform to answer questions regarding natural disasters, the spread of disease, and food security. With the explosion of earth observation data in recent years, there has subsequently been a need to also process and make sense of that data efficiently. Gina writes: 鈥淢y experience working with Dr. Reid's  environmental health group as an RA at 欧美口爆视频 EarthLab as well as processing my own health and meteorological datasets for my MA thesis in the Geography Department has given me insight and exposure to the importance of geospatial processing to answer real-world questions.鈥�

Kai Kresek (BA, 2018)

I am currently living and working in Washington DC. I'm putting the GIS, remote sensing and research skills I gained in my undergraduate studies to work by helping to manage data and support environmental research at the World Resources Institute. I work as a data specialist with , an online platform that provides data and tools for monitoring forests. This platform is used around the world to manage forests, stop illegal deforestation and fires, monitor commodity supply chains and conduct research. I am excited to be gaining more experience with managing and analyzing big data. I also feel very fortunate to be working alongside brilliant colleagues from around the world. I'm also learning more about science communication through direct engagement with the journalists, scientists and advocates who rely on our data.

I feel so fortunate to have been a part of the Geography department! There are so many opportunities for students to take useful courses with knowledgeable and enthusiastic professors, as well as to directly apply the skills they learn in the classroom to research. The remote sensing, GIS and statistics courses have turned out to be extremely useful in preparing me for a career with an environmental research organization, and the interdisciplinary approach that the department takes has given me a solid background in human and physical geography. Research opportunities with Earth Lab, and with professors like Dr. Colleen Reid and Dr. Bill Travis gave me great hands on experience. Geography is such a diverse and vibrant field to work in right now, and I am so thankful that 欧美口爆视频 Geography influenced me to pursue this career path.

I just want to let the professors and TAs know that they're doing an amazing job! As a student who did the GIS track, the GIS, Remote Sensing and Statistics professors should know that the courses they teach are so incredibly useful, and they are really setting students up for success. Though they were often some of the most difficult courses I took, I use skills I learned in their courses every day! They seem like they have a good idea of what students need to know in order to be successful in the Geography field.

Andrew Linke (PhD, 2013)

Many congratulations 欧美口爆视频 Geography alum Andrew Linke, currently  at the University of Utah, for winning the , given by the Political Geography Specialty Group of the American Association of Geographers.  

Andrew Linke (right) posing with Stanley Brunn

Keith Wardrip (MA, 2005)

Since graduating from 欧美口爆视频 with my master's degree in Geography in 2005, I have had the privilege to pursue research related to community and economic development. My career began in the nonprofit sector in Washington, DC, but for the last seven years, I've worked in the Community Development Department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. Focused on issues impacting low-income communities, my research has run the gamut topically, from affordable housing and employment to community development finance and access to credit. I attribute my own employment opportunities to the instruction and guidance that I received at 欧美口爆视频, as well as an internship that provided me with hands-on research experience.

In addition to the knowledge I gained while completing my degree, I created friendships that have lasted through the years. I would be remiss if I didn't mention my advisor, Gary Gaile, who left us too soon but who had an impact on me that was proportional to his size. I didn't realize it at the time, but the weekly Intellectual Cafe that Gary hosted in his office would become one of my fondest memories of the program.

Robert (Bob) Widner (MA, 1992)

My 欧美口爆视频 Geography degree spurred my life-long interest in land use planning and government regulation. The degree provided a springboard to a Masters in Urban & Regional Planning from UCD and a law degree from the University of Kansas. I now practice law representing government clients with an emphasis in land development and land regulation. Professor Clark's "Urban Geography" class in 1983 was the genesis of my wonderfully enjoyable and successful career.

Helen Louise Young (PhD, 1975)

I am a retired software engineer from Raytheon Company. I established the Louise Young Diversity Lecture Series at my undergrad alma mater, East Central University, Ada Oklahoma. Speakers have included the oldest American woman to have climbed Mt. Everest, a Holocaust Survivor, a Navajo Code Talker, a Tuskegee Airman and R.V. Burgin, a World War 2 Marine who fought in the fiercest battle of the Pacific Therater, the Battle of Pelieu. Burgin recounted his memories in the book, 鈥淚slands of the Damned,鈥� which was background material for the Tom Hanks-Steven Spielberg epoch television series on Showtime, 鈥淭he Pacific.鈥� Burgin was portrayed as one of the Marines.

I taught Geography at my undergrad alma mater, East Central University in Ada Oklahoma from 1971-1974. In 鈥�74, I took a sabbatical to finish my dissertation. I moved to Denver and wrote about South Park 欧美口爆视频, 鈥淟and and Water Acquisition In Relation to Present and Potential Land Use Change in South Park, 欧美口爆视频.鈥� In 1970, my Master鈥檚 thesis at UCB 鈥淭he White Rocks Natural Area Study,鈥� was incorporated into a Boulder County publication as one of six natural area studies. Eventually Boulder County preserved these natural areas. I鈥檓 proud to have been a part of that project, headed by Professor Emeritus Donald D. MacPhail (d). Dr. MacPhail was my dissertation director and Professor Emeritus M. John Loeffler (d) was my Master鈥檚 thesis鈥檚 director.

On October 11, 2016, I was a co-presenter at National Coming Out Day along with my wife, Vivienne Armstrong, whom I met at UCB in April 1971 through the campus鈥檚 Gay Liberation Front. Both Vivienne and I have been prominent figures in the nation鈥檚 LGBTQ rights movement for over 47 years.

Terry Vincent McIntyre (BA, 1961)

In the foreign service, I worked on Law of the Sea for several years. I guess it was because I could read a map. I was an Economics Officer, but spent time as the Resource and Energy Officer in Australia and the southwest Pacific, Brazil, and later Venezuela mainly because I knew a bit about natural resources.

Additionally, I was the Deputy Director of the Fulbright Commission in Brazil for 8 years (where I currently live). Some Geographers passed thru during this time. I have a MS from Oregon State which, at the time, was called 鈥淣atural Resources鈥�. I have a PhD in International Studies from American University and I was the first person to pass the first comp there in Geography. They invented something for me!

Other Recent Graduates and Their Theses Titles

• Katherine Hale, M.A, 2018, Streamflow sensitivity to climate warming and a shift from snowfall to rainfall, University of 欧美口爆视频 at Boulder. Current Position: PhD Student in 欧美口爆视频 Geography
• Keith Jennings, Ph.D., 2018, Evaluating the climatic and energy balance controls on snow accumulation and melt processes in mountain snowpacks, University of 欧美口爆视频 at Boulder. Current Position: Post-Doctoral Researcher, University of Nevada.
• Qinghuan Zhang, Ph.D., 2018, University of 欧美口爆视频 at Boulder, Modeling the hydrology and hydrochemistry of the Boulder Creek watershed.
• Theodore Barnhart, Ph.D., 2018, University of 欧美口爆视频 at Boulder, The response of streamflow and evapotranspiration to changes in snowmelt across the Western United States. Current Position: US Geological Survey, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center.

Emma Hines

Emma Hines

Following graduation this Spring, Emma Hines will start a position as a Research Fellow with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention鈥檚 Climate and Health Program. Emma will receive training focusing on assessing health vulnerability and risk to the impacts of climate change, as well as receiving mentorship from staff scientists through team projects, all while applying her existing skills and learn new techniques related to statistical analysis, GIS mapping, and risk assessment. Emma鈥檚 work will involve using varying methodologies including literature review, data acquisition and cleaning, epidemiological analysis, and development of guidance documents and technical assistance to aid health departments in assessing and addressing health impacts arising from flooding, 欧美口爆视频, and extreme heat. Emma will also have the opportunity to participate in relevant trainings, workgroups, communities of practice, meetings and conferences to further my knowledge and skills.

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Climate change is projected to alter the physical environment in ways that will affect human health globally, regionally and locally. The choices that society makes to respond to climate change also have health implications. The course will explore the scientific evidence to date of the health impacts associated with a changing climate. We will begin with a brief overview of climate science and will learn about the variety of epidemiological, risk assessment, and statistical methods used to evaluate the impacts of climate change on health locally, regionally, and globally. The public health implications, positive and negative, of efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change will also be elaborated, including discussions of ethical, political, and economic aspects of these efforts. 

The course will consist of a variety of lectures, student-led and professor-led discussions. Students will also have the opportunity to investigate an area within the climate change and health literature of their own particular interest. As the field of climate change and health is inherently interdisciplinary, this course will benefit from a diversity of perspectives and students of physical sciences, natural sciences, social sciences and engineering are encouraged to enroll.

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