UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Chris Fowler, associate professor of geography and demography, has received the 2023 Penn State Award for Faculty Outreach.
The award honors faculty who have positively and substantially affected individuals, organizations or communities through problem-solving or development as a result of extending their scholarship.
Fowler was nominated for his work with then-Gov. Tom Wolf’s office to generate a statement of best practices in support of a voting map for the state that reduced the legacy of historic gerrymandering. Nominators said the work likely shaped the outcomes of the 2022 elections.
Wolf called Fowler’s work a “lasting contribution” to promoting more fair and equitable elections in the state.
Fowler is a geographer who specializes in spatial demographics and population-level studies. His work uncovers ways that drawing boundaries — for political districts, school attendance zones or neighborhoods — has been used to produce highly uneven political and economic outcomes. The work benefits both Fowler’s students and leads to more equitable outcomes in health, education and economic development, nominators said.
“What makes Fowler’s nomination so exciting is the integrative nature by which he has interwoven his outreach, research and teaching,” said a nominator. “Recognizing the importance of creating an informed citizenry related to voting rights and patterns, Dr. Fowler is proactively innovative in his teaching to provide these learning experiences to his students. Specifically, he has brought his outreach activities to the classroom to directly engage students in the process. One class won the first statewide prize for redistricting hosted by Draw The Lines, and Dr. Fowler has regularly invited his public-facing partners to discussions in his classrooms.”
In fall 2022, Fowler taught an honor’s class on gerrymandering. Wolf attended one of the classes and spent 45 minutes talking with the students about what it means to have elected officials represent their constituents.
A nationally recognized leader in addressing spatial voting patterns, Fowler shows decision-makers and the general public how voting maps can best be created to support democratic elections. Fowler actively engages the public through media sources including The Washington Post, Penn State’s "Democracy Works" podcast and The Conversation, where one piece was titled “How to make voting districts fair to voters, not parties.”
Nominators said Fowler’s work comes at an important time for democracy. He’s testified several times to state government, has served as an expert panelist for decision-makers and advocated on behalf of Pennsylvania’s Black and Hispanic communities.
“As a result of this impact and the depth of this engagement, both in our Penn State communities of research and learning, and through lasting stewardship of democratic processes in the communities across the commonwealth, Dr. Fowler is extremely deserving of this recognition,” a nominator said.