Robert Briwa
Degree(s) Held:
Montana State University: 2015-Present. Ph.D in Earth Sciences.
Kansas State University: 2013-2015. M.A. in Geography. Thesis title: “Experiencing Provence in the Regional Imagery of Peter Mayle and Pierre Magnan.”
Institute for American Universities at Aix-en-Provence: Summer 2012. Non-degree seeking.
SUNY Geneseo: 2009-2013. B.A. in French and a secondary major in Geography.
SUNY Orange: Fall 2009. Non-degree seeking.
Degree Sought:
Ph.d. in Earth Sciences
Title of Research Project:
State Historic Preservation and Interpretation Efforts and Heritage Making in Montana
Advisor:
Email Addresses:
Teaching and Research Experience:
Adjunct Instructor, Montana State University Summer 2017: Taught GPHY 141: Geography of World Regions.
Graduate Teaching Assistant, Montana State University 2015-2017: Assisted professors of world regional geography courses by grading, proctoring exams, holding office hours, and acting as a substitute lecturer.
GraduateTeaching Assistant, Kansas State University, 2013-2015: Assisted professors of world regional geography courses by grading assignments and exams and proctoring exams.
Subject Specialist Archive Worker, Kansas State University, 2013-2015: Assisted university archivists in organizing and annotating the Stephen L and Enid Stover Collection. Duties included organization and digitization of an extensive collection of 35 mm slides (~16,600 slides) and weekly interviews with Stephen L. Stover and his family about the context of slides and family history.
Undergraduate Teaching Assistant, SUNY Geneseo, 2011-2012: Led a physical geography lab and held office hours. Instructed students in course concepts and test preparation. Assessed and graded student labs.
Grants, Scholarships, and Awards:
PhD Enhancement Funds for Graduate Teaching Assistant Lines, Montana State University, 2017: Award Value: $18,000.
Milton J. Edie Memorial Scholarship, Montana State University, 2017: Award Value: $500.
AAG European Geography Specialty Group Student Paper Competition Award, 2017: Awarded for the paper “Examining the Confluence of History and Eternity in Pierre Magnan’s Provence.”
College of Letters and Sciences Student Research Travel Grant, Montana State University, 2017: Award Value: $400.
College of Letters and Sciences Student Research Travel Grant, Montana State University, 2017: Award Value: $400.
College of Letters and Sciences Student Research Travel Grant, Montana State University, 2016: Award Value: $500.
Mary Dobbs Outstanding Citizen Award, Kansas State University, 2015: Awarded in recognition of outstanding department service.
GTU/AAG Travel Award, Kansas State University, 2015: Award Value: $200.
College of Arts and Sciences Student Research Travel Grant, Kansas State University, 2015: Award Value: $1000.
Geography Graduate Research Grant, Kansas State University, 2014: Award value: $500.
Jennifer A. Wachunas Award, SUNY Geneseo, 2011, 2013: Awarded in recognition of academic excellence, integrity, and commitment to community service.
Pi Delta Phi Joseph Yedlicka Scholarship, SUNY Geneseo, 2012: Awarded in recognition of academic excellence in French language and literatures. The award covers full tuition for six weeks of study at the Institute for American Universities in Aix-en-Provence.
Book Reviews and Publications:
Briwa, Robert. (forthcoming). “Review of A Job with Room and Board: Memories of an Early Montana Forester, by John Taylor.” Pacific Northwest Quarterly.
Briwa, Robert. (forthcoming). “Review of Road to War: The 1871 Yellowstone Surveys, by M. John Lubetkin.” Journal of the West.
Briwa, Robert. (forthcoming). “Review of Natures in Translation: Romanticism and Colonial Natural History Writing, by Alan Bewell.” Historical Geography.
Briwa, Robert. 2016. “Review of Remembering Places: A Phenomenological Study of the Relationship Between Memory and Place, by Janet Donohue.” Journal of Cultural Geography 33 (1): 130-132.
Briwa, Robert, and Cliff Hight. 2015. “Enhancing Access to Primary Sources through Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration and the Digital Humanities: The Stephen L. and Enid Stover Papers.” Digital Humanities Symposium (3): 1-13.
Professional Conferences/Invited Discussions/Guest Speaker:
Montana State University Earth Sciences Colloquium, April 2017: Co-Presented (With Nick Bergmann) “Reconciling Centennial Visions of the National Park Service.”
Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers, April 2017: Presented “Exploring Enduring Images of Apocalypse through Literary Geography.”
Literary Geographies Roundtable at Cambridge University’s Emmanuel College, U.K., March 2017: One of 20 invited discussants on the current trends and future directions of literary geography and the defining qualities of literary spaces. Presented “Non-Linear Time in Literature.”
Montana State University Department of History, Philosophy, and Religious Studies Graduate Student Colloquium, November 2016: Co-Presented (With Nick Bergmann) “Rethinking the National Park Service Centennial through the Place Identity of Postcards.”
Guest Speaker, Human Geography Course, September 2016: Presented “Culture in Provence.”
Montana State University Earth Sciences Colloquium, April 2016: Presented “Envisioning the Melancholic Sublime of Pierre Magnan’s Provence.”
Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers, April 2016: Presented “Environmental Governance of Pennsylvania’s Anthracite Region.”
Guest Speaker, World Regional Geography Course, February 2016: Presented “Exploring Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.”
Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers, April 2015: Presented “Geographic Perspectives on the Provençal Literary Tradition.”
Guest Speaker, Qualitative Research Methods Course, March 2015: Presented “Oral Histories, Interviews, and the Archival Process: The Stephen L. and Enid Stover Papers.”
K-State Digital Humanities Symposium, February 2015: Co-Presented (with Cliff Hight) “Enhancing Access to Primary Sources through Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration and the Digital Humanities: The Stephen L. and Enid Stover Papers.”
Great Plains/Rocky Mountain Division of the Association of American Geographers Annual Conference, October 2013: Presented “Where are Marseille’s Mosques?: The Geography of Muslim Immigrants in Marseille’s Arrondissements.”
G.R.E.A.T. Day, SUNY Geneseo, April 2013: Presented “In the Age of Cannon and Musket: Sackets Harbor’s Military Geography During the War of 1812.” Poster Presentation.
Guest Speaker, SUNY Geneseo Brownbag Lunch Talks, April 2013: Presented “Authenticité and Provence.”
Middle States Division of the Association of American Geographers Annual Conference, November 2012: Presented “In the Age of Cannon and Musket: Sackets Harbor’s Military Geography during the War of 1812.”
Academic and Community Service:
Literary Geographies: Article Reviewer, 2017.
Graduate Student Earth Sciences Seminar Committee Member, Montana State University, 2017: Acted as one of four graduate students who helped coordinate weekly Earth Sciences Department seminars. Duties included introducing guest speakers and coordinating semester schedules.
Graduate Employee Organization Department Steward, 2016-Present: Acted as one of two stewards representing the interests of the Department of Earth Sciences within the Graduate Employee Organization and communicated the organization’s events and mission to Department graduate students.
Graduate Student/Faculty Liaison, Montana State University, Fall 2016: Acted as graduate student representative and advocated for graduate students at Department of Earth Sciences Faculty Meetings.
The Extreme History Project Tea and Revolution Dialogue Series Volunteer, Fall 2016: Assisted with a week-long series of events highlighting issues around historic preservation in Bozeman, MT, including event advertising, set up, and take down, as well as writing part of the post-event report documenting the events content and attendance.
Coaching Chair, Montana State University Department of Earth Sciences Colloquium, 2014-2017: Advised undergraduates individually in how to write a well-constructed abstract for academic conferences.
Gamma Theta Upsilon Beta Psi Chapter President, Kansas State University, 2014-2015: Led and organized meetings; sponsored six colloquiums; spearheaded community service projects, including a highway cleanup and collaboration between local businesses and G.T.U. to promote GeoWeek; led the Beta Psi Chapter to an Honors Award for the 2014-2015 academic year.
Kansas Geographic Alliance GeoBee Volunteer, 2014-2015.
Geographical Review: Article reviewer, 2014.
Geography Club Treasurer, SUNY Geneseo, 2012-2013: Kept, recorded, and managed financial records of the SUNY Geneseo Geography Club. Managed purchases and reimbursements.
Teresa House, Geneseo, 2010-2013: Volunteer work at a non-profit hospice care home. Typical shifts include administration of medications, addressing physical and emotional needs of patients, and general home maintenance. Service exceeds 500 hours.
Professional Affiliations and Honors Societies:
Association of American Geographers.
Cultural Geography Specialty Group of the Association of American Geographers.
Historical Geography Specialty Group of the Association of American Geographers.
Phi Beta Kappa Honors Society, 2012-Present: Liberal Arts Academic Honors Society. Admission based on excellence in liberal arts and sciences and intellectual integrity.
Gamma Theta Upsilon Honors Society, 2012-Present: Geography Honors Society. Admission based on excellence in geography.
Pi Delta Phi Honors Society, 2011-Present: French Honors Society. Admission based on excellence in French language and literature.
References:
William Wyckoff: Professor of Geography and PhD advisor, Montana State University.
Kevin Blake: Professor of Geography and Master’s advisor, Kansas State University.
Cliff Hight : University Archivist and Assistant Professor, Kansas State University. Phone : (785) 532-3420.