Max Reinke has had his worldview mapped out for a long time, and the earnest, 20-year-old student from Morgantown owes it all to geography and West Virginia University.

Reinke, who is studying geography and Spanish at WVU , is one of just 11 students in the world to land a paid internship in geography at National Geographic, the publication known just as much for its photography of exotic locales as for its writing.

There, hell help advance geographic awareness for youngsters, taking a direction that goes way past the memorization of state and world capitals you did in grade school.

After all, he said, geography in the 21st century takes in everything from politics and sociology to world hunger, wars and climate change.

A lot of people dont realize thats what geography really is,said Reinke, who began his internship this week at the magazines international headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Two of the students in the internship are from overseas, he said. The rest are from colleges and universities across the U.S. All have the unique global awareness that their major affords.

A lot of people think Im at WVU studying to be a high school geography teacher,he said,and there wouldnt be a thing wrong with that if I were. Its just that this is a pretty broad field.

He started finding that out when he was still in high school in Morgantown. At University High, he developed interests in science, biology and the environment. He thought he wanted to study zoology, but a whole new intellectual avenue was opened by way of an advanced class in geography that he signed up for by chance in his senior year.

I really didnt know you could do so much with a geography degree,he said.

During the internship, hell be working in the National Geographic Education Foundation, an academic outgrowth of the magazines editorial mission of bringing the world to its readers.

Reinke will review grants submitted to the Teaching Geography is Fundamental initiative, which is known within the magazine asTGIF.

And hell work on other projects that link Capitol lawmakers and K-12 teachers in a joint mission to promote geographic literacy.

But why geography?

When you know geography, you know the world,he said,and you start thinking about ways to make that world better.

A study of borders and topography, for example, can yield powerful insight to countries in conflict, he said, since political actions in the past led to the boundaries that affect culture and national reactions today.

That includes national identity, common beliefs and even physical characteristics of the people born within those very borders.

Borders, with their geographic implications, tell us what areas of the world are rich in minerals and naturals resources, he said.

Its the same for the fight against world hunger, he said, because geography is a quick indicator to those spots on the globe which are most conducive for raising livestock and growing fruits, grains and vegetables.

So, if youre a parent and your kid asks, �€~Why do I have to learn this stuff?thats why,Reinke said.

Mention that to his faculty mentor Ken Martis, and the WVU geography professor who is internationally renowned for his own work will smile and give aSee? What did I tell you?nod.

In 2007, Martis was named West Virginia Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).

Martis, who is also the author of several well-received scholarly books on geography lives by the classroom mantra,Dont teach your students geography; teach them to be geographers.Reinke took that to heart, and that couldnt make his professor more proud.

Max is going to go out and practice what he has learned so well in the WVU geography program,he said.Students like him are the ones who can really make a difference in the world.

Im looking forward to getting started,said Reinke, who would like to become a geographer with the State Department when he graduates.If youre into geography, the National Geographic is the best opportunity you can have.

When he returns from the internship in December, hell be back in Morgantown to launch another opportunity with global implications: After New Years, he will jet to Sweden for a WVU study abroad program.

Now all I have to do is learn Swedish,he said, laughing.