About me
I grew up on a farm in the rural South, and my experiences of growing up in a small town continue to inspire my research. My interests are selfish: I’ve long wondered what the future holds for towns like mine, and the best part of doing what I do is that it’s my job to try to find out. I stumbled into geography as an undergraduate, and I liked it so much that I majored in it and went on to pursue a master’s and a PhD in it. I’m not tied to one discipline, though: I have completed a graduate minor in rural sociology at Ohio State, and I’ve taken classes in computer science, data mining, and regional economics throughout my graduate career. When I’m not working, I read voraciously (European fiction is my favorite) and take lots of naps.
Buckeye Royal 2018
Every fall, the OSU Dairy Club organizes a show that is open to all OSU faculty, staff, and students. Participants spend two weeks training Jersey heifers at OSU Waterman Dairy and preparing them for the show. In 2018, my heifer and I placed first in our class!
L’Aquila, Italy 2017
I love to travel (but who doesn’t?), and I try to see as much of the world as I can. In July 2017, I was invited to participate in the Summer School in Economic Geography at Gran Sasso Science Institute. Part of the Gran Sasso mountain range is pictured in the background.