Specialty Group Competitions

Asian Geography
The Asian Geography Specialty Group (AGSG) announces its Annual Student Essay Competition. Students applying must be members of the AGSG, and must present their papers at the 2006 AAG meeting in Chicago. AGSG expects to select one Best Student Paper Award ($250), and one Student Travel Award ($150). Winners will be announced at the AGSG Business Meeting in 2006 in Chicago. The deadline for submission is February 1, 2006. Please send the completed papers to the AGSG Secretary-Treasurer: Dr. Dennis Wei, Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53201. Email: weiy@uwm.edu.

Climate
The Climate Specialty Group (CSG) announces its Student (undergraduate and graduate) Paper Competition and the Paper of the Year (POTY) award.
Students will present in special CSG Student Paper Competition Sessions, however, papers currently committed to other sessions will also be accepted. Cash awards will be granted by the CSG as follows: $125 for first place, $100 for second place, $75 for third place, and $50 for an honorable mention. Book awards will also be provided to the top three presenters. An eligible student is an individual, who has not yet received a PhD, or has received the PhD this academic year. Also, the student must be the primary author of the research presented. Rules for the competition, including judging criteria, may be found on the CSG homepage: www.unh.edu/stateclimatologist/csg/.
The (CSG) seeks qualified candidates for the CSG Paper of the Year (POTY) Award. Candidates must be CSG dues-paying members in the year of competition and be first author on co- or multi-authored papers. The paper must be accepted and/or published by a peer-reviewed technical journal (no books or book chapters) before the deadline (below) in the given calendar year of the competition prior to the AAG Annual Meeting at which the winning paper will be presented. Winners receive a commemorative plaque and a letter of citation; honorable mention winners receive a letter. The winning author is required to present the work in a special plenary-type session at the following year’s annual meeting (approximately one-hour presentation followed by a panel discussion). In addition, the winner will be recognized at the AAG awards luncheon (CSG sponsors cost for attending luncheon). Full rules for the competition, including judging criteria, may be found on the CSG homepage: www.unh.edu/stateclimatologist/csg/.
To enter the student paper competition, send an email or letter stating that you meet the eligibility requirements, the abstract, and AAG PIN number to the address below by September 26, 2005. To enter the POTY competition submit five copies (reprints or galleys) of a single paper to the address below on or before October 13, 2005.
Apply: Dagmar Budikova, CSG Honors Director, dbudiko@ilstu.edu, Department of Geography-Geology, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, 61790-4400.

Hazards
The Hazards Specialty Group (HSG) of the AAG announces the Jeanne X. Kasperson student paper competition for the 2006 Annual Meeting of the AAG in Chicago, Illinois. The HSG invites students (graduate and undergraduate) who plan to participate in the meeting to submit 1,000 word abstracts of the paper they propose to present to the specialty group chair by August 31, 2005. The five best papers will be identified and organized into a special session at the conference. These five winners will not only be spotlighted, but their registration fees for the meeting will be paid by the specialty group. Although papers may be co authored, all authors must be students (no faculty co authored papers will be considered). In addition, students entering this competition must be members of the AAG as the specialty group will pay the student registration fees for the winners, but not their membership fees in the Association. Entrants will be notified prior to registration deadlines so that decisions about participation may be made in response to, or in lieu of, the outcome of the competition. Please direct all questions to: Jayajit Chakraborty, Hazards Specialty Group Chair, Department of Geography, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, NES 107, Tampa, FL 33543; email: jchakrab@cas.usf.edu.

Communication Geography
One of the AAG’s newest specialty groups, the Communication Geography Specialty Group (COMGEOG), will be offering a $50 student paper prize for the first time at the 2006 AAG Annual Meeting. To be eligible, a paper must be presented in one of the sessions sponsored by COMGEOG and the author must be a student member of COMGEOG.
For more information on the Communication Geography SG contact Chair Paul Adams (paul.adams@mail.utexas.edu ), Communication Director Michael Longan
(mike.longan@valpo.edu) or see the group’s website (www.communication-geography.org/).

Cultural Geography
The Cultural Geography Specialty Group (CGSG) invites students at the master’s and doctoral levels to submit proposals for the 2006 grant competitions. Awards are $500 at each level. The application consists of a 500-word proposal accompanied by a cover letter, an itemized budget, and a curriculum vitae. Submissions must be received by the awards chair no later than December 16, 2005. In addition, the CGSG would like to invite students at the undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels to participate in the 2006 paper competitions. These competitions are open to anyone who presents a cultural-geographic paper at a professional meeting between April 10, 2005 and March 11, 2006. Award amounts are $750 for PhD (Jordan-Bychkov Paper Award), $500 for master’s, and $250 for undergraduate. Submissions must be received by the awards chair no later than January 9, 2006. Prospective applicants should visit the CGSG website for submission details (http://personal.ecu.edu/aldermand/cgsg/). Proposals and papers not in the correct format will be disqualified. Send four copies of the proposal or paper to Soren Larsen, CGSG Awards Committee Chair, Department of Geography, 8 Stewart Hall, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211-6170, USA. Phone: (573) 882-9613. Electronic submissions will be accepted as Microsoft Word attachments in an e-mail to the Awards Director: larsens@missouri.edu.

Cryosphere
The Cryosphere Specialty Group (CSG) is pleased to sponsor the Second Annual R.S. Tarr Award for student research on any aspect of cryospheric research. The Tarr award is given to the undergraduate or graduate student presenting the illustrated paper judged best in the special R.S. Tarr Illustrated Paper Session held during the 2006 AAG Annual Meeting. The award recipient will receive a $250 cash prize.
The illustrated paper must be completed and presented by the student; however, the paper can be coauthored by the student’s advisor. Illustrated papers will be judged on their originality and contribution to cryospheric science. The R.S. Tarr Illustrated Paper session will be co-convened by Susan Millar (swmillar@maxwell.syr.edu) and Andrew Klein (klein@geog.tamu.edu).
To participate in the special session, each student must first submit an abstract electronically to the AAG by October 6, 2005. Guidelines for Illustrated Papers can be found online at www.aag.org/annualmeetings/Chicago2006/ill_paper.cfm.
After submitting an abstract to AAG, each participant should forward a copy of the abstract and Presenter Identification Number (PIN) to Andrew Klein for inclusion in the special session. PINs are provided by AAG at the time of abstract submission.
For detailed submission instructions and additional information about the award please contact one of the co-conveners.

Disabilty

Students working on topics concerned with the complex and multifaceted geographies of disability and chronic illness are encouraged to submit a paper to the 2006 AAG Disability Specialty Group Student Paper Competition. The goals of the award are to encourage student participation in the specialty group, and to recognize the efforts of emerging scholars engaged in geographic research on disability and chronic illness. The author of the winning entry will receive a cash prize of $100, plus a year?s membership to the Disability Specialty Group. Students do not have to be a current member of the Disability Specialty Group, nor plan to attend the 2006 AAG meetings in order to submit a paper.

Eligibility Criteria: (1) Papers prepared for publication, conference presentation, and graduate or senior undergraduate courses, as well as entries written specifically for this competition, are eligible for submission. (2) Each student may submit one paper. (3) Ideally, papers should be no more than 25 double-spaced pages in length, excluding bibliography, notes and figures.

Twelve-point font is preferred. Entries must be received by March 1,
2006. Papers should be submitted by e-mail to Todd Reynolds
(tjreynolds@ou.edu) or Maurizio Antoninetti (mantonin@mail.sdsu.edu).
If you have questions or concerns about the competition or the
suitability of a paper, please contact Todd or Maurizio. Entries will
be judged by a panel of reviewers, and their recommendation will be sent to the DSG Board for the final award decision.

Environmental Perception and Behavioral Geography
The Environmental Perception and Behavioral Geography Specialty Group (EP&BGSG) announces the 2006 Saarinen Student Paper Competition. The EP&BGSG will award a $200 prize for the best student paper, illustrated paper, or poster (graduate or undergraduate) presented in either environmental perception or behavioral geography at the 2006 AAG Annual Meetings in Chicago.
In addition, a maximum of five Travel Grants of $130 each are available to qualified applicants. Preference for the awarding of a Travel Grants will be: 1) any student who competes in the Saarinen Paper Competition; 2) any student presenting a paper in either environmental perception or behavioral geography at the annual meeting not competing in the Saarinen Paper Competition. Awardees must be in attendance at the Environmental Perception and Behavioral Geography Specialty Group business meeting.
For details on either award, to obtain the Saarinen Student Paper Competition application form, or to apply for a travel grant visit www.dean.usma.edu/geo/Geog/EPBG/index.htm. For questions contact Dave Lemberg via telephone (269-387-3408) or email lemberg@wmich.edu.

Environmental Perception and Behavioral Geography Specialty Group
In addition, a maximum of five Travel Grants of $130 each are available to qualified applicants. Preference for the awarding of a Travel Grants will be: 1) any student who competes in the Saarinen Paper competition; 2) any student presenting a paper in either environmental perception or behavioral geography at the annual meeting not competing in the Saarinen Paper competition. Awardees must be in attendance at the Environmental Perception and Behavioral Geography Specialty Group business meeting.
To apply for a Travel Grant, fill out an application form available from the EP&BGSG website at: http://www.dean.usma.edu/geo/Geog/EPBG/index.htm.
Send completed application form and manuscript to:
Dave Lemberg, 3529 Wood Hall, Department of Geography Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5424
For questions contact Dave Lemberg via telephone (269-387-3408) or e-mail (lemberg@wmich.edu)

Geography Education
The Geography Education Specialty Group (GESG) encourages students to participate in the GESG Student Paper Competition at the AAG Annual Meeting in Chicago. Students at all academic levels are encouraged to present their recent geography education research in specifically organized GESG Student Paper Sessions. Student meeting registration will be paid by the specialty group. Additionally, two $100 prizes will be awarded to the best papers. In order to be considered, students must contact Jan Smith by September 15, 2005. Submission and registration reimbursement details will be provided at that time. For any questions or for paper submission information, contact Jan Smith Department of Geography-Earth Science Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, PA jssmit@ship.edu (717-477-1757).

Geographic Information and Science and Systems
The Geographic Information and Science and Systems Specialty Group (GISSG) announces the 2006 Honors Competition for Student Papers on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) topics to be presented at the AAG Annual Meeting. The purpose of this competition is to promote scholarship and written and oral presentation by students in the field of GIS. Papers are invited from current graduate and undergraduate students on any topic in geographical information systems and geographic information science.
Any paper that advances any aspect of GIS is welcome. The GISSG especially encourages papers on theoretical, conceptual, and methodological developments in GIS rather than on particular applications. Papers must be based upon original work, completed as an undergraduate or graduate student, relevant to the field of GIS and current GIS research. Papers must be written entirely by the applicant. Students who are selected as finalists will be placed in a special session at the annual meeting.
Guidelines and submission requirements are posted at the GISSG Student Paper Competition webpage (www.geo.wvu.edu/~jmiller/AAG_GISSG.html). The deadline for abstract submission to this competition is September 22, 2005.
Please direct any questions to Jennifer Miller, GISSG Academic Councilor, jennifer.miller@mail.wvu.edu

Geography of Religions and Belief Systems
The Geography of Religions and Belief Systems (GORABS) Specialty Group announces the David E. Sopher New Scholar Award. The award serves to promote intellectual enquiry from new scholars into geographies of religions and belief systems through the presentation of papers at the AAG Annual Meeting. Both graduate students and untenured faculty who are not serving on the GORABS board can compete for the award. The 2006 award is a travel grant of $250 to be presented at the annual meeting. The recipient will also be given an official certificate at the AAG awards luncheon which they will attend as a guest with a GORABS representative. The paper must be presented at the AAG Annual Meeting in Chicago, so entrants must submit an abstract and registration for the meeting by October 13, 2005. Entrants must submit the full paper for review to GORABS by February 15, 2006. Details of the Sopher Award competition can be found on the GORABS website http://gorabs.org/.

Geographic Perspectives on Women

The Geographic Perspectives on Women specialty Group (GPOW) is pleased to announce the Jan Monk Service Award and the Glenda Laws student paper competition for the years 2005-2006.
Jan Monk Service Award: This award is named in honor of past-President of the AAG Jan Monk, to recognize a geographer who has made an outstanding service contribution to women in geography and/or feminist geography. To nominate someone for this award, please send the name of your nominee and a brief statement of support to the committee listed below by February 23rd, 2004.

Glenda Laws student paper competition. This Award is named in memory of Glenda Laws (1959-1996), who, among many other things, was a fabulous mentor to her undergraduate and graduate students. Both undergraduate and graduate students are welcome to participate in this competition, and two prizes are awarded. Papers must derive from and contribute to feminist research in geography. Papers presented at a regional or national geography meeting from March 2005 through March 2006 are eligible for consideration. Papers written for course work will also be considered. Papers should be double-spaced, 12-point font and not more than 15 pages in length. Theses and dissertations are not eligible for this competition.
To make this competition as successful as possible, it should be a community event. Faculty should encourage their students at all levels to enter the competition, and graduate students should encourage and mentor undergraduate students to submit papers.
The paper should have a title page with the student’s name, institution, level of study (BA/BS, MA, PhD), when and where the paper was/will be presented or the course title, term and year for which the paper was written. So that the judges may read the papers anonymously, do not include author’s name on the inside pages of the paper.
Those interested in participating should send a copy of their paper by e-mail as a .pdf .rtf or .txt file attachment to each of the following members of the paper competition committee by: February 23rd, 2006 to:
Contacts:
o Jennifer Mandel: jmandel@miami.edu
o Risa Whitson: whitson@ohio.edu

Please direct questions to: Risa Whitson, Department of Geography, Ohio University. Email: whitson@ohio.edu. Phone: (740) 593-1140

Graduate Student
The Graduate Student Affinity Group (GSAG) announces the 2006 GSAG Student Paper Competition. The competition seeks to promote the dissemination of student research through written and oral presentations by geography students. This year, the competition will be expanded to include an Undergraduate Paper Award in addition to the Graduate Paper Award. Papers are invited from current students on any topic and specialty area within geography.
Papers must be based upon original work and the primary author and presenter must be a student. The paper must be presented as part of the AAG Annual Meeting in Chicago, though it is not required to be part of a GSAG sponsored session. Students interested in participating must submit their abstract as per the AAG guidelines, and are required to send a copy of their abstract to the GSAG by October 13, 2005 and an electronic copy of their paper in full, including figures, to the GSAG by January 13, 2005. For details, visit http://gsag.geo.wvu.edu.

Historical Geography
Student members of the Historical Geography Specialty Group (HGSG) are invited to submit proposals for the HGSG Student Research Awards. The specialty group will grant two prizes in 2006. The award amounts will be $400 for research at the PhD level and $200 for research at the master’s level.
Students seeking funds to underwrite thesis or dissertation research may submit a two-page summary of their proposed research on a topic in historical geography. The statement should spell out the research question and how the field/archival work will benefit the completion of the project and specify the collection or field research site. The award may be used to cover travel and related research expenses. In addition to the two-page summary applicants must include a short budget of estimated expenses. The student's major advisor must also submit a supporting letter to the committee’s chair to verify that the student is making progress toward conducting the research. A two-page report on the project, to be published in Past Place, will be required upon completion of the funded portion of the project.
Please submit your two-page proposal with budget via email to each member of the HGSG Student Research Awards committee by February 1, 2006. Committee Members are: David Robertson, Chair (robertsd@geneseo.edu), Douglas Hurt (dhurt1@ucok.edu), and Ben Tillman (b.tillman@tcu.edu).

Human Dimensions of Global Change
Student members of the Human Dimensions of Global Change Specialty Group (HDGCSG) who are presenting research at an academic conference during the 2005-06 school year are encouraged to apply to the HDGCSG student travel award. Interested student members should submit a one-page statement on their proposed use of HDGCSG funds, and the research they are presenting.
Students are especially encouraged to apply for funds for the 6th Open Meeting of the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change Research Community to be held in Bonn, Germany, October 9-13, 2005. Applications will also be accepted for HDGCSG related research to be presented at other conferences. Review of applications will begin September 1, 2005.Contact: David L. Carr, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, 3611 Ellison Hall, UC Santa Barbara (UCSB), Santa Barbara, CA 93106-4060.

Indigenous
The Indigenous Peoples Specialty Group (IPSG) invites submissions for its annual Graduate Student Paper Competition. Graduate student papers eligible for this competition will address geographic research, education, cartography, theory and/or applications by, for and/or about Indigenous people(s). Papers will be evaluated on their overall contribution to new knowledge and understanding in the geographies of Indigenous peoples. The award for the top student paper includes a cash award of $150 and a one-year honorary student membership in the IPSG. To be eligible for this competition, papers must be presented at the 2006 Chicago AAG annual meeting, regional geography meetings or another professional conference. Students must submit a written manuscript of their conference paper for evaluation. Papers will be evaluated by IPSG board members, which include both faculty members and graduate students. The committee reserves the right not to award a prize if submissions are not of sufficient quality. Interested students should submit a copy of their conference paper electronically by March 1, 2006 or in person no later than March 7, 2006 to either of the IPSG co-chairs: Laura Smith at smithl@macalester.edu or Jay Johnson at jaytruman@earthlink.net. Any questions about the competition should also be directed to the co-chairs.

Population
The Population Specialty Group announces the Annual Student Paper Competition. The specifics of the PSG Student Paper Award are as follows: 1) Submit an extended abstract of approximately 1,000 words to Thomas J. Cooke via email (thomas.cooke@uconn.edu) by September 16, 2006. 2) The PSG Student Paper Award Committee will select between four and ten papers for the competition by the AAG paper submission deadline (October 13, 2006). Papers selected for the competition will be placed in one or two PSG-sponsored sessions at the AAG Annual Meeting and the authors will have their registration fees reimbursed by the PSG ($125 in 2005). 3) Final drafts of papers are due to Thomas J. Cooke via email (thomas.cooke@uconn.edu) by February 1, 2006. 4) The PSG Student Paper Award Committee will make a decision based primarily on the quality of the written paper and secondarily on the quality of the presentation. The PSG will offer prizes for first ($300), second ($200), and third ($100) place. Winners will be announced at the PSG Business Meeting. To be eligible for the award competitors must present the paper at the AAG Annual Meeting and attend the PSG Business Meeting.

Remote Sensing
The Remote Sensing Specialty Group (RSSG) announces the 2006 Best Paper Award for Young Scholars in Remote Sensing to be held in conjunction with the March 2006 AAG Annual Meeting. The award, begun in 2004, recognizes “exemplary research scholarship in remote sensing” by post-doctoral students and faculty in geography and allied fields. Qualified persons are invited to submit a brief application letter and a journal manuscript. Applicants must have earned their PhD degrees within the last five years and be a member of the RSSG. In addition to a $250 cash prize, the recipient’s paper will be published in Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing (PE&RS).
To apply, submit a PDF digital copy of your manuscript to the Chair of the RSSG Awards Committee by January 4, 2006. For full details and submission information visit www.aagrssg.org/ and click on “2006 Early Career Award.”

Remote Sensing, GIS, and Cartography
The Remote Sensing Specialty Group (RSSG) is pleased to announce the 2005-06 Remote Sensing, GIS, and Cartography Student Illustrated Paper Competition. Students at all academic levels are invited to submit illustrated papers that advance any aspect of remote sensing, GIS, or cartography. An illustrated paper is a poster accompanied by a short (3-5 minute) oral summary of the research problem, data, methods, and findings outlined in the accompanying poster. Illustrated papers must be based upon original work completed as an undergraduate or graduate student within the past academic year. The work must not have been published or presented elsewhere. Illustrated papers must be completed entirely by the applicant; however, thesis or dissertation advisors can be co-authors. Students selected as finalists will be placed in a special illustrated paper session at the Annual Meeting in Chicago. Posters and oral summaries will be judged on potential contribution to any of the sponsoring fields, originality, appropriate use of methodology, organization and composition, clarity, and appropriate use of graphics. Evaluation will take into account the academic level of the entrants. The deadline for abstract submission to this competition is September 22, 2005, three weeks prior to the final AAG abstract submission date. Additional information can be found on the RSSG website at www.aagrssg.org or by contacting Kelley O’Neal, Student Co-Director, at kelleyo@umd.edu.

Rural Geography
The Rural Geography Specialty Group (RGSG) invites students who will be presenting in any RGSG-sponsored session at the Chicago AAG meeting to enter the student paper competition. A $100 prize is awarded for the best student paper. The competition is open to both undergraduate and graduate students. To enter the competition, students must submit three copies of their abstract to Randall Wilson (address below) by March 1, 2006. Faculty are asked to encourage students who will be presenting a paper on agriculture, rural development, or rural land use to enter the competition. All students entering the competition will be required to submit a completed copy of their paper to the RG Awards Committee at the presentation in Chicago.
Paper abstracts must be received by March 1, 2006. Please send abstracts to: Randy Wilson, Department of Environmental Studies, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, PA 17325. Email: rwilson@gettysburg.edu.

Sexuality and Space
The Sexuality and Space Specialty Group (SSSG) announces the 2006 SSSG Student Paper Competition. Organizers seek excellent quality student papers that advance the study of sexuality and space. Any student currently enrolled in a master’s or doctoral degree program in geography or a related discipline may submit a paper. Papers are welcome from students at institutions outside the United States. Students do not have to present a paper at the 2006 AAG Annual Meeting.
Papers must be received by January 20, 2006 to be considered.
The first place author will receive a prize of $200. One honorable mention will also be made, with a prize of $100. Winners will be notified prior to the 2006 Annual Meeting of the AAG in Chicago, March 7-11. For full details visit the SSSG website at http://monsoon.geog.arizona.edu/~aagsxsp/.


Spatial Analysis Modelling

The Spatial Analysis and Modeling (SAM) Specialty Group of the Association of American Geographers is announcing TWO PAPER COMPETITIONS for the 2006 AAG Meeting in Chicago, IL. One competition will be a STUDENT PAPER COMPETITION for any research conducted while a student is at an accredited university. The second will be an EMERGING SCHOLAR PAPER COMPETITION for anyone within six years of his/her Ph.D. degree award at the time of the 2006 AAG meeting. Each competition will have a total minimum of $500 in prizes. The winner(s) will also be invited to submit the manuscript for publication in Geographical Analysis, subject to the standard review process of the Journal.

Papers may be of a theoretical or applied nature. Papers will be judged on the following criteria: i) potential contribution to the use of mathematical models, statistical techniques and other technological and computational approaches for analyzing spatial phenomena in any sub-field of geography; ii) appropriate and sound use of methodology; iii) originality; and, iv) organization and written composition of the paper.

Submission Procedures:

1) STUDENT PAPER COMPETITION: The paper must be a single authored paper based on research primarily conducted while a student was at an accredited university. The entrant needs not be a student at the time of the AAG meeting. EMERGING SCHOLAR COMPETITION: The paper must be a single authored paper whose author is within six years of his/her Ph.D. award from an accredited degree program at the time of the 2006 AAG meeting.

2) An entrant may only participate in one of the two competitions in a given year.

3) Entrants will present their papers in an AAG session sponsored or co sponsored by the SAM specialty group. Persons wishing to enter either paper competition should notify either Chair David Wong (dwong2@gmu.edu) or Vice-Chair Fahui Wang (fwang@niu.edu) before the AAG’s abstract deadline so that SAM officers can coordinate with the AAG and to place competition papers in appropriate sessions.

4) A panel of three judges will review the papers before the AAG meeting. The winner(s), if any, will be announced at the SAM specialty group business meeting and at the AAG Awards Luncheon; winners should be available to attend the Luncheon. The judges' decision, including the possibility of not awarding a prize, is final.

5) The final version of the paper must be received by FEBRUARY 1, 2006. The cover-page of the paper should contain the name, current affiliation, mailing address, phone number, email and "level" (for student paper competition; e.g., undergraduate, master's, Ph.D.) or place and year of Ph.D. degree (for emerging scholar competition). A second page should repeat the title and contain an abstract. No identifying information should appear anywhere else in the paper if possible.

6) Papers should be no longer than 35 double spaced pages, including tables, figures and references.

7) All entries should be submitted in MS Word or PDF to Fahui Wang (fwang@niu.edu)

Feel free to contact Fahui Wang (fwang@niu.edu) if you have any questions about either competition.

Qualitative Research

The Qualitative Research Specialty Group (QRSG) of the AAG is pleased to announce the student research grant competition for 2006. The QRSG will make 1 or 2 awards (depending on the quality and merit of the proposals submitted) of $500 to support students who are developing a research project from a qualitative methodology perspective. Both pre-dissertation and/or dissertation research proposals are welcome. Students can propose research to be conducted anytime through February, 2007.

The QRSG will consider research proposals on any subject of geographic inquiry as long as proposals a) clearly indicate the proposed research topic and aims and b) effectively approach such research problem and research question(s) from a qualitative perspective. Proposals should clearly demonstrate how and why (a) particular qualitative method(s) (such as, but not limited to: interviewing, archival research, participant observation, visual analysis, etc.) are suitable and needed to conduct the research project successfully. While the QRSG places particular emphasis on methodology, students should note that proposals also should exhibit a well-formulated theoretical framework, should be appropriately positioned in the pertinent and current geographic literature on the topic of choice, and should show the relevance of the proposed research to current geographic scholarship. Submissions also should include a simple budget indicating how funds will be used for conducting the research (for example, travel expenses, purchase of software or equipment, etc.) Proposals can range from 6 (minimum) to 12 (maximum) double-spaced pages, excluding figures, references and budget.

Deadline for submission of proposals is January 17th, 2005. Winners will be contacted shortly before the AAG annual meeting in Chicago in March 2006, where the winner(s) will be officially announced. Please send your proposal via email (PC Word file or pdf.) to Sasha.Davis@uvm.edu or mail 4 copies of it to Jeffrey Sasha Davis, Department of Geography, University of Vermont, 200 Old Mill, 94 University Pl. Burlington, VT 05405. Please include a cover letter clearly indicating your name, affiliation, status (e.g., M.A., Ph.D. student) and contact information.

Nominations Sought for A.K. Chakravarti Award for Best Student Paper on South Asia, 2006

Nominations are being requested for the Annual Regional Development and Planning/ Asian Geography Student Award. The Award has been made possible by the generosity of Aninda K. Chakravarti. Dr. Chakravarti is graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Professor Emeritus at the University of Saskatchewan. He is an active and noted researcher in the field of agriculture and nutrition focusing on South Asia. The Regional Development and Planning Specialty Group and Asian Specialty Group jointly administer the award. Student papers must deal with regional development and planning as well as be scheduled for presentation at the annual meetings of the AAG at Chicago this year. Manuscripts must be not more than 25 pages in length, double spaced and typed. This page limits includes maps and graphics. All papers should be submitted to Professor Jayati Ghosh, Division of Business, Dominican University of California, 50 Acacia Avenue, San Rafael, CA 94901, and Telephone: 415-457-4440, E-mail:mitraghoshj@excite.com. All manuscripts must be forwarded by the head/chairperson/faculty advisor of the applicant with a statement conforming student status. All papers should be received by February 15, 2006.

Nominations Sought for Best Regional Development and Planning Student Paper Award, 2006

Nominations are being requested for the Annual Regional Development and Planning Best Student Paper awarded by the Regional Development and Planning Specialty Group. Student papers must deal with regional development and planning as well as be scheduled for presentation at the annual meetings of the AAG at Chicago this year. Manuscripts must be not more than 25 pages in length, double spaced and typed. This page limits includes maps and graphics. All manuscripts must be forwarded by the head/chairperson/faculty advisor of the applicant with a statement conforming student status. All papers should be submitted to Professor Ashok Dutt, Department of Geography and Planning, University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325-5005, Phone: 330-972-7620, Fax: 330-972-6080 E-mail: dutt@uakron.edu. All papers should be received by February 15, 2006.

Urban Geography

The Urban Geography Specialty Group invites students to submit entries for the 2006 award, travel grant, and fellowship competitions. January 31, 2006 is the deadline for submissions for the Dissertation Award, Masters Thesis Award, and AAG Conference Travel Grants. Students are also encouraged to submit entries for the Student Paper Award and the UGSG Glenda Laws Undergraduate Award, both due February 15, 2006. Submission procedures are available in the specialty group newsletter, at www.uwm.edu/Dept/Geography/ugsg/.

Doctoral students are strongly encouraged to apply for a new series of Urban Geography Graduate Student Fellowships Each year, the specialty group will award one or more fellowships, each approximately $500, to support urban-oriented doctoral research. Fellowships are intended to provide targeted support at a relatively early stage of doctoral dissertation research – while also ensuring that award recipients have well-developed research proposals that have a high likelihood of completion. Fellowship support may be used for any reasonable expenses associated with a research proposal. Eligibility is limited to current student members of the Urban Geography Specialty Group who will have completed all Ph.D. requirements except the dissertation by the end of the semester or term in which any award is approved. Application deadline: January 31, 2006. Applications are available at www.uwm.edu/Dept/Geography/ugsg/, or by email from ewyly@geog.ubc.ca.

Water Resources
The Water Resources Specialty Group (WRSG) announces its annual set of student research competitions, and solicits nominations for the 2006 Distinguished Career Award in Water Resources.
Student awards include a paper competition at the undergraduate, master’s, and PhD levels ($100 each), a poster competition at the master’s and PhD levels (up to $300 each). Specific instructions for each student research competition may be found on the WRSG website at www.cas.sc.edu/geog/wrsg/Awards/Calls4Students.html. The deadline for all student competition submissions is January 15, 2006.
The WRSG Distinguished Career Award is presented to recognize and honor the meritorious achievements of professionals in the field of water resources. Recipients need not be AAG members or identify themselves specifically as geographers, but their research must be deemed of great importance and relevance to geographers. Furthermore, this research must be largely concerned with or applicable to water resources in the broad sense of that term. The research may extend over a period of several decades but should also include evidence of active scholarship in the past ten years. Specific instructions for submitting nominations for this award may be found on the WRSG website at www.cas.sc.edu/geog/wrsg/Awards/DistinguishedCareer.html. Nominations for the Distinguished Career Award must be received by January 10, 2006.
Send all correspondence and materials (preferably via email) to Dr. Christine McMichael, Chair, Awards Committee of the WRSG, Institute for Regional Analysis and Public Policy, 110F Combs Building, Morehead State University, Morehead, KY 40351, c.mcmichael@moreheadstate.edu. All submissions will be judged by the WRSG Awards Committee. Announcements of the awards will be made during the WRSG Business Meeting at the 2006 AAG Annual Meeting in Chicago.

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