Maxwell School News and Commentary

Christian Bevilacqua ’24, a geography major, and Ciara Young ’24, an international relations and anthropology major, are among the five Syracuse University students who were selected. 

The Maxwell School professor’s recent book is relevant as the state grapples with controversy over a Saudi dairy company’s farming.

“Globally, safe water access for all can be achieved only by involving Indigenous and local communities in water governance and climate planning. People are not voiceless, they simply remain unheard. The way forward is through listening,” says Farhana Sultana, professor of geography and the environment.

"What makes Arizona special is that when you have this desert land, you can grow alfalfa at an incredibly fast rate because of the amount of sunshine. So, as long as you have plentiful water, you can just grow," says Natalie Koch, professor of geography and the environment.

The interdisciplinary integrated learning major offered at the Maxwell School capitalizes on faculty expertise and widens student career pathways.

“These investments try to connect with as many young Arabs who have an interest in sports,” says Natalie Koch, professor of geography and the environment. “It is part of the construction of a new identity, one that goes beyond the concept of being the epicenter of the Sunni Muslim world.”

"We need to be intentional in forging new pathways by which BIPOC students can find physical geography and achieve their desired level of education, because regardless of career end points, diversification depends on drawing in more students from marginalized groups," writes Professor Emeritus of Geography and the Environment Jacob Bendix and his co-authors.

Timur Hammond, assistant professor of geography and the environment, explores the impact of our environments in shaping identity and culture.

“The control of oil and gas resources has been a key factor in many conflicts and geopolitical imperialism, either by providing part of the motivation for an invasion or by helping countries fund their militaries,” says Farhana Sultana, professor of geography and the environment. “Conflict, in turn, feeds production by driving up oil and gas prices,” she adds.

While there is an unavoidable conflict in a petrostate hosting a climate summit, it may also be fitting: The country that was home to the oil industry’s beginnings may also host negotiations that could one day bring the petroleum era to an end. “It is possible to frame it as something of a closure,” says Natalie Koch, professor of geography and the environment.