AAG Workshops 2015

To purchase a workshop, please click on the link below. You will find workshop options by scrolling to the bottom of the page and clicking the arrow next to the appropriate date. 

Purchase a Workshop (please log in first)

MONDAY, APRIL 20

WS #0-1 Workshop on Network Analysis
Monday, April 20, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Organizers: Pierre-Alexandre Ballard and Andrea Morrison (Utrecht University)
Capacity: 30
Cost/person: $29
Room: TBD

Network studies are becoming increasingly popular in geography, both as an object of study and as an analytical tool. Network studies focus on the connections between individuals, firms or cities as the main unit of analysis to understand patterns of complex economic, social or ecological systems. This 6-hour workshop seeks to train PhD students or senior researchers interested in applying network theories and tools to their research in geography (with a particular focus - but not limited to - human geography). Participants will learn to identify the key properties of network structures and analyze the main drivers of their formation.

WS #0-2 Visions of the Future: Precarious Working Conditions in Academia
Monday, April 20, 1:20 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Organizer: Thomas Buerk (Hamburg University)
Capacity: 25
Cost/person: $0
Room: TBD
Sponsored by: Hamburg University
Working conditions in the field of academia are changing rapidly, related to the location, organization and the temporality of neoliberal restructuring. The workforce of some universities in e.g. Germany is composed of about 80 % teachers, researchers and lecturers without proper contracts on a part time and/or short time basis. We would like to discuss in this workshop international perspectives on precarious labor and ways of resistance for better working conditions in academia and the education sectors.

TUESDAY, APRIL 21

WS #1-2 Population and Ecological Data Tools and Services: An Introduction to Working With Terra Populus and DataONE
Tuesday, April 21, 12:40 p.m. – 3:40 p.m.
Organizers: Tracy Kugler (Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota) and Amber Budden (DataONE, University of New Mexico)
Capacity: 30
Cost/person: $0
Room: TBD
Sponsored by: Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota
This workshop will introduce participants to a suite of openly accessible data, tools and resources provided by Terra Populus and DataONE. TerraPop provides access to a global collection of population and environmental data, drawing on microdata, area-level data, and raster sources. DataONE enables federated search across over 20 data repositories, along with a range of data management tools and resources. Participants will be shown how to retrieve data from the two networks, learn about best practices for working with data and be guided through the research data life cycle and the services available at each of the steps.

WS #1-3 Networking: Promoting Yourself by Making Connections that Count
Tuesday, April 21, 12:40 p.m. – 2:20 p.m.
Organizers and Presenters: Niem Tu Huynh (AAG), Angela Rogers (Penn State University), and Rachel Kornak (GeoPivotMagazine)
Capacity: 30
Cost/person: $0
Room: Jobs & Career Center

This workshop features the art of networking with a focus on how to develop an effective and memorable “elevator pitch,” and what this promotional sound bite about yourself sounds like to prospective employers in different scenarios. The facilitators will guide participants through an interactive workshop to develop and practice your networking skills on how to: creatively introduce yourself, develop and deliver a dynamic “elevator pitch,” efficiently “work” a room to make connections with key people, and learn questions to ask to keep conversations moving. The activities will be followed by a debriefing and time for Q&A.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22

WS #2-1 Land Use Change Science
Wednesday, April 22, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Organizers: Amin Tayyebi (University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin Energy Institute)
Capacity: 30
Cost/person: $5
Room: TBD

Part I: Land Use Change Science: Lessons Learned from Applications of Using the Land Transformation Model (9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.)
Over a decade of model development and experiment has gone into the model, and the Land Transformation Model (LTM) has been now applied to simulate land use change (LUC) patterns in a variety of places around the world, such as all lower 48 states in the USA, central Europe, East Africa and Asia. The objective of this workshop is to review the breadth and depth of LUC issues that are being addressed by discussing how an existing model, Purdue’s LTM, has been used to better understand these very important environmental issues.

Part II: A Spatial Decision Support System on the Web for Strategic Agricultural Land Use Policy Development (1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.)
Agriculture lands have experienced rapid changes during last decade. In the absence of proper land use policies, this incremental changes in agriculture areas can increase economic cost. The objective of this workshop is to present a GIS based spatial decision support system (SDSS) on web using spatial and temporal data, which benefit policy makers for evaluating the consequence of LUCs on various ecosystem services in agriculture landscape. We will test the developed SDSS through a case study in agriculture-dominated landscape with a variety of stakeholders LUC scenarios from USDA for Dane County of Wisconsin in United States.

WS #2-2 Walking the Tightrope: Negotiating Success for Women in Geography
Wednesday, April 22, 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Organizers: Elizabeth Wentz (Arizona State University)
Capacity: 30
Cost/person: $7
Room: TBD

This is the second annual “Walking the Tightrope” workshop addressing career advancement for women in Geography. The basis of this workshop is to facilitate discussion among men and women to raise awareness and skills that put women’s careers at a disadvantage. While some point to possible lack of negotiation readiness as one contributing factor to lower salaries and promotion opportunities, others recognize that women may face negative consequences for "leaning in." We aim to explore the balance between promoting a career in favorable or less than ideal institutional contexts. This workshop is designed to promote the professional development of women geographers and engage those who are interested in women's professional development in geography. The workshop will include discussions, advice, and interactive activities to explore practical themes of importance for employment, tenure, promotion, and career advancement. The theme this year is based on negotiating for success.

WS #2-3 Preparing Geography Students for the 21st Century Workforce
Wednesday, April 22, 8:00 a.m. – 9:40 a.m.
Organizers and Presenters: Niem Tu Huynh (AAG), Michael Solem (AAG), and Joseph Kerski (Esri)
Capacity: 30
Cost/person: $0
Room: Jobs & Career Center

Despite rapidly evolving and expanding employment opportunities, many students are unfamiliar with the numerous career paths for which a degree in geography can prepare them. Using the recent AAG publication Practicing Geography: Careers for Enhancing Society and the Environment as a resource, the workshop facilitators will introduce participants to a series of classroom activities that have been designed to raise students' awareness of employment prospects for geographers and to help them recognize and articulate the value of their geography training to potential employers. The participants will then break into small groups to brainstorm ideas for adapting these exercises to the specific needs of students at their grade level and institution type.

THURSDAY, APRIL 23

WS #3-2 Becoming a Certified GISP and Why It Matters for Your Geospatial Career
Thursday, April 23, 2:40 p.m. – 4:20 p.m.
Organizers: Bill Hodge (GISCI) and Mark Revell (AAG)
Instructors: Hill Hodge (GISCI) and Rachel Kornak (GeoPivot Magazine)
Capacity: 30
Cost/person: $0
Room: Jobs & Career Center
Sponsored by: GISCI and AAG
The GISCI Certification Program for GIS Professionals, launched in 2004, is a recognition program for established GIS professionals and students seeking to become Certified as professionals at some point in her/his career. This workshop will provide 1) an overview of the Program and advantages of certification, 2) information about the addition of an examination component to the current portfolio-based system in 2015, and 3) hands-on guidance and Q&A related to strategies for preparing an application to become certified as a GISP. Attendees will be encouraged to ask questions about documentation and requirements, and talk with current GISPs. GISPs who may have questions about renewing their certification are also encouraged to attend (http://www.gisci.org).

WS #3-3 Understanding International Students in Our Classrooms
Thursday, April 23, 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Organizer: Weronika Kusek (Northern Michigan University)
Capacity: 20
Cost/person: $29
Room: TBD
Sponsored by: Northern Michigan University
The number of international students on American campuses has been consistently increasing. With demographic changes in the U.S., lower enrollment at many institutions, and issues related to student retention, U.S. colleges and universities are seeking to attract students from other countries as strategy to not only benefit from increased diversity, but also to alleviate the effects of declining domestic student populations. Many instructors and faculty members are faced with new challenges related to multiculturalism in their classrooms. This workshop will familiarize attendees with issues international students experience and best practices for accommodating this group of students. Topics such as: language barriers, culture shock, perceived discrimination, loss of social status, loneliness, and academic performance will be discussed. Recommended for: graduate instructors and first time teaching faculty.

WS #3-4 You're Hired: How to Showcase Your Skills with Interactive Maps and Apps
Thursday, April 23, 5:20 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Organizers and Presenters: Rachel Kornak (GioPivot Magazine)
Capacity: 30
Cost/person: $0
Room: Jobs & Career Center

Want to stand out from the crowd when applying for jobs and internships? The difference between hearing "you're hired" and "better luck next time" hinges on your ability to communicate your value. Learn how to create impressive personal marketing materials (cover letters, resumes and portfolios) using free, online tools like ArcGIS Online (interactive maps), Prezi (zoomable presentations), Jing (screen videos and images) überflip (flippable PDFs), and Weebly (websites). We'll also cover the types of skills and experiences employers are looking for, how to demonstrate you have these desired traits, and how to avoid common pitfalls. Please bring your laptop!

FRIDAY, APRIL 24

WS #4-2 Researching Learning Progressions for Maps, Geospatial Technology and Spatial Thinking Friday, April 24, 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Organizer(s): Michael Solem and Sarah Bednarz (AAG)
Instructor(s): Niem Tu Huynh and Meredith Marsh (AAG)
Capacity: 20
Cost/person: $0
Room: TBD
Sponsored by: AAG
This workshop will introduce participants to learning progressions and their potential applications in geography classrooms. Learning progressions describe how children become more sophisticated in their understanding of disciplinary concepts over successive grade bands. Participants in this workshop will study examples of learning progressions and some of the methods applied by researchers to gather evidence of student comprehension of fundamental and complex concepts related to learning with maps, geospatial technology and spatial thinking. Participants will also receive a complimentary research handbook and learn about opportunities to join a research coordination network that was recently formed by the GeoProgressions project funded by the National Science Foundation.