Karen "Sam" Barton is a Professor of Geography, GIS, and Sustainability at the University of Northern Colorado, USA. Her recent book, "Africa's Joola Shipwreck: Causes and Consequences of a Humanitarian Disaster," explores the second worst maritime disaster in peacetime history as well as the community resistance and resilience that followed in the wake of this avoidable tragedy. This fieldwork was supported by both Fulbright and the National Endowment for the Humanities-Council for American Overseas Research Senior Fellowships. Barton is also a Fellow of the Explorers Club, Society for Women Geographers, and the Royal Geographical Society and an advocate on behalf of study abroad, experiential learning, and field science for emerging scholars. She is a proud, first generation scholar.