Newsletter – December 2017
PRESIDENT’S COLUMN
Broadening and Caring for the Footprint of Published Scholarship
By Derek Alderman
Given the labor and emotion poured into publishing one’s ideas, it is perhaps natural for many of us to see the final published manuscript at the end of the research process. However, the journey to publication is really just the start of the hard work of scholarship. Also important, I would argue, is promoting and translating publications to wider scholarly, public, and policy audiences. Developing a culture of advocacy and outreach around published research is critical for our individual professional advancement and the overall health of the field of geography.
Read past columns from the current AAG President on our President’s Column page.
ANNUAL MEETING
Dr. Robert Bullard Named 2018 Honorary Geographer
Widely regarded as the Father of Environmental Justice, Dr. Robert Bullard has been chosen as the 2018 AAG Honorary Geographer by the Executive Committee because of the foundational role he has played in the study of environmental and transportation justice research. Bullard’s 2018 AAG Annual Meeting lecture, “The Quest for Environmental and Climate Justice: Why Race and Place Still Matter” will explore contemporary population and pollution disparities in the U.S. explained by ongoing social and environmental segregation. Please mark your calendars to attend his plenary talk on Thursday, April 12, 2018 from 3:20 – 5:00 pm.
Past Presidential Address for #AAG2018 Announced
Join AAG Past President, Glen MacDonald, at the 2018 AAG Annual Meeting for his presentation, “Climate, Capital, Conflict – Geographies of Failure or Success in the 21st Century.” In his address, MacDonald will ask if people and planet will succeed in meeting the challenges posed by the 21st century or if environmental and socioeconomic pressures will produce catastrophic failure. The address is scheduled for Thursday, April 12, 2018 from 12:00 -1:10 pm.
Commemorating the Enslaved Along Louisiana’s River Road
The geography of the U.S. South is mired with the historical remnants of plantation life, a reminder of the social and agricultural system built on slavery. Often the voices of slaves have been left out of the narratives told at the museums constructed on these historic sites. A team of geographers (Derek H. Alderman, Candace Forbes Bright, David L. Butler, Perry L. Carter, Stephen P. Hanna, E. Arnold Modlin, and Amy E. Potter) have been working to challenge and change the accounts presented to those who visit these locations.
New Orleans: Place Portraits
Vernacular culture is strong in the city of New Orleans, explains NOLA’s unofficial “geographer laureate” Richard Campanella (Tulane School of Architecture). This month, in preparation for the 2018 AAG Annual Meeting, read about pedestrian life on Bourbon Street, the shotgun style house architecture likely to be seen in the city, and part of the urban area that has been left as a mid-century forest.
Read all three articles:
- How Do You Fence a Cloud? Tracking Bourbon Street’s Pedestrian Parade.
- The Accidental Forest.
- Shotgun Geography.
“Focus on New Orleans and the Gulf Coast” is an ongoing series curated by the Local Arrangements Committee to provide insight on and understanding of the geographies of New Orleans, Louisiana, and the greater Gulf Coast region in preparation for the 2018 Annual Meeting.
ASSOCIATION NEWS
AAG Announces New Journal Editors, Thanks Leaving Editors
The AAG welcomes two new editors to take the positions of Cartography Editor for the AAG Journals (Annals, The Professional Geographer, and GeoHumanities) and the Methods, Models, and GIS Editor for the Annals of the AAG. Stephen Hanna will be taking over for Cartography Editor Thomas Hodler while Ling Bian will assume the role of the Methods, Models and GIS Editor as Mei-Po Kwan steps down. The AAG would like to send a very special thank you to Thomas Hodler and Mei-Po Kwan for their years of extraordinary service in these positions.
Regional Divisions Announce Outstanding Graduate Student Papers from Fall Meetings
One of the newest AAG awards, the AAG Council Award for Outstanding Graduate Student Paper at a Regional Meeting is designed to support student attendance at the AAG Annual Meeting. Each awardee receives $1,000 in funding for use towards registration and travel costs to the AAG Annual Meeting.
Leveraging Geographic Information to Combat Wildlife Trafficking
The AAG was invited to participate in the Workshop on Leveraging Geographic Information to Combat Wildlife Trafficking led by Michigan State University Professor Meredith L. Gore in partnership with the Department of State’s Office of the Geographer. The event, hosted at the Stimson Center in Washington, DC on October 23, had the objective of discussing a new strategy in which geospatially-enabled information can be leveraged to combat wildlife trafficking. Future events are already starting to be planned.
AAG Seeks an Event & Special Projects Assistant
The American Association of Geographers (AAG) has an immediate opening for the position of Event and Special Projects Assistant, to be located at the AAG’s central office in Washington, D.C. The successful candidate will assist current AAG staff with planning the Annual Meeting of the AAG; creating, compiling, and sending digital communications; maintaining and moderating website content and analytics; interacting constructively with academic and non-academic individuals and organizations; and contributing to implementation of internal association projects.
Learn more about the position.
POLICY UPDATE
AAG Announces Support for Geospatial Data Act of 2017
The American Association of Geographers (AAG) is pleased to announce our support for the Geospatial Data Act (GDA) of 2017 (S. 2128/H.R. 4395). This vital legislation recognizes the growing importance and would ensure Congressional oversight of the government’s rapidly-expanding geospatial programs and assets.
AAG Signs-On to Letter Opposing Taxing Graduate Student Tuition Waivers
The AAG has joined other science organizations to endorse a letter opposing the taxation of graduate student tuition waivers.
MEMBER NEWS
December 2017 Profiles of Geographers
Julie Urbanik, Defense Mitigation Consultant and Executive Director of the Coordinates Society and Wei Li, Professor of Asian Pacific American Studies and Geography at Arizona State University are the two geographers featured this month in the ongoing Profiles of Geographers series. Both women stress critical thinking skills and self motivation as qualities future geographers should hone for a successful career.
AAG President Highlights Civil Rights at Ohio University Colloquium
On November 3, 2017 AAG President Derek Alderman addressed the Ohio University Geography Department through its Colloquium program in a talk, entitled “Civil Rights as Geospatial Work: Role of Counter Mapping and Radical Place-making in the African American Freedom Struggle.” Alderman highlighted AAG resources such as the Geography Speakers Bureau and the Visiting Geographical Scientist Program while discussing the ways in which geographers can play a role in practicing civil rights.
Read more about Alderman’s colloquium.
RESOURCES & OPPORTUNITIES
Grants and Awards: End of Year Deadlines for Students and Professionals
As the calendar year comes to a close, several deadlines for grants and awards are approaching. December 31st marks the deadline for multiple student awards such as the AAG Dissertation Research Grants, the Hess Community College Geography Scholarship, and the Marcus Fund for Physical Geography. Non-students are invited to apply for an AAG Research Grant, also due on December 31st. Nominations are currently being solicited for a variety of books in geography awards including the Globe Book Award, the Jackson Prize, and the Meridian Book Award, all of which are due on December 31st. Members may also nominate their colleagues for the Glenda Laws Award for social justice as well as the AAG E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Award for contributions to geography in teaching or research, both also due December 31st.
Follow the AAG Awards Calendar for Deadlines.
AAG Snapshot: AAG Disciplinary Data Dashboard
Are you interested in trends in geography? Have you been looking for openly available datasets to investigate aspects of our discipline for a report or research project? We have the answers for you in our freely accessible data resource, the AAG Disciplinary Data Dashboard. Starting in 2016, the DDD provides free information on geography departments, the workforce, members, and our annual meetings compiled from surveys, the Guide to Geography Programs in the Americas, and external organizations.
Learn more about this resource.
IN MEMORIAM
Robert J. Mason
Robert J. Mason, a professor in the Department of Geography and Urban Studies at Temple University, died on November 15, 2017. Known for his work on environmental policymaking and land use management, he believed in international educational opportunities for students and was passionate about teaching the next generation of environmental leaders. Rob was serving as AAG’s Regional Councilor for the Middle States Division.
PUBLICATIONS
Read the January 2018 Issue of the ‘Annals of the AAG’
The first issue of volume 108 of the Annals of the American Association of Geographers has been published. Read articles that span the breadth of the discipline, organized into four major areas: Methods, Models, and Geographic Information Science; Nature and Society; People, Place, and Region; and Physical Geography and Environmental Sciences.
Full article listing available.
December 2017 Issue of GeoHumanities Published
Volume 3, Issue 2 of the AAG’s newest peer-reviewed journal, GeoHumanities, is now available online to members. The journal features both scholarly articles and short creative pieces that bridge the academy and artistic practice. This issue includes a forum on Emotions, Empathy, Ethics, and Engagement.
New Books in Geography – October 2017 Available
From bike lanes, borders, and bunkers to plants, politics, and peripheries, read the latest list of new books in geography! Recently released books are compiled from various publishers each month.
Browse the whole list of new books.
Fall 2017 Issue of ‘The AAG Review of Books’ Now
All AAG Members now have access to the book reviews in volume 5, issue 4 of The AAG Review of Books. Featured reviews from this issue are of The Lost City of the Monkey God, A True Story; Jungleland; and The Anarchist Roots of Geography: Toward Spatial Emancipation. Book reviews older than one year are free to the public and can be found in our searchable database.
GEOGRAPHERS IN THE NEWS
- Geography Professor, Jonathan Winter, Attends U.N. Climate Talks in Germany
- Geographer Stephen Hanna discusses Virginia electoral geography
- Geographer Brian Menounos and team look to Canadian ice sheets for climate change research
IN THE NEWS
Popular stories from the AAG SmartBrief
- Book highlights nonexistent islands once believed to be real
- Vanishing glacier could threaten Peruvian farmers
- Coping with climate induced migration
- The shrinking of the Great Salt Lake
EVENTS CALENDAR
- Upcoming Award Deadlines – December 31, 2017
- April 10-14, 2018 – AAG Annual Meeting: NEW ORLEANS 2018
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