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Bonnie Kranzer - Sustaining Geography by Digging Up the Past
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I was an archaeologist, but I wanted to do more applied things in archaeology and anthropology, says Bonnie Kranzer, Executive Director of the Governor's Commission for a Sustainable South Florida, A professor I had during my first course in geography got me interested in spatial analysis and spatial analytical stuff. Kranzer had never planned on being a geographer, but after she obtained her Bachelor's degree in archaeology, she went on to acquire her Master's and Doctorate degrees in geography. Today, Kranzer works on a project that is restoring the Everglades. The Everglades project is a terrific blend of land use, natural resources, human system and change all in one subject matter, says Kranzer, I love the project because it is so unusually challenging and interesting, but I also hate it because it is so difficult to get individuals committed to care about an ecosystem for the long run, because most people are so detached from the environment in which they live. One of the aspects of her job that Kranzer likes the most is being able to work in different fields. My job lets me do a variety of tasks that toggle between a number of disciplines, says Kranzer, The most satisfying part of my job is being able to create research reports and activities that can incorporate interdisciplinary attributes and that is much more intellectually fulfilling than the usual rank and file of activities. Kranzer is not only a geographer using her skills, but she is also a teacher. She teachers the people she works with about the different disciplines within geography and how to think like a geographer. As a geographer, I have found that we often are relied upon to solve non-linear problems, says Kranzer, One of my biggest challenges is how to train others to think more broadly and creatively and to find the time and staffing to do so. Kranzer uses the problem solving skills that she learned in geography daily. I tend to address most problems from a spatial standpoint first, I try andlisten to a problem, explore all the spatial contexts, and then try to listen tothe issues, says Kranzer, Oftentimes, the issues are divorced from the spatial attributes and they are in discord or are ignoring spatial information that may be more pertinent. On a daily basis, Kranzer does a lot of managing staff and writing, issuing policy papers. Kranzer mainly focuses on water resources, but the topic often incorporates broader issues relating to the social and/or human system. Kranzer thinks that there is definitely a lot of growth for geographers in her current position. She advises students to study languages and to focus on math and analytical skills. At the time I was an archaeologist and I wanted to expand on the tools of the trade, not to mention geographic or spatial analysis, says Kranzer, Since then, I've left archaeology and I'm doing more water management. I like it because I get to use geography in a very interdisciplinary manner, continues Kranzer. Getting my doctorate pulled together everything-- geology, planning, psychology, economics, as well as geography to understand water conservation behavior, says Kranzer, That is really where my heart is. Kranzer is a geographer who found her niche in the present and the future by digging into the past. |