Department News and Events

Fall 2026 Newsletter

Congratulations to the CSUSM Environment and Geography Class of 2026!

B.A. in Environmental Studies

Krissa Casao, Celia Cronin, Philine Emmrich, Brody Frazer, Gabriela Gomez, Elysia Guerin, Andres Herrera Alfaro, Facundo Lopez Rodriguez, Nicholas Luchetta, Kylie Martin, Zoe Metzger, Odalys Najera, Matthew Naras, Camryn Nelson, Hector Ortega, Kylie Pino-Parzanese, Matthew Raftery, Cooper Rider, Ricardo Rodriguez, Emily Sanchez, Kevin Sereno, Shahin Shahbaz, James Smith, Morty Solomon, Felicity Taubken, Presley Thorpe, Alina Tran, Graciela Villasenor-Martinez, Dallin Vonstrahl, Douglas Waddell, Kayvon Watkins, Tyler Weinstock

B.A. in Geography

Gede Jayaditya, Curren Kristjanson, Fernando Montoya

Minor in Sustainability

Matthew Edwards, Zeenia Najmi, Molly Saruwatari

Minor in Geography

Celia Cronin, Matthew Edwards, Gabriela Gomez, Facundo Lopez Rodriguez, Odalys Najera, Camryn Nelson, Kylie Pino-Parzanese, Shahin Shahbaz, Morty Solomon, Presley Thorpe, Graciela Villasenor-Martinez, Douglas Waddell

The Program welcomes Professor Shannon Switzer Swanson. Professor Swanson is a social ecologist focusing on community-based ocean resource management.

Professor Valle's new book is now available.Gardening at the Margins was published by University of Arizona Press.

His article Reframing the Sustainable Diet Narrative: Shifting Diets by Confronting Systemic Racism" is included in The Routledge Handbook of Sustainable Diets edited by Kathleen Kevany and Paolo Prosperi. New York, NY: Routledge.

Here are some of Professor Valle's other work in case you are interested:

"The Past in the Present: What our Ancestors Taught us about Surviving Pandemics." Food Ethics 6(7). Springer Nature
“Learning to Be Human Again: Being and Becoming in the Home Garden Commons.” Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space. Sage Journals

Juliana Goodlaw Morris has an article in press with The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, titled "No Sustainability without Justice: An Anthology on Racial Equity and Social Justice."

Professor Simokat was named the CSUSM President's Outstanding Lecturer! AND, she received a Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities Grant for her Pollinator research!! And she just submitted another research grant with Geography Professor and Steering Committee Member Elizabeth Ridder. Congratulations Christina!!!

Professor Guthey published an article in The California Geographer focused on the Sustainable Food Project on campus and titled "Notes from a Field: Reflections on Space, Gardening, and Student Learning in Southern California"

Professors Valle and Guthey recently received a grant from the Center for California Studies for a research project on Redlining and Food Apartheid.

They also are continuing their work along with Professor Matthew Atherton and Professor Jill Weigt in the Social Sciences Program on their CSU Chancellor's Office-funded project to promote food literacy and support Student Basic Needs on campus!

If you haven't done so already, check out Professor Valle's other book:

Winner of Two Awards!

2017 Best Edited Volume by the Society for the Study of Food and Society
2018 Essential Reading by the American Library Association

Congratulations Professor Valle!