Faculty Profiles

Dr. Michael Solem

Professor — Dept of Geography & Environmntl Studies

ELA 145

phone: (512) 245-4770

ms32@txstate.edu

Biography and Education

Ph.D., Geography. Department of Geography, University of Colorado, Boulder. December 1999.

Dissertation: The Diffusion, Adoption, and Effects of Instruction with the Internet in U.S. College Geography.
Ph.D. Committee Chair: A. David Hill.

M.S., Geography. Department of Geography, Pennsylvania State University. August 1995.

Thesis: Fire History of the Caribou Wilderness, Lassen National Forest, CA.
MS Committee Chair: Alan H. Taylor.

B.S., Earth Sciences (Geography Minor). Department of Earth Sciences, Pennsylvania State University. August 1993.

Teaching Interests

At the undergraduate level I primarily teach geography courses for pre-service teachers. My graduate level courses include seminars in geographic analysis and courses taught as part of the online MAG and PhD Geographic Education degree programs.

Research Interests

Geography education, particularly 1) curriculum studies and theory, 2) teacher education and professional development, 3) large-scale educational assessment studies, 4) diversity and inclusion, and 5) professional development for geography students and early career faculty.

Selected Scholarly/Creative Work

Solem, M., & Vaughan, P. W. (2024). Reducing Inequality in Student Outcomes in U.S. Geography Education: The Importance of Understanding Student Attitudes. Education Sciences, 14(1). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14010009
Solem, M., Vander Weil, B. P., Boehm, R. G., & Zadrozny, J. (2022, November 8). Powerful Geography at Work. AAG Newsletter. https://doi.org/10.14433/2017.0121
Solem, M., Vaughan, P. W., Savage, C., & De Nadai, A. S. (2021). Student- and school-level predictors of geography achievement in the United States, 1994-2018. Journal of Geography, 120(6), 201–211.
Solem, M., Boehm, R. G., & Zadrozny, J. (2024). Powerful Geography for Powerful Teaching and Learning in Social Studies. Social Education, 88(5), 294–300.
Solem, M., Boehm, R. G., & Zadrozny, J. (Eds.). (2024). Powerful Geography: International Perspectives and Applications. Switzerland: Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-54845-1

Selected Awards

Award / Honor Recipient: Gilbert M. Grosvenor Honors in Geographic Education, American Association of Geographers. April 2015
Award / Honor Recipient: Research promoting excellence in geography teaching and learning, Journal of Geography in Higher Education. April 2010
Award / Honor Recipient: Distinguished Teaching Achievement Award, National Council for Geographic Education. October 2003
Award / Honor Recipient: Excellence in Research Funding and Sponsored Programs, College of Liberal Arts, Texas State University. 2020
Award / Honor Recipient: Significant Achievement Award for Centers, College of Liberal Arts, Texas State University. 2020

Selected Grants

Boehm, Richard G (Principal), Solem, Michael. GO West!, Texas Fund for Geographic Education - THECB & NGS, State, $48775. (Submitted: September 4, 2017, Funded: January 1, 2018 - December 31, 2018). Grant.
Solem, Michael (Principal), Huynh, Niem (Co-Principal), Boehm, Richard G (Co-Principal), Summers, Emily J (Co-Principal). Geospatial Resources, Materials and Tools for STEM Teacher Preparation, National Science Foundation - RAPID, Federal, $199816. (Funded: August 15, 2014 - August 15, 2015). Grant.
Solem, Michael (Principal), Huynh, Niem Tu (Co-Principal), Boehm, Richard G (Co-Principal). Building Capacity for Learning Progressions Research in Geography, National Science Foundation, Federal, $292491. (Funded: January 1, 2014 - January 1, 2016). Grant.

Selected Service Activities

Chair

TX Geography Student Research Symposium

September 1, 2021-Present

Member

Recruiting and Communication Committee

September 1, 2021-Present

Co-Chair

IGU Commission on Geographical Education

August 1, 2020-Present

Chair

National Center for Research in Geography Education

September 1, 2019-Present