Official Geographer for National Geographic to Speak at St. Norbert College

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From St. Norbert College, October 28, 2014
by Erich Wegenke, erich.wegenke@snc.edu, 920-403-3089

Juan Valdés, the official geographer of the National Geographic Society, will visit St. Norbert College and deliver two talks. On Friday, Nov. 7, at 3 p.m. he will present "The World in Focus: National Geographic's 10th Edition Atlas" at the Fort Howard Theatre of the Bemis International Center on the St. Norbert College campus, with a reception to follow. Valdés' second talk is entitled "From 'The Corner of One Way and Yield' to a Map 105 Years in the Making," and concerns his work making the National Geographic Society's first large-format map of Cuba since 1906. This talk will take place on Saturday, Nov. 8, 9:30-10:30 a.m., at the Fort Howard Theatre. Both addresses are free and open to the public. Valdés will also make an appearance on the monthly "Conversations from St. Norbert College" TV show.

Valdés moved from his native Havana, Cuba, to the United States as a boy. He studied geography and cartography at the University of Maryland in College Park, and joined National Geographic as a typographer in the cartographic department in 1976. Valdés found his niche in researching and editing maps, and worked his way up to a lead position as director for editorial and research.
In his capacity as the official geographer of the National Geographic Society, Valdés assists the Map Policy Committee with uncertain and frequently changing matters such as borders, disputed territories and naming conventions.
Valdés' visit is part of Geo-Fest, a series of geography-related events taking place on Saturday, Nov. 8, at the Bemis International Center on the St. Norbert College campus. Geo-Fest is sponsored by the Wisconsin Geographic Alliance.

For information on Valdés' speeches and Geo-Fest, please contact Mark Bockenhauer at 920-403-3445 or mark.bockenhauer@snc.edu, or visit http://wisgeoalliance.org.