FPS staff report
July 31, 2012

A 2006 graduate of Carrollton High School who recently earned a Master of Arts degree in geography from Ohio University has received a national award.

Mia DeNardi, daughter of Roger and Marlene DeNardi of 54 Arrow Rd., Carrollton, is among the 2012 award winners of the National Council of Geographic Education (NCGE).

Miss DeNardi, who graduated last June from Ohio University, is the recipient of the Women in Geographic Education award, given to a female graduate or undergraduate student who has made significant contributions to geographic education.

The award was given for Mia’s work she did when she interned with National Geographic last summer in Washington, DC.

Mia said she researched the state of geography education for the updated Geography Education National Implementation Project (GENIP) report.

She also presented the findings at the NCGE’s annual meeting in Portland, OR, and wrote a report for the NGS board on the state of geography education in the United States.

Mia said she used ArcGIS to create maps displaying the findings, created a new logo for GENIP and worked on creating a new website for the group.

Her academic interests in geography are in human, political, cultural and urban studies. Through research, Mia says she has studied the relationship between identity, symbols, territory and the Palio in Siena, Italy for her Master of Arts thesis. She also has worked with researching public transportation, specifically Amtrak, in Ohio.

“I also have a passion for environmental and conservation efforts, especially when it comes to wildlife and energy extraction,” she commented.

“Recently, I have had an interest in learning more about our oceans and conservation efforts related to protecting them. Because of this, I recently finished an eight-week Scuba certification course,” she added.

Mia graduated from Miami University at Oxford, OH in 2010 with a double major in geography and urban and regional planning. She is currently seeking employment, but says she may return to school to obtain a PhD in a few years.

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