Research in Geography & the Environment

Our professors have diverse research interests within the areas of environmental processes and change, urban planning and transportation, human-environment interactions and geographic information science.

From Denver, we are able to study the local and regional effects of climate change on our water supply, the destructive impact of the mountain pine beetle and the planning and development of our transit systems. Zooming out, we seek to make a global impact with projects that increase understanding of environmental change, migration and geopolitics and the impact of these factors on communities in Africa and Central America.

Research Areas and Initiatives

Environmental Processes & Change

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Quisque vulputate, neque vitae condimentum finibus, neque elit laoreet sapien, ut porttitor lacus ligula et nibh. Aenean pretium diam fringilla molestie imperdiet. Praesent tellus arcu, malesuada quis commodo ut, feugiat id mauris.

Learn More

Faculty Labs and Research Centers

David B. Longbrake Geographic Information Technology Laboratories

The David B. Longbrake Geographic Information Technology Laboratories is comprised of a 24 seat instructional computer laboratory, a 16 seat advanced instructional/research computer lab, large-scale commercial grade plotter, large and small format scanners, and a color printer. Both computer labs include the latest versions of geospatial technology software, including ArcMap, ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Earth, ERDAS Imagine, Google Earth Pro, R, RStudio, ENVI, JMP Pro, GeoExpress 10, GeoDa, and TNTmips.

Research funded in part by:
Geographic Positioning System (GPS) Laboratory

This lab is dedicated to housing an extensive GIS equipment collection. It is also home to the Community Base Station, providing 24-7 location data for differential correction along the Front Range and beyond.
Geospatial Visualization Laboratory

The Geospatial Visualization Laboratory is designed to provide high-end computer visualization technology for student and faculty research. The facility includes five high-end computers, three large wall-mounted digital monitors, and an extensive collection of geospatial and analytical software.
Mt. Evans Field Station

The Mt. Evans Field Station is owned by the University of Denver and operated under a special-use permit from the Arapaho National Forest of the U.S. Forest Service.

The facility is available year-round for use by academic groups and individual researchers with interests in the geology or ecology of the Colorado Front Range. It is an ideal location for summer research groups, field camps or field courses.

Learn more or make a reservation.
Palynology Laboratory

Fully functional wet laboratory with emphasis on pollen analysis of sediment cores.
Reuben F. Miller Soils and Sediment Analysis Laboratory

This USDA-approved laboratory performs particle size distribution, organic matter content, CaCO3 percentage, bulk density, pH/eH, and soil-color analysis using laser-diffraction particle size analyzer, sonic sifter, Ro-tap sieve shaker, muffle furnace, drying ovens, incubator, centrifuges, pH/eH meter, spectrophotomoter and balances.
Remote Sensing Research Laboratory

Lab technology includes state-of-the-art image-processing software including ERDAS Imagine, ENVI and ESRI GIS software. We also house an Analytical Spectral Devices FieldSpec portable sprectroradiometer to collect solar spectral reflectance, radiance, and irradiance measurements across a wide spectral range.

"Dr. Anna Sher is a tree-hugger, in the best sense of the term ... She has become an internationally-recognized expert on restoration ecology and the biology of invasive species."

—Dr. Mary Clark, Provost