Member News

Greg Elmes, Retired WVU geography Professor Receives Lifetime Achievement Award

Greg Elmes, professor emeritus in the Department of Geology and Geography at West Virginia University was recently honored with a Lifetime Achievement award by the West Virginia Association of Geospatial Professionals for his dedication to the study and promotion of geographic information systems (GIS).

Though Elmes retired from teaching courses at West Virginia University in 2015, he remains active in research in the geography department and with the West Virginia GIS Technical Center, housed in the department.

He has more than 30 years of experience in geographic information systems and the application of GIS techniques to societal issues such as public health, industrial geography, forensics, crime mapping, and public safety.

“It is a recognition of the time devoted to both GIS and promoting GIS as an economic development and environmental tool for the state of West Virginia,” said Trevor Harris, Eberly Distinguished Professor of Geography. “Greg has devoted his life to this university, this department, this tech center, and to the state.”

Most recently Elmes co-edited the 2014 book, “Forensic GIS: The Role of Geospatial Technologies for Investigating Crime and Providing Evidence,” a book of case studies written for researchers, practitioners and students.

The book discusses a wide range of technologies and applications for geographic, or location-based, information systems in forensic science, and serves as a review of geospatial technology—the collecting, storing, processing and examining of geographic information—as it applies to criminal justice.

Elmes earned a bachelor’s degree in geography from the University of Newcastle, United Kingdom, in 1972, a master’s degree. in geography from Pennsylvania State University in 1974, a Ph.D. in geography from Pennsylvania State University in 1979, and a master of science degree in Geographical Information Systems from the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom. He joined the WVU faculty in 1979.

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CJ Burka Interns at AAG for Summer Semester

CJ Burka is a rising senior at Hofstra University triple majoring in Geography, Political Science and Global Studies. She is a second year fellow at the Michael D’Innocenzo Center for Civic Engagement and an office aid in the Department of Global Studies and Geography. She is also the president of Get Global, an organization promoting international diversity on campus as well as being a Global Mentor, helping international students prepare for their time at Hofstra.

Throughout her studies, most of her time has been spent examining the intersections of public policies, both domestically and internationally, with human rights. In the future she hopes that she will be able to continue to critically assess and analyze these intersections in order to help various organizations make positive changes in the way that people are treated and protected.

Outside of academic schoolwork and her other commitments, she can be found working on an organic farm, hiking with her three-legged and four-legged dogs and exploring new places. She has been able to explore over 20 countries, but road trips with her family are still her favorite way to travel.

AAG intern, CJ Burka, geography, global studies, Hofstra University, political science

CJ Burka is a rising senior at Hofstra University triple majoring in Geography, Political Science and Global Studies. She is a second year fellow at the Michael D’Innocenzo Center for Civic Engagement and an office aid in the Department of Global Studies and Geography. She is also the president of Get Global, an organization promoting international diversity on campus as well as being a Global Mentor, helping international students prepare for their time at Hofstra.

Throughout her studies, most of her time has been spent examining the intersections of public policies, both domestically and internationally, with human rights. In the future she hopes that she will be able to continue to critically assess and analyze these intersections in order to help various organizations make positive changes in the way that people are treated and protected.

Outside of academic schoolwork and her other commitments, she can be found working on an organic farm, hiking with her three-legged and four-legged dogs and exploring new places. She has been able to explore over 20 countries, but road trips with her family are still her favorite way to travel.

AAG intern, CJ Burka, geography, global studies, Hofstra University, political science
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Nina Feldman Interns at AAG for Summer Semester

Nina Feldman is a senior pursuing a B.S. in environmental studies with a minor in geographic information systems at George Washington University. Her interests include art, geography and graphic design. After graduation she wants to work for an organization where she can utilize her GIS skills to help mitigate environmental concerns and gain further experience before pursuing her M.A. in geography.

She has a love for cartography and the process of discovery, which was further sparked last year when she worked for the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History categorizing old maps into a database. She has even started her own map collection of all the places she’s visited!

In her spare time she enjoys exploring amazing outdoor locations throughout the D.C. area, including the National Arboretum and Great Falls in Virginia. She is also a member of Phi Sigma Sigma sorority and is originally from Westchester County, N.Y.

 

AAG intern, cartography, GIS, maps, Nina Feldman
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New Books for Geographers

New Books: May 2016

Every month the AAG compiles a list of newly-published books in geography and related areas. Some are selected for review in the AAG Review of Books.

Publishers are welcome to send new volumes to the Editor-in-Chief (Kent Mathewson, Editor-in-Chief, AAG Review of Books, Department of Geography and Anthropology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803).

Anyone interested in reviewing these or other titles should also contact the Editor-in-Chief.

May 2016

Beyond the City: Resource Extraction Urbanism in South America by Felipe Correa (University of Texas Press 2016)

British Urban Trees: A Social and Cultural History, c. 1800–1914 by Paul A. Elliott (White Horse Press 2016)

City Design: Modernist, Traditional, Green and Systems Perspectives by Jonathan Barnett (Routledge 2016)

Climate Change and the Future of Cities: Mitigation, Adaptation, and Social Change on an Urban Planet by Eric Klinenberg (ed.) (Duke University Press 2016)

Defying Dystopia by Ed Ayres (Transaction 2016)

Disrupted Landscapes: State, Peasants and the Politics of Land in Postsocialist Romania by Stefan Doronel (Berghahn Books 2016)

Dwelling in Conflict: Negev Landscapes and the Boundaries of Belonging by Emily McKee (Stanford University Press 2016)

Ecuadorians in Madrid: Migrants’ Place in Urban History by Araceli Masterson-Algar (Palgrave Macmillan 2016)

El Mall: The Spatial and Class Politics of Shopping Malls in Latin America by Arlene Davila (University of California Press 2016)

Geographies, Mobilities, and Rhythms Over the Life Course: Adventures in the Interval by Elaine Stratford (Routledge 2015)

The Geographies of Social Movements: Afro-Colombian Mobilization and the Aquatic Space by Ulrich Oslender (Duke University Press 2016)

Hitler’s Geographies: The Spatiality’s of the Third Reich by Paolo Giaccaria and Claudio Minca (eds.) (University of Chicago Press 2016)

The Jefferson Highway: Blazing the Way from Winnipeg to New Orleans by Lyell D. Henry Jr. (University of Iowa Press 2016)

Latin America and the Caribbean in the Global Context: Why Care About the Americas? by Betty Horwitz and Bruce M. Bagley (Routledge 2016)

Living Memory: The Social Aesthetics of Language in a Northern Italian Town by Jillian R. Cavanaugh (Wiley-Blackwell 2012)

Manifestly Haraway by Donna J. Haraway (University of Minnesota Press 2016)

A Nice Place to Visit: Tourism and Urban Revitalization in the Postwar Rustbelt by Aaron Cowan (Temple University Press 2016)

The Pandemic Perhaps: Dramatic Events in a Public Culture of Danger by Carlo Caduff (University of California Press 2015)

People and Places: A 21st Century Atlas of the UK by Danny Dorling and Bethan Thomas (Policy Press 2016)

The Political Biography of an Earthquake: Aftermath and Amnesia in Gujarat, India by Edward Simpson (Hurst Publishers 2014)

The Routledge History of American Foodways by Michael D. Wise and Jennifer Jensen Wallach (Routledge 2016)

Shantytown, USA: Forgotten Landscapes of the Working Poor by Lisa Goff (Harvard University Press 2016)

Shaping a World Already Made: Landscape and Poetry of the Canadian Prairies by Carl J. Tracie (University of Regina Press 2016)

South Pole: Nature and Culture by Elizabeth Leane (Reaktion Books 2016)

Touring the West with Leaping Lena 1925 by W.C. Clark, David Dary (ed.) (University of Oklahoma Press 2016)

What the Rest Think of the West: Since 600 AD by Laura Nader (University of California Press 2015)

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Wither “Traditional” Geography?

Everyone who has taken a basic geography course know its Greek etymology as coined by Eratosthenes: geo, meaning “earth” and graphe, meaning to “describe.” For many centuries after, geography was synonymous with exploration and discovery, both of the physical/natural and cultural/human/social landscapes. While geographers past may have noted differences between the landscape dichotomy they practiced geography without worry of infringing on (now-prevalent) disciplinary boundaries. It wasn’t until the discipline’s so-called Quantitative Revolution in the mid-twentieth century that a visceral fracturing between geography’s physical and human spheres came to the forefront. Of course, as we have nowadays, each geographer past also had their own expertise area, but the difference between then and now is, they still continued to explore both physical and human aspects of the Earth, despite any potential inclination to one or the other.

Today, even while inter- multi- cross- and transdisciplinary “Centers” are created to teach students how to handle grand questions, specialization has become the norm in Academia. No longer can a doctoral dissertation study “Sweden’s Lapland” broadly speaking, for example. It must be more tightly focused. And not just on a specific region or topic, such as “Sweden’s Northern Mining Towns” or “Sweden’s Domestic Reindeer”. No. It must be almost hyper-specialized to something like “The Biogeographical Consequences of mining on a Southern Exposure Rhizoplaca Geographicum: a Case Study along the Southern Shoreline of Luossajärvi, Kiruna, Sweden”. Why? Even if much research has already been conducted in a region or on a topic, there’s often more that can be gleaned, learned, and analyzed without hyper-specializing. Sure, the researcher may have to bring-in or ask other colleagues for help on certain components, but a project centering on Sweden’s Lapland would still be worthy of a PhD.

A few decades ago, Hart (1982) argued in an AAG presidential address that regional geography was a geographer’s Highest Art. He made some very salient points that resonate with many graduate students even today, and especially with those who were initially drawn to geography because of its breadth. Yet Hart’s sentiments seem to have fallen on deaf ears, as Regional Geographers are in short supply (and demand), even in a time where geo-wizardry abounds and makes formidable weapons for regional geography. I will admit to being one of those students many years ago. And I still make my students (undergrads even) read Hart’s article every chance possible. It spoke to me as a student, and continues to provide guidance for me now, even as I progress through the ranks of the Academy, where I work hard to bridge the oft-too-apparent gap of physical and human geography.

But the road is long, the path arduous, and plagued with bandits who seem bent on robbing our wonderful discipline of its valuable catholic human-physical perspective. Sure, there are plenty of research opportunities focusing on the so-called Human-Environment Interface (HEI) and Sustainability – areas geographers have studied for centuries, but under our own heading, “Geography”, not some buzz-word. Why relegate a broad-reaching discipline such as geography to the minutiae of hyper-specialization? Why castigate those (students included) who want to be “Geographers” in the traditional/romantic/classical sense – those that are willing to and can work across perceived divides?

Some may see this as an old, antiquated view of the discipline, but I believe otherwise. This Traditional Geography remains a vibrant light for the field. It has merit. It has power. I have seen it excite students, colleagues, and even myself. Indeed, its importance has been echoed by many great geographers other than Hart – both physical- and human-focused folks – both past and present (AGS 1915, Harrison et al. 2004, Inkpen and Wilson 2013), including Harden’s (2012) recent Presidential Address.

Geography’s ability to reach across its own apparent disciplinary divide should be embraced, touted, and held high for others to see, instead of relegating its hopeful practitioner to hyper-specialization, discrimination by colleagues for not being specifically-focused in one “camp” or the other, and/or being penalized when it comes to research opportunities, recognition of achievements, and advancement up the ranks. No other discipline claims to describe the Earth, and this facet of Geography’s original character should be something for which the discipline is once again known, something for which it should keep being known. Otherwise we, as Geographers, may lose our foundation, even our very identity. Embracing your origination, your roots so to speak, can enhance not only who you are, but what you do. Even if you decide its path is not for you, or can’t fathom why someone would want to follow that approach, accept the Traditional Geographer. Understand that they will make valuable contributions to the discipline. And for those that want to attempt tackling Geography in the traditional manner, be bold and persevere. Though it may take some time, you will eventually find your place. Geographers are good at that.

Casey D. Allen
Associate Professor
University of Colorado Denver
Fulbright Scholar, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (2015-16)
casey [dot] allen [at] ucdenver [dot] edu
Twitter: @caseallen

References

AGS. 1915. Memorial Volume of the Transcontinental Excursion of 1912 of the American Geographical Society of New York. New York, NY: The American Geographical Society of New York.

Harden, C. P. (2012) Framing and reframing questions of human–environment interactions. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 102, 737-747.

Harrison, S., D. Massey, K. Richards, F. J. Magilligan, N. Thrift & B. Bender (2004) Thinking across the divide: perspectives on the conversations between physical and human geography. Area, 36, 435-442.

Hart, J. F. (1982) The Highest Form Of The Geographer’s Art. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 72, 1-29.

Inkpen, R. J. & G. Wilson. 2013. Science, Philosphy, and Physical Geography. Abingdon: Routledge.

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Newsletters

Newsletter – May 2016

PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

Listening to Our Members: Part 1

SWB_december-1
Bednarz
By Sarah Witham Bednarz

For me, one of the best sessions at our annual meeting reported the results of our first membership survey. A stellar crew, including past presidents Julie Winkler and Mona Domosh, assembled to present a few of its key findings. Alas, it was not terrifically well-attended (Lunch time. San Francisco. Who doesn’t want to eat?) so I will follow up in this column and in next month’s with a few findings and an explanation about how Council is using these data to make our organization stronger.

The purpose of the survey, in the parlance of the consulting company we hired to conduct it, McKinley Advisors, was to, “… understand current member perceptions, to identify areas where AAG is successfully delivering value today, and to uncover opportunities to provide greater value and support to the members.” Continue Reading.

Recent columns from the President

NSF Funds Research Coordination Network for Geography Educationunnamed-300x169-1

The National Science Foundation, through its Geography and Spatial Sciences program, has awarded the AAG and Texas State University a five-year, $400,000 grant to develop a research coordination network (RCN) for transformative research in geography education. The RCN will be a project of the National Center for Research in Geography Education (NCRGE) under the direction of Dr. Michael Solem (AAG) and Dr. Richard G. Boehm (Texas State University).

Learn More.

ANNUAL MEETING

AAG16_WGB_SEDAAG-WINS-0290-1-300x200-1.AAG President Sarah Bednarz (far right) presented prizes to winners, including the winning Southeast Division team above. (Photograph for AAG by Becky Pendergast)

Southeast Division Team Takes 2016 World Geography Bowl Title

The Southeast Division team won first place in the 2016 World Geography Bowl (WGB), an annual quiz competition for teams of college-level geography students representing the AAG’s regional divisions. First runner-up was the Pacific Coast Division team and second runner-up was the Middle Atlantic Division team. This was the 27th year for AAG hosting during its annual meeting in San Francisco, Calif. Learn More.

ASSOCIATION NEWS

Guide-cover-15-16-232x300-1AAG Now Accepting Entries for the 2015-2016 edition of the Guide

The American Association of Geographers is accepting entries from geography programs to be included in the 2015-2016 edition of the Guide to Geography Programs in the Americas. The deadline for submitting a listing has been extended to Friday, May 20, 2016.

The 2015-2016 edition of the Guide will be available exclusively online.

The Guide serves as a complete and invaluable reference for faculty, prospective students, government agencies, and private firms in the United States, Canada, and throughout the world. Listing a geography program in the Guide ensures that geographers and prospective students who want to contact them will be able to learn what the program does and will know how to reach them.

To list your institution, please contact Mark Revell at guide [at] aag [dot] org.

Upcoming Award Deadlines for AAG Honors, Media Achievement, AAG Publication Award

Get a Head Start on Upcoming Award Nominations

Nominations for AAG Honors, Media Achievement Award, and AAG Publication Award are due June 30, 2016. AAG Honors recognize outstanding accomplishments by members in research & scholarship, teaching, education, service to the discipline, public service outside academe and for lifetime achievement. The Media Achievement Award is presented for exceptional and outstanding accomplishments in publicizing geographical insights in media of general or mass communication. The AAG Publication Award honors exceptional and outstanding contributions to the discipline by publishers. Learn More.

Recommend Candidates for AAG Honors and Nominating Committees

The AAG Council seeks nominations for candidates to serve on the AAG Honors Committee and the AAG Nominating Committee. The Council will prepare the final slate of candidates for both committees from the nominations received, and committee members will be elected by a vote of the AAG membership.

The Honors Committee submits to the Council nominations for awards at least two weeks before the council’s Fall meeting, accompanied by a statement indicating the contribution which forms the basis of the proposed award.

The Nominating Committee recommends to the Council the slate of candidates for the AAG Vice President, President, and National Councilor elections. Learn More.

MEMBER AND DEPARTMENT NEWS

AAG workshops focus on early career faculty, department leadership needs

The University of Tennessee will host two AAG-sponsored workshops in June designed for all geographers interested in improving their programs and graduate students and faculty who are beginning their careers in higher education. The AAG Department Leadership Workshop is particularly well suited for individuals who may soon assume leadership positions. The GFDA Early Career Workshop — open to faculty from inside and outside the US — focuses on topics which are frequently the greatest sources of stress in the first years of a faculty appointment. Learn more.

PeuquetDonna-200x300-1Donna Peuquet named 2016 UCGIS Fellow

AAG member Donna J. Peuquet, professor of geography in the Penn State Department of Geography, has been selected as a 2016 Fellow by the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS).

Fellows are individuals who have contributed significantly to the advancement of geographic information science education and research. Peuquet was chosen as Fellow for her research and education contributions to the field of GIScience, as well as her leadership in UCGIS and other geospatial organizations. She will be recognized at the 2016 UCGIS Symposium May 24-26 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Learn More.

IN MEMORIAM

PUBLICATIONS

Annals-cover-2016-230x300-2May 2016 Issue of the ‘Annals of the AAG’ Now Available

The AAG is pleased to announce that Volume 106, Issue 3 (May 2016) of the Annals of the American Association of Geographers is now available. The Annals contains original, timely, and innovative articles that advance knowledge in all facets of the discipline. Featured in this issue is a forum on “Geography and Militarism.” Learn More.

New Books in Geography — April 2016

The AAG Review of Books office has released the list of the books received during the month of April. Learn More.

Op-Ed

Wither “Traditional” Geography?

By Casey D. Allen

Everyone who has taken a basic geography course know its Greek etymology as coined by Eratosthenes: geo, meaning “earth” and graphe, meaning to “describe”. For many centuries after, geography was synonymous with exploration and discovery, both of the physical/natural and cultural/human/social landscapes. While geographers past may have noted differences between the landscape dichotomy they practiced geography without worry of infringing on (now-prevalent) disciplinary boundaries. It wasn’t until the discipline’s so-called Quantitative Revolution in the mid-twentieth century that a visceral fracturing between geography’s physical and human spheres came to the forefront. Of course, as we have nowadays, each geographer past also had their own expertise area, but the difference between then and now is, they still continued to explore both physical and human aspects of the Earth, despite any potential inclination to one or the other. Learn More.

IN THE NEWS 

Popular stories from the AAG SmartBrief

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Submit News to the AAG Newsletter. To share your news, submit announcements to newsletter [at] aag [dot] org.

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Advocacy

President Erdogan AAG

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GeoMentor Spotlight

Daniel Yelito – Transportation Services Manager, Pennsylvania

Photo of Daniel YelitoWhat was your favorite class in K-12? My favorite class from K-12 was Geography in 1969. I only had geography in the fourth grade. The teacher was explaining what a globe was and I was fascinated by the sphere shape. When I held the globe I said, “Look I have the whole world in my hands.” That was my introduction to the world and everything in it. The subject resonated with me from that very moment.

How did you first learn about and/or use GIS? I first learned about and began using GIS in 2011 when I accepted a Transportation Planning position with the Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). I was hired to perform a state wide Transportation Infrastructure Inventory through the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration. This project includes using Esri’s ArcGIS Mobile Application to locate and authenticate transportation infrastructure such as bridges and roads that have not been previously mapped by PennDOT. This open data collection is to be used to determine municipal, county, state and federal transportation infrastructure needs.

Name one thing you love about Geography? It’s the world and everything in it. Geography touches all disciplines such as the arts, history, science and Math, environmental sciences, business and the economy, engineering and technology, literature, language and the social sciences like civics and politics, and the list goes on. The geospatial applications are endless which I find alluring. It is a discipline that can guide you to a field of your interest. Early in my life I discovered an interest for my surroundings, not realizing that later in life this is what’s referred to as spatial awareness.

Why do you want to volunteer as a Geomentor? First off my colleague, Annette Ginocchetti GISP for NEPA Alliance, introduced me to the Geomentor Program and asked me if I would be interested in mentoring young minds. Teaching young minds is a talent I realized I was good at when I volunteered as a youth sports instructor many years ago. I relished the opportunity to exposed young minds to Geography and told her I would be delighted. Also, it’s important to me to pass on my knowledge to future generations and to inspire others. I enjoy working with younger generations sharing my knowledge and experiences with the expectations of leaving a Geo-Inheritance behind.

If someone asked you why they should learn about GIS and/or geography, how would you respond in one sentence? Like a map, geography will direct you where you want to go for career choices and understanding your surroundings is a fundamental principle that can develop a fascinating direction in life.

Websites: 

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Annual Meeting

Southeast Division Team Takes 2016 World Geography Bowl Title

AAG President Sarah Bednarz (far right) presented prizes to winners, including the winning Southeast Division team above. (Photograph for AAG by Becky Pendergast)

The Southeast Division team won first place in the 2016 World Geography Bowl (WGB), an annual quiz competition for teams of college-level geography students representing the AAG’s regional divisions. First runner-up was the Pacific Coast Division team and second runner-up was the Middle Atlantic Division team. This was the 23rd year for AAG hosting during its annual meeting in San Francisco, Calif.

Read more about this year’s event.

Contestants are selected by regional divisions via a competitive process, which in many divisions includes participation in a regional geography bowl held at the regional division’s annual meeting. Each participant in the World Geography Bowl receives a travel stipend, co-sponsored by the AAG and that student’s regional division, greatly offsetting expenses for attendance at the national meeting.

Learn more about the WGB.

The competition is fully staffed by volunteers, who write and edit questions and help run the proceedings as judges, scorekeepers, and moderators. To become involved, read more about the process or contact WGB executive director Jamison Conley, (West Virginia U.) at Jamison [dot] Conley [at] mail [dot] wvu [dot] edu.

Anyone interested in becoming a sponsor or donating prizes of books, gift certificates, software, etc., may contact AAG’s WGB liason Ed Ferguson at eferguson [at] aag [dot] org.

Note: This post was edited to reflect that it was the 23rd annual event. A previous version erroneously stated it was the 27th annual event.

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President's Column

Listening to Our Members: Part 1

For me, one of the best sessions at our annual meeting reported the results of our first membership survey. A stellar crew, including past presidents Julie Winkler and Mona Domosh, assembled to present a few of its key findings. Alas, it was not terrifically well-attended (Lunch time. San Francisco. Who doesn’t want to eat?) so I will follow up in this column and in next month’s with a few findings and an explanation about how Council is using these data to make our organization stronger.

The purpose of the survey, in the parlance of the consulting company we hired to conduct it, McKinley Advisors, was to, “… understand current member perceptions, to identify areas where AAG is successfully delivering value today, and to uncover opportunities to provide greater value and support to the members.” First, the good news: By and large, satisfaction, likelihood to recommend AAG membership, and perceived value of the organization are strong.

But then—McKinley used responses to sets of questions to develop what they term a Net Promoter Score (NPS), the percent of people who are promoters of AAG less the percent who are detractors. Our overall NPS is 20; 44 percent of respondents indicated they would recommend AAG membership to a geography friend or colleague while 24 percent would not. A worrying 32 percent, however, are considered passive. Indifference scares me. Even more concerning is the distribution of support across membership types: Students, both domestic and international, and retirees are net promoters (above the NPS of 20) while international and regular members are below 20. So called “regular” members score 18, international members 14. Even more worrisome is the score by membership tenure. Members for 20 years or more had a NPS of 45; members in all other categories fell below the average NPS. To know us is to love us? A second significant concern is that the NPS varies by academic focus. Self-identified human (NPS 25); coupled natural and human systems (NPS 31); and GIS, cartography, remote sensing (NPS 20) geographers exhibited higher scores than physical geographers (NPS 12).

The survey showed that satisfaction peaks for AAGers in years three to 10 of membership. Thus, we need to work to hold on to mid-career members. McKinley summarized this situation as, “Understanding the challenges, identifying solutions, and developing resources focused specifically on this key mid-career member segment is an important way to continue to ensure engagement and high-levels of satisfaction throughout the career lifecycle.” I have written before about mid-career faculty issues; we are compelled by this result to think about ways to build involvement and satisfaction in this key demographic in our organization.

In a related finding, networking and access to meetings are the primary drivers in the decision to join AAG. Sixty-four percent of respondents indicated participating in the annual meeting is the most significant factor in joining or renewing membership. We clearly need to be mindful of this as we move forward in selecting new meeting locations, venues, and accommodations to allow the largest number of geographers to participate. In a sobering finding, the survey revealed that only about a third of members felt that AAG valued their opinion. Council is taking this to heart. We have heard the complaints about travel costs and are exploring innovative ways to make the annual meeting more accessible and affordable.

The second most significant factor encouraging membership in AAG was networking with peers who have shared interests; 71 percent of you ranked specialty groups as an important benefit of membership. In addition, specialty groups were ranked highly in terms of member satisfaction, that is, most of you are pleased with the intellectual and professional benefits of being engaged in one or more specialty group(s). It is clear that specialty groups play a key role in our organization in building an essential sense of community. We have more than 60 groups focused on research such as Polar Geography, Remote Sensing, and Latin America as well as affinity groups such as the Stand-Alone Geographers and Graduate Students. While some members are concerned that the large number of specialty groups represents a lack of coherence in our discipline, others see this as an indication of our true interdisciplinarity, eclectic interests, and ability to play well with others.

Students attend an AAG Career Mentoring session at the 2016 annual meeting in which experienced geography professionals, faculty members, and advanced students provide one-on-one and small-group consultation about careers in a variety of industries and employment sectors.

And the number of specialty and affinity groups continue to climb (see instructions on how to start one). We have a group now taking the first steps to organize an affinity group for undergraduate geography majors as a way to develop a life-long sense of community for novices to our discipline. This is a way to take your student geography organizations one level forward. We hope to see a record number of undergraduate students joining AAG at the permanent rate of $39.00 a year and are planning a social event in Boston just for this group. My undergraduate students suggest a bouncy house and human-hamster-ball competitions as a draw.

DOI: 10.14433/2016.0009

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