Development of Geographic Thought AAG Biography 10/11/16 Robert W. Kates, born January 31, 1929, in Brooklyn, New York, has been a very influential man in the realm of geography. Kates currently resides in Trenton, Maine where he continues to do independent studies and reviews at the age of 87. His current research interests include; sustainability transition, adaptation to global and local climate change, the prevalence and persistence of hunger, long-term population dynamics, the theory of the human environment, and sustainability science. During his lifetime Kates has received a tremendous amount of awards, fellowships, and honorary memberships. Kates has worked as a teacher at the collegiate level since 1962; during this time, he has had a multitude of research experiences. Kates is also a part of multiple professional organizations, many of which he holds high-ranking membership. During his lifetime Kates has published over 300 combined books, monographs, papers, articles, reports, and reviews with various partners and researchers.
Kates followed an unconventional path to lead him to his research career, unusual for an academic; he never completed an undergraduate degree. Kates, being born in New York, studied economics at New York University for two years 1946-48 dropped out, and decided to go work in Indiana. During a vacation with his family in Indiana, he had a chance to meet with a naturalist in a state park. This meeting motivated him to become an elementary school teacher. In order to obtain this career, Kates signed up for night classes at Indiana University, Gary in 1957; this is where he stumbled upon his passion. One of his classes to become a teacher was in geography. From this point, having found his calling and his discipline, he pursued study advice from Gilbert White, who would later become his principal advisor, from the University of Chicago. White gave Kates some significant documents to read when Kates returned to discuss them; White acknowledged Kates's abilities and led Kates through an MA and eventually a Ph. D. in Geography in 1962 from the University of Chicago. Kates was a research assistant to White at the University of Chicago, where they studied agriculture floodplains and urban flood damages. From this point, Kates began his college teaching experience; he became an Assistant Professor for the Graduate School of Geography at Clark University from 1962-65. During this time, Kates researched flood damage evaluation in the Lehigh Valley under contract with Harvard Water Resources Program. During this time we begin to see Kates's transition from a human nature aspect of research to more of a sustainability aspect. Kates first became a member on the Committee on Utilization of Stored Data Systems on the Association of American Geographers (AAG); he also became the chairman of the Committee on the National Inventory of Soil and Water Conservation Needs in 1962 and 1963.
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