Newsletter – September 2019
PRESIDENT’S COLUMN
The Mental Health Challenge or Relieving Anxiety and Depression for Students and Faculty
By David Kaplan
I remember stress from college, graduate school and as a professor. High levels of tension were considered a badge of honor—some sort of endurance test—but these types of “masculinist” environments can leave some people unnecessarily wounded… Stress begins early, as high school students suffer from “achievement pressure,” overcoaching, and a need to load college applications with all manner of activities and plaudits… Breaking the culture of silence is critical.
Changes in our Annual Meeting: Fees, Structure and an Unfortunate Oversight
In this brief letter, AAG President David Kaplan describes some changes to the AAG Annual Meeting registration fees and meeting structure. He also addresses the unfortunate overlap of the 2020 meeting with Passover and Good Friday.
ANNUAL MEETING
2020 AAG Annual Meeting Themes Announced
Since the AAG first introduced themes for the annual meeting, they have been used to emphasize a particular set of interests.Three themes have been identified for #aagDENVER that speak to the significance of our meeting’s location in Denver, the political era we find ourselves in, and the need to foster a larger and more inclusive geographical community. The 2020 Themes are: The Changing North American Continent, Ethnonationalism and Exclusion around the World, and Expanding the Community of Geography. If you find that your session, poster, or paper corresponds with a theme, please consider adding it to the lineup for our 2020 AAG meeting in Denver.
Learn more about the #aagDENVER themes.
Throwback to the 2005 AAG Annual Meeting
Did you know, the last time Denver served as a host site for the AAG Annual Meeting was in 2005? Though there has been much change in the area throughout the past 14 years, take a look back at what the Mile High City was like in 2005 with Focus on Denver and the Rocky Mountain West articles from our newsletter archive. Learn about the historical growth of the city as well as the more recent economic redevelopment and experience the metropolis for yourself in April!
Read past newsletter articles.
Share Your Favorite Denver Location with Fellow AAG Members
As we prepare for #aagDENVER, we need your help to find the best places for AAG Annual Meeting attendees to visit during their trip to the Mile High City. If you have a recommendation for a spot in Denver, please submit it to the AAG. AAG staff will review, select, and curate items to post on one or more AAG communication platforms as we get ready for the meeting.
Register today for the 2020 AAG Annual Meeting
Registration is now open for the 2020 AAG Annual Meeting to be held April 6-10 in Denver, Colorado. The Early Bird registration rates offer the lowest rates across all levels of meeting participation. But hurry, Early Bird rates expire on October 9th!
- Register for the 2020 AAG Annual Meeting
- Decide which presentation type is right for you
- Book your hotel room in one of two hotels with an AAG attendee discounted rate
- Find out how to travel to meeting hotels by air or rail
- Suggest potential workshops or field trips by submitting a proposal
PUBLICATIONS
NEW Annals Alert: Articles with topics ranging from shrinking cities to air pollution disparities to effects of fracking on bird habitats
The most recent issue of the Annals of the AAG has been published online (Volume 109, Issue 5, September 2019) with 18 new research articles on contemporary geographic research. Topics in this issue include neighborhood planning, waste-to-energy, drinking water insecurity, socioterritorial movements, choropleth mapping, sand mining, commodification, commuting distance, and local volcanic knowledge. Locational areas of interest include northern India, northern Alaska, North Dakota, northwest China, and northeast Brazil. Authors are from a variety of research institutions including State University of New York at Buffalo, University of California, Davis, University of Utah, and Cardiff University.
All AAG members have full online access to all issues of the Annals through the Members Only page. Each issue, the Editors choose one article to make freely available. In this issue you can read Urban Geocryology: Mapping Urban–Rural Contrasts in Active-Layer Thickness, Barrow Peninsula, Northern Alaska by Anna E. Klene and Frederick E. Nelson for free for the next two months.
Questions about the Annals? Contact annals [at] aag [dot] org.
In addition to the most recently published journal, read the latest issue of the other AAG journals online:
• Annals of the American Association of Geographers
• The Professional Geographer
• GeoHumanities
• The AAG Review of Books
New Books in Geography — July Available
Read the latest titles in geography and related disciplines as found on the New Books in Geography list. Some of these books will be reviewed in The AAG Review of Books. The editors of The AAG Review of Books are happy to receive suggestions for potential reviews and potential reviewers. Reviews are commissioned by the editors, based on the appropriateness and qualifications of the reviewer, observing the usual avoidances of conflict of interest. Persons wishing to volunteer their reviewing services should have the requisite qualifications and demonstrable prior knowledge and engagement with the subject area, preferably through publications. Please contact the editors at aagrb [at] lsu [dot] edu.
Browse the full list of new books.
New issue of African Geographical Review Published
The latest issue of the journal of the Africa Specialty Group of the AAG, the African Geographical Review, has recently been published. Volume 38, Issue 3 (September 2019) is available online for subscribers and members of the Africa Specialty Group. Each issue, the Editors choose one article to make freely available. In this issue you can read Introduction to the special issue on new geographies of South(ern) Africa by Pádraig Carmody & Christian M. Rogerson for free.
ASSOCIATION NEWS
Seeking Professional Geographers for Career Profiles
The AAG is conducting a new series of interviews with professional geographers to highlight the important work geographers perform in their careers. Once completed, the interviews will be featured on the AAG’s website as part of our monthly Profiles of Professional Geographers series. For the profiles, we seek practicing geographers representing all sectors of the workforce, including those working in private business, government (state, regional, local and federal), nonprofit/NGOs, and education (K-12, community colleges, and higher ed) to showcase the broad range of career opportunities available to geographers.
Volunteer to Serve as a Career Mentor at the 2020 AAG Annual Meeting
The AAG seeks panelists, career mentors, workshop leaders and session organizers for careers and professional development activities at the 2020 AAG Annual Meeting in Denver, CO. Individuals representing a broad range of employment sectors, organizations, academic and professional backgrounds, and racial/ethnic/gender perspectives are encouraged to apply. If interested, email careers [at] aag [dot] org, specifying topic(s) and activity(s) of interest, and attach a current C.V. or resume. For best consideration, please submit your information by November 9, 2019.
Get involved with the AAG Jobs and Careers Center.
Visiting Geographical Scientist Program Accepting Applications for 2019-2020
The VGSP, which sponsors visits by prominent geographers to small departments or institutions with limited resources, is accepting applications for the 2019-2020 academic year. The purpose of this program is to stimulate interest in geography among students, faculty members, and administrative officers. Departments must make their own travel arrangements with speakers, however a list of pre-approved speakers is available on the website. VGSP is funded by Gamma Theta Upsilon (GTU), the international honors society for geographers. Questions and complete applications may be directed to Mark Revell.
Apply to the VGSP for this school year.
POLICY CORNER
2020 Census Won’t Include Citizenship Question
As of July, it became official that the 2020 Census will not include a question on citizenship. The Supreme Court’s June decision that the Trump Administration hadn’t provided sufficient justification to include the question ran closely up against the early July print deadline, and the Census Bureau had to begin printing without it.
This is a significant win for geographers and the broader scientific community who rely on the integrity of decennial census data. It is a positive step toward an accurate population count in anticipation of Congressional redistricting and mapping in 2021. And its effects will help ensure fair distribution of public funds, including for K-12 education grants to low-income communities in need of federal aid.
Moving forward, it’s crucial that all U.S. residents participate in the count. There is speculation that controversy over the citizenship question did long term damage by causing lingering confusion among immigrant communities. The AAG will continue to follow this issue and to support the important mission of the Census Bureau as it works to ultimately deliver fair and accurate data.
In the News:
- A two-year budget agreement was passed in early August, but much work remains on passing all appropriations bills to avert a government shutdown on October 1st with the majority of unfinished spending bills waiting to be considered by the Senate.
- Both the House and Senate will reconvene from their August recess after Labor Day and start quickly on work to fund the government past September 30th.
MEMBER NEWS
Profiles of Professional Geographers
Dr. Camelia Kantor, Vice President of Academic Affairs at the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF), knew her career was the one for her as soon as she saw the job ad and her geography training prepared her for it. Geographers have a broad knowledge base and often bridge the gap between different disciplines. Read up on Dr. Kantor’s career to learn more about the new field of geospatial intelligence and how careers in GEOINT are expanding.
Learn more about Geography Careers.
September Member Updates
The latest news about AAG Members.
Indiana State University Professor Qihao Weng has been awarded a fellowship to conduct research in Japan as part of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). Weng is one of three researchers selected to participate in the JSPS Short-term S program this year.
Three geographers continue to work for the Geography and Spatial Sciences (GSS) Program at the National Science Foundation (NSF): Antoinette WinklerPrins, has been appointed Deputy Division Director for the Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences (BCS) in the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE), the Directorate and Division that includes GSS. Scott Freundschuh returns to NSF as GSS Program Director. Jacqueline Vadjunec continues as GSS Program Director.
RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES
AGI Webinar – Important Writing Skills for Careers in the Environmental Industry
The American Geosciences Institute is offering the next webinar in the Technical Writing Skills for Geoscience Careers webinar series. This free 1-hour webinar, will be held on October 2nd at 1:00 PM EDT. Speakers will discuss skills that are developed during undergraduate or graduate academic training, types of written products that are developed by geoscientists in the environmental consulting industry, training and professional development opportunities for improving and expanding writing skills and advice for students on how to acquire the needed writing skills as they prepare for and pursue their career path.
Save your spot for the webinar.
NCRGE Initiates Research Networks on Geography Education and Libraries, Powerful Geography, and the NAEP Geography Assessment
The National Center for Research in Geography Education (NCRGE) has initiated three research networks supporting further implementation of the Road Map for 21st Century Geography Education project’s landmark report on geography education research. The three networks are: Geography Education and Libraries, Powerful Geography, and the National Assessment of Educational Progress Geography Assessment.
Click here for more information.
EMU to host Mark Jefferson & Versailles Peace Conference Symposium
The Department of Geography & Geology, History & Philosophy, and Political Science at Eastern Michigan University have organized a two day Symposium for October 17th & 18th, 2019, the “Professor Mark Jefferson and the Versailles Peace Conference,” in order to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Versailles conference and celebrate the distinguished career of Mark Jefferson at EMU. Guest speakers at the symposium include geographers Jeremy Crampton (Newcastle) and Wesley Reisser (U.S. State Department & George Washington University) and WWI historian Jesse Kauffman (EMU).
Find out more about the symposium.
Help AAG Share Geography Career Materials to High Schools
As part of the American Association of Geographers’ ongoing efforts to inform students at earlier educational stages about opportunities in geography, the AAG has compiled geography career information packets that are available to mail to high school guidance counselors. The packets include materials about career opportunities and paths in geography, how to learn about the different college and university geography programs and degrees available, jobs and careers resources on the AAG website, and information on the GeoMentors program which can connect K-12 teachers with volunteers to assist with geospatial technology and provide career presentations.
Would you like a packet to be sent to schools in your area? Use the online form to provide contact information for counselors and teachers that you would like to receive a packet. If you have any questions, contact the AAG’s Director of Outreach and Engagement, Candice Luebbering.
Call for Posters – the National Council on Public History 2020 Annual Meeting
Posters are currently being solicited for the 2020 Annual Meeting of the National Council on Public History to be held in Atlanta, Georgia. Poster abstracts will be considered for the program based on the persuasiveness of your abstract, the quality of your proposed visual presentation, and your project’s relation to major issues and questions in public history. Adherence to this year’s conference theme, “Threads of Change,” is encouraged, but not required. Abstracts are due by October 7, 2019.
Find out more about NCPH posters.
GEOGRAPHERS IN THE NEWS
- Geography Professor Amy Potter’s work on slavery and plantation tours highlighted in The Guardian
- Dr. Nazzareno Diodato publishes article on Italian damaging hydrologic events in Nature
EVENTS CALENDAR
- October 6-11, 2019 – Pecora 21 and the 38th International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment (ISRSE-30)
- October 10-11, 2019 – East Lakes Regional Division Fall Meeting
- October 10-12, 2019 – Southwest Regional Division Fall Meeting
- October 11-12, 2019 – Great Plains/Rocky Mountains Regional Division Fall Meeting
- October 16-19, 2019 – Pacific Coast Regional Division Fall Meeting
- October 18-19, 2019 – Middle States Regional Division Fall Meeting
- October 18-19, 2019 – New England St. Lawrence Valley Regional Division Fall Meeting
- October 24-26, 2019 – West Lakes Regional Division Fall Meeting