Member News

AAG Member Jeanette Rice Joins CBRE to Lead Research Efforts Focused on Investment in the Americas

Jeanette Rice Joins CBRE to Lead Research Efforts Focused on Investment in the Americas

CBRE Group, Inc. announced that Jeanette I. Rice has joined the company to lead its research efforts focused on the investment market in the Americas. In this role Ms. Rice will manage the investment and strategy team within CBRE’s research group, developing analysis and insight on investment opportunities across the region.

Ms. Rice, who will have the title of Americas Head of Investment Research at CBRE, has more than 30 years of experience as a senior-level economist, market analyst, and investment strategist. This includes extensive investment strategy activities, including comparative market analysis, metro market selection, submarket selection, product strategy, pricing/risk analysis, and other investment strategies for internal and client investment decisions.

“Jeanette has built a reputation for thoughtful in-depth analysis and forecasting in all major commercial property types as well as a thorough understanding of global, national and regional economic trends,” said Spencer Levy, Americas Head of Research, CBRE. “Her addition to our team complements our existing capabilities and enhances our ability to deliver sharp, insightful analysis on market trends that institutional investors increasingly require.”

Ms. Rice has consulted for investors such as Verde Realty, IDI, Brookfield Asset Management, The Lionstone Group, Granite Properties and Invesco Real Estate, and has held senior investment strategy and research leadership positions at IDI Gazeley, Crescent Real Estate and HFF.

Ms. Rice received a B.A. from the University of Washington (Seattle), an M.A. from Queen’s University (Kingston, Ontario, Canada) and did additional graduate studies at the University of Chicago. She holds the Counselor of Real Estate (CRE) designation and is RERI (Real Estate Research Institute) and Homer Hoyt Fellow. Ms. Rice is based in Dallas.

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Newsletters

Newsletter – November 2014

PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

Geography & STEM

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Domosh

By Mona Domosh

I knew that I had put my finger on something important when I sent out a message on a listserv and received multiple responses almost immediately and continuously for the next few days. As I’m sure most of us have experienced, our inboxes can fill up overnight with seemingly unimportant messages that are left unread. But clearly the title of my message – Geography and STEM – caught people’s attention. Continue Reading

Recent columns from the President

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Glen MacDonald on John Muir

Remembering John Muir on the Centennial of His Passing: Writer, Naturalist, Scientist, Activist, Geographer?

By Glen MacDonald

John Muir died in Los Angeles, California on Christmas Eve, 1914 with the pages of an unfinished manuscript on Alaska beside him in his hospital bed. As we mark the centenary of Muir’s passing what might we say about him from the perspective of Geography? Muir can claim many titles – writer, naturalist, scientist and environmental activist. Can we also consider him a geographer? Read More

eceed7ed-623e-4cfe-b95d-f309f35a35e1ANNUAL MEETING

AAG Past President’s Address by Julie Winkler

Embracing the Complexity and Uncertainty of Climate Change

Julie Winkler

AAG Past President Julie Winkler will deliver her address, “Embracing the Complexity and Uncertainty of Climate Change,” at the AAG Annual Meeting in Chicago on Thursday, April 23, 2014.

Climate change is one of the defining environmental concerns of our time, and will directly or indirectly affect every sector of society. The complexity of the climate system and the multifaceted linkages between natural and human systems complicates planning for future change. Another hurdle is the multiple sources of uncertainty such as internal climate variability, land cover change, spatial and temporal interdependencies, and sectoral synergies. Continue Reading

Abstract, Session Deadline Extended to Nov. 20

Due to the high volume of submissions, the AAG is extending the deadline for abstracts and session proposals to Nov. 20, 2014. Presenters and speakers will have until April 8, 2015, to edit final versions of their abstracts. Call for Papers

Symposium on Physical Geography, Environmental Reconstruction at AAG 2015

On April 23, 2015, the AAG Annual Meeting will feature “Environmental Reconstruction” in a daylong symposium on physical geography.  Environmental reconstruction is an integrative research theme that cuts across the many facets of physical geography and involves the study of past climates, landscapes, and biological systems. It also includes the reclamation of altered environments. This symposium will help facilitate and enhance dialog among physical geographers on emerging developments, challenges, and approaches related to environmental reconstruction and physical geography more generally. Learn More

News
Kitchin and Shepherd

Rob Kitchin, Marshall Shepherd to Receive AAG Media Achievement Award

The AAG will confer the AAG Media Achievement Award to:

Rob Kitchin in recognition of his exceptional engagement with media through producing and studying it, advancing our understanding of media geography while being an active member of the mediascape.

J. Marshall Shepherd in recognition of his success in promoting greater understanding of climate phenomena through the print and broadcast media.  He is also honored for the attention given by the media, government and his profession to the extraordinary record of service and scholarly publications.

The AAG Media Achievement Award will be presented at a special awards luncheon at the AAG Annual Meeting on April 25, 2015. Learn More

AAG’s GeoProgressions Project Hosts Researcher-Training Workshop in Washington, DC

How do children progress in their knowledge and understanding of geographic and spatial concepts? What are the influences of maps and geospatial technologies in that learning process? Questions of this nature were at the heart of a recent workshop hosted by the AAG’s GeoProgressions project, funded by the National Science Foundation to build capacity for researching learning progressions in geography. Learn More

AAG Responds to Rep. Smith’s Attacks on NSF Peer Review

Congressman Lamar Smith (R-TX), Chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, has been reviewing inidual grants awarded by NSF through the merit-review process in an effort to undermine the value of some research funded by the Foundation. Some of the grants that Chairman Smith has questioned were funded through the agency’s Geography and Spatial Sciences (GSS) program. On October 7, 2014, AAG Executive Director Doug Richardson sent a letter [PDF] to the Chairman that praises the value of GSS-funded research and asserts that Smith’s action “undermines our nation’s scientific endeavor and makes young Americans reticent to pursue careers in critical STEM fields.”
Read the full letter. See also, Threats to Geography and Social Science Funding

AAG Convenes Experts on Spatial Data Infrastructures, Disaster Management

The AAG hosted a stakeholder workshop in Washington, D.C., in late October as a key component of the Eye on Earth FALCON project, which is focused on improving spatial data infrastructures for disaster management and risk reduction in the Middle East-North Africa (MENA) region. Participants contributed ideas for the FALCON Roadmap of recommendations for SDI implementation in the region as well as discussed opportunities related to the 2015 Eye on Earth Summit, which will be held in Abu Dhabi in October of next year. Presentation materials are posted on the AAG’s Eye on Earth website. Learn More

MEMBER & DEPARTMENT News
Masucci

Michele Masucci Named Vice Provost for Research at Temple University

Professor of Geography Michele Masucci was appointed as Vice Provost for Research at Temple University. She is responsible for technology transfer and business development, grant submission, research compliance, research-related training, and management of special research support programs. Read More

Eric LambinAAG Member Eric Lambin Wins Volvo Environment Prize

The 2014 winner of the Volvo Environment Prize, Professor Eric Lambin, is a remote sensing pioneer using advanced data collection and satellite images to understand land use and the influence of humans on the planet. The Volvo Environment Prize is awarded annually to people who have made outstanding scientific discoveries within the area of the environment and sustainable development. Read More

George DemkoIn Memoriam

Past President George Demko Dies at 81

George Demko, an internationally renowned geographer, academic, and PhD scholar has died at age 81 of natural causes. Over his lifetime in academia, his greatest achievement was the mentoring and influencing of thousands of students who carry his legacy with them today. Learn More

See the AAG Necrology

GRANT & AWARD OPPORTUNITIES

Society of Woman Geographers Dissertation Fellowships

The Society of Woman Geographers (SWG) invites applications for its Evelyn L. Pruitt doctoral dissertation research fellowships for 2015-2016 for women in geography and geographical aspects of other fields. Continue Reading

Oak Human Rights Fellowship: Food Sovereignty and Human Rights

The Oak Institute seeks a frontline human rights activist who works on problems created by or associated with food sovereignty and human rights outside of the United States for residence at Colby College in the fall of 2015 and is pleased to issue a call for nominations for the 2015 Oak Human Rights Fellowship. Learn More

PUBLICATIONS

New AAG Brochure Informs, Inspires Students About Geography Jobs

The new AAG Jobs and Careers in Geography brochure is geared toward recruiting both upper-level high school and undergraduate college students to geography courses, geography majors, and possible careers in geography. The six-panel, color brochure is designed to speak directly to students, with lively graphics portraying young people engaged in the exciting and socially meaningful activities of geography today. Read More

The AAG Review of Books’ Volume 2, Issue 4‘The AAG Review of Books’ Volume 2, Issue 4 Is Now Available

The AAG is pleased to announce Volume 2, Issue 4 of The AAG Review of Books, featuring scholarly book reviews as formerly published in the Annals of the AAG and The Professional Geographer, along with reviews of significant current books related more broadly to geography and public policy and/or international affairs. To access the full AAG Review of Books, visit the AAG Journals page. Select AAG Review of Books, which will take you to the Taylor & Francis site. Then, select a volume in the List of Issues box and select any issue from there. Read More

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Thomas

Dr. Yonette Thomas to Assume Key Leadership Roles at the AAG

The AAG is pleased to announce that Dr. Yonette Thomas is joining its staff as Senior Advisor. In this capacity, Thomas will help lead AAG’s growing portfolio of research programs in health and geography. She will provide expertise and leadership to the AAG’s initiatives on gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disabilities, and other diversity and equity programs. Thomas previously served as Associate Vice-President for Research Compliance at Howard University. Most recently, Thomas was Branch Chief of Epidemiology Research, in the Division of Epidemiology, Services, and Prevention Research at the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Learn More

Dr. Jenny LunnDr. Jenny Lunn Joins AAG Staff as Senior Researcher

Dr. Jenny Lunn recently joined the AAG staff as Senior Researcher where she will be involved in a variety of the Association’s projects, including the international work in developing regions and with overseas partners. She will also be involved in the AAG’s My Community, Our Earth: Learning for Sustainable Development (MyCOE). Lunn previously worked for the Royal Geographical Society with the Institute of British Geographers in London where she was involved in a variety of roles spanning the Society’s work in education, higher education and public engagement. Most recently she managed the “Discovering Britain” project, a prestigious series of geographically themed walks around the United Kingdom. Learn More

Meet the AAG Fall Interns: Brandon Katz and Ansel Lundberg
AAG Welcomes New IT Director Colleen Dougherty
Call for Participation: Geography Careers Events
Happy Trails to Departing AAG Staff
AAG Helps Visualize Underrepresented Minority Access to Higher Education
Eric Sheppard Receives Honorary Degree from University of Bristol
AAG Member Stuart Hamilton Awarded Prometeo Fellowship by Ecuadorian Government
Geography Education National Implementation Project (GENIP) Now Accepting Chair Applications

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Annual Meeting

Glen MacDonald on Remembering John Muir

Remembering John Muir on the Centennial of His Passing:
Writer, Naturalist, Scientist, Activist, Geographer?

[Glen MacDonald also is organizing a featured panel session, “Geographers on John Muir: Assessing His Legacy and Relevance After 100 Years,” for the 2015 AAG annual meeting in Chicago, April 21-25. More information will be available soon.]

John Muir died in Los Angeles, California on Christmas Eve, 1914 with the pages of an unfinished manuscript on Alaska beside him in his hospital bed. As we mark the centenary of Muir’s passing what might we say about him from the perspective of Geography? Muir can claim many titles — writer, naturalist, scientist and environmental activist. Can we also consider him a geographer? Certainly Muir worked and wrote in a very formative period for American Geography and the Association of American Geographers. Although he received honorary degrees from the University of California, Wisconsin, Harvard and Yale, Muir never earned a formal university diploma. He did, however, attend the University of Wisconsin for two years starting in the 1860’s. Alas, this was long before the establishment of the Department of Geography there. But then founding lights of the AAG, including William Morris David, educated in the 19th century like Muir, did not hold degrees in the then incipient field of geography either. In Muir’s case his academic interests focused on chemistry, geology and botany. Through Ezra Carr, a Professor of Natural Sciences, Muir was likely introduced to the then revolutionary theories of Louis Agassiz regarding Pleistocene glaciation and this became a lifelong interest. Muir would also become acquainted with the controversial theories on evolution articulated by Charles Darwin in The Origin of Species. Although Agassiz was to remain deeply hostile to Darwin’s theory of natural selection, the ideas of both of these men were highly influential in the thinking of Muir as well as creators of the AAG such William Morris Davis. More than this though, Muir, like Davis and every geographer of the time, was profoundly influenced by that foundational figure of modern geography, Alexander von Humboldt. Indeed, in 1866 Muir wrote to his mentor and confident Jeanne Carr “How intensely I desire to be a Humboldt!” Muir’s regard for Humboldt, his intellectual development in the natural sciences and his intense interest in combining both geology and botany reflects the same scholarly, and at the time revolutionary, crucible that formed the science of Davis and Clements. By inclination and available education he was arguably as much a geographer as many of the founders of the AAG.

A scan of a more than 100-year-old photo of Muir by C. F. Lummis taken in 1901.
Owned by: Glen M. MacDonald
John Muir Memorial Chair
Distinguished Professor of
Geography,
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and
The Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
UCLA
Los Angeles, CA
90095-1524
310-825-5008
[email protected]

Like Davis, Muir was a sharp observationalist-inductivist who moved beyond the descriptive confines of natural history and sought to explain nature rather than simply observe and record. Within the earth sciences, Muir’s work on glacial features and evidence of past glaciation coupled with his theory on the glacial origins of Yosemite and other Sierra Nevada valleys stands as an important and lasting contribution. Physical geography is sometimes delineated from geology through its attention to modern processes and landforms. In this regard Muir showed a similar inclination. He was the first to discover living glaciers in the Sierra Nevada. This work, published in 1873 in the American Journal of Science and Arts must have been particularly sweet for Muir as it reinforced his position in a well-known scientific disagreement with Josiah Dwight Whitney, a Professor of Geology at Harvard and head of the California Geological Survey, who argued, incorrectly, that the Yosemite Valley was a tectonic feature. However, if geography is indeed the integrative science, then Muir was to more than equal many founders of the AAG in his desire and capability of spanning the earth and life sciences. Muir wrote many descriptions of the distributions of montane and alpine flora, but my favorite, and certainly most integrative was his study of the giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum). In his 1876 monograph published as a Proceedings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Muir analyzed the contemporary distribution of the species along the west slope of the Sierra Nevada, noted its environmental relations and particularly its disjunct distribution. The latter he attributed to the fragmentation of its range by Pleistocene glaciers emanating from the High Sierra. Now, today we know Muir had an overstated belief in the extent and role of glaciation and new research shows that the geographic distribution of giant sequoia may largely be explained by micro-climate, but the questions he asked remain topical. Muir also presaged the current focus of many geographers on the long-term trajectories and uncertain future of plant animal species in the face of human impact. Consider his pondering the future of the giant sequoia in his 1876 “What area does Sequoia now occupy as the principal tree? Was the species ever more extensively distributed in the Sierra during post-glacial times? Is the species verging on extinction? And if so, then to what causes will its extinction be due? What have been its relation to climate, soils and to other coniferous trees with which it is associated? What are those relations now? What are they likely to be in the future?” These are the same questions biogeographers are asking about a multitude of endangered species.

Muir’s scientific work and his writings were no doubt well known by many of the founders and first members of the AAG. What of his actual engagement with professional geography and his regard by the discipline at that time? It is notable that Muir was a member of the Committee for Arrangements, along with William Morris Davis and a number of eminent geographers for the 8th International Geographic Congress in 1904. His impact on our discipline clearly transcended his passing. It is striking to me that the 1958 Honorary Presidential Address by John Leighly at the first Annual Meeting of the AAG to be held on the west coast was entitled “John Muir’s Image Of The West.” I was alerted to Muir’s quote regarding von Humboldt through Leighly’s speech. Today, 100 years past his death, although citations to Muir’s scientific papers may be sparse, his ideas on the importance of past glaciations and his books such as My First Summer in the Sierra or Our National Parks remain widely known by geographers investigating questions of physical geography, conservation or human-nature perception and interactions. As Muir is in the pantheon of thinkers who developed modern environmentalism and conservation, it would be hard to find any geographer who has not been exposed to the work and philosophy of Muir in the course of their education. Geographer activists knowingly or unknowing are also taking a page from his book, most strikingly developed during his emotional and ultimately failed attempt to save the Hetch Hetchy Valley. For generations these ideas have undoubtedly helped formulate the thinking of geographers and through them the course of the AAG. So, although never formally a trained geographer, Muir was drawn by the same forces of curiosity and cross-disciplinary inquiry that have propelled geographers and geography over the past century.  I am inclined to consider him a true geographer and one of our seminal figures. As he so fervently desired in 1866, Muir was and is “a Humboldt.”  (John Muir: Born April 21, 1838, Dunbar, Scotland; Died December 24, 1914, Los Angeles, CA)

Glen MacDonald is distinguished professor and inaugural John Muir Memorial Chair in Geography at UCLA. He engages Geography with scholars, policy makers, writers, artists, activists and others to look at contemporary nature and people issues in the American West.

Glen MacDonald also is organizing a featured panel session, “Geographers on John Muir: Assessing His Legacy and Relevance After 100 Years,” for the 2015 AAG annual meeting in Chicago, April 21-25. More information will be available soon.

DOI: 10.14433/2014.0019

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Annual Meeting

Symposium on Physical Geography at the 2015 AAG Annual Meeting

A special feature of the upcoming 2015 AAG annual meeting is the one-day Symposium on Physical Geography, scheduled for Thursday, April 23. The overall intent of the symposium is to raise the visibility of physical geography research at the AAG annual meeting, and provide additional networking opportunities to facilitate and enhance dialog among physical geographers on emerging developments, challenges, and approaches related to physical geography.

The symposium is also an experiment with alternative formats for physical geography sessions at future AAG annual meetings. Over the years there have been numerous informal conversations among members of the physical geography community regarding potential changes to the oral and poster sessions of the AAG annual meeting. Arguments have often been made for larger poster sessions and fewer oral sessions, under the expectation that these format changes would lead to increased session attendance and hence improved visibility within the discipline of the research efforts of individual physical geographers and enhanced popularity of the AAG annual meeting among physical geographers. Reference is often made to the formats of popular meetings of other geophysical-related scientific organizations, which typically include a small number of themed oral sessions that are selected by an organizing committee from proposals by members, with the majority of the attendees’ research contributions displayed in large poster sessions. Many of these arguments were raised again at the special session, Conversation on the Future of Physical Geography, held at the 2014 AAG annual meeting in Tampa. With these recommendations in mind, AAG past presidents Carol Harden, Richard Marston and Julie Winkler organized the one-day symposium as a modest, but manageable, effort to explore the potential for alternative session formats and implications for other components of the AAG annual meeting.

The Symposium on Physical Geography will feature two morning sessions of invited presentations around the theme, Environmental Reconstruction–A Nexus of Biogeography, Climatology and Geomorphology. This integrative research theme was selected as it cuts across the many facets of physical geography and encompasses the study of past climates, landscapes and biological systems, along with the reclamation of altered environments. The afternoon will be devoted to an extended poster session in a new mode, with up to 100 posters on display during the entire afternoon. Poster presentations are being solicited on all aspects of physical geography, including environmental reconstruction, and the posters will be grouped by theme and/or specialty group. Presenters will post the times next to their poster when they will be available for discussion with viewers, although they are encouraged to stand by their poster during at least a portion of the period from 4:30-6:30 p.m. The symposium will conclude with a happy hour from 4:30-7:30 p.m.

The symposium will be followed by a second Conversation on the Future of Physical Geography, scheduled for Friday, April 24, 11:45 a.m. At this time, attendees will have an opportunity to reflect on the symposium (both its strengths and weaknesses), consider whether this type of structure warrants further experimentation, and, if so, recommend strategies for selecting themes and symposia organizers for a 2016 Symposium on Physical Geography. The long-term goal is to develop meeting formats that support the careers of physical geographers and enhance physical geography within the AAG.

Physical geographers at all stages of their careers are strongly encouraged to submit an abstract for the Thursday afternoon poster session. The deadline for abstracts is November 5, 2014. Please indicate as a Special Request on the online abstract submission form your interest in being part of the Symposium on Physical Geography poster session, and email a copy of your abstract confirmation to Professor Carol Harden (charden [at] utk [dot] edu). Specialty groups are urged to co-sponsor the poster session, and to also use the poster session for some of their own activities such as student poster awards.

Updates on the Symposium on Physical Geography will be posted on the AAG website

and also communicated via the AAG Geogram. Please contact Carol Harden (charden [at] utk [dot] edu), Richard Marston (rmarston [at] k-state [dot] edu), or Julie Winkler (winkler [at] msu [dot] edu) with questions or suggestions for the Symposium on Physical Geography. We hope to see you in Chicago!

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Robert Hutton

Long-standing member of the AAG, Robert “Bob” Hutton, of Alexandria, VA, passed away on October 19, 2014, at the age of 82.

Hutton received his Bachelor’s degree in Russian Studies from Haverford College, PA, in 1954. He also spent the summers of 1953 and 1954 at a Russian Summer School held at Middlebury College, VT.

He then enlisted in the Army, receiving a sharp shooter commendation during Basic Training much to his own surprise as he was blind in his right eye! He served during the Korean War from 1954 to 1957, specializing in languages.

Following this he continued his education at Columbia University, NY, graduating with a Master’s degree in the Geography of East Asia in 1962. His final thesis was titled “Trade Relations between Japan, Communist China, and the Soviet Union.”

Hutton then spent his career working for the National Security Agency and the Library of Congress, retiring from the latter in 1998.

During his retirement he had many hobbies, one of which was wine. He said that his background in geography helped him to understand the soil and climatic conditions important to the production of wine. As a member of the American Wine Society and a writer for various wine journals, he traveled to wine events including the Vin Expo in Bordeaux and the London Wine Fair.

Hutton joined the Association of American Geographers in 1962 and maintained his life-time interest in geography. He was delighted to attend the Annual Meeting in New York in 2012 to receive recognition for his 50 years of continuous membership.

After his first wife died in 2007, he remarried in 2010. He is survived by his sister Elizabeth MacDonald; four children, Edward, Charles, Grace, and Susan; and six grandchildren.

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New Books for Geographers

New Books: October 2014

Every month the AAG compiles a list of newly-published books in geography and related areas. Some are selected for review in the AAG Review of Books.

Publishers are welcome to send new volumes to the Editor-in-Chief (Kent Mathewson, Editor-in-Chief, AAG Review of Books, Department of Geography and Anthropology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803). Authors interested in reviewing books should also contact the Editor-in-Chief ([email protected]).

October, 2014
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Tom Rabenhorst

Tom Rabenhorst, Senior Lecturer Emeritus in the Department of Geography and Environmental Systems (GES) at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), died Saturday after a long battle with brain cancer.

Tom began his career at UMBC in 1973 as a part-time instructor while also an Assistant Professor at Montgomery Community College. He became a full time lecturer at UMBC in 1975, teaching courses in physical geography, cartography and remote sensing, while also developing its highly successful training program in cartography.

Over his 40 years at UMBC, Tom trained hundreds of students who have gone on to careers with many federal, state and local agencies, as well as private companies. He was always seeking ways to challenge his students and his ability to get the very best from them is evidenced by the numerous awards they won for cartographic design. In particular, his 2003 Advanced Cartography class designed and produced The Digital Atlas of Maryland Agriculture that was awarded “Best in Show” and “Best Digital Entry” in the National Map Competition held by the American Congress of Surveying and Mapping, honors never before given to a student entry. In addition, his students had remarkable success in winning highly competitive and prestigious National Geographic Society internships.

Tom was the co-author of two monographs (Applied Cartography and Applied Cartography: Introduction to Remote Sensing), and the author of numerous published maps, including an important contribution to the Historical Atlas of the United States (National Geographic Society) that utilized the base maps he developed for the Historical U.S. County Outline Map Collection 1840-1980. Tom was an avid hiker and, together with his wife Carol, he hiked and mapped the trail systems of several state and local parks and published interpretative maps of each that have become highly popular. At the time of his death, Tom, along with GES colleague Jeff Halverson, was working on a textbook on Severe Storms to be published by Oxford University Press. Tom also served for several years as the Cartographic Editor of the Annals of the Association of American Geographers, the flagship journal in American geography, and he was recognized for elevating the professional standards of cartographic contributions published in the journal.

Tom was a beloved friend to many and he impacted many lives at UMBC and beyond. He leaves behind many accomplishments but his legacy as a human being exceeds anything that can be written down in a curriculum vitae. His incredible vitality and willingness to help anyone who asked for his assistance will be missed.

Adapted with permission from a letter to the UMBC Community. 

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President's Column

Toward a More Healthy Discipline

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Mona DomoshIf one googles the word ‘stigma’ the definition that appears first on your screen (“a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person”) is followed, as most definitions are, by a phrase showing how that word is commonly used; in this case the phrase that google uses is “the stigma of mental disorder.” I know that I shouldn’t be surprised by this, particularly given the recent publicity about Robin Williams and his secret battles with depression, but I was. I had assumed (obviously incorrectly) that in popular parlance a mental disorder was no longer considered a character flaw or mark of disgrace, but rather an illness that afflicts certain people and families and that is treated (like any illness) therapeutically. I have had several bouts of depression that have left me drained and feeling vulnerable, and anxiety is something I’ve come to live with but only after years of therapy and different forms of treatment. I haven’t felt ashamed of this, but then again I don’t make a habit of talking about my illness or mental health in general. But prompted by some wonderful colleagues who are proposing a new AAG committee on mental health in the discipline, that’s exactly what I want to do in this column.

For many of us October represents the midpoint of fall term when one can literally feel the anxiety level within our classrooms and hallways begin to rise. According to the American College Health Association’s 2013 survey[i], over 51% of undergraduate students felt overwhelming anxiety during the past twelve months, and almost 32 % felt so depressed that it was difficult to function (with a notable gender difference; in both cases higher numbers for women). Eight percent had seriously considered suicide. In the U.K., a study undertaken by the National Union of Students showed that one in five students reported that they had a mental health illness. And in geography we often encounter the additional challenge of requiring fieldwork for many of our courses and research, creating situations that may exacerbate mental health conditions.[ii] It’s a stark reality we face, and few of us know how to manage it. Academic leaders in Canada are ahead of the curve. Some Canadian universities are considering ways to reduce anxiety during peak, end-of-term periods by reworking exam schedules while others are training student leaders in mental health awareness in order to reach out to their peers. But for most faculty members, awareness of our students’ mental health comes in bits and pieces; notes from a disability office/health clinic, overheard anecdotes, or the student who is willing to share their illness. The big picture – the scope of the problem that has been referred to in some circles as having reached crisis proportions – has certainly eluded me and I suspect many faculty, with the effect that discussions about how to handle the situation are muted if at all present.

And it’s not just undergraduate students who are experiencing high levels of anxiety and depression (and other mental disorders). I highlighted in my column last month the important work that graduate students do for our discipline and academic institutions, noting that they often conduct this labor in conditions that are not of their own choosing and certainly not well remunerated. Those conditions in addition to the uncertainties graduate students face in the academic job market create highly stressful situations that can often lead to anxiety disorders, depression and in rare instances suicidal behavior. Recent online news media have brought these issues to the fore, offering suggestions about how graduate programs can offer support for students’ mental health issues that range from openly acknowledging the problem to providing training for faculty teaching in these programs about how to recognize and address mental health issues.

In my case, it was only after I left graduate school that my mental health became a concern. Unmoored from the networks of friends and colleagues from graduate school and living through the constant insecurities of one-year positions, my taken-for-granted coping strategies disintegrated and eventually disappeared, leaving me in a very dark world of despair. It literally was a struggle each day to make it through my classes and meetings without breaking down into tears, while at home I found it impossible to sleep (thus further deteriorating my mental health). I of course told no one, exacerbating my feelings of loneliness and estrangement and plunging me deeper into depression. Apparently my story is a fairly common one; a recent study has documented some of the factors that can lead to anxiety disorders and depression among contingent faculty, with the stress of non-permanent positions ranking high. The authors look to institutional change in order to combat some of these concerns, particularly since their findings suggest that it is the contingent faculty who are the most committed to their institution who suffer the most negative consequences in terms of feelings of anxiety and depression.

I wonder, however, what we as an association and discipline can do to help. I finally recovered from depression by reaching out to some very good friends who encouraged me to find professional treatment. But I know that if I had been able to talk about what was happening with my colleagues without feeling shame that I would have recovered much sooner. I also realize that if I had received training about how to recognize and deal with clinical depression and anxiety disorders I would have (hopefully) recognized those symptoms in myself and been more equipped to handle them. This (among other things) is exactly what the proposed new AAG committee will take on as its mission. Spearheaded by Beverley Mullings, Kate Parizeau, and Linda Peake, a group of geographers organized a series of sessions at last year’s AAG meeting on mental health issues, established a listserv (MHGEOG-L [at] lists [dot] queensu [dot] ca), and are now proposing to establish a standing committee of the AAG. The proposed Committee on the Status of Mental Health in Geography will conduct research into the scope of the problem and assess the policies of other organization and institutions, provide professional guidance to the Council, the AAG, and geography departments in terms of protocols and ethical issues related to mental health, and engage in advocacy and awareness-raising within the AAG and academic institutions. I think this is a very important and long-overdue step that we need to take. The word “stigma” should not be a presumed outcome of “mental disorder.” I welcome your thoughts.

DOI: 10.14433/2014.0018

[i] See American College Health Association, American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment II: Reference Group Undergraduates Executive Summary Spring 2013, Hanover, MD: American College Health Association, 2013.

[ii] See Jacky Birnie and Annie Grant, Providing Learning Support for Students with Mental Health Difficulties Undertaking Fieldwork and Related Activities, Gloucestershire, U.K.: Geography Discipline Network and Geography and Environmental Research Unit, University of Gloucestershire, 2001

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Changing Human Populations Qualitative Data and Analyses Spatial Narratives
Mona Domosh
Mona Domosh

Hans-Georg Bohle

AAG member Hans-Georg Bohle has passed away at the age of 66. Relevant in the field of human geography, he will be remembered by all that he taught, advised, and worked alongside. Hans attended the University of Göttingen and received his PhD in 1979, doing research on the Green Revolution in the Cauvery River Delta of southern India.

Hans held various academic positions including professor of cultural geography at the University of Freiburg (1989-1995), professor of geography of South Asia at the University of Heidelberg (1995-2004), and chair and professor of cultural geography and development geography at Bonn University (2004-2013). He retired in 2013.

He has published a variety of work, twelve monographs, eighty scientific journal articles, and sixty book chapters. He was also on the Steering Committee of Global Environmental Change  and Human Security (GECHS) and was on the International Scientific Advisory Board of Global Environmental Change and Food Systems (GECAFS), as well as a member of Academia Europaea and the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina.

His research was focused on social vulnerability, specifically of people in critical regions. Interested primarily in food, water, and health, Hans sought to find explanations of the socio-spatial production of poverty and exclusion in the Global South and to identify people’s potentialities for human security and a life of self-determination, freedom, and dignity. He has been a fundamental contributor to risk and hazard research and has done work in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Chad, Sudan, Ghana, and Egypt. He will be remembered.

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New Books for Geographers

New Books: September 2014

Every month the AAG compiles a list of newly-published books in geography and related areas. Some are selected for review in the AAG Review of Books.

Publishers are welcome to send new volumes to the Editor-in-Chief (Kent Mathewson, Editor-in-Chief, AAG Review of Books, Department of Geography and Anthropology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803).

Anyone interested in reviewing these or other titles should also contact the Editor-in-Chief.

September, 2014
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Changing Human Populations Governance and Policy Living within Ecosystems
AAG Staff
AAG Staff