Thesis Abstract and Defense Announcement

Well, the time has finally come to defend my masters thesis. I'm a bit nervous to say the least, but no more nervous than when I wonder where we'll end up after the Summer.
Anyhow, here's the abstract. I hope to see a lot of folks there.

ABSTRACT

An Investigation of the Philosophical Changes of the Abu Sayyaf Group
Using Geospatial Analysis

Thomas C. Zumbado

Political science scholars believe that the ASG’s propensity for accumulating funds through hostage ransoming and other criminal activity has caused the organization to drift away from its radical Islamic foundations and become nothing more than a gang of bandits. This research explores this claim by applying geospatial and temporal analysis to ASG terrorist activity from 1994 to 2008 to determine whether the body of ASG attack data is congruent with the political objectives put forth by the group at their inception, or more suited to criminal patterns of activity that epitomize monetary gains as the highest objective.

This is done through the pursuit of four research objectives that explore if attack data display an operational terror-to-crime shift. Objectives one, two and three compare the attack data distribution to map overlays of economic level, ethnic composition and religion to identify where the majority of attacks occur. This identifies if the ASG is prone to conducting attacks in areas predominantly populated by their constituency, which are the poor, Muslim Tausugs of the southern Philippines. The fourth objective qualitatively examines the historical timeline of the ASG by comparing it to Dishman’s (2001) theory on the ideological transformation of terrorist groups. The results of these four objectives are combined and measured in the decision rule to evaluate whether ASG attack data supports the more popular claims of a philosophical shift. Applied methods include spatio-temporal analysis and geostatistics (Getis-Ord hot spot analysis and mean center progression).

Results of analysis indicate that the majority of ASG attacks occur in the “Constituency Overlay,” a trivariate convergence area where the majority of the population are poor, Muslim Tausugs. In addition, temporal analysis displays that attacks localized and peaked around the CO in accordance with Dishman’s benchmarks for a terror-to-crime transformation. It is concluded that the majority of ASG attacks are driven towards crime due to the group’s tendency towards a high frequency of moneymaking attacks within the areas of constituency. Based on the criteria of the decision rule, the patterns of attack data indicate that ASG operations have been more inclined towards criminal goals rather than ideological goals since the death of their founder, Abdurajak Janjalani.

Thesis Acknowledgements...

My thesis is getting close to being done. Tonight, I'm sending it off to my committee for approval for defense. As my readers, I thought you might like to read the acknowledgments.

This thesis and my journey through graduate school would not have been possible without the patient wisdom of my adviser, Dr. George Hepner, and he will always have my undying gratitude. All the advice, support and encouragement he has offered have kept me on track throughout the whole process.

I’d also like to think my committee members: Dr. Richard Medina, for his perspectives on the graduate experience, friendship, and dedication to challenging me to make this the best project it could be; Dr. Benjamin Judkins, whose mentorship and friendship, not only with this research, but also in the past few years, have been inestimable to me; and Dr. Thomas Kontuly, for all the “kitchen encouragement” and for agreeing to join my adventure on such short notice. Thanks for always having my back, guys.

I wish to express my gratitude and respect to the endless list of scholars who have meticulously pieced bits of theory, science, culture and history together to build the multidisciplinary world we call Terrorism Studies. May we always remain dedicated to our cause, for there is still much to do.

Finally, I’d like to thank my loving wife, Lisa, for her patience and understanding of all the hurdles of research and grad school. She is my muse and the mortar that binds our family together. And my children, Vincent and Amelia, for their unfaltering love and admiration.

This is for you, son.

Tom, are you dead?....

Not really.

Sadly, I've been neglecting my blog because there isn't a grade associated with the writing I do on it. This is just a single example of the cutthroat mercenary mentality awaiting you in beautiful Grad School!!!

It goes a little like this:

The goal is to get a collection of super-educated (sometimes conflicting) individuals to all agree that you're worthy of an advanced degree. It's a monumental task, no doubt about it.
But all that fun starts AFTER you've finished your coursework.
(And I'm not there yet.)

Grad school coursework is reminiscent of the Mad Max flick, Beyond Thunderdome.
Essentially, students of a similar discipline are all thrown into a pit with various journals, surveys, databases and computing equipment and then forced to fight to the death.
OK maybe not to the death, but certainly to the "who-can-finish-first-and-curry-the-most-favor."

Thankfully when I was cast into the ring, I was lucky enough to be the only frood in there.
Sometimes it pays to be a political geographer. Yay me.

I was however, subjected to some hard truths about GS work:

1. Read nothing unless it's about your field of study. (There's not much time as it is.)



2. Write nothing unless it's towards your thesis or it gets you a grade. (B+ is just a high-level loser.)


3. All that junk about a family? Forget it. You're married to the field now, boy and you WILL be faithful! Your children are the analyses that you produce, so try to make yourself a big ol family! (Coochie-coo!)


4. Your office is your new home! Ain't it nice and roomy? Your apartment is just where you store all your crap....including what's-her-face and the anklebiters.


5. Don't try to explain what you do to your extended family. It'll just confuse them and make them think you don't know what the hell you're doing. (Which may be true, but they don't need to know that, do they?)


6. There are no gods other than the pantheon of professors you must appease. Believing in anything else is heresy! (I suggest naming them and fitting them into other famous mythological pantheons. You'd be surprised how close everyone fits!)



7. Traveling through grad school with your cohort is the equivalent of storming the beaches at Normandy on D-Day. Only a handful of you will make it through the process. The rest will have been gunned down by the Nazis.


It's a tough road to hoe, to be sure. But for me, the worst part of it all is feeling one step behind everyone. I've got to admit, I've felt pretty dumb in grad school so far.
Now one result of that is an initiative to power through my obstacles and become a better scholar.
But there are times when I'm reminded of my age and how other people I know have already bought a house, have a career and have otherwise "settled down."

At worst, it makes me want to quit. Or at least stop after an MS.
Thankfully, those days are few and far between.
For now, I'll just keep dragging my can into work every morning until I come to the next fork in my life. Then I'll look back at everything I've done and decide what to do next.

Sounds like a plan.

A Matter of Geographic Perspective

I was recently tasked with reading and writing about chapter 20 of a book called "All Possible Worlds," by Martin. It was pretty interesting as far as academic reading goes. But it really did drive home some rather harrowing realizations about my chosen field.

Here's what I wrote:

When I first chose to become a geography graduate student, I shamefully admit that I had only a rudimentary idea as to how geographic research was conducted. I believed that a problem or interrelation of variables was postulated by hypotheses and afterwards tested by a collection of data and subsequent analysis. In a way, my rough “crayon drawing” of scientific inquiry was somewhat correct. But it was not until I completed my reading of Chapter 20 of All Possible Worlds that I truly understood the scope that is geographic research.

Geography as an academic discipline is as enormous as the planet that it studies. Its cardinal traditions are stippled together by countless sub-fields. These sub-fields are governed by the previous work of scholars through methods ranging from abstract theories and philosophies to hardened empirical mathematics. During my whole undergraduate career, I never realized how my chosen field blended all the hard and soft sciences into one distinct focus of study.

Unable to resist the temptation, I sought to match my undergraduate works my with the scholarly traditions and methods that best fit my study foci. As expected, much of my senior essays depicted me as Political Geographer and Area Studies Traditionalist who performed his analysis through the use of socio-political theory and a little empirical examination. This is of course, a generous categorization as my study processes were never as detailed as those described in the text. Nonetheless, I was somewhat proud to see that the methods I had utilized for an “A” class grade were those utilized to build scholarly knowledge. As such, it appears that I am on the right track.

I was also grateful to draw some pearls of wisdom from this reading as well. The section regarding the use of dichotomies and abstractions made me realize that not everything that I have read for geography may be true. The fact that the reading itself encourages students to question the age-old precepts of geographic thought really shed light on how scientific thought progresses. As an accent to the point, Haggett’s statement on how progress is marked “by the sound of plummeting hypotheses” drove this notion into my mind like an intellectual spike.

The other counsels and cautions that I gleaned from this reading stemmed from the “CONCEPTUAL STRUCTURE OF GEOGRAPHY” section starting on page 516. Percepts and Concepts, Patterns and Processes, Descriptions and Explanations; the meanings of these words were finally made clear to me along with the careful steps leading to the creation, measurement and implementation of geographic research. So vast were the concepts, methodologies and theories of geography that my initial sentiment at the completion of this reading was one of overwhelmed bewilderment.

Thankfully, this feeling would not last. After some time thinking on what I had just read, the information that I had synthesized from Chapter 20 of All Possible Worlds left me feeling encouraged and calm at the thought of pursuing a geographic career. I say this because after all the reading about disciplines, methods, fields and scopes, I became aware that the academic world of geography still had room for whatever I chose to write about. Thus whether my work is of ground-breaking importance or simply adds to the building of a body of literature, I too can contribute to the honored field that I have chosen to follow.

And then there was one...(Grad School Update)

ALEA IACTA EST.

I've accepted a graduate position with the University of Utah's Geography Department as a Masters Student.

Why? The answer is pretty simple.

Here are the results for all the grad apps I sent out:

Princeton: Gave me the "nah."

UNC: Also gave me the "nah."

Texas A&M: Has placed me on a wait-list. (No $)

Geogretown: Accepted me, but did not offer any $. Not one single dime. :-(

Utah Poli-Sci: (My home department) Accepted, but without financial aid. C'mon guys. :-(

Utah Geography: Accepted...with a tuition waiver...and a TA job...and a $5500 scholarship to boot. (That they recommended me for! Is that love or what?)

It's easy to say that I sided with the money.
But the fact is, the vibe that I get from the staff and faculty in that department is one of faith, belonging and encouragement. From the Admin Staff all the way to the Department Head, there is one message that resonates throughout the office:

"Tom, we want you to stay."

I didn't choose Geography at first, but it looks like Geography chose me.

Somewhere, Paul Torrens is laughing.

.

HO-LEE CRAP!!!! (Grad School Update)

March 20, 2009

Dear Mr. Zumbado:

I hope this message finds you well.

The Admissions Committee for the Security Studies Program (SSP) has completed its review of your application. The committee has recommended your admission to the Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. You will soon receive a letter pending a final review of general admissions requirements. This is a routine step preceding full or conditional admission to the SSP.

Decisions on SSP merit-based aid will be communicated in the next two weeks. In the meantime, information on student loans, grants, and other Georgetown funding opportunities is available from the Office of Student Financial Services:

http://finaid.georgetown.edu/grmenu.htm

The SSP website is also an excellent tool for more information on our events, faculty, students, and careers. The site is located here:

http://ssp.georgetown.edu/

Finally, I would like to invite you to attend the SSP’s Visiting Day on Wednesday, April 8, 2009, from 12 noon to 4 p.m. You will have the opportunity to learn more about the program by meeting faculty and students, taking a campus tour, and attending an SSP class. Additional information will be emailed as the event approaches.

While I cannot offer my congratulations until Dean Barbari formally approves your admission, I am pleased you are considering the SSP for your graduate degree. The SSP is a dynamic and exciting environment for students from a variety of academic and professional backgrounds. I look forward to welcoming you to this exceptional community in the fall.

Best regards.

Daniel L. Byman

Director, Security Studies Program

Director, Center for Peace and Security Studies

Good Ol' Utah...(Grad School Update)

You know, there is something to be said about being loyal to your students.

Man, I love the U.

March 4, 2007

Thomas C. Zumbado
Salt Lake City, UT 84112

Dear Thomas:

The faculty of the Department of Geography is pleased to recommend your admission to the Graduate School as a student in our Master’s program commencing fall semester 2009. The Graduate School will review our recommendation and inform you of the final decision. You should receive this information shortly.

We are unable to make an offer of financial aid at this time. However, the graduate committee has named you as an alternate for financial aid. We will notify you if aid becomes available.

Please keep in mind that all graduate students should have acceptable courses or proficiencies in Geographical Analysis (GEOG 3020), Principles of Cartography (GEOG 3040) and basic introductory-level calculus. It is in your best interest to either take these courses before you arrive or study the appropriate material on your own. Completing our undergraduate courses to acquire these proficiencies is optional and do not count toward graduate credit. If you are planning on taking the GIS series of courses you must have an acceptable course or proficiency in Principles of GIS (GEOG 3140).

Please notify me in writing by mail or fax by April 15, 2009, if you intend to accept or reject our offer of admission. If you do accept, you will receive additional information on the program and registration for fall semester.

We hope that you will find your academic experience next year a rewarding one. Please let us know if we can assist you in any way.

Sincerely,

Thomas M. Kontuly

Director of Graduate Studies

OK, so no funding for now.
But at least I've got a safety net set up in case none of my other prospects pan out.
Thanks to all the faculty and friends who believe in me.
It merits being said again.
Man, I love the U.

Grad School Update...

...Just not the one I wanted. :-(

February 20, 2009

Mr. Thomas Zumbado

Salt Lake City, UT 84112

Dear Mr. Zumbado:

Thank you for applying to our Graduate School for the 2009-2010 academic year. While I assure you that the materials you submitted were carefully reviewed by the faculty in the Department of Politics and by the Graduate School, I regret to inform you that the department did not recommend your admission for the coming year.

The number of places available at Princeton for entering graduate students is extremely limited and we cannot offer admission to all who are well-qualified. Indeed, many departments consistently have applicants who would be admitted without hesitation if the resources were available. Our decisions take into account not only the applicants’ merits, but also the suitability of the department’s programs to the candidates’ expressed interests. Our goal is to achieve a sound match between the strengths of our programs and the interests of the relatively small number of outstanding students that can be accommodated.

We chose to advise you of our decision via email on the assumption that a timely response would outweigh the informality of this means of communication. I would be happy to provide a formal letter upon request.

I wish you success in your plans for graduate study and thank you for considering Princeton University.

Sincerely,

William B. Russel

Dean of the Graduate School

An Aftermath of New Opportunities!!!

Well, the GRE has come and gone.

Sadly, I didn't do as well as I had hoped.

But just like life, whenever one door closes another will open.

Inspiring, no? ;-)

Now, I am happy to announce that my new and improved Big Seven list is ready to be revealed!!!

And the winners are......

Ol' SHC! I could be a Paralegal!

UCMH! Great hands-on training!

Crazy Go Nuts University of Free Country, USA.

C,G,N....U! (Me?)

Mighty UP!

I could do it all from home!

Fightin' EGC! (Hey, it's close to the TRAX Station.)

Big DU-du.

Admissions process? Just open the door!

And the final bottom of the barrel potential grad school to I can apply to...

Brigham Young University!!!

(Yeah, I was pretty surprised too...;-)

In all seriousness....

While my GRE wasn't the best, I'll still be applying to my aforementioned grad programs and hoping that my academic record, letters of rec, personal statements and diverse background can highlight my potential.

Either way, here goes nothing.

GRE Day...

Dead...

Man...

Walking...

Three days and Counting...

Things are getting down to the wire.
I can't wait for this bloody test to be over with!


Actually, I could use the extra study time...

GRE Anxiety....

Man, I hate standardized tests.

The Big Seven...

OK. It's taken a while, but Lisa and I have finally whittled down the massive list of potential grad schools into seven prime candidates for application.

It's was quite the selection process, one that had two separate types of criteria.

On one hand, the hopeful grad schools had to have a great program that suited my study focus (International Relations or Political Geography).

And on the other hand, the places we moved to had to have dynamite autism resources for Vincent. Specifically, dynamite resources that didn't cost a mint. (I'm talking to you, CA and NY.)

Well, the list is in and the applications are going out.
(And yes, Eddie. They've all got great football teams. ;-)

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Big Seven:


The University of Utah: Salt Lake City, UT






The University of North Carolina: Chapel Hill, NC







Texas A&M University: College Station, TX








Ohio State University: Columbus, OH






The University of Georgia: Athens, GA




Princeton University: Princeton, NJ







Georgetown University: Washington, D.C.