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AAG E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Award

Deadline: December 31, 2023

This annual award recognizes members of the Association who have made truly outstanding contributions to the geographic field due to their special competence in teaching or research. Funding for the award comes from the estate of Ruby S. Miller. More than one award may be awarded each year. Each award includes $1,000 and a commemorative plaque.

 

Eligibility: 

Members from all fields of geography are eligible for the award. Nominations (including self-nominations) are welcome. Special competence in teaching or research may include cases of outstanding mentoring, informal education, basic or applied research.

As with all other AAG awards, eligibility also rests on the candidate being in compliance with the AAG Professional Conduct Policy. Nominations may be rescinded, and the award may also be revoked for any candidate or awardee who is found in violation of the AAG’s Professional Conduct Policy.

Submissions:

Please gather all required supporting documents before completing the online Application Form at this link. The Application Form will require you to upload all supporting documents before being able to complete your submission. You cannot save a partially completed form and return to it later, so it is important to have all materials ready before accessing the online Application Form. For questions or difficulties, please contact grantsawards@aag.org.

About Ruby and Will Miller:  

Ruby S. Skinner and E. Willard “Will” Miller were married for more than sixty years and collaborated in life and work.  When World War II broke out, they both went to work in Washington, DC. At the end of the war, they went to Pennsylvania State University where Dr. Miller started the Geography Department and Ruby became the maps librarian. Ruby established and developed the map collection, and taught classes on the use of maps until her retirement. After retirement in 1977, she and her husband co-authored more than 20 books and continued to travel in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. Ruby graduated from Kittanning High School and Chatham College in Pittsburgh, attended Clarion University, and did graduate work at the University of Pittsburgh.  Will was also founder of the Pennsylvania Geographical Society and played important leadership roles in the Association of American Geographers, American Geographical Society, and the National Council for Geographic Education.  Will and Ruby Miller received countless awards and in turn were generous with their time, talent, energy, and funds to a wide range of professional and community organizations.

Photograph and biographical information thanks to Penn State Department of Geography, AGS, and AAG Newsletters.

AAG E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Award Recipients

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2022

Anne Bonds

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2022 AAG E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Award

Anne Bonds

2022 AAG E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Award

Anne Bonds, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, is recognized for her critical studies of race, gender and poverty. She has researched prison expansion as a mode of economic development in the rural mountain West, and more recently post-incarceration survival strategies of women in Milwaukee. She is also recognized for collaborative community-engaged projects that seek to improve racial and economic justice.

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2022

Heejun Chang

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2022 AAG E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Award

Heejun Chang

2022 AAG E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Award

Heejun Chang, Portland State University, has established himself as a leading researcher pursuing an understanding of complex transdisciplinary water issues across scales. His high-impact societally relevant geographic research includes comparative studies and collaboration with international colleagues and communities.

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2020

Jennifer Collins

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2020 AAG E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Award

Jennifer Collins

2020 AAG E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Award

2020 Jennifer Collins of the University of South Florida, for her impressive record of high quality scholarship, matched by equally remarkable achievements in teaching, student mentorship, public service, as well as significant contributions to the field of climatology.

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2019

John Clark Archer

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2019 AAG E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Award

John Clark Archer

2019 AAG E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Award

2019 John Clark Archer, University of Nebraska Lincoln for his significant contributions to the fields ofpolitical geography (specifically the geography of United States politics), cartography, population geography, and demographics.

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2018

Judith A. Tyner

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2018 AAG E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Award

Judith A. Tyner

2018 AAG E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Award

2018 Judith A. Tyner, Professor Emerita, California State University, Long Beach for her extensive distinguished, and pioneering career, with significant contributions to the fields of map design, historical cartography, persuasive cartography, textile maps, and lunar cartography and for being a champion women in geography and cartography.

2017

Hui Lin

2017 AAG E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Award

Hui Lin

2017 AAG E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Award

2017 Hui Lin, Chinese University of Hong Kong for his scholarly work, which represents a grand synthesis of human and physical geography, using cutting-edge geospatial technologies.

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2016

Mei-Po Kwan

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2016 AAG E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Award

Mei-Po Kwan

2016 AAG E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Award

2016 Mei-Po Kwan, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for her record of research accomplishment, impact, and contribution, particularly in GIScience, human mobility, and environmental health, both within the discipline of geography and beyond.

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2015

Qihao Weng

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2015 AAG E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Award

Qihao Weng

2015 AAG E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Award

2015 Qihao Weng, Indiana State University for his pioneering contributions to the field of remote sensing and its geographical applications, particularly in relation to urban environments, through teaching, collaborative research, conferences and high impact publications.

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2011

Jane Southworth

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2011 AAG E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Award

Jane Southworth

2011 AAG E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Award

2011 Jane Southworth, University of Florida for her excellence in teaching, amazing dedication to educating and mentoring graduate students at her institution, strong grant and publication record and international visibility of her research in lang-change science

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2010

Iain Hay

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2010 AAG E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Award

Iain Hay

2010 AAG E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Award

2010 Iain Hay, Flinders University for his international leadership in geographic education, heightening the profile of geography and global education, facilitating and institutionalizing networks of academics and educators,  and enhancing teaching and learning in K-12 and university geography around the world.

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