Yolonda Youngs, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB)
Department of Geography and Environmental Studies
Email: YYoungs@csusb.edu
- 2009 Ph.D. in Geography, Arizona State University
- 2004 M.S. in Earth Sciences (Geography), Montana State University
- 1993 B. A. in Anthropology, Florida State University
Twitter @DrYoGeography Academia.com
My research and teaching expertise is in:
- human geography and environmental studies
- environmental policy and management
- national & international parks, public lands
- sustainable tourism, outdoor recreation
- geospatial technology, GIS, mobile apps, 3D visualizations, Story Maps
- field studies
- interdisciplinary research
- western United States and Europe (regional expertise)
Courses:
- Field Methods in Geography
- Environmental Studies orientation seminar
- Professional Conferences
- National Parks and Public Lands
- Conservation of Natural Resources
- Environment and Geography
- Nature/Culture Seminar
- World Regional Geography
- Introduction to Cultural Geography
- Geography of Outdoor Recreation
- National Parks & International Protected Areas
- Global Tourism & Sustainability
- Geography of Europe
- GIS for Social Sciences
- Geographic Field Methods (senior capstone)
My recent work explores how visual representations of the environment influence policy and management in national parks and protected areas of the United States and how the process of socially constructing cultural landscapes represented in the images shapes cultural heritage and identity, environmental justice, social equity, an access and use of public lands. Through my research trajectory, I seek to better understand how multiple, often conflicting ideas and meanings of nature are contested, negotiated, and translated into natural resource management policies and outdoor recreation in public lands, and how this process can be traced through the medium of landscape.
My publications include books, journal articles, book chapters, book reviews, and technical reports. My most recent book is The American Environment Revisited: Historical Environmental Geography of the United States (2018, with Geoffrey Buckley). My current book project, Framing Nature: The Creation of an American Icon at the Grand Canyon (University of Nebraska Press), traces the arc of the national park idea and how people came to know the Grand Canyon through a journey behind the scenes of popular imagery (postcards, photographs, and films). Through this work I explore the cultural, social, and spatial process of creating a national park as an iconic place and how visual representations of the canyon shaped environmental conservation, park management, tourism, and social and cultural identity from 1869 to 2021. I have published journal articles in the Geographical Review, Society and Natural Resources: An International Journal, and GeoHumanities as well as book chapters, book reviews, and technical reports.
My research is funded by grants from the U.S. National Park Service (U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service), the Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (CESU) national network, the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Idaho Humanities Council (IHC), and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
I am a passionate educator who strongly believes in a synergy between my scholarship and teaching. My teaching emphasizes active learning that encourages students to take ownership of their learning experiences and personalize their education to their intellectual needs and curiosities. [If a Map Could Talk newspaper story about my teaching]. I strive to empower students to find their passions in academic programs and courses and connections to their communities in ways that link them to new learning opportunities and fuels their pursuit of environmental careers. My students advance to jobs and careers as park rangers, museum staff, environmental consultants, conservation organizations, federal and state public lands managers, environmental educators, K-12 teachers, university researchers and scholars, river advocates, and GIS technicians.
My scholarly training is fortified by my doctoral work at Arizona State University’s Department of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning. At ASU, I was a Research Associate in the NSF funded IGERT in Urban Ecology program, a Preparing Future Faculty and Scholar (PFx), and a Research Assistant at the NSF funded Decision Center for a Desert City (DCDC),
Awards for my work include ISU Outstanding Researcher Award (2018), the Apple Inc. Distinguished Educator Award (for use of iPads in innovative teaching for the classroom and fieldwork), U.S. Scholar Award (International Cartographic Association), International Geographical Union Scholar Award, Lary Ford Fieldwork Award in Cultural Geography (Association of Pacific Coast Geographers), and the Carville Earle Award (Historical Geography Speciality group of the American Association of Geographers).
I serve on the elected AAG Regional Councilor for the Pacific coast states (APCG) of American Association of Geographers, as a elected member of the Executive Council of the Association of Pacific Coast Geographers, and as the Director of the Nature, Culture, and Parks Research (NCPR) group at ISU.
I am an active member in the American Association of Geographers (AAG), American Geographical Society (AGS), Association of Pacific Coast Geographers (APCG), and the Royal Geographical Society (RGS -UK/London). I present my research regularly at national and international conferences, including the International Geographical Union (IGU), and the International Cartographic Association (ICA) conferences.
I enjoy sea kayaking, camping, hiking, road cycling, rafting, and running.
To learn more about my scholarship, publications, teaching, and potential collaboration opportunities, please click on the tabs above.
I welcome new students interested in research projects along the themes of my work. Please email me directly to inquire about current openings.
Yolonda Youngs, Ph.D. 