Lo que hoy está probado, en su momento era sólo algo imaginado.

- Proverbios del Infierno

John Newcomb
Senior lab instructor, course advisor

B.A., Political Science, (UVic), Grad. Diploma, Public Administration (Carleton University), M.P.A. (Public Administration, UVic), M.A., Geography (UVic.).

Office: Cornett B240A
Phone: (250) 721-7346
Fax: (250) 721-6216
Email: jnewcomb@mail.geog.uvic.ca

¡Saludos!

As a senior lab instructor and course advisor in the Geography Department, my work focuses on developing and delivering undergraduate labs in human and economic geography, working with both our Geography faculty and Geography Teaching Assistants to provide a high quality learning experience for our UVic students. I'm also a lab instructor for our Geography statistics labs.

I web-publish Geography Department's monthly events agenda, Geo-Info Calendar.

I value being a UVic Alumni, as well as remaining an active member of the Society of Geography Students (SOGS), and web-editing our weekly SOGS Notes "e-zine".

My personal geography interests are in Latin America - especially with Perú. A posting as a foreign service officer in the Canadian Embassy in Lima (1988 - 1990), and several opportunities to return to Perú (OAS electoral observer,1995; WUSC Summer Seminar,1997; OAS electoral observer,2000) have extended my interest in Peruvian political, social and economic development.

Interest - and concern - in the wider Latin America region have continued, with visits to Canadian aid projects in Costa Rica (IDRC 1993) and observing the 1998 presidential election in Venezuela and Venezuela's referendum referendum process in 2004 (with The Carter Center). During several summer sessions, I've lectured the courses Geography of Third World Development or Geography of Latin America. I am a member of the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers. and I am interested in NAFTA-environment issues, participating in the Puebla, México CEC conference in June, 2004.

Local interests focus on sustainable development, as past-Director on the Board of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce (2001-2003), chairing the Chamber's Environment Committee, and researching local energy and water issues. I've also completed an appointment as Commercial/Industrial representative on our regional Water Advisory Committee (1998-2001)
but maintain my interest in water resources and water conservation.

Currently, I'm participating on the Provincial Integrated Electricity Planning Committee (PIEPC).

Public Presentations for UVic Speakers Bureau:
"A Canadian Living In Perú"
"Cusco: Imperial City of the Incas" (sample images)
"Development in Costa Rica"
"Street Scenes and Politics In A Peruvian City" (sample images)
"Water Conservation in BC - And For You And Me!" (sample images)

Recent awards:
2004 Saanich Environment Award.
President's Distinguished Service Award.
Drinking Water Stewardship - Community Leadership.

My evaluation on RateMyProfessors website

Papers and Presentations:

The Business of Environment or Environmental Business? Review of The New Economy of Nature, by Gretchen Daily and Katherine Ellison. Alternatives Journal, Spring 2003.

Energy, chapter in British Columbia, The Pacific Province: Geographical Essays ed. C. Wood. Western Geographical Press. Victoria: 2001.

Energy Geography of the Pacific North West - Changing Landscapes of Power. Notes for presentation to the Pacific Northwest Regional Economics Conference, Victoria, 17 May, 2001 (pdf 330K).

Integrating BC into the Continental Energy Network - Some Issues. Presentation to the Association of Washington Geographers Conference, Bellingham, 7 April, 2001 (pdf file 380K).

A source of Victoria's power, 18 March 2001 (pdf 140K).