GEOG Celebrates Graduating Doctoral Students, & Alumna Who Supports Them

A group of five people pose in a bright, modern room. From left to right, they are a student in a white blazer, a professor with grey hair and crossed arms, an distinguished woman in a black blazer and pink top, another professor in a patterned dress, and a student in a black textured top. In the background, a woman playfully peeks out while making peace signs.

The department honored graduating Ph.D. students and recognized alumna Jingli Yang for her longstanding support.

On April 29, the Department of Geographical Sciences hosted a “Ph.D. Appreciation Day” to celebrate its graduating doctoral students and the impact of their research and mentorship.

Sixteen soon-to-be Ph.D. graduates each gave five-minute presentations of their research projects. After the presentations, attending GEOG faculty, staff and students were given time to enjoy food, drinks and conversation with one another.

“It was fascinating to see what research paths our Ph.D. students decided to embark on,” GEOG Chair Tatiana Loboda said. “Our students are so inspiring, and I have no doubt that these soon-to-be graduates will go on to do incredible things, for the betterment of our society, and our planet.”

Also in the audience was a longtime supporter of the department, and its graduate students in particular: Jingli Yang, who earned her Ph.D. in Biogeography and Remote Sensing from GEOG in 1995. 

A professor in a dark patterned dress and a woman in a black blazer and pink top sit in chairs facing each other, engaged in a discussion. Behind them, a large digital screen displays a Chair Tatiana Loboda, left, and Jingli Yang, GEOG Ph.D. '95, right

“The Ph.D. degree from the University of Maryland really helped me with my career,” Yang said during a brief Q&A with Loboda at the conclusion of the event. “Maryland remote sensing science is the best!”

Yang and her husband, Peter Li, have established the Dr. Jingli Yang and Dr. Peter Li Graduate Support Endowment Fund, which provides graduate students interested in remote sensing and geographic information systems with merit-based graduate summer research support. Recently, Yang and Li made a $1 million gift to expand their impact on GEOG graduate students even further via the Dr. Jingli Yang and Dr. Peter Li Endowed Distinguished Fellowship in Geographical Sciences. This Fellowship will provide awards of at least $5,000 to two to four students each year, to be used to offset summer expenses as well as tuition and research-related costs such as acquiring data, conducting fieldwork, purchasing specialized equipment, and traveling to conferences to present research findings.

“Jingli and Peter have been so supportive of our department and our students over the years, and for that we are deeply grateful,” Loboda said. “It was a true honor and pleasure to have Jingli attend our Ph.D. Appreciation Day, so that she could see the impact of her gratitude firsthand, and so that we could continue to express to her our unending thanks.”

Main image: From left to right, Ph.D. student Yingrui Zhao, Professor Chris Justice, Jingli Yang, Chair Tatiana Loboda and Ph.D student Quan Shen gather followed Ph.D. Appreciation Day discussions.

This article was written by Rachael Grahame, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences.
 

Published on Thu, 05/07/2026 - 09:08