Department of Geography

NEWS

illustration of 5 students out in nature
May 1st 2025

Meeting the Moment: A School at the Nexus of Earth, Environment and Society

Portland State junior Kathleen Cummings attributes her love of nature to...
Changes in the Great Salt Lake’s levels in 1985, left, and 2022, right
January 21st 2025

Here’s what’s causing the Great Salt Lake to shrink, according to PSU study

The Great Salt Lake, the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere,...
Highway and trees during wildfire with deep red and orange sky
September 24th 2024

New grant will train PSU students to support community resilience in the face of extreme events

In a world where extreme weather events and natural hazards are becoming...
Portland State University banner against backdrop of fall foliage on Park Blocks
June 4th 2024

PSU launches new School of Earth, Environment, and Society

Portland State is launching a new School of Earth, Environment, and Society...
Wildfire smoke from the 2020 Labor Day wildfires
March 1st 2024

What caused 2020 extreme weather events? PSU study explores meteorology behind extreme fire, snow

The same weather system that led to the spread of the devastating Labor Day...
Axcelle Campana poses with award, with trees in backdrop
December 5th 2022

PSU student wins $100K environmental prize

A Portland State graduate student whose work focuses on the inequities in...
Close up of person getting vaccine
August 26th 2022

Republicans and Blacks most hesitant to get COVID vaccine, PSU spatial analysis finds

Vaccine hesitancy remains a public health challenge that cuts across the...
Columbia River with hills in the background
January 31st 2022

PSU-led team to study microplastics across Columbia River Basin

Microplastics can be found everywhere — from the air to the ocean — but...
Map of Portland Oregon
September 29th 2020

Mapping Portland to improve climate resiliency

That is how Portlanders might describe the nearly incessant stretch of above-average...