Newsletter – July 2017
PRESIDENT’S COLUMN
Expanding and Empowering a Culture of Mentorship
By Derek Alderman
Words cannot adequately capture my excitement and honor to be able to serve as President of the American Association of Geographers. I look forward to working hard on behalf of AAG members and supporting and contributing to the excellent work of Executive Director Doug Richardson and the wonderful staff at Meridian Place. I have some big shoes to fill in following the recent presidencies of Glen MacDonald and Sarah Bednarz. Both have worked tirelessly in serving the Association. Please join me in thanking Glen and Sarah for their superb leadership. For my first presidential column, I wish to focus on the power of mentorship and the innovative ways that geographers are approaching the social practice. I encourage further expansion and empowerment of the Association’s culture of mentoring and identify some strategies for doing so.
Recent columns from the President
- Upon Reflection
- The Creation of Transformative Geographies
- Advancing Geography and the Association at Boston
- Telling Our Stories, Speaking Out and Being Heard as Geographers
- Creating and Preserving Actionable and Policy-Relevant Geography
- Strengths and Challenges of Diversity
- More from the President
ANNUAL MEETING
Save the Date: AAG 2018 New Orleans
Mark your calendar for the AAG Annual Meeting in New Orleans on April 10 to April 14, 2018. We invite you to organize and participate in sessions, panels, field trips, events, and activities. The call for papers and registration will open Tuesday, August 1, 2017. Abstracts are due by October 25, 2017
New Orleans: The Uncertain City
New Orleans battles with its identity. Locals see their home as a river city. Its European colonial founders etched a street grid across the narrow natural levee and perched the incipient city on the banks of the Mississippi River. Since then it has benefited from waterborne commerce while battling high water that threatens its riparian site. The river loomed large in colonial life and looms large today.
[Focus on New Orleans is an ongoing series curated by the Local Arrangements Committee to provide insight on and understanding of the geographies of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast]
ASSOCIATION NEWS
Learn More About AAG’s Triple D: Disciplinary Data Dashboard
On July 20 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time, the AAG will host a Twitter Chat entitled “The AAG Disciplinary Data Dashboard.” Guest speaker Mark Revell, AAG Workforce Development Specialist, will answer a variety of questions related to the AAG’s multiple ongoing data collection efforts involving members, departments and special research surveys. To join the chat, follow @theAAG on Twitter using the #AAGChat hashtag. Over the past decade this work has generated a considerable amount of data and content across the entire AAG website. In an effort to consolidate and facilitate access to all of the disciplinary data collected by the AAG, a new Disciplinary Data Dashboard has been created on the AAG website.
AAG Seeks Nominations for 2018 Vice President, National Councilors, Student Councilor
The AAG Nominating Committee seeks nominations for Vice President (one to be elected), for National Councilor (two vacancies) and Student Councilor (one to be elected) for the 2018 election. Those elected will take office on July 1, 2018. Members should submit the names and addresses of each nominee and their reasons for supporting nomination to any member of the committee no later than July 30, 2017. As part of your nomination statement, please confirm that the person is willing to be considered for the position for which you are recommending her or him. Nominations by email are strongly preferred.
AAG Seeks Interns for Fall Semester
The AAG is currently seeking interns for the spring semester, although the organization offers opportunities on a year-round basis for the spring, summer and fall semesters. Interns participate in most AAG programs and projects such as education, outreach, research, website, publications, or the Annual Meeting. The AAG also arranges for interns to accompany different AAG staff on visits to related organizations or events of interest during the course of their internship.
MEMBER NEWS
Geographers Kristine DeLong and Grant Harley featured in New Documentary, “The Underwater Forest”
Kristine L. DeLong, associate professor of geography at Louisiana State University and Grant Harley, assistant professor of Geography at the University of Southern Mississippi, were both part of a team of scientists featured in the new documentary, “The Underwater Forest.” The documentary is about an ancient cypress forest discovered in 60 feet of water and about 10 miles off the coast of Alabama in the Gulf of Mexico. The Underwater Forest, which dates to an ice age approximately 60,000 years ago, could provide information about ancient plant populations, rainfall in the region and more.
PUBLIC POLICY
AAG Policy Action Center
AAG continues to monitor, intervene, and update you on key issues that have a clear impact on geography or in which our discipline can serve as a valued stakeholder in shaping viewpoints and policy outcomes. The site features recent actions and responses by the AAG and information to help you take action within your communities.
RESOURCES & OPPORTUNITIES
NCRGE Announces New Grants for Transformative Research
The National Center for Research in Geography Education (NCRGE), a research consortium headquartered at the American Association of Geographers (AAG) and Texas State University, has approved awards for three new projects under its Transformative Research grant program. This investment by NCRGE continues a long-term and broad-based effort to develop a research coordination network supporting implementation of the Road Map for 21st Century Geography Education project’s landmark report on geography education research.
Updates from the Geography and Spatial Sciences Program at NSF
The Geography and Spatial Sciences (GSS) Program of the National Science Foundation (NSF) announces the release of a new GSS strategic plan as well as new program solicitations for both its regular and its doctoral dissertation research improvement (DDRI) competitions. These documents are available via links on the GSS websites. The new strategic plan and the new solicitations replace the previous versions of these documents. The solicitations include some changes and provide clarification regarding proposal preparation for submission of proposals to the Geography and Spatial Sciences Program.
NSF Is Recruiting Geographers for its Graduate Research Fellowship Program
In addition to opportunities via the DDRI program in GSS, grad students in geography and related spatial sciences also have an opportunity to compete in NSF’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). This program is run separately from GSS, but will benefit from more geographers serving as panelists. To participate, you will need to register as a potential 2018 Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) panelist. GRFP recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students pursuing research-based masters and doctoral degrees in science or engineering at accredited US institutions. (See the Program Solicitation, NSF 16-588, for more details on GRFP.) NSF seeks GRFP panels composed of researchers and educators from a wide range of institutions, geographic locations, and disciplinary and interdisciplinary backgrounds.
PUBLICATIONS
New Books in Geography — May 2017
Every month the AAG compiles a list of newly-published books in geography and related fields. Some are selected for review in the AAG Review of Books. Anyone interested in reviewing these or other titles should contact the Editor-in-Chief, Kent Mathewson.
August 2017 Issue of ‘The Professional Geographer’ Now Available
The AAG is pleased to announce that Volume 69, Issue 3 (August 2017) of The Professional Geographer is now available. The focus of The Professional Geographer is on short articles in academic or applied geography, emphasizing empirical studies and methodologies. These features may range in content and approach from rigorously analytic to broadly philosophical or prescriptive. The journal provides a forum for new ideas and alternative viewpoints.
Methods, Models, and GIS Section Editor Sought for ‘Annals of the AAG’
The American Association of Geographers seeks applications and nominations for the Methods, Models, and Geographic Information Sciences editor for the Annals of the American Association of Geographers. This new editor will be appointed for a four-year editorial term that will commence on January 1, 2018. The appointment will be made in the Fall of 2017. Nominations and applications should be submitted by Friday, September 29, 2017.
AAG Cartography Editor Sought for ‘Annals of the AAG,’ ‘Professional Geographer,’ and ‘GeoHumanities’
The American Association of Geographers seeks applications and nominations for a Cartography Editor for the AAG journals Annals of the American Association of Geographers, The Professional Geographer, and GeoHumanities. The new editor will be appointed for a four-year editorial term that will commence on January 1, 2018. The appointment will be made in the Fall of 2017.
ADDENDA
IN THE NEWS
Popular stories from the AAG SmartBrief
- More people will experience deadly heat waves
- Map shows how Amazon is affected by forest degradation
- Canadian city’s freshwater supply at risk
- UNICEF, WFP, Red Cross team with Facebook on disaster maps
EVENTS CALENDAR
- Geospatial Information Forum – Salzburg
- BRIDGE: The Heritages of Connecting Places and Cultures
- International Geography Youth Summit 2017
- The International Academic Forum (IAFOR) Conference on the City 2017
Submit News to the AAG Newsletter. To share your news, submit announcements to newsletter [at] aag [dot] org.
