Casey D Allen 
Andes [PDF ebook] 
Geography, Diversity, and Sociocultural Impacts

A champion of fieldwork, award-winning teacher-scholar, & Fulbright Scholar (Jordan), Dr. Allen currently holds the post of Associate Professor of Geography & Environmental Science at the University of Colorado Denver. Though recently centered on the US West, Caribbean, and Middle East, his research activities take place around the world. Specialties include (cultural) geomorphology (the "Science of Scenery"), rock/cultural stone decay, geographic education, humanistic geography, and arid lands. Interests and expertise in sustainability, rock art & geoarchaeology, biological soil crusts, and Japan round out his profile. Since a young age, South America has fascinated him, and he has spent significant time exploring the Andes and their surrounding environs. As a dedicated teacher, his primary pedagogical goal centers on helping students learn geography by performing, practicing, and just doing fieldwork, such as understanding peoples’ sense of place, assessing geologic stability of petroglyphs and other stone structures, investigating connections between landscapes and landforms, evaluating landscape change via field-based research, and more. In-class fieldtrips, highly-focused field studies, and extended in situ experiences like his Geography by Rail(R) & Sustainability in the Caribbean programs help with this overarching endeavor of increasing folks’ appreciation of diverse places, peoples, and landscapes. Second only to the Himalayas in size, the Andes represent a fascinating region of our world. Written by regional experts and drawing on field-based endeavors of several researchers, each chapter encompasses a timely topic, from climate-related studies and historical occupations to indigenous manufacturing and recent archaeological evidence. If you want to know what types of research are currently being conducted in the Andes, this book will surely satisfy.Target Audience:People who want to know about current research in the Andes. Academics, researchers, and scientists. Especially those involved in climate science, archaeology, and historic landscape change.