Kevin Keenan, Ph.D. AICP

Department Chair
Ph.D. from Clark U.
keenankp@rowan.edu
856.256.4231
Robinson Hall

Dr. Keenan is an associate professor and the chairperson of the Department of Geography, Planning, and Sustainability in the School of Earth and Environment. Dr. Keenan earned his doctorate in urban geography from Clark University in 2009, a master’s degree in geography from Hunter College in 2005, and a master’s degree in public policy from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 2000. His undergraduate degree, awarded in 1999, is also from Stony Brook. Dr. Keenan studied Political Science, Philosophy, and History, graduated summa cum laude, and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Dr. Keenan achieved certification as a planner from the American Institute of Certified Planners in 2014, and he has maintained this certification. Dr. Keenan is also trained in diversity and inclusion. Dr. Keenan has published widely on the topics of environmental risk and hazards, and he has applied those theories to the study of novel threats including terrorism and cyber vulnerability. Keenan’s work appears in several journals of note, including Environment and Planning A, Urban Affairs Review, and Urban Geography. Most recently, Dr. Keenan has studied the application of theories of terrorism to the study of the Mother Emanuel Church shooting that occurred in Charleston, SC in 2015 and the articulation of race and racism in the U.S. south. In addition, Dr. Keenan has published research on how students learn research methods in geography, as well as how gender affects the interpretation of risk. Formerly, Dr. Keenan was an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at the College of Charleston in Charleston, SC and a core faculty member in the Public Administration Program. Dr. Keenan also maintains a teaching affiliation in Hunter College’s Department of Urban Policy and Planning.

John Hasse, Ph.D. AICP

Professor / Director of GeoLab
Ph.D. from Rutgers U.
hasse@rowan.edu
856.256.4812
Robinson Hall 315G
website

Dr. Hasse is a Professor in the Dept. of Geography, Planning & Sustainability and the founder/director of the Geospatial Research Laboratory, the department's hub for funded projects and community outreach activities. Since 2009 the "GeoLab" has conducted over $2M in externally funded projects. Dr. Hasse's research focuses on land development patterns and associated land resource impacts, smart growth planning evaluation and the nexus of land use, transportation and sustainability. Dr. Hasse has been involved in community development activities in the state, visualization of the impacts of sprawl and has testified as an expert witness. Since joining the department in 2001 Dr. Hasse has taught and developed many of the department's courses in planning, GIS and introductory geography. Dr. Hasse's most recent teaching interest involves integrating the concepts of Big History as a unifying theme across the department's Gen Ed courses. 

Megan Bucknum

Lecturer /Research Associate - NJ Map Project Coordinator
M.U.E.P. from the U. of Virginia
bucknum@rowan.edu
856.256.4811
Robinson Hall 315
Curriculum Vitae

Megan Bucknum applies her background in urban and environmental planning to the fields of food systems and participatory planning. Leveraging knowledge gained from holding positions across the food supply chain, she conducts research about regionally-based food distribution models that address sustainability and food security. Additionally, she integrates her experience facilitating public meetings, conducting interviews and designing participatory research projects into the curriculum of her courses and in support of faculty research projects. Motivated by the power of narrative, her research and class projects use interviews and oral histories to explore barriers and opportunities along our food supply chains and to understand how people connect to the built and natural environment This method allows people to be both involved and informed by her projects. She currently teaches Introduction to Planning and Environmental Design, Urban Geography and Food Systems Planning.

Mahbubur Meenar, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Ph.D. from Temple U.
meenar@rowan.edu
856.256.5812
Robinson Hall 315C
Curriculum Vitae
Research lab web site:  
https://www.planviz.org

Dr. Mahbubur Meenar is an Assistant Professor of Planning in the Department of Geography, Planning, and Sustainability and the director of Community Planning and Visualization Lab at Rowan University. Dr. Meenar has a multi-disciplinary background in architecture (B.Arch.), urban planning (MUP), and geography (PhD). He examines the connection between human and spatial dimensions (e.g., natural and built environments) in developing plans for sustainable and resilient communities, focusing on the nexus of land, water, and food. His specific research interests include built environment, green infrastructure, food systems, Brownfields redevelopment, and participatory geo-spatial planning. Dr. Meenar serves as the principal investigator on several research grants funded by the US EPA and local governmental agencies. His work has been published in leading journals, including Journal of American Planning Association, Environmental and Planning A, Landscape and Urban Planning, Journal of Planning Literature, and Environmental Management. Dr. Meenar currently teaches Environmental and Sustainability Planning, Intro GIS, Geovisualization, Senior Seminar, and Community Planning & Site Design. He serves as a board member of Creative Glassboro (the arts council of Glassboro Borough), a member of Rowan University Sustainability Master Plan Committee, and an editorial committee member of the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development.​

Jennifer Kitson, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Ph.D. from Arizona State U.
kitson@rowan.edu
856.256.4817
Robinson Hall 315D
Curriculum Vitae

Dr. Kitson is an assistant professor in the Department of Geography, Planning, & Sustainability. She is a west coast transplant with three degrees in geography: a doctorate from Arizona State University, a master’s degree from California State University, Los Angeles, and a bachelor’s from San Francisco State University.
Dr. Kitson’s research explores urban, environmental, and social issues through the lived experience of place. She investigates the role of embodied experience in making just, hospitable, and sustainable communities, including on topics such as urban history, memory and nostalgia, smell and place, public art and space, pedestrian and public geographies, sustainable urbanism, and placemaking. She has published in journals such as cultural geographies, GeoHumanities, and Environmental Values and serves on the Women’s and Gender Studies Council at Rowan University. She is committed to cultivating inclusive learning communities in the courses she teaches, including Cultural and Urban Geography, Sensing the Sustainable City, and Senior Seminar. Students in her courses undertake experiential learning and fieldwork in exploring the social and sensory dimensions of public life and space as critical dimensions of pluralistic and sustainable communities.