David Ferring is a recent graduate of the Master of Science program in applied geography, with a focus on medical geography and spatial epidemiology. His thesis research investigated how people's daily patterns of movement influence their exposure to environmental risks for Buruli ulcer, an emerging infectious disease in Ghana, West Africa. David conducted this research as a member of the ReBUild Project under the supervision of Dr. Joseph Oppong of the UNT Department of Geography. He was supported by a research assistantship (NSF CNH Award #0909447) as well as a Thesis and Dissertation Fellowship from the UNT Toulouse Graduate School. David will continue to pursue his research interests in human-environment interactions in the PhD program in geography at Rutgers University, with the support of a University Excellence Fellowship and a teaching assistantship from the Department of Human Ecology.

Stephanie Heald is a recent graduate of the Master of Science program in applied geography, with a concentration in medical geography. Working under the supervision of Dr. Joseph Oppong, and with tuition support from the UNT Toulouse Graduate School, Stephanie's thesis research examined the spatial distribution of HIV/AIDS survival in Dallas and Harris counties, Texas. Stephanie received a Graduate Teaching Associate position and a tuition waiver from Oklahoma State University, where she will pursue a Ph.D. in geography.

Allyssa Sobey recently earned a Bachelor of Science degree in geography from UNT with a certificate in Geographic Information Systems. After being awarded a UNT McNair Scholars Fellowship, she began conducting research on natural gas extraction in North Texas under the supervision of Dr. Matthew Fry. She focused specifically on social movements resulting from "fracking" and the processes that local governments undergo to mitigate conflict between gas drillers and citizens. Allyssa presented her research at both the Southwestern Division of the Association of American Geographers (SWAAG) Meeting in Austin, TX, and at the Association of American Geographers (AAG) Annual Meeting in New York City. Allyssa will be moving to West Virginia University, where she plans to conduct research on social movements and resource extraction as gendered issues. She has received a teaching assistantship and a full tuition waiver to continue her graduate studies.

Congratulations to our recent graduates! We wish you the best of luck as you move forward in your academic careers.