Introducing "Hike with Mike" auction winner Marlowe Durousseau

Mike Goodchild and I met up with Marlowe Durousseau at UCSB early Saturday morning to depart on a hike up to the top of Tangerine Falls in Santa Barbara. I was prepared to provide a parking pass, take a few photos, and then head off to Camino Cielo for a litter removal hike, but got invited to tag along for the bargain basement price of "free".

Marlowe won the auction with a winning bid of $21, yet doubled his donation in support of the Geography Department and our efforts to bring everyone together at AAG this month.

Marlowe has quite an interesting background. He was a transfer student from Santa Monica College where his interests were in meteorology. He came to UCSB to play football (Div III non-scholarship) in '89, and chose the Geography Department for his studies. Unfortunately, he had a knee injury in the off season and had to take time off from school to recover. Interestingly, knee injuries among current geography students are quite common. Just ask Micah, Brett, and Nate who have incorporated surgeries, braces, and physical therapy into their daily lives.

Supporting yourself through school in an expensive city without any financial aid is never an easy task, but Marlowe was resourceful and determined to finish his degree. He took courses part time and worked several jobs on top of an internship with the City of Santa Barbara to make ends meet. Campus jobs included working at Central Stores, the (haunted) Faculty Club, campus event staffing, and with the Phelps Hall night cleaning crew.

Many of these jobs seem like a far cry from the typical work study program jobs most undergrads engage in today, but Marlowe passed up jobs at the UCen in exchange for university employee positions offering partial tuition remission benefits.

Marlowe also worked as a bouncer at many local haunts and recounts the heyday of Isla Vista when Embarcadero Hall was home to The Graduate night club, serving up 4 for 1 priced 32oz drinks which dropped in price as the night wore on. The Graduate was replaced by The Anaconda which hosted concerts several times a week; taking advantage of big names traveling between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Of course, this was all long after the building was home to the Bank of America that was burned down in the 1970 riots.

Marlowe's UCSB days were filled with adventures living in Santa Rosa, San Miguel and perfecting the sport of couch surfing in Isla Vista long before Edward Pultar's couch surfing GIS research interests.

He certainly remembers his professors. He took the History of Cartography with Waldo Tobler, Meteorology with Joel Michaelson, GIS with Mike Goodchild and Keith Clarke after his first GIS course at Santa Barbara City college during a hiatus from UCSB, and various other course with Sara Fabrikant, Dan Montello, and Jack Estes to name a few.

Marlowe's GIS internship with the City of Santa Barbara resulted in a full time position after he graduated. He has opportunities to interact with multiple departments utilizing GIS at the city and at the county. He also interacts with the Channel Islands Regional Geographic Information Systems (CIRGIS), including other UCSB Geography alumni Paul Van Zuyle and Steve Palladino. Marlowe has an extensive background in GIS and expects to complete the requirements for the GISP certification this year.

With several departments at the city working with GIS, internships for students are a real possibility. There are even opportunities for community members to get involved. The transportation department utilizes GIS to manage graffiti. The Adopt A Block program partners city staff and residents interested in committing to keep one block clear of graffitti and litter for a year. All supplies are provided by the "Looking Good Santa Barbara" environmental services program.

We all extend our sincere gratitude to UCSB Geography alumnus Marlowe Durousseau, class of 2003, for his generous donation. Congratulations on your success!