Asian The Asian Geography Specialty Group (AGSG) wishes to announce its Annual Student Paper Competition. Students must be AGSG members, and papers must be presented at the 2005 AAG meeting in Denver at sessions sponsored by the AGSG. The AGSG expects to support two awards: a $250 prize for the best paper, and a $100 travel grant. Deadline for submission is February 1, 2005. Three copies of the paper should be sent to the AGSG Secretary/Treasurer: Dennis Wei, Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53201. Email: weiy@uwm.edu.

Biogeography The Biogeography Specialty Group will sponsor two annual awards to foster recognition of outstanding student research and encourage student participation in the meetings. Competition for the award is open to undergraduate and graduate students (including those receiving their Ph.D. within a year after the dissertation defense). The two awards will be given to the best Undergraduate / Masters student paper and to the best Ph.D. student paper. The student must be the sole author or the primary author of the paper, and must be the presenter at the meeting. Illustrated posters are eligible for the award. Judging criteria include the significance and originality of research question, the creativity and quality of the methodology, the validity of the conclusions drawn from the results, and the clarity of the presentation. If you wish to be considered for the award, please email the application form and a copy of the abstract that you sent to AAG for the 2005 Annual Meeting to Joy Wolf at: wolf@uwp.edu or send to: Dr. Joy Wolf Department of Geography 900 Wood Road University of Wisconsin - Parkside Kenosha, WI 53403 Confirmation of receipt of your application will be sent by email. THE APPLICATION FORM AND ABSTRACT MUST BE RECEIVED BY JANUARY 31, 2005. Further inquiries can be made to Dr. Joy Wolf: wolf@uwp.edu The aim of the Biogeography Specialty Group (BSG) graduate student research grant competition is to provide partial support for graduate students to conduct quality biogeographic research projects for their master's thesis or doctoral dissertation. The awards are competitive, and proposals are judged individually on the basis of: (1) scientific merit of the project, including biogeographic significance of the research question and quality of the methodology; (2) organization and clarity of the proposal; and (3) qualifications of the student to conduct the proposed work. Each applicant must be a student member of the AAG, and the proposed project should be part of her/his thesis or dissertation research. Normally, awards are made to one master's and one doctoral student each year. Applicants may join the AAG now and become eligible for the grants competition if not already a student member. A committee of four biogeographers from different institutions will evaluate the proposals. Applications must be postmarked or electronically transmitted (preferred) by January 18, 2005. Announcement of the awards will be made at the BSG business meeting at the AAG Annual Meeting in Denver. See the AAG Web site at www.aag.org or the Fall 2004 issue of the BSG Newsletter at www.departments.bucknell.edu/geography/The_Biogeographer/ for application instructions and cover sheet. Please contact Lesley Rigg at the Northern Illinois University (Phone: 815-753-6838; E-mail: lrigg@niu.edu) for more information. Application Instructions: Each applicant should submit a proposal according to the following format: (1) Cover page-Please complete the application form (see the AAG Web site at http://www.aag.org or the Fall 2003 issue of BSG Newsletter at http://www.departments.bucknell.edu/geography/The_Biogeographer/) . The form must be signed by the student's advisor (or provide advisor's e-mail address if application is submitted electronically) to certify that the information is correct. (2) Project description-This section should contain a clear description of the research objectives, the expected significance, and the research methodology. The text should not exceed two single-spaced pages. Cite the most relevant publications.(3) List of cited references. (4) Itemized budget and budget justification-Note: No salaries or indirect costs are allowed-only direct costs such as travel expenses and essential field supplies. The awards are usually $700 for doctoral work and $300 for Master's work. (5) One-page student vitae. Proposals may be submitted in one of two ways. If submitting electronically (the preferred method), please e-mail the application as a Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, or rich text format (.rtf) file to: lrigg@niu.edu. If submitting a hard copy of the proposal, please send four copies to: Lesley S. Rigg, Department of Geography, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115-2895.

Canadian Studies The Canadian Studies Specialty Group (CSSG) will announce the winners of its 2005 student paper competition at the Denver meeting of the AAG. The competition is open to anyone who presents a paper on Canada, transborder issues (Canada/U.S.), and transnational issues concerning Canada at the 2005 Annual Meeting of the AAG or the Canadian Association of Geographers (CAG). The paper must be developed from graduate research (master's or Ph.D. level) and cannot be under review or accepted for publication by any peer-reviewed journal. Applicants must join the CSSG upon entry. The authors of the top four papers selected from the applicant pool will be expected to present their paper at the CSSG Student Paper Competition session at the 2005 AAG meeting in Denver. When conditions warrant, those students unable to travel to Denver will have their papers read by a member of the CSSG Awards Committee. The winning paper will receive a cash prize of $300 and two consolation prizes of $100 each will also be awarded. Three copies of the paper must be received by the awards committee chair no later than December 19, 2004. The paper is limited to 8,000 words of text and must also include (1) name, (2) title, (3) institutional affiliation, (4) status, (5) contact information, (6) four keywords that describe the paper, and (7) a 150-word abstract. Please refer to the submission details of the Annals of the AAG for style requirements; failure to submit papers in correct format will result in disqualification. Forward the complete package to Soren Larsen, CSSG Awards Committee Chair, Department of Geology and Geography, Box 8149, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30460-8149; phone 912-681-0846; or email sclarsen@ georgiasouthern.edu. The final four contestants will be notified by email regarding their participation in the CSSG Paper Competition Session by January 19, 2005. Please address questions to Soren Larsen via email or by phone at 912-681-0846

Cartography, GIS and Remote Sensing Students at all academic levels are invited to submit illustrated papers that advance any aspect of cartography and/or geospatial digital technologies to the 2005 Cartography and Geospatial Digital Technologies Student Illustrated Paper Competition. 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/ dissertation advisors can be co-authors. Students who are selected as finalists will be placed in a special illustrated paper session at the AAG Annual Meeting. 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. Students who are interested should electronically submit (1) an abstract and (2) a copy of the email receipt received from the AAG online abstract submission process. The deadline for abstract submission to this competition is October 7, two weeks prior to the final AAG abstracts submission date. Additional information on awards, poster formats and oral summary formats will be posted at the Web page for the AAG Annual Meeting call for papers, the RSSG student stuff Web page www.aagrssg.org/studstff.html, the Cartography Specialty Group Web page www.csun.edu/%7Ehfgeg003/csg/activities.html, and the GIS Specialty Group Web page www.cla.sc.edu/gis/ aaggis/aag 2005/index.html. Questions may be directed to Christine Erlien, Department of Geography, Campus Box 3220 - Saunders Hall, UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3220. Email: erlien@email.unc.edu.

China The China Geography Specialty Group (CGSG) sponsors an annual award to recognize a distinguished student research and paper presentation in a CGSG sponsored session at the AAG Annual Meeting. The competition is open to both undergraduate and graduate students. The student must be the sole author and presenter and must submit her abstract to the AAG Annual Meeting. The best paper will receive a $250 prize, an award certificate, and a prepaid lunch at the AAG Awards Banquet. A travel award of $50 will go to the first runner-up. A committee of faculty from the CGSG will evaluate the papers based on the soundness and creativity of the research design and methodology; validity of conclusions, and quality of the presentation. The award will be announced at the business meeting of the CGSG in Denver, and published in the CGSG and AAG newsletters. To be considered for the competition, authors should email a copy of the paper title and abstract (one page) to the chair of CGSG along with an expression of intent to participate in the competition by October 10, 2004. Authors must register for the AAG Annual Meeting. The CGSG will include the student presentations in proper sessions. Include author's name, academic level (undergraduate, master's, or doctoral), academic institution, department or program, current address, phone number, and email. An electronic version of the full paper, in Word format (no more than 25 pages, double spaced, and 12-point font size), must reach the chair no later than March 5, 2005. Send correspondence and questions to CGSG Chair Yifei Sun at Yifei.sun@csun.edu .

Coastal and Marine Full-time or part-time undergraduate or graduate students may compete for the Student Paper Merit Award or Student Illustrated Paper Award if they (1) are the first or sole author of an oral paper concerning coastal or marine geography which they will be presenting - in either of the two formats - at the 2005 annual AAG meeting, (2) are a member of the AAG and of the Coastal and Marine Specialty Group, (3) followed AAG guidelines for submitting abstracts and registering, and (4) have submitted to the session organiser the completed application form, a copy of the abstract, and the assigned PIN number, to be received by 21 October 2004. Poster presentations are not eligible. Papers are judged both on content and on the quality of the presentation. Student Paper Merit Award candidates will present in a special session organised by the specialty group. The award consists of a $100 grant to be used to defray AAG and Coastal and Marine Specialty Group membership dues and travel expenses to the annual meeting as well as an award certificate. Follow the program participation guidelines outlined on the AAG web site (http://www.aag.org/annualmeetings/Denver2005/call_4_papers.cfm) as an individual participating in a sponsored/ special paper session. In addition, complete the application form on the CoMa web site (http://www.homestead.com/aag_coma/files/student.html) and send it with your abstract and PIN to Diane Horn (d.horn@bbk.ac.uk). .

Cultural Geography The Cultural Geography Specialty Group (CGSG) is sponsoring a Graduate Student Research Grant Competition and a Student Paper Competition. The (CGSG) Graduate Student Research Grant Competition aims to provide a measure of support for graduate students to conduct high quality research projects for their master's thesis or doctoral dissertation. The awards are competitive, and applications are judged individually on the basis of: (1) scholarly merit of the project, including cultural geographic significance of the research question and quality of the methodology; (2) organization and clarity of the proposal; and (3) qualifications of the student to conduct the proposed work. Each applicant must be a student member of the AAG and the CGSG at the time of the award, and the proposed project should be part of her/his thesis or dissertation research. Normally, awards are made to one master's and one doctoral student each year. Awards are $500 for doctoral work and $500 for master's research and they may not be made in years when proposals are not suitable. Entries undergo review by the specialty group's awards committee. Six copies of the application must be received by the awards committee chair no later than November 14, 2004. The application consists of a 500-word proposal accompanied by a cover letter, an itemized budget, and a curriculum vitae. The proposal should present the research question, outline the methods and data employed, and summarize the expected results. The winners of the grant competition will be contacted on or about January 15, 2005. The CGSG Student Paper Competition is open to anyone who presents a cultural-geographic paper at a professional meeting between March 19, 2004 and April 9, 2005. The paper need not be presented at the AAG Annual Meeting but must be developed from graduate research. Prizes for the best master's paper and best Ph.D. student paper will be awarded. Ph.D. students who present a paper based on their M.A. or M.S. are eligible for the master's competition. Doctors who present a paper based on their Ph.D. work are eligible for the doctoral competition. Entries undergo blind review by a committee of faculty and student geographers. Winning papers will receive a cash prize of $350. Judges have the choice of awarding an honorable mention at the master's and doctoral level, although this award may not carry any prize money. Papers entered in other specialty group competitions remain eligible for a CGSG award. Six copies of the paper must be received by the awards committee chair at the address below no later than January 7, 2005. The text of the paper is limited to twelve double-spaced, typed pages. The winners of the paper competition will be contacted prior to the Denver meeting and invited to attend the awards luncheon with the CGSG chair. They will be officially announced at the AAG's Denver meeting. For both competitions do not use a font size less than twelve-point and there should be no margin less than one inch on the page. Include a cover letter with the author's name, competition level (master's or doctoral), academic institution, department or program, current address, phone number, and email. For the paper competition, also include the name and date of the professional meeting where the paper was or will be delivered. For the grant competition include your advisor's contact information. Forward the complete package to Soren Larsen, CGSG Awards Committee Chair, Department of Geology and Geography, Box 8149, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30460-8149; phone 912-681-0846; email sclarsen@georgiasouthern.edu. Please address questions to Soren Larsen.

Disability Students are encouraged to submit papers relevant to issues in geography and disability to the 2005 Disability Specialty Group (DSG) Student Paper Competition. The goals of the award are to encourage student participation and to recognize outstanding papers that students have presented at conferences. The successful student will receive a cash prize of $75, a year's membership to the DSG, and a ticket to the AAG Awards Luncheon. Students do not have to be a current member of the DSG or attend the 2005 AAG conference to participate. Papers presented at any conference in 2004 or scheduled to be presented at the 2005 AAG conference are eligible. Each student may submit only one paper. Papers should be fifteen to twenty, double-spaced pages including all notes and figures. Twelve-point font is preferred. A cover letter should accompany all entries and contain: current title of the paper and a brief abstract (no more than 100 words), author and co-authors' names, academic affiliation, faculty advisor for the paper, mailing address, email address, and phone number. All entries must be received by January 14, 2005. Email submission is preferable; if this is not feasible, hard copies may be sent by mail. Both student representatives (reps) must receive a copy of the entry. One student rep will acknowledge the receipt by both student reps. Rep 1: Todd Reynolds, email tjreynolds@ou.edu or fax 405-325-6090. Rep 2: Maurizio Antoninetti, email mantonin@mail.sdsu. edu or phone 619-594-2776. Students considering submitting are advised to contact both the DSG reps by email with any questions or concerns. One student rep will get back to you. Reviewers will be secured and their recommendations will be sent to the DSG Board for the final award decision. If the DSG Board feels that no paper merits an award, this will be announced at the DSG Business Meeting. Winner(s) will be announced and the cash award presented at the 2005 Disability Specialty Group Business Meeting in Denver. Winners will also be acknowledged on the DSG Web site. Full details on the student paper competition are available at the DSG Web site (http://courses.temple.edu/neighbor/ service/disability&geography.html).

Energy and Environment The Energy and Environment Specialty Group (EESG) is sponsoring two awards for the 2005 Annual Meeting of the AAG in Denver: the Daniel B. Luten Award for the best paper by a professional geographer, and the Earl Cook Award for the best paper by a student. Each award includes a $250 prize, an engraved plaque, and formal announcement at the AAG meeting. The requirements for the awards are: paper topics must be on energy, environment, or a mix of the two; papers must be delivered verbally at the AAG meeting in Denver; a letter of intent (including title and abstract) must be submitted by October 22, 2004; and four copies of the completed paper (in MSWord format) should be submitted electronically no later than February 1, 2005. Papers will be judged by a panel of experts within the EESG. Send correspondence and papers to Martin J. (Mike) Pasqualetti, Chair, Awards Committee of the EESG, Department of Geography, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ. Email is preferred for all correspondence, including letter of intent and completed paper to: pasqualetti@asu.edu.

Environmental Perception and Behavioral Geography The Environmental Perception and Behavioral Geography Specialty Group (EP&BGSG) announces the 2005 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 2005 AAG Annual Meeting in Denver. In addition, a maximum of five travel grants of $85 each are available to qualified applicants who enter the Saarinen Student Paper Competition. To receive a travel grant, a student must (a) complete a Saarinen Student Paper Competition application form, (b) present their research at the Denver AAG convention, and (c) appear at the Denver business meeting of the EP&BGSG to receive the grant. Entrants in the Saarinen Student Paper Competition must also submit a maximum twenty-five-page version of their work. Papers must be based upon original research done as an undergraduate or graduate student and must be written entirely by the applicant. All submissions will be judged on written clarity, methodological soundness, and contribution to the field of EP&BG. The Academic Directors of the EP&BGSG will judge all entries. The deadline for receiving your Saarinen Competition application form and your paper submission is Friday, February 11, 2005. To apply for the Saarinen Student Paper Competition and Travel Grant, fill out an application form available from the EP&BGSG Web site at: www.dean.usma.edu/geo/Geog/EPBG/index.htm. Alternately, contact Dave Lemberg, 3529 Wood Hall, Department of Geography, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5424; phone 269-387-3408; email lemberg@wmich.edu; or Scott Freundschuh, Department of Geography, University of Minnesota-Duluth, Duluth, MN 55821; phone 218-726-6226; email sfreunds@d.umn.edu.

Ethics, Justice and Human Rights The Ethics, Justice, and Human Rights Specialty Group (EJHRSG) announces its fifth annual Student Paper Competition. One $200 award will be made to the best graduate or undergraduate geography paper that directly addresses geographic dimensions of ethics, justice, and/or human rights. The paper may be no longer than twenty-five double-spaced pages, exclusive of references, tables, and figures. Please send papers as MS Word attachments to Malcolm Cutchin (mpcutchi@utmb.edu) by February 25, 2005. Papers will be judged by an EJHRSG panel. The winner will be announced at the EJHRSG business meeting in Denver and at the AAG Awards Banquet. In addition to the monetary award, the SG will pay for the winner's ticket to the awards luncheon. The winning paper will be posted on the EJHRSG Web site.

European The European Specialty Group (ESG) welcomes submissions of student papers on any aspect of European geography. Submissions must have been written during the 2004 calendar year. The winner of the award will be presented with a check for $250, as well as a letter of award from the ESG. The paper must be based on original work done as a graduate or undergraduate student. Guidelines for the award are as follows: (1.) Submissions must be postmarked by January 1, 2005. (2.) Students at all academic levels are encouraged to submit work for consideration. AAG and ESG membership is encouraged but not required. (3.) Judging by the ESG board of directors will take into account the academic level of each entrant. Submissions will be judged on clarity, methodological, empirical and/or theoretical soundness, and the contribution made to the literature on European geography. Winners are encouraged to submit their entries to professional journals for publication. (4.) Entries must be research papers; complete theses or dissertations will not be considered. Papers must not be longer than fifteen pages of text (exclusive of introductory, bibliographic, graphic, and other materials as requested below). (5.) Submissions may be made via email or hard copy sent to each of the judges. (6.) Award winners will be announced, and prizes presented at the ESG Business Meeting in Denver. Format: (1.) The paper must begin with a title page giving the title, author's name and academic level, date when the paper was completed, and a complete mailing address. Co-authored papers will be considered as long as each author is a student. In the case of co-authored papers, the title page must include the requested information for each of the authors. (2.) A short abstract should appear on page two, defining the problem, methodology, and results of the study in no more than 250 words. (3.) The listing of references cited should immediately follow the text. Within the text, use a standard format for citation that includes the authors' last names, the date of publication, and the page referenced, if applicable. (4.) Figures and tables must be referenced in the text and should appear in order immediately following the reference section. Both figures and tables should have captions. Submissions should be sent to: Michelle Behr (behrm@cs.wnmu.edu), Department of Social Sciences, 1000 W. College Avenue Western New Mexico University, Silver City, NM 88061 USA; Darren Purcell (purcelldarren@netscape. net), 123 East 7th Ave., Havana, FL 32333-1619 USA; and Robert Kerr (kerrr@uwplatt.edu), Department of Geography, 1 University Plaza University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Platteville, WI 53818 USA.

Ethnic Geography The Ethnic Geography Specialty Group is pleased to sponsor its annual dissertation proposal competition. The winner will receive a $250 prize, an award certificate, a ticket to the AAG awards luncheon in Denver, as well as formal recognition at the luncheon and in the AAG Newsletter.

Requirements:
(1) Ph.D. students who have successfully defended their dissertation proposals may participate in this competition. Please ask your advisor to send a note (e-mail is fine) to the EGSG Dissertation Proposal Competition Chair to verify your ABD status.
(2) The dissertation topic must explore some aspect of ethnic geography.
(3) Please submit via email the actual written dissertation proposal. If there are essential graphics which cannot be e-mailed, these may be sent via regular mail.
(4) The papers must be received no later than February 28th, 2005.
(5) Please submit proposals to Dr. Heather Smith, heatsmit@email.uncc.edu

For further information related to guidelines, please contact: Dr. Heather Smith, EGSG Dissertation Proposal Competition Chair, Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Phone: (704) 687-4338, Email: heatsmit@email.uncc.edu

Geography of the Bible The Geography of the Bible Specialty Group (BGSG) of the AAG is seeking student papers to be given at the Denver meeting for consideration in the Amy Mather Student Award Competition. Papers submitted will be judged by a BGSG committee and must be presented at the Denver meeting. Award recipient(s) will be recognized at the AAG Awards Luncheon with a check and a certificate. Information and the application form are available from any BGSG member. A completed application form, a copy of the AAG pre-registration form, a hard copy of the paper, and a disk or email copy of the paper should be sent by October 1, 2004 to: William A. Dando, Chairperson, Geography of the Bible Specialty Group, Senior Scholars Academy (CN 401), Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809.

Geography Education The Geography Education Specialty Group (GESG) supports two annual awards to foster recognition of outstanding student research and encourage student participation at the annual meeting of the AAG. Competition for the award is open to undergraduate and graduate students. Student papers will be placed in special sessions at the AAG Annual Meeting organized by the Geography Education Specialty Group. All participants will have their registration paid to the AAG Annual Meeting in Denver, April 5-9, 2005. Additionally, $100 will be awarded to each winner and the SG will pay for the winners to attend the awards luncheon. Students must submit an abstract to the AAG. Additionally, your abstract and Program Identification Number (PIN) must be sent to Jan Smith at jssmit@ship.edu by September 20, 2004. A five to ten page summary of the paper is due to the GESG Awards committee no later than March 5, 2005. If you have any questions about these awards, please contact Jan Smith at the above email address.

Geography of Religions and Belief Systems The David E. Sopher New Scholar Award of the Geography of Religions and Belief Systems (GORABS) Specialty Group promotes intellectual inquiry from new scholars into geographies of religions and belief systems through the presentation of papers at the AAG Annual Meeting. Papers will be judged on potential contribution to the field of geography of religions and belief systems, organization, and written composition. Both graduate students and untenured faculty who are not serving on the GORABS board can apply for the award. The amount for the 2005 award is a travel grant of $250. 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. A check will be disbursed to the winner at the 2005 GORABS Business Meeting during the AAG conference. The paper and application form must be emailed to the GORABS chair in RichText or Microsoft Word format no later than midnight, February 15, 2005. The paper must subsequently be presented at the AAG Annual Meeting, though it does not have to be in a GORABS sponsored session. A panel of previous GORABS chairs will judge the papers and determine a recipient. The winner will be announced in time to attend the awards luncheon as a guest of GORABS. GORABS reserves the right to not make an award in a given year. For more information please contact the present GORABS chair, Michael Ferber, at MFerber@geo.wvu.edu.

GIS The GIS Specialty Group is pleased to announce the 2005 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. We especially encourage papers on theoretical, conceptual, and methodological developments in GIS rather than on particular applications. Papers must be based on original work, completed as an undergraduate or graduate student entirely by the applicant. Students who are selected as finalists will be placed in a special session at the annual meeting. For additional information and application procedures, please visit www.geog.ucsb.edu/~sara/html/research/gissg/. The deadline for abstract submission is September 20, 2004.

Graduate Student Affinity Group The Graduate Student Affinity Group (GSAG) is pleased to announce the 2005 Graduate Student Paper Competition. The competition seeks to promote the dissemination of graduate student research through written and oral presentations by students in the field of geography. Papers are invited from current graduate 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 graduate student. Papers will be judged by members of the GSAG board solely on the basis of the written document. The paper must be presented as part of the AAG Annual Meting in Denver, 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 21, 2004 and an electronic copy of their paper in full, including figures, to the GSAG by February 1, 2005. For details, please visit http://gsag.geo.wvu.edu.

Hazards The Hazards Specialty Group (HSG)announces the Jeanne X. Kasperson Student Paper Competition (for the Denver AAG Annual Meeting in 2005) and the Gilbert F. White Award. The HSG invites students (graduate and undergraduate) who plan to participate in the Denver meeting to apply for the Jeanne X. Kasperson Student Paper Competition by submitting a 1,000-word abstract of the paper they propose to present to the specialty group chair by August 15, 2004. 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 Newsletter 25 www.aag.org Volume 39, Number 7 about participation may be made in response to, or in lieu of, the outcome of the competition. The HSG also encourages students writing Ph.D. dissertations and master's theses to consider applying for the Gilbert F. White Award, which is awarded to the author of an outstanding hazards thesis or dissertation completed within the previous two years. Recipients of the White Award receive $500, a plaque, and an autographed copy of White's two volume Geography, Resources, and Environment. Awards will be made at the Denver AAG Annual Meeting; applications must be received no later than February 1, 2005. Please send abstracts for Kasperson award, applications for the White award, and direct all questions to Jerry Mitchell, HSG Chair, Department of Geography, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29205; or phone 803-777-1699.

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 2005. The award amounts will be $400 for research at the Ph.D. level, and $200 for research at the master's level. The award may be used to cover travel and related research expenses. 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 and a short budget of estimated expenses. 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 student's major advisor must 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, 2004. Committee members are: Jeffrey Smith (Chair) (jssmith7@ksu.edu), David Robertson (robertsd@geneseo.edu), and Douglas Hurt (dhurt@csufresno.edu).

Indigenous People 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 2005 Denver 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 30, 2005 or in person no later than April 5, 2005 to either of the IPSG co-chairs: Laura Smith at smithl@macalester.edu or Jay Johnson at jay.johnson@canterbury.ac.nz. Any questions about the competition should also be directed to the co-chairs.

Latin America The Latin America Specialty Group will again hold a student paper competition for the 2005 Annual Meeting of the AAG. Prizes may be awarded in two divisions: the Ph.D. and master's levels. First prize is $400, and second prize is $250. The competition is open to all students presenting a paper on an approved Latin America topic at the AAG Annual Meeting in Denver. Papers submitted for the competition are not due until January 15, 2005. However, students and advisors are reminded that the deadline for paper proposals is October 21, 2004. Proposals should be sent as attachments to David Robinson at drobins@maxwell.syr.edu who will forward them to the Paper Prize Committee. Please check the specialty group Web pages for more details: http://sites.maxwell.syr.edu/clag/lasg.htm.

Medical Geography Specialty Group's (MGSG) Jaques May Thesis Prize Description: The Medical Geography Specialty Group (MGSG) will announce the winners of the 2005 Jaques May Thesis Prize at the Denver meeting of the Association of American Geographers. Since 1985 the prize has been awarded to the best masters and doctoral theses addressing themes in medical geography broadly defined. Theses will be judged on their contribution to the field, their methodological approach, organization, and written composition. Eligibility: Students planning on submitting a thesis for consideration need to contact the prize coordinator by December 1. Please include the following information: full name, address, telephone and fax numbers, email address, department and university affiliation, name of the student’s thesis advisor, current title of the thesis and a brief abstract. This information will be used to secure reviewers. Then three (3) copies of the complete thesis will need to be received by mail before the submission deadline: December 15, 2004. Jaques May Prize Coordinator 2004 - 2005: Michael L. Dorn Institute on Disabilities, 423 Ritter Annex 1301 Cecil B. Moore Ave. Temple University Philadelphia, PA 19122 Tel. 215 204-3373 Fax. 215 204-6336 E-mail: mdorn@temple.edu Award: The winners will receive an official certificate at the AAG awards luncheon and a cash award. Disbursement: A check will be disbursed to the winner at the 2005 Medical Geography Specialty Group Business Meeting in Denver, Colorado.

Recreation, Tourism, and Sport The Recreation, Tourism, and Sport (RTS) Specialty Group of the AAG welcomes submissions for its 2005 Student Paper Competition. Student-authored and presented papers for the 2005 AAG Annual Meeting that address topics germane to recreation, tourism, or sport geography are eligible for consideration. Entrants must be members of the AAG. A paper abstract should be emailed to the RTS Chair, Deborah Che, at deborah.che@ wmich.edu by October 8, 2004. The final written paper is due on March 21, 2005. For additional information on the paper competition guidelines, please see www.geog.nau.edu/rts/stu-ppr.html.

Regional Development and Planning and Asian Geography The Regional Development and Planning Specialty Group (RDPSG) and Asian Geography Specialty Group (AGSG) of the AAG are pleased to announce the 2005 A.K. Chakravarti Student Paper Award. The award has been made possible by the generosity of Aninda K. Chakravarti. Chakravarti is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and professor emeritus at the University of Saskatchewan. He has been an active researcher in the field of agriculture and nutrition focusing on South Asia. The student must be the sole author or primary author of the paper and must present at the meeting. The winning paper will receive a cash prize of $200. Paper should be limited to fifteen double-spaced, typed pages. Font size should be twelve-point and page margins should be one inch. Three copies of the paper should be received by February 1, 2005. The paper must include the following: name, institutional affiliation, status, contact information, and abstract. All manuscripts must be forwarded by the head/chairperson/faculty advisor of the applicant with a statement confirming student status. All papers should be submitted to Jayati Ghosh, Division of Business, Dominican University of California, 50 Acacia Avenue, San Rafael, CA 94901. Phone: 415-485-3238; fax: 415-459-3206, or email: jghosh@dominican.edu.

Remote Sensing The Remote Sensing Specialty Group (RSSG) of the AAG announces the 2004- 05 Honors Competition for Student Papers. Students at all academic levels are invited to submit original research on all topics in the field of remote sensing. Research must have been completed within the past academic year, during the author's undergraduate or graduate studies, and can include thesis and dissertation topics. Papers must be written entirely by the applicant however, thesis and dissertation advisors can be co-authors on the papers. Papers will be presented at the AAG's 2005 Annual Meeting. Students who are interested should electronically submit (1) an extended abstract, (2) the advisor's form, and (3) a copy of the email receipt received from the AAGonline abstract submission process.* Guidelines for the extended abstract and advisor's form are posted at the RSSG student stuff Web page(www.aagrssg.org/ ). The deadline for abstract submission to this competition is September 30, 2004, three weeks prior to the final AAG abstracts submission date, to allow non-finalists to be placed in other sessions of their choice. Up to fifteen finalists will be chosen. First, second, and third place awards will be determined immediately following the competition sessions and awarded at the awards luncheon. The prizes are: $500 for the first place paper, $250 for second place, and $150 for third place. An undergraduate award may also be made to an outstanding undergraduate researcher. The awards luncheon fee will be covered for all winners. The committee reserves the right to not offer such prizes if the papers are not of appropriate quality. Papers will be evaluated on content, research design and overall quality. Presentations will be evaluated on the content, visual aids, and overall presentation quality. The academic level of the entrants will be taken into account during the evaluation process. Submit all materials by email to the RSSG Student Co-Director Christine Erlien at: erlien@email.unc.edu. Please use "2005 AAG-RSSG Student Honors Paper Competition" as the email subject line. The advisor's form may be submitted separately. You will not be considered for the competition without submitting this information to the RSSG student codirector by the deadline above. For additional information contact Christine Erlien, Department of Geography, Campus Box, 3220 - Saunders Hall, UNC - Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3220. *Before you can submit an extended abstract to the RSSG competition, you must submit a 250-word abstract to the AAG at www.aag.org. Note that the AAG abstract is a different abstract format than the competition extended abstract.

Rural Geography The Rural Geography Specialty Group (RGSG) Awards Committee seeks nominations for the John Fraser Hart Award for Research Excellence, the Donald Q. Innis Award, the RGSG Student Paper Competition, and the Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Rural and Agricultural Geography. For all awards except the student award, scholars must be members of both the AAG and RG. Candidates may be nominated by any AAG member. The John Fraser Hart Award was established to recognize the contributions of John Fraser Hart and is presented to recognize a scholar who has achieved and maintained excellence in the fields of agricultural and/or rural geography research. Nominees are requested to submit two copies of their current curriculum vitae and the names and addresses of three referees to the awards committee. The committee's recommendation will be forwarded to the RGSG Board of Directors for a final decision. The award winner will receive an engraved plaque and will be honored at the RGSG Business Meeting and at the AAG Awards Luncheon. Please send nominations by January 1, 2005. The Donald Q. Innis Award was established to recognize the contributions of Donald Q. Innis and is presented to recognize research excellence in rural development. Nominees will be requested to submit two copies (one paper and one electronic) of the publication to be considered to the awards committee. The committee's recommendation will be forwarded to the RG Board of Directors for a final decision. The award winner will receive an engraved plaque and be an honored guest at the RGSG Business Meeting and at the AAG Awards Luncheon. Please send nominations by January 1, 2005. The RGSG invites students who will be presenting in any RGSG-sponsored session at the Denver AAG Annual Meeting to enter the RGSG 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 Kenneth Dagel (address below) by March 1, 2005. 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 RGSG Awards Committee at the presentation in Denver. Paper abstracts must be received by March 1, 2005. The RGSG Awards Committee also seeks nominations for the Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Rural and Agricultural Geography. The award was established to recognize individuals whose accomplishments have distinguished them at a level above and beyond their peers. Nominees will be requested to submit two copies of their current curriculum vitae and the names and addresses of three referees to the awards committee. The committee's recommendation will be forwarded to the RGSG Board of Directors for a final decision. The award winner will receive an engraved plaque and be the guest of honor at a RGSG reception. Please send nominations in by January 1, 2005. All awards nominations and materials should be sent to: Kenneth C. Dagel, Department of History, Philosophy, and Geography, Missouri Western State College, 4525 Downs Drive, St. Joseph, MO 64507; or email dagelke@mwsc.edu.

Remote Sensing (Early Career) In recognition of the 100th Anniversary of the AAG in 2004, the Remote Sensing Specialty Group (RSSG) established an inaugural competition and award to recognize "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 for the 2nd annual (2005) Early Career Award in Remote Sensing. Applicants must have earned their Ph.D. degrees within the last five years and be a member of the RSSG. The competition will be held in conjunction with the 2005 AAG meeting in Denver. In addition to a $250 cash prize, the recipient's paper will be published in Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing (PE&RS). The competition will be solely based on the quality and scientific merit of a submitted manuscript that must be prepared in accordance with the format and paper length limitations of the PE&RS journal. Multi-authored manuscripts are fine; but the applicant should be the first author, and should also submit a statement indicating that she/he is responsible for over 50% of the research and writing of the paper. Manuscripts will be reviewed by the RSSG Awards Committee and selected external reviewers. Please note that the RSSG reserves the right to make no award, should none of the submissions be deemed to be of sufficient quality. To apply, send a PDF digital copy of your manuscript to the Doug Stow, chair of the RSSG Awards Committee at stow@mail.sdsu.edu (Department of Geography, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182-4493) by January 15, 2005. Please send digital copy on CD by postal mail if greater than six megabytes. The award will be announced at the business meeting of the RSSG and recognized at the AAG Awards Luncheon.

Spatial Analysis and Modeling The Spatial Analysis and Modeling (SAM) Specialty Group of the AAG announces two paper competitions for the 2005 AAG Annual Meeting in Denver. 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 at the time of the 2005 AAG meeting. Each competition will have a total 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 and will be judged on the following criteria: (1) 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; (2) appropriate and sound use of methodology; (3) originality; and (4) organization and written composition of the paper. For the student paper competition papers must be a single-authored and 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. For the emerging scholar competition papers must be single-authored by an author within six years of his/her Ph.D. from an accredited degree program at the time of the 2005 AAG meeting. Entrants may only participate in one of the two competitions in a given year. 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) shortly after the AAG's abstract deadline so that SAM officers can coordinate with the AAG to place competition papers in appropriate sessions. 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.

Transportation The Transportion Geography Specialty Group (TGSG) solicits submissions for the TGSG Student Paper Award and for the Ullman Award. Each year at the annual conference of the AAG, the TGSG awards two $150 prizes for outstanding student research in the field of transport geography. The first prize is for a Ph.D. dissertation while the second is for a master's thesis. The thesis must have been completed during the previous academic year in an American university to be eligible. Although theses in geography are preferred, theses coming form related disciplines are accepted. A thesis can only be submitted once. A copy of the thesis (preferably in an electronic format such as PDF) should be sent to the chair of the TGSG by December 15, 2004. The Edward L. Ullman Award, offered by the TGSG since 1990, recognizes outstanding contributions to the field of transportation geography. Each year the TGSG board evaluates and votes on the candidacies submitted before the deadline of December 15, 2004. A proposal must include a letter of introduction (preferably by someone familiar with the work of the candidate) and a complete curriculum vitae. Submissions should be set to Jean-Paul Rodrigue (ecojpr@hofstra.edu), Dept. of Economics & Geography, Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York, 11549.

Please direct all queries to:

Association of American Geographers 1710 16th Street NW Washington, DC 20009 Voice: (202) 234-1450 Fax: (202) 234-2744 E-mail: meeting@aag.org