Fall 2024 Fellows' Projects

Augustus (Gus) Guikema is a senior studying economics and geography at the University of New Mexico.Though his community geography fellowship, Gus is assisting the UNM School of Law’s “Just Transition Challenge” group in producing a GIS database of oil and gas facilities in New Mexico that are potentially exceeding their Clean Air Act permits. From this work, Gus hopes to gain relationships and knowledge that will continue to grow outside of the program and experience in utilizing academic resources to help meet community needs.

Joeseph Scala is a Ph.D. candidate in Geography & Environmental Studies. With the support of the fellowship, Joe is collaborating directly with community members to gain insight into the historical and contemporary traditions of grape cultivation and wine making in Spanish Land Grant communities in Northern New Mexico. For this project, Joe is conducting semi-structured interviews with residents of La Cienega and other rural communities in New Mexico that share similar generational connections to grape cultivation and wine production. Joe intends to develop a StoryMap to visually articulate the spatial aspects of these narratives and their potential connections between communities.

Bianca Camacho is an undergraduate student in Geography and Environmental studies and is continuing the 2023-2024 fellows’ project with Bernalillo County Open Space. Bianca is using asset maps and other data sources to assist Bernalillo County in generating user-friendly information to the public about our local food system and urban agriculture in the International District.  The content will be used in such formats as the Urban Ag web page, a series of public information blasts for social media, and flyers or brochures.