Geography Society
The University of Texas Geography Society is an undergraduate student group dedicated to providing a fun social outlet for students interested in geography. It provides support for participation in undergraduate research, professional development through speaker series, K-12 educational outreach, workshops, internship info, volunteer opportunities, and fun camping trips. For more information about UT Geography Society, please visit the UT Geography Society Facebook page.
UT Geography Society Officers
President: Fernando Casal
Vice Presidentc: Marcia Banegas
Service Coordinator: Samid Mirza
Social Coordinator: Dan Kolenberg
Treasurer: Kris Ludanov
President: Fernando Casal
Fernando is a third-year student studying Geography and is in the Native American and Indigenous Studies Certificate program. He is interested in human/soil interactions and is a research assistant at the Soils and Geoarchaeology Laboratory. Fernando is currently an intern at Great Promise for American Indians, assisting with culture programming across Austin. He studied abroad in Botswana this past summer, participating in data collection for vegetation modeling of savanna ecosystems. Fernando is in the beginning steps of conducting independent research involving soils and indigenous knowledges through a critical physical geography lens. Outside of class, his hobbies include cultivating plants and hanging out with his leopard gecko. He plans to continue studying geography in graduate school.
Vice President: Marcia Banegas
Marcia is senior studying Geography with a minor in Latin American Studies. The summer before her senior year, Marcia was a college counseling teaching assistant and a resident assistant at a high school college preparatory and STEM based summer program that takes place in the Roaring Fork Valley of Colorado. She was also recently an environmental education intern at the Colorado River Alliance, a nonprofit environmental organization that advocates for the preservation and conservation of the Texas Colorado River. Outside of school, Marcia works at a child development center. During her free time, she likes to go hiking and biking. Marcia plans to enter the workforce once she graduates.
Service Coordinator: Samid Mirza
Samid is a junior majoring in Geography with a focus on GIS and a minor in Business. During the Spring 2018, he had the honor of working as an intern in the Texas State Capitol with the Texas State Representative for House District 31, Ryan Guillen. Among the various roles, his favorite was getting the opportunity to work with legislature and bill proposals that focused on environmental issues. His current internship involves working as a Data Associate for Absolute Software, where he is gaining valuable data analytic skills that can be applied to GIS. On top of conducting research and data collecting, service and volunteer events have been a main interest to Samid, as he enjoys helping the community. In terms of long-term goals, Samid hopes to apply his skills in GIS with an environmental firm, business, or tech company.
Social Coordinator: Dan Kolenberg
Dan is a dual major in Geography and History. Originally from Stamford Connecticut, he moved down to Austin right after high school to attend ACC to transfer to UT in 2017. Dan has always had a passion for the outdoors, especially hiking, camping, and wildlife watching. Folks around the department and friends know him as Ranger Dan! Over the summer he interned with the National Park Service at Arches National Park. With the ‘Smokey the Bear’ hat and full uniform, Dan worked as an interpretative ranger for the summer season. Dan is graduating in the spring of 2019, with hopes of continuing his work with the National Park Service.
Treasurer: Kris Ludanov
Kris is a junior majoring in geography with a focus on GIS and earth science. He works as an adventure trip guide, climbing wall supervisor, and outdoor center equipment manager for UT RecSports. He recently returned from a photography internship aimed at expanding ecotourism in Kazakhstan. After graduation, he hopes to gain work experience and squeeze in some travels along the way.
