Maxwell School News and Commentary

The Maxwell School welcomes several new faculty members for the start of the 2024-25 academic year.   

The Maxwell School professor talked about the effects of climate change and importance of geographical knowledge during her remarks for the Voices from the Global South series.

“He [Crown Prince Saud Al Saud] had come to Arizona in 1943 and he had seen Arizona's dairy industry and really was impressed by it. So he went back to take over this government controlled farm in Saudi Arabia, the Al Khad farms, and asked the farmers in charge of that to set up their own dairy operation like what he had seen in Arizona,“ says Natalie Koch, professor of geography and the environment.

Playing into those politics are gasoline prices, which have become a partial barometer of economic security, says Matthew Huber, professor of geography and environment. He also notes that that the oil and gas industry has history of funding research that contradicts climate science.

“The installation of [Nobel Laureate Muhammad] Yunus as interim head is what Bangladesh needs at this time. His first speech called to ensure the protection of all religious and ethnic minorities, prevent violence and strengthen  democratic processes to keep rebuilding Bangladesh,” writes Farhana Sultana, professor of geography and the environment.

“This is a massive flooding event...and the floods were quite rapid in their onset. There are over 5 million people who are marooned or stranded and devasted across 11 districts, 23 reported deaths now but those figures will rise and relief cannot reach many people,” says Farhana Sultana, professor of geography and the environment. 

Matthew Huber, professor of geography and the environment spoke, spoke to The Guardian on the Inflation Reduction Act’s residential tax credits and how the programs have disproportionately benefited wealthier Americans.

“The country’s democratic revolution is being targeted by both external and internal sources of misinformation and propaganda,” writes Farhana Sultana, professor of geography and the environment.

“This revolution movement was led by very young students, the youthful generation. And they have called upon Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus to be the chief advisor of this interim, caretaker government. And they've called for peaceful transition,” says Farhana Sultana, professor of geography and the environment.

Professor of Geography and the Environment Farhana Sultana, concerned about how her work may be repurposed, says, “All this occurs while our intellectual property is woefully inadequately compensated, since there is abuse and profit off our mostly free intellectual labor by private corporations reaping profits in the billions of dollars annually from the sale of our books.”