GeoTerps

As the academic year winds down, it is the perfect time to plan your summer and make progress toward your degree, deepen your skill set, or explore new interests. The Department of Geographical Sciences is excited to offer a dynamic range of Summer 2025 courses during both sessions. Whether you are looking to satisfy Gen Ed requirements, build technical expertise, or tackle big questions about sustainability and justice, we have options to fit your goals.

🔹 Featured Courses for Summer I

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GEOG 201 & GEOG 211 — Geography of Environmental Systems + Lab (DSNL)
Gain foundational understanding of Earth’s environmental systems, with lab-based applications to reinforce core concepts. A must for science-focused students.

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GEOG 272 — Intro to Earth Observation Science
Discover how remote sensing technologies are used to monitor our planet. Learn thermal imaging, radar detection, and satellite data processing.

GEOG 330 — As the World Turns: Society and Sustainability in a Time of Great Change (DSHS, DVUP, SCIS)
Explore how environmental and social systems intersect in a rapidly changing world.

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GEOG 373 — Geographic Information Systems
Get hands-on with GIS tools and spatial thinking. Covers applications in urban planning, business, and public health.

Featured Courses for Summer II

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GEOG 130 — Developmental Geography: Environmental & Social Justice (DSHS, DSSP)
Examine the roots and impacts of environmental injustice across global contexts.

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GEOG 140 — Natural Disasters: Earthquakes, Floods, and Fires (DSNS, SCIS)
Understand the science behind natural disasters—and how geography shapes their effects.

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GEOG 276 — Principles of Python Programming and Geocomputing
Build programming skills while applying them to real-world spatial problems. Great for anyone interested in GIS, data science, or environmental modeling.

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GEOG 306 — Intro to Quantitative Methods for Environmental Science (FSAR)
Develop your analytical toolkit through applied statistical techniques in geography.

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GEOG 473 — GIS & Spatial Analysis
Advance your GIS knowledge with deeper focus on analysis and spatial modeling.

🗓️ How to Enroll

Registration is open now on Testudo!
💡 Many of these courses fulfill General Education requirements (DSNL, DSHS, DSSP, SCIS, DVUP, FSAR), so you can make meaningful progress even over the summer.

Questions? Reach out to the advising team at geog-advise at umd.edu.

NASA DEVELOP projects focus on helping local, state, and national communities address their environmental concerns while utilizing NASA’s Earth observing fleet of satellites. For the Fall 2025 term, NASA DEVELOP will operate at ten locations across the country at NASA centers and other regional locations. This is a great opportunity for participants who are interested in the practical applications of remote sensing and GIS, specifically in the field of Earth science. Participants will work with NASA scientists, partner organizations, and science advisors to learn how to use NASA Earth science data for water resources, disaster management, ecological conservation, agriculture, and other applications to address environmental community concerns.

At our Goddard Space Flight Center node in Greenbelt, Maryland, we are offering one project for the Fall 2025 term: Maryland Agriculture: Quantifying Land Conversion and Economic Impacts of Solar Farms on Agricultural Land in Maryland. This in-person project team will work with NASA Acres and the Maryland Department of Agricultural to investigate how NASA Earth Observations can be used to quantify the amount of agricultural land that has been converted to solar farms, and the economic impact of these conversions.

Participant responsibilities will include literature review, data processing and analysis, and producing deliverables, such as a technical report, presentation, and poster. Previous GIS or remote sensing knowledge, while beneficial, is not required for acceptance. This is a multi-disciplinary opportunity for all those interested in Earth science, and we encourage those in the social sciences, general science, engineering, computer science, etc. to apply.

Applicants must have excellent verbal and written communication skills and be able to work in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment. Days of the week are flexible, but applicants should be able to commit to 20 – 29 hours per week during the term. The position is paid on an hourly basis that is determined by education level and working location.

We are hosting informational webinars on May 21st at 1PM ET and June 6th at 4PM ET for potential applicants to learn more about how they can participate in the program. Please see the attached information session flyer for details on joining these events.

Details about this opportunity, the full list of proposed projects, and application instructions can be found online at https://appliedsciences.nasa.gov/nasadevelop. The Fall 2025 application window will be open online from May 5th – June 13th, with the term taking place from September 15th – November 21st. Please note some DEVELOP locations will allow for in-person opportunities while others will be completely virtual. For virtual locations, all accepted participants must work remotely from within the United States. Details on location status are posted on our website. Non-US citizens are welcome to apply to all virtual projects and in-person projects at certain locations