Professor Sarah Bednarz RIP

Via the IGU Commission on Geographical Education (IGU-CGE) and Professor David Lambert.

It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of Professor Emerita Sarah Witham Bednarz, a distinguished scholar whose work shaped generations of geography educators and researchers.

Renowned for her contributions to spatial thinking, the educational use of geospatial technologies, and teacher education, she helped strengthen the intellectual foundations of our field. Across borders, she led and anchored many of the international projects and collaborations that have come to define geography education.

For many entering the geography education community, she was a trusted mentor whose nurturing spirit helped young scholars build confidence and curiosity.

She will be remembered for her tireless energy and leadership in defending the place of geography in schools, universities, and public life, far beyond any single nation. A past president of the American Association of Geographers, she was also a devoted, long-standing member of the IGU Commission on Geographical Education.
Her contributions will endure in the research she advanced and the people she mentored.
We will miss the roadmap she drew for our field.