AAG Newsletter

PhDs vs FT Academic Positions comparison line chart This chart is based on data from the AAG’s Jobs in Geography Master List. All permanent full-time entry-level academic positions and post-docs based in the U.S. were aggregated for each year. Dissertation data comes from an ongoing database maintained by Dave Kaplan and Jennifer Mapes. Details on database construction are available here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1931-0846.2014.12045.x

Finding your Parachute or The PhD is Not Just for Academics

Graduate students are haunted by the specter of future job uncertainty. Many Master’s students wonder what they will do with their degree. For PhD students, the period between becoming ABD…

November 2019 Issue of the ‘Annals of the AAG’ Now Available

The AAG is pleased to announce that Volume 109, Issue 6 (November 2019) of the Annals of the American Association of Geographers is now ;A full list of contents is below.…

November 2019 Issue of ‘The Professional Geographer’ Now Available

The AAG is pleased to announce that Volume 71, Issue 4 (November 2019) of The Professional Geographer is now available. The focus of The Professional Geographer is on short articles…

President's Column

Finding your Parachute or The PhD is Not Just for Academics

David H. KaplanNovember 1, 20192019-11-01T11:57:23-05:00

Graduate students are haunted by the specter of future job uncertainty. Many Master’s students wonder what they will do with their degree. For PhD students, the period between becoming ABD and completing the dissertation elicits…

A Golden Opportunity for Geography or How Can We Harness the Growth in AP Human Geography?

David H. Kaplan September 30, 2019 Comments Off2019-11-08T13:55:03-05:00

I am from a generation when high school classes (at least in my urban public school) were not terribly challenging. This was through no fault of the teachers, who had to contend with a broad…

Call for chapter proposals: New AAG Book on Rocky Mountain West

Staff September 26, 2019 Comments Off2019-09-26T16:57:42-05:00

One of the most anticipated items when I began attending AAG meetings was the annual edited book that came in our packet. This would be a special volume dedicated to the city and region where…

The Mental Health Challenge or Relieving Anxiety and Depression for Students and Faculty

David H. Kaplan August 31, 2019 Comments Off2019-10-01T15:46:28-05:00

About 18 years ago, one of my Masters students calmly mentioned that she had been undergoing a tremendous amount of anxiety, and had seen a doctor about it. I was floored! This particular student exemplified…

Changes in our Annual Meeting: Fees, Structure and an Unfortunate Oversight

David H. Kaplan August 29, 2019 Comments Off2019-10-01T15:41:20-05:00

In this brief letter, I describe some changes to our registration fees and meeting structure. I would also like to address the unfortunate overlap of our spring meeting with Passover and Good Friday. Fees: Many…

Annual Meeting

Introducing the “Climate Action Task Force”

Patricia M. Martin and Joseph NevinsOctober 28, 20192019-10-28T16:15:52-05:00

In response to the current climate crisis, last spring we circulated a petition among various geography listservs requesting that the AAG Council take significant action “to reduce CO2 emissions related to the Annual Meeting.” The…

Social Media at #aagDC

Emily Fekete March 19, 2019 Comments Off2019-03-19T11:14:27-05:00

We’re getting closer to the 2019 AAG Annual Meeting! Whether you will be attending the meeting all week, for a few days, or looking to follow the action from afar, there are plenty of ways…

The Chesapeake Bay: Destruction and Rehabilitation in the Nation’s Largest Estuary

RDK Herman December 1, 2018 Comments Off2019-04-23T09:44:54-05:00

It’s another drizzly day on the Chesapeake, and the boat we are on bobs gently on the opaque, mud-colored water. A crusty old crabber from Tangier Island, by the nickname of Captain Cook (use of…

AAG Names Rita Colwell as the 2019 Honorary Geographer

Emily Fekete November 14, 2018 Comments Off2018-11-14T11:03:16-05:00

Rita Colwell (Photo by Sam Kittner) The American Association of Geographers has named Rita Colwell, the first woman to be director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), as its 2019 AAG Honorary Geographer. Rita Colwell…

Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center

Catherine W. Cooper November 1, 2018 Comments Off2018-12-05T17:57:57-05:00

“I never ran my train off track and I never lost a passenger.” Harriet Tubman was fond of saying this in her later years, but during the 1850s when she was actively escorting enslaved people…

Association News

AAG Announces 2020 Class of AAG Fellows

StaffNovember 14, 20192019-11-14T16:59:19-05:00

The AAG Fellows is a program, started in 2018, to recognize geographers who have made significant contributions to advancing geography. In addition to honoring geographers, AAG Fellows will serve the AAG as an august body…

AAG Welcomes Fall 2019 Intern

Staff September 25, 2019 Comments Off2019-09-25T15:40:28-05:00

A new intern has joined the AAG staff this fall semester! The AAG would like to welcome Gavin to the organization. Gavin Derleth is a Senior at The George Washington University, pursuing a in Geography…

AAG’s Encoding Geography Initiative Sees Successes in First Year

Staff July 29, 2019 Comments Off2019-07-29T15:24:57-05:00

Launched by AAG Staff Member Coline Dony in 2018, the Encoding Geography initiative seeks to build capacity for all - for computational thinking (CT) in geography education at all levels to further strengthen our discipline.…

AAG Staff Participate in AP Human Geography Reading

Emily Fekete June 26, 2019 Comments Off2019-06-26T12:09:19-05:00

AAG Staff member Emily Fekete recently participated in the AP Human Geography Reading, held annually June 1 to June 9 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The AP Human Geography Reading is a gathering of college professors and…

AAG Welcomes Summer 2019 Interns

Staff June 25, 2019 Comments Off2019-06-25T14:56:45-05:00

Three new interns have joined the AAG staff this summer! The AAG would like to welcome Angela, Eni, and Garrett to the organization. Angela Yang is an incoming fourth year student at the University of…

Featured Articles

The Geography of Access to Health Services

Estella M. GeraghtyAugust 2, 20192019-08-02T09:44:50-05:00

According to a 1993 Institute of Medicine report, access to health services means "the timely use of personal health services to achieve the best health outcomes." Geographic access is listed as one of three distinct components…

Beyond Compactness: A New Measure to Evaluate Congressional Districts

Diana C. Lavery May 2, 2019 Comments Off2019-05-02T16:08:38-05:00

Redrawing congressional district boundaries, an activity that happens every ten years following the decennial census, may be the most consequential application of geography in the United States. As congressional elections have become less competitive, many…

AI and GIS: Finally Delivering on the promise

Esri Staff March 28, 2019 Comments Off2019-03-28T13:06:35-05:00

The field of artificial intelligence (AI) isn't new, and neither are its grand promises. AI as an academic pursuit has its roots in the 1950s. Early AI researchers were filled with optimism, but—despite some initial…

Rights of Nature: The New Paradigm

Cameron La Follette March 6, 2019 Comments Off2019-03-06T09:24:02-05:00

Rights of Nature is a short-hand term for a form of ecological governance that both provides for and prioritizes Nature’s right to flourish. It also provides for various subsidiary rights, such as the right to…

Deoxygenation of the Ocean Affects Everyone, So Act Now

Dawn J. Wright, Sylvia A. Earle February 26, 2019 Comments Off2019-02-27T11:46:41-05:00

By Dawn J. Wright, Esri, and Sylvia A. Earle, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Did you know that more than half of the oxygen we breathe comes from the ocean? This oxygen is produced in large part…

Resources & Opportunities

Get Involved in Geography Awareness Week and GIS Day

StaffOctober 30, 20192019-10-30T11:00:26-05:00

Geography Awareness Week is quickly approaching, November 10th - 16th, with GIS Day on November 13th. Below you’ll find GeoWeek and GIS Day resources, announcements, and ways to get involved, big and small. Do what…

Taking Steps to Create a Welcoming Discipline for ALL Geographers: A New Resource for Indigenous Students

Jolene Keen May 23, 2019 Comments Off2019-05-23T13:48:02-05:00

The AAG is pleased to announce the release of a new interactive web map of colleges and universities that offer both Geography Programs and Indigenous Studies Programs. Developed in consultation with members of the AAG’s…

Social Media at #aagDC

Emily Fekete March 19, 2019 Comments Off2019-03-19T11:14:27-05:00

We’re getting closer to the 2019 AAG Annual Meeting! Whether you will be attending the meeting all week, for a few days, or looking to follow the action from afar, there are plenty of ways…

Ask a Geographer Program Update: Volunteers Needed

Staff July 2, 2018 Comments Off2018-07-02T12:50:57-05:00

Do you like opportunities to talk to those outside of our discipline about the work, teaching, or research that you do and why it’s interesting? Are you looking for a fun service opportunity to support…

AAG Snapshot: Grants & Awards

Staff May 25, 2018 Comments Off2019-04-23T09:50:08-05:00

One of the AAG’s most time-honored programs are the AAG Grants and Awards, annually recognizing students, scholars, and geographers of all types. The AAG has a long history of supporting and recognizing geographers’ accomplishments and…

Of Note

What “real world problems” do our applied geography members help solve?

Hannah TorresOctober 28, 20192019-10-28T15:55:38-05:00

This word cloud was generated from 134 responses to the question:'What kinds of real world problems do you solve (or aspire to solve) using geographic approaches?' The AAG counts 74 Specialty and Affinity groups for…

Discovering Geography – The International Geography Youth Summit

Sue Roberts August 28, 2018 Comments Off2018-09-25T15:33:26-05:00

Three long-time AAG members met up recently at the 4th International Geography Youth Summit (IGYS) in Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore), India. The IGYS was developed as part of The Institute of Geographical Studies (TIGS) in Bengaluru.…

NCRGE Funds Research Networks on Geography and Civics, Geo-Computation, and International Curriculum Research

Staff August 3, 2018 Comments Off2018-08-03T15:18:30-05:00

The National Center for Research in Geography Education (NCRGE) has approved awards for a third cohort of grantees under its Transformative Research grant program. This investment by NCRGE continues a long-term and broad-based effort to…

The Department of Geography, Environment and Spatial Sciences at Michigan State University Makes History

Joe T. Darden April 30, 2018 Comments Off2018-05-07T10:56:34-05:00

The MSU Department of Geography, Environment and Spatial Sciences has admitted and will fund three African American women graduate students for the 2018 academic year. This will be the first time in the history of…

‘The International Encyclopedia of Geography’ receives CHOICE Award for Outstanding Academic Title 2017

Emily Fekete January 4, 2018 Comments Off2018-11-14T10:32:35-05:00

The AAG-Wiley International Encyclopedia of Geography: People, the Earth, Environment, and Technology is the recipient of a prestigious CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title 2017 award from the Association of College and Research Libraries, a division of…

Publications

December 2019 Issue of the ‘African Geographical Review’ Now Available

StaffOctober 21, 20192019-10-21T16:13:57-05:00

The AAG is pleased to announce that Volume 38, Issue 4 (December 2019) of the African Geographical Review is now available. The full table of contents for this issue is below and can also be accessed…

Fall 2019 Issue of ‘The AAG Review of Books’ Now Available

Staff October 16, 2019 Comments Off2019-10-16T09:56:53-05:00

Volume 7, Issue 4 of The AAG Review of Books has now been published online. This quarterly online journal publishes scholarly reviews of recent books related to geography, public policy and international affairs. It also features review essays reflecting on several…

November 2019 Issue of the ‘Annals of the AAG’ Now Available

Staff October 4, 2019 Comments Off2019-10-04T09:50:26-05:00

The AAG is pleased to announce that Volume 109, Issue 6 (November 2019) of the Annals of the American Association of Geographers is now ;A full list of contents is below. The Annals contains original, timely,…

November 2019 Issue of ‘The Professional Geographer’ Now Available

Staff September 27, 2019 Comments Off2019-09-27T09:05:05-05:00

The AAG is pleased to announce that Volume 71, Issue 4 (November 2019) of The Professional Geographer is now available. The focus of The Professional Geographer is on short articles in academic or applied geography,…

September 2019 Issue of the ‘African Geographical Review’ Now Available

Staff August 23, 2019 Comments Off2019-08-23T16:55:40-05:00

The AAG is pleased to announce that Volume 38, Issue 3 (September 2019) of the African Geographical Review is now available. The full table of contents for this issue is below and can also be accessed…

Addenda

Researchers with disabilities in the academic system

Aleksandra (Sasha) Kosanic, Nancy Hansen, Susanne Zimmermann-Janschitz, Vera ChouinardSeptember 1, 20182018-10-02T17:08:07-05:00

Although researchers with disabilities are an exceptional category, they are a still very much underrepresented group in Academia worldwide. With billion people with disabilities worldwide, the percentage of academic positions filled in by academics with…