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AAG Welcomes Two Spring Interns

The AAG is excited to have two new interns join our staff for the Spring 2018 semester. Welcome aboard Laura and Hannah!

Laura Akindo recently graduated from Frostburg State University with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Earth Science with a Concentration in Environmental Science. She also majored in Geography. Laura is in the process of applying to Graduate Programs and hopes to begin working on her Masters of Science in the Fall in GIS and Environmental Management and Policy. In her spare time, Laura likes to read, visit new exciting outdoor parks, and watch soccer.

 

 

Hannah Ellingson is a sophomore at The George Washington University, pursuing a B.A. in geography and a minor in geographic information systems. Hannah previously interned for the City of Norfolk’s city planning department, where she used GIS to create a map of street-end water access points in Norfolk, VA, in order to support an initiative to increase public water access throughout the city. After graduation, she intends to pursue a M.A. in geography. She attributes her passion for geography to her mother, who instilled an appreciation for geography in Hannah at a young age. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring D.C.’s art museums and restaurants, traveling with her family, and playing with her black lab puppy, Hank.

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Katelyn Suranovic Interns at AAG for Spring Semester

Katelyn Suranovic is currently pursuing her master’s degree in geography at George Washington University. Her focus is climate change and weather-related phenomena in response to climatic changes. Previously, Katelyn earned her bachelor of science degree from James Madison University (JMU), where she majored in geographic science with a concentration in environmental conservation, sustainability and development.

In 2015, Katelyn became a co-author for a journal article titled “Lightning Characteristics of Derecho Producing Mesoscale Convective Systems.” The article was written under the direction of Dr. Mace Bentley of JMU, along with a group of other students and was published by the international journal, Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics.

As an intern this semester, she will be working on the AP GIS&T project and will also assist with media and member outreach.

In her free time, Katelyn enjoys playing soccer, being outdoors and hanging out with her family.

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AAG Snapshot: AAG Journals

The AAG publishes four scholarly journals – Annals of the AAG, The Professional Geographer, The AAG Review of Books, and GeoHumanities. Each year a total of 16 issues spread among the four journals is produced with the help of AAG Publications Director Jennifer Cassidento. The AAG scholarly journals range from long-standing and distinguished titles to new and innovative publications. All are published by Taylor and Francis. Each journal has a page on the AAG website with an overview of the journal, the names of the editors, and their contact information, plus submission information for authors. The journals are similar, in that their focus is on geography, but there are a some differences to highlight for each one.

Annals of the AAG has been published for over a hundred years, since 1911, and it’s the AAG’s flagship journal. With a 2016 Impact Factor of 2.799 (8th out of 79 titles in geography), Annals is a general geography journal that publishes articles aimed at a broad audience in the discipline. It’s published six times a year, including one themed special issue. For example, in 2017 the special issue was on the topic of mountains.

The AAG began publishing The Professional Geographer in 1949 when the AAG merged with the American Society for Professional Geographers. The Professional Geographer focuses on short articles of academic or applied geography, emphasizing empirical studies and methodologies. It’s published four times a year and was ranked 41st out of 79 titles in geography with an Impact Factor of 1.276 in 2016.

The AAG Review of Books was launched in 2013, when the AAG decided to publish the book reviews formerly in Annals and the Professional Geographer in a separate journal. The journal is published online only, four times a year. There’s also a database with over 300 books that have been reviewed in the journal over the past four years. Anyone can search the database by title, author, reviewer, or theme, and access to the database is through the journals page on the AAG website.

GeoHumanities is the AAG’s newest journal, launched in 2015. The journal brings together the disciplines of geography and humanities. It features full length scholarly articles, and shorter creative pieces in the Practices and Curations section. It’s published twice a year.

Anyone can submit a paper to three of the four journals – Annals, The Professional Geographer, or GeoHumanities. The submission process is very easy – it’s done online through a self-guided manuscript submission site. Articles are evaluated by the journals’ editors, then they’re usually sent out to at least two external reviewers. The review process normally takes about 2-4 months, and then the editor will respond to the author with a decision on the paper, including comments from the reviewers, and the editor’s own assessment of the paper.

Submission to the fourth journal, the AAG Review of Books, is handled a little differently. The book reviews for this journal are commissioned by the editor, Debbie Hopkins, so if you’re interested in writing a book review, you would need to contact Debbie at debbie.hopkins[at]ouce.ox.ac.uk.

As an AAG member, you can receive free print or online access to all current and past issues of the journals. The AAG also offers members a complimentary online-only subscription to one additional Taylor and Francis journal from the following six options: Geopolitics; Gender, Place, and Culture; International Journal of GIS; International Journal of Remote Sensing; Journal of Geography in Higher Education; or Social & Cultural Geography. Members can subscribe as part of the membership renewal process.

Do you have any questions about any of the journals or submitting to the journals? Contact the AAG Publications Director, Jennifer Cassidento at jcassidento [at] aag [dot] org.

The AAG Snapshots series, first launched at the 2017 Annual Meeting, provides insight on and information about different aspects of the projects, programs, and resources of the association. Do you have suggestions for future Snapshots content from AAG staff? Email cluebbering [at] aag [dot] org.

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Awardees

2018 AAG Award Recipients Announced

The American Association of Geographers congratulates the individuals named to receive an AAG Award. The awardees represent outstanding contributions to and accomplishments in the geographic field. Formal recognition of the awardees will occur at the 2018 AAG Annual Meeting in New Orleans during the AAG Awards Luncheon on Saturday, April 14, 2018.

2018 The AAG Stanley Brunn Award for Creativity in Geography

The AAG Stanley Brunn Award for Creativity in Geography is given annually to an individual geographer or team of geographers that has demonstrated originality, creativity and significant intellectual breakthroughs in geography. The award includes a prize of $1,000.

Mei-Po Kwan, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Mei-Po Kwan, Professor of Geography and Geographic Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is one of the most creative and transformative geographers of our time. Her research has made groundbreaking theoretical contributions to health, mobility, urban, and transportation geographies as well as broadly to geographic information science (GIScience). Kwan’s articulation of the uncertain geographic context problem highlights a fundamental methodological problem in all studies that examine the effects of area-based environmental variables on individual behaviors or outcomes. The problem is now widely recognized as a significant issue in social science, health, and environmental science, in addition to geographic and GIScience research.

Combining empirical research with original theory, Kwan has continuously developed and advanced paradigm-shifting ideas (e.g., feminist visualization, hybrid geographies, affective GIS, and algorithmic geographies) that profoundly challenge how geographers think about disciplinary dynamics, geographic method, and core tendentious binaries in the discipline (e.g., quantitative vs qualitative geography; GIScience vs social theory). Kwan’s work on space-time accessibility fundamentally altered our understanding of the methods used to study access by underprivileged populations to urban facilities and opportunities. She also played a key role in the integration of GIS with qualitative methods, and pioneered the development of a GIS-based approach to narrative analysis (i.e., geo-narrative) that has advanced qualitative methodologies in significant ways.

The AAG Stanley Brunn Award for Creativity in Geography is bestowed annually on an individual geographer or team that has demonstrated originality, creativity, and significant intellectual breakthroughs in geography. The award honors those who have a sustained, impressive and recognized record of creative and cutting-edge work, who have made significant contributions to new geographic methods or ways of thinking, or who have introduced new and meaningful ways of thinking about human/environment relations at local or global scales. Mei-Po Kwan is the sixth recipient of the award. Previous recipients of the Stanley Brunn Award are David Harvey (2017), Michael Goodchild (2016), Susan Hanson (2015), Robert B. Kates (2014), and Yi-Fu Tuan (2013).

The 2018 Marble-Boyle Undergraduate Achievement Award in Geographic Science

The Marble-Boyle Undergraduate Achievement Award recognizes excellence in academic performance by undergraduate students from the U.S. and Canada who are putting forth a strong effort to bridge geographic science and computer science as well as to encourage other students to embark upon similar programs. The award is an activity of the Marble Fund for Geographic Science of the AAG.

Noah Irby, University of North Dakota

2018 Susan Hardwick Excellence in Mentoring Award

The AAG bestows an annual award recognizing an individual geographer, group, or department, who demonstrates extraordinary leadership in building supportive academic and professional environments and in guiding the academic or professional growth of their students and junior colleagues. The late Susan Hardwick was the inaugural Excellence in Mentoring awardee. The Award was renamed in her honor and memory, soon after her passing.

David Kaplan, Kent State University

The Committee on the Status of Women in Geography and the Enhancing Diversity Committee unanimously elected to award David Kaplan the 2018 AAG Susan Hardwick Excellence in Mentoring Award. David Kaplan is an exceptional mentor, serving as principal advisor to at least 26 master’s thesis student committees and 11 PhD student committees, along with serving on the committees of dozens of other student projects. He has a proven track record of successfully graduating students and setting them off into academic or other positions. One of his more recently graduated PhD advisees calls him a “lifelong advisor” who has “enduring and genuine concern” for his students. In addition, his support of junior peers both at his institution and elsewhere, speaks to his commitment to offer sound counsel and valuable information to others in order to advance and develop their own paths to academic and professional success. A colleague of Kaplan’s writes, “His insightful comments have been very beneficial for my research and later career….His continuous support has been critical for my professional development”.

David Kaplan’s direct efforts both through publications and external funding, as well as his extraordinary dedication and service to his department, institution, and the AAG, exemplify the many ways that he is committed to enhancing diversity and inclusion in the discipline of geography.  For these reasons, we are pleased to present the 2018 Susan Hardwick Excellence in Mentoring Award to David Kaplan.

2018 Enhancing Diversity Award

The AAG Enhancing Diversity Award honors those geographers who have pioneered efforts toward, or activelyparticipate in efforts towards encouraging a more diverse discipline.

Banu Gökarıksel, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

Dr. Banu Gökarıksel of the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill has earned the gratitude and respect of students and colleagues alike for her unwavering commitment to mentoring, her dedication to encouraging young scholars to enter the field of geography, and the lasting impact from her leadership role as Director of Graduate Students (DGS). Despite her own recent immigrant status, her position as one of the first women to get tenure in her department, and her prominent role as DGS, she has never hesitated to stand up for students and scholars who she felt were being marginalized. As DGS she has answered the call for Geography departments and faculty to recognize diversity not just through their recruitment policies, but also through supportive practices designed for a diverse graduate student population. Dr. Gökarıksel is able to translate feedback from her colleagues and students into impactful action. For example, after hearing graduate student concerns about cost of living, she facilitated conversations on summer funding. Within a few weeks, these conversations resulted in summer grants for several graduate students. Dr. Gökarıksel received her university’s most prestigious teaching award, the Chapman Award. This is partly due to her careful and thoughtful engagement with issues such as Islamophobia, xenophobia, and the associated forms of gender-based discrimination. Banu is a stellar example of someone who works both behind the scenes and in a leadership role, doing work that is often unrewarded and invisible. She has created lasting institutional change in her department through her work to retain and recruit women and scholars of color through mentoring and through her improvement of the graduate program. As co-editor of the Journal of Middle Eastern Women’s Studies she has created a venue that has diversified rigorous peer reviewed scholarship. Her commitments to enhancing diversity became even more apparent in her administrative efforts as a faculty member at UNC, where she works tirelessly to enhance the diversity of her department and the discipline. Dr. Gökarıksel was co-organizer for the 2017 Feminist Geography Conference, and clearly demonstrated her commitment to including diverse and marginalized voices. In the midst of the conference, the new US administration’s rules regarding entry to the United States from several Muslim majority countries were announced. Dr. Gökarıksel immediately mobilized efforts to remotely connect those newly banned participants. She also coordinated an effort among the feminist geographers present to support their colleagues’ scholarship, if they were unable to come to the United States. Dr. Gökarıksel has been selected to receive the AAG Enhancing Diversity Award not only because of these accomplishments, but because her actions provide a model for other AAG members invested in enhancing the diversity of our discipline.

2018 AAG Honorary Geographer

The AAG annually selects an individual as the year’s Honorary Geographer. The award recognizes excellence in research, teaching, or writing on geographic topics by non-geographers. Past recipients include Stephen Jay Gould, Jeffrey Sachs, Paul Krugman, Barry Lopez, Saskia Sassen and Maya Lin.

Robert Bullard, Texas Southern University

In making its selection, the Executive Committee of the AAG recognized the important foundational role that Dr. Bullard has played in the study of environmental and transportation justice and the skills he has shown in translating those ideas to policy makers and wider public groups. This work has been invaluable to scholars in geography, who increasingly address issues of inequality, spatial justice, and environmental racism. Bullard’s ability to mix advocacy with strong basic research is a model for many of us in geography.

2018 AAG Presidential Achievement Award

The AAG Presidential Award is given with the purpose of recognizing individuals for their long-term, major contributions to geography.   The Past President has the honor of bestowing this distinction on behalf of the discipline and the association.

Susan Cutter, University of South Carolina

The Presidential Achievement Award recognizes Dr. Cutter’s transformative research on disaster vulnerability/resilience science which has served as an important bridge between physical and human geography. Her leadership in disaster vulnerability/resilience research has both extended the reach of the discipline to other academic disciplines and to policy communities, and also brought new insights and approaches to geography. The award also recognizes Dr. Cutter’s early attention to issues of race, class and environmental justice and her role in bringing these important concerns to the discipline of geography. In addition, the award recognizes her many service contributions to the discipline and beyond, including her leadership as President of the Association of American Geographers and President of the Consortium of Social Science Associations.

Billie L. Turner, II, Arizona State University

The Presidential Achievement Award recognizes Dr. Turner’s transformative research on development of land use/cover change science which has served as an important bridge between physical and human geography, and between historic/prehistoric analysis and contemporary issues. His leadership in integrating geographical sciences with wider academic and policy concerns in the areas of global change, earth systems and sustainability science, and his early recognition of the importance of these issues to geography, is also recognized by this award. The award also recognizes Dr. Turner’s extensive contributions representing geography on important national and international bodies and initiatives including the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, the International Human Dimensions Programme, and the U.S. National Climate Assessment and Associate Editorship of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

2018 The AAG Harold M. Rose Award for Anti-Racism Research and Practice

The Rose Award was created to honor Harold M. Rose, who was a pioneer in conducting research on the condition faced by African Americans. The award honors geographers who have a demonstrated record of this type of research and active contributions to society, and is awarded to individuals who have served to advance the discipline through their research, and who have also had an impact on anti-racist practice.

Laura Pulido, University of Oregon

Over her two and half decade career as a professional geographer, few scholars have impacted the study of race and the environment as much as Professor Laura Pulido. Her work is foundational to a whole generation of race scholars in geography and beyond, and her commitment to anti-racist practice is central to her work in the discipline. She has mentored countless students, junior faculty, and colleagues throughout her career, focusing on supporting scholars of color and scholars engaged in anti-racist research.

Professor Pulido’s work on environmental racism is path-breaking and documents the central role of geography in the continuing exposure of environmental hazards and the pivotal role of white privilege and white supremacy in the uneven geography of environmental hazard exposure. Also, her work on anti-racist activism in Southern California and her book Black, Brown, Yellow, and Left is a seminal piece of scholarship that has driven conversations in Geography and Ethnic and Racial Studies about race, politics and anti-racist activism. Through this work, she introduces the concept of “differential racialization” and opened space for a range of academic disciplines to think geographically about racial identity formation and the way racialization processes are impacted by and through geography.

In addition to these scholarly contributions, Dr. Pulido is tireless in her dedication to helping new generations of scholars enter into the field. Like Harold Rose himself, who mentored generations of students at UW-Milwaukee, Professor Pulido’s generous support of students and colleagues in geography is a vital part of her anti-racist praxis.

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Newsletters

Newsletter – January 2018

PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

Creating Safe Spaces

By Derek Alderman with Lorraine Dowler

Hollywood, The Hill, and the nation’s newsrooms have been exposed as spaces of sexual harassment, misconduct, and even assault. Yet, sexual harassment and discrimination are neither unique nor new to these highly public industries and this misconduct is unfortunately common to most workplaces…The academy can and should be an important tool in studying this issue, collecting the stories of victims, and analyzing the frequency, scale, and impacts of sexual harassment. At the same time, however, higher education is also part of the problem.

Continue Reading.

Read past columns from the current AAG President on our President’s Column page.

ANNUAL MEETING

Book Your Room for #AAG2018

The official hotels of the 2018 Annual Meeting are the Sheraton New Orleans, Marriott French Quarter, and Astor Crowne Plaza. All three hotels are located on Canal Street, the de facto border between the French Quarter and the Central Business District. While the Astor Crowne Plaza has sold out, discounted rooms for attendees are still available in the Sheraton New Orleans and the Marriott French Quarter.

Book your accommodations.

Confederate Monument Controversy in New Orleans

 

Confederate Monuments are being toppled in cities throughout the southern United States and New Orleans is no exception. Geographers Jennifer Speights-Binet and Rebecca Sheehan explain the debates surrounding the removal of four Confederate monuments in New Orleans, a process that took close to two years to be completed.

Read the full story.

Coastal Land Loss in Louisiana: From Denial to Reality

 

The wetlands in Louisiana once accounted for close to 40 percent of the nation’s marsh/swamp ecosystems. With increases in human activity and climate change, Louisiana is seeing a loss in these ecosystems and their coastal lands as a result. Louisiana State Sea Grant Scholar Donald W. Davis provides a look at the land loss in recent decades and the work being done to prevent further damage.

Continue reading.

New Orleans: Place Portraits

 For reasons ranging from debauchery to better health, the tourist has imbibed in New Orleans’ local culture and geography throughout the centuries. Richard Campanella of the Tulane School of Architecture and the Crescent City’s unofficial “geographer laureate” takes readers to the upscale health resorts of St. Tammany Parish, the defunct docks of the oyster industry, and the rollicking spaces of nighttime revelry in January’s Place Portraits.

Read all three articles:

“Focus on New Orleans and the Gulf Coast” is an ongoing series curated by the Local Arrangements Committee to provide insight on and understanding of the geographies of New Orleans, Louisiana, and the greater Gulf Coast region in preparation for the 2018 Annual Meeting.

ASSOCIATION NEWS

2018 AAG Honors Announced 

Each year, the AAG invites nominations for AAG Honors to be conferred in recognition of outstanding contributions to the advancement or welfare of the profession. The AAG Honors Committee is charged with making award recommendations for each category, with no more than two awards given in any one category. The AAG is proud to officially announce the 2018 AAG Honors. Formal recognition of the Honorees will occur at the Awards Luncheon at the 2018 AAG Annual Meeting.

See the Honorees.

AAG Announces Inaugural Class of AAG Fellows

The AAG Fellows is a new program 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 to address key AAG initiatives including creating and contributing to AAG initiatives; advising on AAG strategic directions and grand challenges; and mentoring early and mid-career faculty.

Find out more about the inaugural class of AAG Fellows.

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

The International Encyclopedia of Geography: People, the Earth, Environment, and Technology, an international publication from AAG-Wiley, is the recipient of a prestigious CHOICE Award for Outstanding Academic Title 2017. The Encyclopedia also received a “Summing Up” award of “Highly Recommended” for community college and undergraduate students through professionals/practitioners as well as for general readers.

Learn more about this honor.

2018 AAG Elections: Ensure Your Email Address is Accurate 

The 2018 AAG election will be conducted online and will take place Jan. 31-Feb. 22, 2018. Each member who has an email address on record with the AAG will receive a special email with a code that will allow them to sign in to our AAG SimplyVoting website and vote. Please be sure to update your email address with the AAG to ensure receipt of the ballot. The 2018 election slate will be published soon.

Details on how to update your email address.

POLICY UPDATE

Enacted Tax Bill Protects Tuition Waivers

Image-118 capitol building

A massive tax reform package signed into law by President Trump shortly before the holidays drew attention primarily for slashing corporate rates and amending individual filing rules. The original bill that passed the House of Representatives included language that would have counted graduate student tuition waivers as taxable income. The AAG was actively involved in opposing the provision and keeping our student members and departmental leaders informed, and we are pleased with the outcome.

Read about the updated tax bill.

MEMBER NEWS

All Woman Panel on Climate Organized at SEDAAG Fall Regional Meeting

SEDAAG-2017-Women-Climate-Panel-Dr. Jennifer Collins and Dr. Kathy Sherman-Morris organized an all female panel of Climate Specialty Group (CSG) members at SEDAAG to discuss the 2017 hurricane season. The panel opened with an overview of the record-breaking season and continued the conversation with the ways in which the 2017 hurricanes are being incorporated into research and teaching efforts.

Read more about the panel.

RESOURCES & OPPORTUNITIES

AAG Snapshot: Service to the AAG

snapshot aagHave you ever considered being more involved in the American Association of Geographers? Are you looking to enhance your resume or CV with service experience? Consider volunteering for one of the many positions available for members of the AAG. Whether you are a student getting started in geography or a professional well into your career, there are plenty of opportunities available and we would like your help!

Learn more about volunteering.

Deadline Extension for the AAG Wilbanks Award for Transformational Research in Geography

The annual AAG Wilbanks Award – established in memory of the late Dr. Thomas (Tom) Wilbanks, a former AAG President and long-standing AAG member, who was admired and respected for his many years of scholarship and research bridging the academic, public and private sectors – honors researchers from the public, private or academic sectors who have made transformative contributions to the fields of Geography and GIScience.

New deadline – January 15.

Visiting Geographical Scientist Program Accepting Applications for 2018-19

The Visiting Geographical Scientist program (VGSP), funded by Gamma Theta Upsilon (GTU) and managed by the AAG, sponsors visits by prominent geographers to small departments or institutions that do not have the resources to bring in well-known speakers. The purpose of this program is to stimulate interest in geography, targeted for students, faculty members, and administrative officers.

Learn how to apply to the VGSP.

Nominations Sought for the ‘Journal of Geography in Higher Education’ Prize for Promoting Excellence in Teaching and Learning

JGHE-coverHave you read a very good, recently published paper that helped you reflect on your own approaches to teaching? Did the paper give you new ideas to help improve your students learning? Did it provide an innovative way of addressing a concern or issue that is relevant to geography in higher education? Or perhaps the paper tackled broader analysis of the institutional contexts which frame pedagogic approaches? If you have been inspired, please consider nominating a paper for this prize.

Nominate an author.

PUBLICATIONS

February 2018 Issue of the ‘Professional Geographer’ Now Available

The-PG-2017-generic-213x300The Professional Geographer, Volume 70, Issue 1, has been published. The focus of this journal is on short articles in academic or applied geography, emphasizing empirical studies and methodologies. Volume 70, Issue 1 includes a focus section entitled: Critical Data, Critical Technology.

See the newest issue.

Read the January 2018 Issue of the ‘Annals of the AAG’  

The first issue of volume 108 of the Annals of the American Association of Geographers has been published. Read articles that span the breadth of the discipline, organized into four major areas: Methods, Models, and Geographic Information Science; Nature and Society; People, Place, and Region; and Physical Geography and Environmental Sciences.

Full article listing available.

New Books in Geography — November 2017 Available

 

New-books1-1From the Andes to Youth Activism, almost the whole alphabet is covered through topics on the New Books in Geography list for November 2017! Find a new book to get started in the new year.

Browse the whole list of new books.

December 2017 Issue of ‘GeoHumanities’ Published

GeoHumanities Cover Flat

Volume 3, Issue 2 of the AAG’s newest peer-reviewed journal, GeoHumanities, is now available online to members. The journal features both scholarly articles and short creative pieces that bridge the academy and artistic practice. This issue includes a forum on Emotions, Empathy, Ethics, and Engagement.

Read the latest issue.

FEATURED ARTICLES

Educational GIS Activities in Africa

Esri Eastern Africa Educational GIS Conference

Over the past decade, most universities and some secondary schools across Africa have been exposed to geographic information system (GIS) technology. Teaching about and with GIS on that continent has been both challenging and rewarding. Esri is committed to making a long-term difference in GIS education in Africa and, over the past five years, has ramped up its involvement in this endeavor.

Continue reading about Esri’s activities.

Featured Articles is a special section of the AAG Newsletter where AAG sponsors highlight recent programs and activities of significance to geographers and members of the AAG. To sponsor the AAG and submit an article, please contact Oscar Larson olarson [at] aag [dot] org.

GEOGRAPHERS IN THE NEWS
IN THE NEWS

Popular stories from the AAG SmartBrief

EVENTS CALENDAR

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

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Enacted Tax Bill Protects Tuition Waivers

A massive tax reform package signed into law by President Trump shortly before the holidays drew attention primarily for slashing corporate rates and amending individual filing rules.  The legislation, however, was also of significance for the higher education community.

The original bill that passed the House of Representatives included language that would have counted graduate student tuition waivers as taxable income.  This proposal drew significant protests and press criticism and was ultimately removed by House and Senate negotiators.  The AAG was actively involved in opposing the provision and keeping our student members and departmental leaders informed, and we are pleased with the outcome.

Separately, the new law will apply a new excise tax of 1.4 percent on investment income for certain private colleges.  Institutions with over 500 students and holding assets of $500,000+ per student will be affected.  It is estimated that this new tax will affect approximately 35 institutions including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Stanford and will generate close to $2 billion in revenue over ten years.  The House had proposed taxing additional colleges and universities, but Senate negotiators argued for the more narrow language.

Finally, it will bear watching how much of an impact the new law has on financial support for public institutions in high-tax states.  The legislation caps personal deductions of state and local taxes at $10,000, which could apply pressure on certain states to lower taxes.  This, in turn, could force these states to cut budgets, including for public higher-ed institutions.

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

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 the American Library Association.

The new international AAG publication is the most comprehensive and authoritative reference work in geography today, and as it will be updated annually, will likely remain so for decades to come. Significantly, as the Encyclopedia’s Editor-in-Chief Douglas Richardson noted, “this six-year encyclopedia project also resulted in building a collaborative international community of leading geography scholars and researchers who served as editors and authors, and with the international geographical societies and associations with whom the AAG interacted throughout the creation of The International Encyclopedia of Geography.” This landmark work, published in 2017 in both hard copy (15 volumes) and online, is written for a graduate student audience, but also in a style to be accessible to undergraduates and the educated public.

Reviewed by CHOICE in October 2017, the Encyclopedia also received a “Summing Up” award of “Highly Recommended” for community college and undergraduate students through professionals/practitioners as well as for general readers. The published review referred to the work as “an initiative of the sort that yields high-quality, subject-specific information that librarians and faculty will want to direct students to, helping to counter the problem of novice researchers citing information that they readily encounter online but are ill-equipped to evaluate critically.”

The selective CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title awards are determined by criteria including the importance of the work within the field, the value of the work for undergraduate students and in building an undergraduate library, the originality of the work, and overall excellence in presentation and scholarship. Works granted the distinction of Outstanding Academic Title are regarded among the academic library community as the best of scholarly titles published each year. “This is fantastic news,” said Justin Vaughan, the Encyclopedia’s publisher at Wiley & Sons. “The CHOICE award for Outstanding Academic Title is a highly prestigious award that will further raise the profile of the work in the library market and the academic community.”

Quotes from Choice are reprinted here with permission from Choice Reviews. All rights reserved. Copyright by the American Library Association.

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AAG Snapshot: Service to Geography through the AAG

Have you ever considered being more involved in the American Association of Geographers? Are you looking to enhance your resume or CV with service experience? Consider volunteering for one of the many positions available for members of the AAG and help support the ongoing efforts of the Association in serving and representing our large community of geographers. Whether you are a student getting started in geography or a professional well into your career, there are plenty of opportunities available and we would like your help!

Volunteering for the AAG is a great way to become engaged in a national association in your field while boosting your professional credentials. Providing your service to the AAG enhances the discipline of geography, helping make connections among people and building a stronger geography community. It also expands your own network of colleagues and friends!

There are a variety of ways to contribute your skills to the AAG through volunteer opportunities. From serving on national committees to helping out in your regional division, read below to learn how you can become involved:

Members of the AAG can sign up to join up to 6 of our 70+ specialty or affinity groups that align with their interests in geography. Within these groups are countless opportunities to serve colleagues in a subdiscipline close to your own interests. You can gain leadership experience by volunteering to become an officer, or get organizational experience through managing and issuing the groups’ awards. You can also organize Annual Meeting sessions sponsored by the group, monitor and share relevant news, network with individuals in related fields, and help to make decisions on specialty group grants and awards.

Positions are available on elected committees as well as standing and ad hoc committees. Members can run for election to the Honors or Nominating Committees which are responsible for issuing the AAG’s highest awards and recruiting nominees for AAG elections. There are also a variety of Awards Committees for managing the diverse portfolio of AAG awards. Committee member duties include reviewing award applications and selecting awardees. Standing and Ad Hoc Committees deal with topics ranging from finance to membership to the annual World Geography Bowl.

The AAG has 9 Regional Divisions; do you know which one you are located in? Serve your AAG Regional Division as an officer, help organize the regional division annual meetings (held annually in the fall), run for election as a Regional Councilor to coordinate between the AAG headquarters and the regional division, or help to organize a regional geography bowl or paper competition, for students to get funding assistance to attend the AAG Annual Meeting! Contact your regional division officers for more details on getting involved in the AAG regions.

The AAG Council serves as the governing body for the Association and consists of elected councilors (six national Councilors, one Councilor from each of our nine Regional Divisions, and a Student Councilor), the AAG Vice President, President and Past President, the AAG Treasurer, AAG Secretary and the Executive Director of the AAG. Consider running for election for Vice President, as a National Councilor, or a Regional Councilor.

The AAG seeks interns year-round to work in our main office and participate in our ongoing work and activities including research, communications, and the Annual Meeting. Spend a semester in Washington, DC and see the discipline from the vantage point of the AAG!

Questions on the service opportunities offered with the AAG? Contact Candida Mannozzi at cmannozzi [at] aag [dot] org.

The AAG Snapshots series, first launched at the 2017 Annual Meeting, provides insight on and information about different aspects of the projects, programs, and resources of the association. Do you have suggestions for future Snapshots content from AAG staff? Email cluebbering [at] aag [dot] org.

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All Woman Panel on Climate Organized for SEDAAG Fall Regional Meeting

Dr. Jennifer Collins and Dr. Kathy Sherman-Morris organized an all female panel of Climate Specialty Group (CSG) members at SEDAAG to discuss the 2017 hurricane season. Panel members included: Dr. Jennifer Collins (USF), Dr. Kelsey Ellis (UTK), Dr. Corene Matyas (UF), Dr. Stephanie Zick (Virginia Tech), and the panel was moderated by Dr. Kathy Sherman-Morris (Mississippi State University) (from left to right in photo at left).

Dr. Kathy Sherman-Morris asked questions about the 2017 hurricane season from “Is what we saw in 2017 an indication of a new normal?” to “What prominent issues were there with communication or response?” Dr. Jennifer Collins started the panel discussion off with an overview of the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season, noting that it was a year of new records: no single storm in the U.S. in recorded history has unleashed such a large volume of rainfall as Harvey did. Harvey was also the first major hurricane to make landfall since Hurricane Wilma in 2005. Irma was the strongest storm on record outside of the Caribbean and Gulf with 185 mph lifetime maximum winds, with multiple landfalls as a Category 5 in the Caribbean islands and Cuba, and was the longest storm as a Category 5 in the Atlantic Ocean in the satellite area. Maria made landfall as a Category 5 in the Caribbean, and is the 2nd strongest hurricane to strike Puerto Rico, second to the 1928 Lake Okeechobee Hurricane.

These storms presented opportunities to consider lessons learned, understand evacuation behavior and risk perception, discuss inland flooding, consider relationship to climate change, and provide new and exciting research opportunities and teachable moments. In responding to a question about the factors that contributed to the 2017 season’s tropical activity, panel members noted that the large-scale conditions were quite conducive for hurricane activity – very warm sea-surface temperatures, weak vertical wind shear and high mid-level moisture throughout the month of September in particular. Vertical wind shear was especially low in the central tropical Atlantic and the eastern Caribbean, the region where Irma, Jose and Maria all reached their maximum intensity.

When asked if the panel members have incorporated the 2017 season into their research, Collins replied that she was working with students and other collaborators on some projects including 1) an analysis of the 2017 hurricane season that considers records of the season’s tropical cyclone statistics, as well as an examination of the environmental factors conducive for the hurricane activity present in the 2017 season and 2) consideration of the role of geophysical factors, as well as people’s social connections, which affected people’s evacuation decision for Hurricane Irma. Collins also mentioned the upcoming (2018) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program, aimed at rising sophomores. The REU program will allow students to gain a mentored research experience integrating the physical and social sciences. Some REU projects will take advantage of data collected during Irma, and other projects will allow more data to be gathered relating to the evacuations, and preparedness since Hurricane Irma. Zick described a few research ideas that were motivated by the landfall of Hurricane Harvey, including 1) a modeling study of landfall and spin down in a barotropic environment and 2) a precipitation verification study to elucidate the performance of high resolution models such as the High Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) model. Regarding her research, Matyas noted that she is examining the spatial configuration of the rainbands of Harvey and Irma using ground-based radar data and contrasting their development based on moisture in the surrounding environment. Sharp gradients in moisture tend to co-locate with rainbands on the leading edges of the TCs, while moisture sourced from the deep tropics facilitates high rain rates until air with lower moisture content advects around the south side of the circulation center.

Similarly, when the audience inquired if panel members have incorporated the 2017 into their teaching, the panel explained how the season provided ample opportunity for the students to present and discuss thermodynamic and dynamic conditions associated with tropical cyclone formation and lifecycle, as well as the seasonal environmental conditions present. Students also reflected on how the storms affected their area such as the preparations and evacuation decisions people were making. Ellis reviewed how the active hurricane season garnered student attention in her general education Weather, Climate, and Climate Change course, and that the 2017 season provided a foundation for observing the differences between weather and climate, and cycles and trends. It also provided an opportunity to examine current understanding of the hurricane-climate connection, and challenges with discerning the effects of climate change. The panel members presented these topics as the hurricane season was officially coming to an end.

Written by Jennifer Collins with contributions from Kelsey Ellis, Corene Matyas, and Stephanie Zick.

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News

Educational GIS Activities in Africa

Over the past decade, most universities and some secondary schools across Africa have been exposed to geographic information system (GIS) technology. Teaching about and with GIS on that continent has been both challenging and rewarding.

On April 9, 2017, the panel session “Teaching GIS in Africa” was held at the Association of American Geographers (AAG) annual meeting in Boston. Esri organized this session, and speakers came from several nations and spoke of their diverse experiences as teachers and, in one case, as a student in Eastern Africa.

Although every African university and nation has its own unique characteristics, the speakers and audience members coincided on several issues. GIS education across Africa—with exceptions especially in South Africa—has been slow to evolve beyond the teaching of basic GIS theory, in large part due to a lack of sustained resources such as computer labs, Internet connections, and updated local datasets. Often these resources are donated but not maintained in the medium or long term. Software is generally available either as open source or via discounts and donations by Esri and other commercial providers.

The main limiting factor identified was the lack of instructors educated on the latest technologies and methodologies such as mobile data collection, data publishing and sharing, and advanced spatial analysis. Far too many students are still learning GIS from textbooks instead of via hands-on use. Much of the applied GIS being taught is natural resources (and satellite imagery) oriented, with less attention being paid to human geography, urban issues, and cartography. This, again, is due to the limited availability of specialists in these areas and of spatial data such as street networks and geodemographics. Many steps have been taken in the form of short-term, donor-funded projects, but often momentum is lost after project completion.

The University of North Alabama’s Jonathan Fleming, an Esri education ambassador, teaches in the geography department at the University of Dar es Salaam.

Esri is committed to making a long-term difference in GIS education in Africa and, over the past five years, has ramped up its involvement in this endeavor. Esri has sponsored a series of education user conferences (in Eastern Africa), training sessions, and other activities organized by local Esri offices. Additionally, special assistance has come from Esri’s offices in France, Portugal, and Switzerland to support universities in francophone nations, lusophone nations, and Rwanda, respectively. Esri has sponsored a growing group of education ambassadors to travel and conduct teaching and geomentoring missions across the globe. Among them are Jonathan Fleming of the University of North Alabama, who taught in Dar es Salaam in 2013, and Stace Maples from Stanford University, who visited Kenyatta University (KU) in Nairobi in spring 2017. Maples taught several classes and also mentored faculty and the university administration about how to apply and sustain GIS across the entire campus. Feedback from the universities and ambassadors was extremely positive, and so Esri will continue to support these missions in the future.

Among African universities, Kenyatta University has emerged as a star—a lighthouse exemplar—in adopting and promoting GIS. As in many GIS success stories in any field, a GIS champion was involved: Professor Simon Onywere. Onywere had been a GIS and remote-sensing expert for many years, but in 2013 he decided to take his university to the next level. He worked with Esri’s home office and Esri Eastern Africa Limited (in Nairobi) to craft a memorandum of understanding (MOU) whereby both parties would contribute to the success of GIS across the entire KU campus. Under Esri’s 100 Africa Universities program, the MOU included a donation of ArcGIS software to the university. Esri has worked with approximately 70 universities under this program thus far. With software installed in the laboratories, Onywere and Esri personnel trained instructors, students, and administrators on the power of GIS for solving spatial problems in any field of study. Enterprise GIS, including attention to servers and client apps, became available to anyone showing interest in learning on the same platform used by industrial, commercial, and government entities around the world. GIS Day and similar events were run; a GIS club was formed; and, soon, a small army of GIS users and promoters was created.

The first Esri Eastern Africa Education GIS Conference was held in Nairobi in 2013.

KU recently hosted the 2017 Esri Eastern Africa Education GIS Conference. GIS is being taught and used for research by Onywere’s environment science faculty and several others including staff of the recently added tourism and hospitality department and the newly built library. The KU story is a story of hope for GIS at African universities, demonstrating that with personal and collective initiative, anything is possible.

Working with instructors, students, and university/school administrators in Africa has been extremely rewarding and gratifying. We encourage all AAG members to consider lending a helping hand to slowly but surely raising the level of GIS education across the continent. If you’d like to apply to become an Esri Education Ambassador, send a brief CV with teaching experience and a statement of interest to edambassadors [at] esri [dot] com.

By Michael Gould, Global Education Manager, Esri

Featured Articles is a special section of the AAG Newsletter where AAG sponsors highlight recent programs and activities of significance to geographers and members of the AAG. To sponsor the AAG and submit an article, please contact Oscar Larson olarson [at] aag [dot] org.

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Michael Gould
Michael Gould