Planetizen's 2008-2009 Student Bloggers

A couple months ago, we posted an announcement seeking student bloggers for the 2008-2009 school year. We received a pile of great applications, but two new students stood out. Each week, they will bring you reports from their master's programs at the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachussetts Institute of Technology.

Tamika Camille Gauvin                      Jeffrey Barg

Both students are making a career change, following their interests into the field. Tamika Camille Gauvin got her BA in Economics, and worked at a non-profit providing business skills training and technical assistance to underserved women in Baltimore. Tamika grew up in a public housing project in New York, and watched her neighborhood gentrify. Consequently, she has a personal interest in the policies of urban renewal and affordable housing. Camille is just starting at M.I.T.

As newspapers fold and shrink around the country, Jeffrey Barg saw the writing on the wall for his journalism career. Over his seven years at the Philadelphia Weekly, Jeff found his interests turning towards issues of urban spaces. Now, he'll be applying those interests to his program at UOP.

Over the next year, we'll get to watch Tamika and Jeffrey as they learn. Each week, we'll follow one of them as they get indoctrinated into the world of GIS, land use law, and urban design. It should be fascinating to see inside these two well-respected planning programs, and to watch these two individuals as they navigate their education. Stay tuned.