MEET COSAM GRADUATION MARSHAL
AUSTIN BUSH
Austin Bush represented the College of Sciences
and Mathematics at the fall 2015 graduation
ceremony. Student marshals are selected by an
awards committee from each college. To be
considered, students must have completed a
minimum of four semesters at Auburn University
with a scholastic average of 3.40 (graduating cum
laude) or higher and possess qualities of leadership,
citizenship, character, and promise of professional
ability.
“That gave me my first experience with doing
research, and I really got hooked on geography as a
discipline,” said Bush. “Dr. Li was really the reason
why I went into geography and got involved in the
research aspect of it. Shortly after, Dr. Li left the
university, and I began working with Chandana
Mitra.”
“The results we got back were significant enough
to show that there is an urban heat island effect
present, however, you can’t directly compare against
two different cities,” said Bush.
Austin Bush, geography ’15, had set out to become
a dentist when he began his academic journey at
Auburn University.
Bush is currently continuing his research with
Mitra as a graduate student in the Department of
Geosciences and encourages students of all majors
to work with a professor and get involved in an area
of research.
“When I finished up with
high school, I looked at a
handful of different colleges,
but really liked the ‘family’
feel of Auburn,” said Bush, a
Hunstville, Alabama, native.
“Research is a great way to really find out what
your discipline is all about and is a great experience
to have whether you pursue it or not,” said Bush.
“It’s definitely a great experience for all students to
have, regardless of your major.”
When asked what tips he would give to other
students, Bush says the two key components of a
successful academic career are getting enough sleep
and getting to know your instructors.
“My first year at Auburn, I was a pre-dental
student. When I got into my first year of basic
chemistry and biology classes, I quickly realized
that I did not like dentistry or medicine, for that
matter.”
Bush temporarily changed his major to business
until he found what he was truly passionate about,
geography.
After taking a global geography course on a whim,
he found the material fascinating and began to talk
with a professor about changing his major. Two
weeks later, he was an official geography major in
the Department of Geosciences.
“For the first semester or two, I took classes and
got to know my professor at the time, Dr. Yingru
Li,” said Bush. “As I started to meet with her
more to talk about class topics or geography as a
discipline, she made the offer for me to work with
her on a research project. The research involved
socioeconomic issues in impoverished counties in
Alabama.”
As a part of the research, Bush went to elementary
schools around the state conducting surveys
and studying the human and cultural aspects of
geography such as income and cultural inequalities.
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Journey/Spring 2016
Bush and his team placed temperature-recording
devices that logged information such as
precipitation and humidity in various locations
throughout Auburn and Opelika. After two weeks,
the team looked at the data and compared their
findings to what is already known about the urban
heat island effect.
Mitra, an assistant professor in the Department
of Geosciences, assigned Bush a project for the
semester during her climatology class.
“Dr. Mitra wanted a graduate student, a PhD
student, and me to put our heads together and
work on a project that would be paper worthy,”
said Bush. “We ended up deciding to look at the
urban heat island effect that is present in Auburn,
meaning the inner city, with more concrete and
asphalt, is typically a lot warmer than rural areas.
One of Dr. Mitra’s former students actually did
his thesis regarding the urban heat island effect in
Auburn, so Dr. Mitra wanted us to continue on
with that and see what else we could get out of that
concept.”
“Getting to know your professors is very
important,” said Bush. “That’s one of the main
reasons why I chose to continue with my master’s
here at Auburn. As an undergraduate student, I
formed relationships with my professors, and now
going into graduate school, I can continue to build
upon those relationships and develop a strong
professional and social network too. I feel like a lot
of my professors are my friends.”
Bush’s grandfather, an Auburn graduate, was in
attendance for the fall 2015 graduation ceremony
where Bush was the COSAM graduation marshal.
“My entire family was elated when they found out
I was the graduation marshal for the college, but
it really meant the world to my grandfather,” said
Bush. “I think it meant the most to him out of
everyone in my family. It was a huge honor to be
selected.”
College of Sciences and Mathematics
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