Geo Takach's research focuses on environmental communication. His latest books are Scripting the Environment (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016) and Tar Wars (University of Alberta Press, 2017). His work also includes four other books, 17 articles and book chapters; three short documentary films screened at university gallery exhibitions; public readings of his satirical radio revue (featured at Congress 2016) and his musical eco-comedy play; and more than 45 refereed conference presentations; and 32 other public presentations—many aimed at depolarizing tensions between ecological responsibility and resource extraction, and in three cases, dramatized in radio or television scripts.
His current research explores intersections of environmental communication, arts-based creation and Indigenist approaches, and is the subject of a forthcoming book from Luxington Books and a documentary film in progress. Based in the School of Communication and Culture, he also teaches in the School of Environment and Sustainability.
Experience
Takach’s extensive work as a professional communicator, writer and documentary filmmaker spans hundreds of publications in speeches, print (books, magazines, newspapers, corporate fare), film (commercial and festival), radio, television and video. He is also a professional speaker. He has developed and taught courses in communication (theory, research methods, human communication, screenwriting, speechwriting, speech presentation, public relations, online-community design, organizational communication, strategic framing, documentary filmmaking, public persuasion, sustainability communication and (with Russell Johnston, RRU's Director of Indigenous Education) communication in Indigenous contexts.
He teaches and supervises undergraduate and graduate students. He leads workshops on varied aspects of communication for the public, private and volunteer sectors. His scholarly research has been profiled in local and national media. He chaired the 15th biennial Conference on Communication and the Environment hosted by the International Environmental Communication Association in 2019.
His research website is geotakach.ca
Education
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PhD in Communication Studies
University of Calgary
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Master of Arts in Communication and Technology
University of Alberta
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Bachelor of Laws
University of Alberta
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Bachelor of Arts
University of Alberta
Awards
2014
Illinois Distinguished Qualitative Dissertation Award, Category A (Experimental)
International Centre for Qualitative Inquiry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
2010
Gold medal - International Book Publishers Association
Awarded for his book Will the Real Alberta Please Stand Up? (University of Alberta Press, 2010)
