UT alumnus Andrew Sluyter was awarded the Carl O. Sauer Distinguished Scholarship Award for his research on Latin American geography, marking the second year in a row a UT-affiliated scholar earned the recognition after geography professor Timothy Beach received the award in 2016.

This recognition is given to scholars for their contribution to Latin American geography or to those whose research has improved the understanding of Latin America, according to the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers website.

Sluyter received his Ph.D. in geography from UT in 1995 and has authored publications that have contributed to the understanding of agricultural and environmental change in Mexico, according to the College of Liberal Arts website.

“I’m not only honored by the Sauer Award itself, but also to be part of the tradition of excellence of UT Geography, which counts six faculty and alums so honored,” Sluyter said in a UT press release.

Last year, Beach said in his acceptance speech that he was humbled by receiving an award in honor of Carl Sauer, an American geographer and professor emeritus of the University of California at Berkeley.

“It never crossed my mind that I might win,” Beach said in his speech. “CLAG has a deep intellectual history, with many great forebearers I have had the privilege to know. Any award named after Carl Sauer makes any recipient humbled.”

Sheryl Luzzadder-Beach, chair of the UT Department of Geography and the Environment, said Beach and Sluyter’s recognitions are significant because they show their commitment to Latin American geography.

“(This recognition) sustains the reputation and visibility of our faculty, alumni, students and (Ph.D.) program at UT and at the national level,” Luzzadder-Beach said in an email. “It demonstrates the long-term research and educational commitment to Latin American Geography and Environmental research our Department and College have made; it shows the intellectual rigor and broader impacts of that research; and it validates the importance of making long term commitments to support graduate education, graduate students, alumni.” 

Government freshman Mariana Gonzalez said awards such as this one demonstrate the significance and impact of a liberal arts education.

“It’s professors like Beach and alumni like Sluyter that prove that the liberal arts education has a lot more to offer than the naked eye can see,” Gonzalez said.