final deadline for annual meeting abstracts is december 3 › galleries › newsletter-files ›...

NOVEMBER 2013 | TABLE OF CONTENTS Supporting the Regional Divisions ............................. 4 AAG Name Change Poll ............................................. 7 Columns by AAG Presidents ...................................... 7 AAG Announces Recipients of 2014 AAG Honors ... 8 Annual Meeting News .......................................... 15-21 Focus on Florida ........................................................ 21 AAG Review of Books ............................................. 27 GCE Youth Tech Camps ...................................... 27-29 Visiting Geographical Scientist Program .................. 29 Upcoming AAG Grant and Award Deadlines ........... 30 AAG Typhoon Haiyan Relief Efforts ....................... 32 AAG-GTU Student Travel Awards Fund ................. 32

Support Geography with a Tax-Deductible Gift ....... 33 NSF Cancels Fall Competition .................................. 33 California Budget Proposal May Add Positions ....... 34 Volunteer at the Annual Meeting .............................. 34 Annual Meeting Childcare Subsidy Program ............ 34 Member News ...................................................... 34-37 Necrology: Steven Kale ............................................ 38 New Books Received List ......................................... 39 Tampa 2014 Field Trips ............................................ 43 Calendar of Events .................................................... 46 AAG Seeks Research Scientist ................................. 47

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Final Deadline for Annual Meeting Abstracts is December 3

The AAG reminds presenters and organizers that the deadline to submit abstracts for its 2014 conference is Tuesday, Dec. 3. The AAG Annual Meeting in Tampa, Fla., will be held April 8 to April 12. Visit the meeting portal at www.aag.org/annualmeeting to register and for more information on themes, speakers, and calls for papers. December 3 is also the last day attendees may take advantage of discounted registration fees. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Florida’s Tourism Industry

By Ray Oldakowski

Florida, The Sunshine State, is a slogan designed to attract tourists. The nickname was officially adopted by the state legislature in 1970, although it had already appeared on license plates since the 1950s. Florida brings to mind sunny skies, sandy beaches, and warm waters. It is the place for fun in the sun, whether you are looking for boating, fishing, swimming, or simply sunbathing. Florida is home to some of the country’s most

AAG Newsletter | NOVEMBER 2013 |

entertaining and enjoyable theme parks: Walt Disney World, Sea World, Universal, and Busch Gardens. And the state hosts many events that visitors come to watch such as Super Bowls (15 to date), college football bowl games (six games are scheduled for the 2013-14 postseason), spring training baseball, shuttle launches and other space-related missions, and the Daytona 500. Add in a few cruise ports, some tourists from Central and South America who visit for a day or two of shopping along Florida’s Gold Coast, and a competitive convention business. The result is a tourism industry that is arguably the most salient and successful among the 50 states, and the most important sector of Florida’s economy.

Florida first started receiving visitors with the arrival of Ponce de Leon’s convoy of explorers in 1513, an event the state is currently commemorating with its Viva Florida 500 celebration. Significant numbers of tourists began to arrive during the latter half of the 19th century. However, Florida’s tourism history is most commonly defined by the opening of Walt Disney World on October 1, 1971. All other events are categorized as pre or post Disney. In the decades prior to the opening of Walt Disney World, Florida attracted automobile visitors with a number of roadside attractions that promoted the State’s natural environment and wildlife. The map below illustrates the location of many of these attractions, as well as the major US highways that visitors used to travel throughout the state. Places like Cypress Gardens, Silver Springs, and Weeki Wachee Springs (right) promoted the lush tropical vegetation and aquatic formations that could be found in Florida. Attractions such as Marineland and Parrot Jungle exhibited the fish, mammals, reptiles and birds that inhabited the state. In a sense, these places were the precursors to contemporary ecotourism.

The post Disney era is characterized by large theme parks and large numbers of visitors who converge on the state by highway and by air. In a recent interview on NPR (2013), Oscar Collins, a glass bottom boat captain at Silver Springs characterized the park’s heyday during the 1960s by stating “we were doing 4-and 5000 people in the middle of the week, and on weekends, 6- and 7000.” In 2010, Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom welcomed nearly 17 million visitors, an average of over 46,000 persons per day. Walt Disney World’s other three theme parks (EPCOT,


Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom) welcomed approximately 10 million additional visitors each. Universal’s two Orlando theme parks received approximately 6 million guests each, and Busch Gardens in Tampa welcomed more than 4 million visitors (Inside the Magic 2011).

Numbers like these should allow Florida to pursue some lofty tourism goals. Specifically, the state wishes to become the No. 1 travel destination in the world. This is the vision of Visit Florida, a not-for-profit corporation created by the state legislature in 1996, which serves as the state’s official tourism marketing agency (www.visitflorida.com). 2012 was a record year for tourism in Florida. The state welcomed over 91 million visitors who spent over $71 billion, generating 23 percent of the state’s sales tax revenue (Visit Florida 2013). There were also over 20 million in-state visits and staycations. This continues a trend of steady growth in the number of tourists from year to year over the past 10 years. Only the financial crisis of 2008-2009 created a temporary drop in the number of visitors to Florida since 2002. And Visit Florida is taking steps to build on the current success. Beginning in the summer of 2013, video teams trained by Google Maps experts began to use Google’s Street View Trekker technology to capture images of the state’s 825 miles of beaches. Florida’s Governor Rick Scott said “this technology from Google will allow anyone in the world to see how vast and beautiful Florida’s beaches are, which will create more opportunities for tourism.” The organization is also using social media, expert bloggers with journalism backgrounds, as well as traditional TV, radio, cinema, and print advertising to promote the state for tourism.

And while Visit Florida promotes tourism outside the state, the Partnership for Florida’s Tourism (www.floridastourismcounts.org), a grassroots coalition designed to increase public funding of tourism marketing, promotes the industry inside the state. Their lobbying focuses on the importance of visitors in creating jobs for Floridians. Their research shows that over 1 million Floridians are employed in the tourism industry, and that one new job is created by every 85 additional visitors. Comprised of associations representing restaurants and lodging, attractions, RV and campgrounds, and destination marketing organizations, the Partnership for Florida’s Tourism argues that Florida must combat the increased funding for tourism promotion spent by other states and destinations.

However, there is plenty of combat within the state as well. Over the past several years, investors in South Florida have lobbied the legislature to allow billion dollar resort casinos to be developed in Dade and Broward Counties. These efforts have been met by strong opposition from the Walt Disney Company and the Florida Chamber of Commerce which support the family-friendly image of Central Florida’s theme parks. They are also concerned that these resort casinos would create the hotel and meeting room space necessary for South Florida to significantly impinge on Central Florida’s convention business.

There are many other examples of serious competition for visitors within the state. The website for Florida Suncoast Tourism Promotions (www.floridatourism.com) contains a regional travel guide that states “South Florida has seen the best days go by as Orlando and other parts of the state beckon tourists . . . Although Fort Lauderdale is no longer a spring break haven, and Miami has seen its share of urban troubles, the beaches, the people, the Everglades, and the experience of it all is not to be missed.”


In addition, some of Florida’s traditional vernacular regions have Balkanized as adjacent areas compete for tourism income and tax revenue. Two of the most recent examples would be the emergence of the Historic Coast in St. Augustine and St. Johns County, formerly part of the First Coast, and the Cultural Coast south of Tampa Bay focusing on Sarasota, formerly part of the Sun Coast. Moreover, the Visit Florida website presents literally hundreds of vacation options, each one hoping to outshine the other and attract potential visitors.

Obstacles to success in the tourism industry are not restricted to competition among Florida localities. Events beyond the control of the tourism industry may impede Florida’s desire to be the world’s number one travel destination. Devastating hurricanes are always a possibility during the summer and fall months. Human caused disasters such as the Deep Water Horizon oil spill in 2010 threatened the pristine character of Florida’s beaches. And Florida’s controversial stand- your-ground law, the focus of intense media attention during the spring and summer of 2013, has many groups calling for a boycott of Florida tourism until the law is overturned.

Despite these obstacles, the state recorded a record number of tourists for the first quarter of 2013. Florida has come a long way since the nature based tourism of the early 20th century, and the state is banking on tourism to remain a major job and revenue creator in the state’s 21st century economy.

—Ray Oldakowski��, Department of Geography and the Environment��, Jacksonville University, Jacksonville, FL

References: Inside the Magic 2011. www.insidethemagic.net/2011/06/tea-releases-2010-theme-park-attendance-numbers-potter-and-kong-give-universal-huge-growth-but-disney-remains-on-top/ NPR 2013. www.npr.org/2013/04/13/177105692/before-disney-floridas-silver-springs-lured-tourists Visit Florida 2013. www.visitflorida.com/en-us/media/research.html -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Supporting the Regional Divisions By Julie Winkler

Over the years, the AAG Newsletter has been peppered with presidential columns about the AAG regional divisions. The nine regional divisions host their annual meetings during autumn, and, barring scheduling conflicts, the AAG president represents the national-level Association at these meetings. Hence, it is only natural that former presidents have wanted to share with the AAG membership their thoughts on this intense, motivating, and rather exhausting experience. Foci of past columns have included approaches for enhancing

attendance at the regional meetings, ways that the regional meetings can advance geography, opportunities for students, the relative participation of faculty and students from undergraduate-only and Ph.D.-granting geography departments, and the regional division structure itself.

I would like to add my thoughts to this ongoing discussion. However, my travels to the regional meetings coincide with ongoing deliberations by the AAG Council of the


challenges and opportunities for the regional divisions. At the AAG Council meeting earlier this month, an entire morning session was reserved for the discussion of two questions posed to the regional and national councillors: How have changes in the "external" environment during the past two decades impacted your regional division, considering both the opportunities they create and the challenges they pose? How can the regional divisions strengthen geography at the national level and the AAG specifically? Thus, I also draw on that discussion for this column.

My overall impression is that the regional divisions have enormous potential for supporting geography and geographers. Some of this potential is very much realized, but much also remains untapped. Geographers require opportunities and venues for professional development throughout their careers. Some geographers will seek development opportunities primarily through AAG national-level activities, such as the AAG annual meeting, and/or through professional offerings from other organizations. But for others, the regional division meetings can provide an important additional, or even alternative, professional development venue. Some geographers may find that the smaller, more intimate regional meetings facilitate networking and the establishment of new research and teaching collaborations. The regional meetings can also be an ideal venue for sharing findings and for interacting with peers for those geographers conducting regionally focused research. For others, the regional meetings can provide an initial foray into disciplinary professional activities. Many geographers, myself included, presented their first paper or poster at a regional meeting. Also, the regional meetings can, and should be, a means for non-geographers interested in working more closely with geographers to introduce themselves to the discipline in a less formal setting. The regional meetings can also fill a professional development role for those geographers whose professional and personal constraints make participation in national-level activities challenging. Some geographers, including many community college faculty, are limited by their employers to only a few off-site days per year, hindering their ability to participate in the nearly week-long AAG annual meeting. Entrepreneurial geographers lose revenue every day away from their businesses. Other geographers are caring for small children or elderly relatives, making extended periods away from home difficult. In these situations, the shorter regional meetings, which often overlap with the weekend, are a more accessible professional development venue.

In order to tap into their full potential, regional divisions need to closely monitor the effectiveness of their annual meeting. Viewing the regional meetings through the lens of professional development can help with this assessment. An initial question is simply whether the meeting attendance is diverse and, if not, whether there are sectors within the geography community who feel that the regional meetings are not providing the professional development opportunities they are seeking. For example: Is attendance from graduate, four-year, and two-year academic programs proportional to the number and size of these programs within the region? Are non-academic geographers in attendance? Do undergraduate and graduate students participate? The quality of the professional development that is offered to attendees is also important: Is informal networking facilitated? Has care been taken to minimize conflicting sessions so that attendees can easily participate in all sessions of interest to them, maximizing exposure to, and feedback on, each other’s presentations? Are workshops or other skill-enhancing


opportunities provided? These and similar assessment questions can help identify gaps in what the regional meetings are offering, and also can point to potential enhancements.

Discussion and assessment also needs to occur at the national level, and, in advance of the fall council meeting, the AAG Regional Councillors collectively identified a suite of challenges and opportunities for the regional divisions. A number of the challenges (continued reductions in travel funding, increased conference costs, undervaluation by employers and administration of participation in the regional organizations) are not surprising, but one potential challenge that garnered considerable discussion is that new faculty within a region may be unaware of what the regional meetings have to offer, especially if they are graduates of programs that historically have not participated in their regional division. Potential opportunities include greater advertisement of the regional divisions to AAG members, more joint regional conferences, sponsored plenary speakers who have broad public appeal, and the sharing of best practices among regions. The latter, sharing of best practices, was viewed as having particular potential, as many AAG members are familiar with only a small number of the regional divisions (often the division in which they currently work and the one where they completed their education).

The AAG Council and Central Office are undertaking several initiatives in support of the regional divisions. Regional division chairs have been invited to a luncheon meeting at the AAG annual meeting in Tampa to discuss with Council members their perceptions on the future of the regional divisions and the linkages between the regional and national components of the AAG. Following the luncheon, a two-hour workshop intended for all regional division officers will focus on sharing best practices, including practices and initiatives for membership recruitment and retention, meeting organization, hosting joint meetings, communication with members, and financial management. AAG Central Office staff will also be present to share insights based on their national-level experiences. In further support of the regional meetings, the Council approved at their fall meeting an extension of the childcare subsidy offered to attendees at the AAG annual meeting to attendees of the regional meetings, although at a reduced rate reflective of the shorter duration of the regional meetings. The provision of this subsidy recognizes that for some AAG members the regional division is their professional association, and that these members should have the same benefits as those who mainly participate in national-level activities.

I was fortunate to be able to attend the annual meetings of eight of the nine regional divisions, five this Fall and three last year. Frankly, this experience was one of my more rewarding professional opportunities in quite awhile. Each meeting had its own "flavor," but some of the lingering highlights and memories, beyond the excellent scientific presentations and posters, include: the APCG member who subsidized the banquet tickets for student first-authors of papers and posters; the moving and relevant keynote address on memorialization of university tragedies at the joint West Lakes/East Lakes meeting hosted by Northern Illinois University, a university that experienced such a tragedy first hand; the pleasure of an esteemed geographer, someone I personally admire, in receiving SEDAAG's Lifetime Achievement Award; the motion at the SWAAG business meeting to work to make their meetings more family friendly; meeting Maryland's Chief Innovation Officer at the MAD meeting and discovering that he is a geographer; the vanloads of undergraduate students who attended the Middle States meeting and their incredible presentations; the open house at the University of Nebraska-Omaha Geography


Department, host of the GPRM meeting, and viewing their enviable facilities; talking with an assistant professor from a major Ph.D. program, a first time attendee of the SWAGG meeting, who was thrilled with the attendance and feedback for his paper presentation; the gift basket of local products delivered to my hotel by the Geography Club at Stephen F. Austin University; and the Mark Twain impersonator at the APCG banquet who relived Twain's adventures as a reporter for the Territorial Enterprise newspaper in Virginia City, Nevada (absolutely sublime). I also found out that, not only have I forgotten much of my introductory geography, I cannot even follow the Geography Bowl rules (apologies fellow SEDAAG "Dream Team" members!)

You may not receive a gift basket, and the impersonator was perhaps a one-off experience, but nonetheless, give the regional meetings a try. My experiences of the past year certainly have reinvigorated my commitment to my regional division.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the regional divisions and their annual meetings.

—Julie Winkler -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AAG Name Change Poll

In his April 2013 newsletter column, "An American Association of Geographers?," Past President Eric Sheppard proposed changing the name of the Association of American Geographers to the "American Association of Geographers,” to better reflect the international scope of the AAG’s current activities and membership. Please feel free to share your thoughts or to advocate for or against the idea at the blog following Eric's column.

In order to gauge AAG members’ views on this, the AAG 2014 election ballot will include a non-binding poll asking for your opinion. The poll will be worded as follows:

“NON-BINDING POLL: Do you favor changing the name of the Association of American Geographers to the American Association of Geographers? • Yes • No”

This poll will not determine whether a name change will happen, but will inform AAG Council discussion of the topic at its Spring 2014 meeting. Initiation of a name change is governed by the AAG Constitution and Bylaws. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Columns by AAG Presidents

All recent columns by AAG Presidents can be found on the AAG website at http://www.aag.org/news/president.

If you would like to respond to recent columns by AAG Presidents Julie Winkler or Eric Sheppard, you may do so on the blog that follows each of their columns on the website. Your thoughts matter, so please join in the discussion at the end of each column.


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AAG Announces Recipients of 2014 AAG Honors

The AAG will confer AAG Honors, the Association's highest honors, to nine individuals and one publishing press for their outstanding contributions to the advancement or welfare of geography. Each year, the AAG invites nominations from the membership, which are then presented to the AAG Honors Committee for consideration. The AAG Honors will be presented at the upcoming AAG Annual Meeting in Tampa, Fla., during a special awards luncheon on Saturday, April 12, 2014.

The following AAG Honors will be presented to: • AAG Lifetime Achievement Honors ��Anne Buttimer, University College

Dublin and��Alexander Murphy, University of Oregon • AAG Distinguished Scholarship Honors ��Meric Gertler, University of Toronto

and��Amy Glasmeier, MIT • AAG Ronald F. Abler Distinguished Service Honors ��James W. Harrington,

University of Washington - Tacoma and��Wei Li, Arizona State University • AAG Gilbert Grosvenor Geographic Education Honors ��Darrel Hess, City

College of San Francisco • AAG Gilbert White Public Service Honors ��Eve Gruntfest, University of

Colorado - Colorado Springs • AAG Media Achievement Award��Derek Alderman, University of Tennessee • AAG Publication Award��Esri

AAG Lifetime Achievement Honors

Anne Buttimer is awarded the Association of American Geographers 2014 Lifetime Achievement Honors in recognition of her five decades of distinguished and prolific scholarship as well as extraordinary dedication, service, and perseverance in the name of the geographic profession. In addition to being a stellar research scholar, Anne has served the field in a number of capacities, recently as President of the International Geographical Union (IGU) and most as Vice-President of Academia Europea, the first geographer to be so elected. She has also played an active role in the AAG, serving on Council, on the Annals editorial Board, and on the Long-Range Planning Committee.

Anne’s distinguished career reflects major achievements in all three areas—research, teaching, service—generally recognized as constituting the role and duty of academic scholars. In addition, her special linguistic abilities combined with her intellectual talents place her at the forefront in international geographical activities…a fact attested to, when, on 27 January 2012 she became the first woman to be awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Grenoble, France.

Professor Buttimer has also played an important role as a faculty member in geography—first at Clark University in the 1970s, then at Lund in the 1980s, and more recently at University College Dublin. She has been a leader at these institutions, most notably heading the University College Dublin Department of Geography for twelve years. She has also influenced countless students at the places where she has held long-term appointments, as well as at a number of other institutions where she has held shorter-term visiting positions. Her effectiveness as a lecturer can be seen in the wide range of invitations she has received to share her ideas with others. Over the years she


has traveled all over Europe, North America, and beyond, giving featured and named lectures at a wide range of institutions of higher education.

Professor Buttimer is a highly respected geographer whose reputation is truly global in scope. In the early part of her career, she was at the forefront of efforts to expand beyond the quantitative approaches that were highly influential at the time. She went on to produce a body of scholarship that explored important philosophical themes at the intersection of the bio-physical and human sciences, that shaped research directions in social geography, and that served as a model for the ways in which geographers can bridge the theory-practice divide. On the latter front, Professor Buttimer chaired an EU-funded research network on sustainable development that had a significant influence on EU policy debates; her work provided important insights into the ways in which communication between scientists and planners can be improved. The extent of her scholarly impact can be seen in the many honors she has received from different universities and professional associations.

Alexander B. Murphy is awarded the Association of American Geographers 2014

Lifetime Achievement Award to recognize his extraordinary contributions to understanding the world’s changing political-territorial order and the impacts of the political organization of space on geopolitical relations and ethno-national identities, his outstanding teaching and mentoring record, and his exemplary leadership and “disciplinary citizenship” in support of geography.

A few of Professor Murphy’s outstanding leadership roles include his service as President and Past President of the Association of American Geographers; chair of numerous AAG committees (including the Healthy Departments initiative); Senior Vice President and Councilor of the American Geographical Society; the National Geographic Society’s Advisory Committee for Geographic Education; conference organizer for the Association of Pacific Coast Geographers; and elected position as one of the few non-European members of the Academia Europaea. These and other national and international leadership roles have strengthened our discipline and made the world a better place.

Alexander has also made a long list of outstanding contributions to his department and university. Along with serving as chair of the Department of Geography at the University of Oregon, he has been appointed to a number of other important campus-wide leadership roles, including the university’s Presidential Search Committee. Professor Murphy has also long been committed to the importance of excellence in classroom teaching, academic advising, and mentoring students and early career faculty. These contributions, along with his numerous other leadership roles such as serving as the first Chair of the Advanced Placement Human Geography Development Committee for the College Board, provide abundant evidence of Professor Murphy’s commitment to the importance of teaching and to geographic education at all levels.

Professor Alexander B. Murphy’s has made a number of significant contributions to scholarship in the subfield of Political Geography, provided expert teaching and mentoring of students and early career faculty, and served in leadership roles in support of the discipline of geography. These many contributions, along with his enthusiasm for the vital importance of geography education at the high school, college, and university levels; and efforts to carry the message of geography to the general public via newspaper articles, invited lectures in the public arena, and meetings with key educational and


policy decision-makers in the U.S. and abroad, have made Alexander Murphy one of today’s most widely known and respected “geography ambassadors.” Based on these extraordinary achievements and contributions to geography, it is an honor to recognize Alexander B. Murphy with the 2014 Association of American Geographer’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

AAG Distinguished Scholarship Honors

Meric Gertler is awarded the Association of American Geographers 2014 Distinguished Scholarship Honors in recognition of a 30-year career in not only advancing theory in economic geography, but also in establishing benchmarks for the next generation of researchers. His scholarly contributions are wide-ranging and encompass the study of innovation systems, creative cities and the creative economy, industrial clusters, labor flexibility, institutional governance and regional economic development. His papers have been genuinely path-breaking, providing a firm analytical and empirical foundation for understanding the evolution of Canadian and American regional systems over the 20th century. What is particularly significant about Meric’s approach to economic geography is his willingness to engage, through case studies and field research, the scope and coherence of inherited tools and methods of analysis.

Meric is currently Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at the University of Toronto where he also holds the Goldring Chair in Canadian Studies in the University College and Department of Geography. This position attests to his lifelong interest and commitment to crafting a distinctive Canadian approach to economic geography that has focused on resource industries and the notable Canadian capacity to develop urban innovation systems. Meric Gertler’s scholarship and leadership in North American economic geography have been recognized with numerous fellowship positions and by major scholarship awards, both in Canada and abroad. He has made all these contributions while, at the same time, holding significant posts as a university administrator.

Meric Gertler is an unusually creative scholar whose large body of published work is wide-ranging and widely cited. In the most recent overview of economic geography scholarship, as measured by citations, three articles by Meric Gertler were among the top 25 most-cited articles in economic geography from 1982-2006. No other author had more single-authored papers in the top 25.

The 2014 AAG Distinguished Scholarship Honors is presented to Meric Gertler for a truly outstanding career of scholarly achievement and intellectual leadership in economic geography.

AAG Distinguished Scholarship Honors

For her insightful and data-rich insights into the geographies of economic development and planning, for her research on patterns and trends in rural poverty in America, and for her outstanding efforts to understand and inform public policy we are delighted to award AAG Distinguished Scholarship Honors to Amy Glasmeier.

Amy Glasmeier, Professor of Economic Geography and Regional Planning in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at MIT is recognized for her outstanding contributions to Economic Geography especially her work on rural economic development, poverty, and the geography of manufacturing. Amy is the author and co-


author of several monographs – including Manufacturing Time: Global Competition in the World Watch Industry 1750-2000; High-tech Potential: Economic Development in Rural America; From Combines to Computers: Rural Services and Development in the Age of Information Technology; and High Tech America – as well as the Atlas of Poverty in America. These books reflect the topics of her articles, book chapters and policy reports where she has provided important insights into the development of industrial complexes and high-tech industries, geographies of trade policy and globalization, the failures and successes of efforts to end poverty, and the landscape of inequality in the United States. Her work assesses public policy through careful empirical analysis of economic and census data. One key contribution is Amy’s focus on the unintended effects of public policy, especially in rural America, documenting the impacts of NAFTA, high-tech industries and federal economic development programs on the poor and the prosperity of rural communities.

She is unusually committed to informing public policy in the United States and has completed a large number of policy reports for agencies and organizations that include the Ford Foundation, HUD, USDA Economic Research Service, the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, the Economic Policy Institute, the Aspen Institute, and the Department of Defense. Her most sustained concern has been the economy of Appalachia where she twice served as the John D. Whisman scholar with the Appalachian Regional Commission and studied the causes of persistent poverty and the possibilities for renewable energy.

With a degree in city and regional planning from UC Berkeley Amy Glasmeier has taught planning and geography at UT Austin, Penn State and MIT providing an important link between urban and regional planning and economic geography. In her writing and presentations she has urged economic geographers to engage with policy, highlighting geography’s skills in understanding spatial impacts and equity and has trained many undergraduate and graduate students in the power of geographic thinking and techniques.

AAG Ronald F. Abler Distinguished Service Honors

Through his research, teaching and service, James W. "JW" Harrington, Jr. has established himself as one of the leading figures in contemporary geography. His work has had influence across wide areas of our discipline—economic geography, trade theory, regional development, professional development for early career faculty, leadership training, administration and so many other areas. Currently Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Washington-Tacoma, Dr. Harrington has held leadership positions at many levels at the University of Washington Seattle; University of Buffalo (SUNY-Buffalo); George Mason University; the National Science Foundation; the Association of American Geographers; within the North American Regional Science Council; and other professional organizations as well. From the earliest stages of his career, JW has gone out of his way to create, guide and shape programs which have had a lasting impact on our discipline and on every institution of which he has been a part.

Harrington's contributions rest on three fundamental qualities he brings to all of his work and service. The first is a clear vision of geography's role in society, the economy, and higher education that allows him to see and realize new opportunities and build new initiatives. Among many other acts of service to the discipline, JW has played a key role


in the Geography faculty Development Alliance and in the AAG Healthy Departments Workshops.

Second is a strong sense of collegiality and caring which allows him to engage students and colleagues in constructive and productive dialog in all settings. JW has always been a compassionate listener and fair-minded leader. As one of his referees noted: "He listens intently, gathers facts, invites opinion, and then acts ... a superb combination for a campus leader."

Finally, it is impossible to ignore the energy, enthusiasm and commitment JW brings to all of his work. His boundless passion has given him a remarkable ability to build intellectual bridges and work across interdisciplinary boundaries by drawing people together to focus on their common concerns. Implied in all of his work is a sense that service, research, teaching, and administration are interconnected at a very fundamental level and that advances in one necessarily entail attention to the others.

These accomplishments have meant that JW has emerged as one of geography's key public advocates. His ability to speak with authority, depth and clarity on issues spanning the entire discipline has also made him one of our most influential diplomats in higher education and beyond.

Wei Li is awarded the Association of American Geographers 2014 Ronald F. Abler

Distinguished Service Honors in recognition of the impact of her extraordinary service to geography. Currently, Professor Li is a Professor of the Asian Pacific American Studies Program, School of Social Transformation and School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning at Arizona State University. She also serves as Affiliate Faculty in the Center for Asian Research, North American Center for Transborder Studies and the Center for Population Dynamics.

Professor Li’s many contributions include leadership roles in the AAG as chair of Ethnic Geography Specialty Group, president of the Population Specialty Group, and member of the Nystrom Award Committee. Since 2003, Professor Li also has held several prominent memberships in the public sector including an inaugural membership in the U.S. Census Bureau's National Advisory Committee on Race, Ethnic, and Other Populations. She has held distinguished appointments and leadership positions for the Bureau including the Asian Race and Ethnic Advisory Committee (REAC), and she is a Steering Committee member for the International Metropolis Project.

Professor Li has served on several other prestigious international boards on behalf of geography including the Scientific Advisory Board and the International Advisory Board for the International Migration and Diaspora Studies Project. In addition, she has made substantive and lasting contributions to the AAG through membership on the International Research and Scholarly Exchange Committee, the Affirmative Action and Minority Status Standing Committee, the Honors Committee, and as a co-leader for Geography Faculty Development Workshops funded by the National Science Foundation.

Professor Li’s high profile scholarly work on comparative immigration has added both breadth and depth to our discipline as well as to our understanding of Chinese and other Asian groups in North America and around the globe. For over a decade, her exceptional research, teaching and service have continued to help internationalize geography by focusing attention on Asian communities in Pacific-Rim countries and identifying new ways of understanding race and ethnicity in North American cities.


Due to her many contributions, Professor Li was selected for the Distinguished Ethnic Geography CAREER Award and she has served as a fellow for the Institutions of Humanity Research and as Research Associate for the National Bureau of Asian Research and Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Her influential work likewise has garnered the attention of the media including reports in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, and Washington Post, National Public Radio and the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

AAG Gilbert Grosvenor Geographic Education Honors

Darrel Hess is awarded the Association of American Geographers 2014 Gilbert Grosvenor Geographic Education Honors in recognition of over two decades of nationwide service to community college students. In 2006, he established the AAG Hess Community College Geography Scholarships that support students who transfer from two-year programs to four-year institutions. Darrel Hess also co-founded the AAG Community College Travel Grants in 2010 that support community college student travel to the AAG Annual Meeting. Darrel directly supports both of these funds, largely through royalties received from his successful Physical Geography textbook. These funds provide an important incentive for those students who discovered a love of geography during what they assumed would be a terminal two-year program and who may not have continued in the discipline without the added support. Darrel Hess travels widely to share his teaching insights on geographic education and is a regular contributor to sessions at the AAG Annual meeting on this topic.

AAG Gilbert White Public Service Honors

Eve Gruntfest is awarded the Association of American Geographers 2014 Gilbert White Public Service Honors in recognition of her career-long achievements in the study of hazard warnings and response to natural disasters. A student of Gilbert White, Dr. Eve Gruntfest began her career with an important study of public response to the 1976 catastrophic Big Thompson Flood in Colorado, producing important insights into warning systems and human behavior. As a faculty member at University of Colorado-Colorado Springs she brought compassion to her research, teaching and public service on extreme events and hazards.

As an expert on hazard warning systems, flash floods and social science aspects of atmospheric science she has served on National Research Council committees, the science advisory board for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and has spoken about her research and its applications to organizations that include the US National Weather Service, the US Army Corps of Engineers, the Association of State Floodplain Managers, and the Weather Channel.

She has directed several initiatives to bring the insights of social science to meteorology and train young scientists including the Social Science Woven into Meteorology (SSWIM) program at the National Weather Center in Oklahoma which focuses on issues such as improving forecasts and warnings, reducing social vulnerability to natural hazards, and understanding community and cultural adaptations to weather extremes. She also founded and directs the Weather and Society Integrated Studies (WAS*IS) that seeks to support early career people who want to make meteorology more


socially relevant and was the co-director of the International Flash Flood Lab at Texas State University. She has served as an associate editor for Weather, Climate and Society and the Journal of Flood Hazard Mitigation.

In 2009 she received the Kenneth E. Spengler Award from the American Meteorological Society (AMS) for her ‘30-year career dedicated to developing a collaborative interdisciplinary community and to creating linkages that have infused new perspectives into our knowledge and practice’. The award recognizes those whose efforts have contributed to the growth of the weather and climate enterprise while materially fostering a sense of community and creating synergistic linkages. She served on the board on outreach and public education for the AMS and as chair of their board on societal impacts for a number of years.

The enduring significance of her work was highlighted during the serious floods of 2013 in Colorado, when several media outlets noted the importance of her Big Thompson research that recommend signs telling people to ‘climb to safety’ during flash floods that are now found throughout the canyons in the region.

AAG Media Achievement Award

Derek Alderman is awarded the Association of American Geographers 2014 AAG Media Achievement Award for his extraordinary contributions to promoting the important role that geography plays in people’s lives through a diverse range of media outlets. Dr. Alderman and his research have been frequently cited in local, regional and national news outlets, including print, radio and television, over the course of his nearly two decade long career as a professional geographer. He is perhaps best noted for his efforts to highlight the significant and often controversial battles around street naming and commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King’s life and legacy to diverse local and national audiences through public media engagements. Over and over again, Dr. Alderman has been the informed voice in stories detailing battles over King streets in one city and town after another. He has been quoted in a wide array of newspaper stories and radio reports – from the New York Times and USA Today to the San Jose Mercury News and San Francisco Chronicle. His research has been featured on MSNBC and the NPR programs Marketplace and Morning Edition, among others. In all of Dr. Alderman’s media engagements, he has consistently translated complex issues of social and spatial justice into readily understandable and digestible nuggets of information that help to inform and elevate public debate. Moreover, he has worked hard and successfully to narrow the gap, not just between the worlds of academe and journalism, but between the ivory tower and the street. In these efforts, he represents the very best of what U.S. geography can offer through public media outreach. Based on these extraordinary achievements and contributions to geography, it is an honor to recognize Derek Alderman with the 2014 Association of American Geographer’s Media Achievement Award.

AAG Publication Award

Esri, the Environmental Systems Research Institute, was founded in 1969 as a land-use consulting firm. In the mid-1970s, Esri launched their first effort in the software development arena, developing the Polygon Information Overlay System (PIOS) for San Diego County. Esri is a world leader in GIS software products, estimated to have better


than 40% of the more than $1 billion global GIS software market share, about four times more than any other vendor.

As GIS technology has developed and its usage has grown, there has been a continually growing demand for instructional material, including introductory text books, technical materials describing newly developing applications of GIS, and in-depth discussions on detailed topics such as projections, color, and map design. Through its Esri Press division, Esri has become a major player in the GIS-related publication arena, publishing more GIS-related titles than probably the next three publishers combined. To date, their catalog includes nearly 100 titles.

Esri first entered the publication realm in 1984 with their annual Map Book, a collection of maps illustrating contemporary examples of cutting-edge mapping and analysis. Since then they have continued to expand into publishing an array of both classic and new books dealing with mapping and geography. They currently have about 100 titles available. The Esri Press has reissued and made available such landmark works as Notes and Comments on the Composition of Terrestrial and Celestial Maps a classic 1772 work by Johann Heinrich Lambert and translated by Waldo Tobler. More recent re-issued classics include Arthur Robinson’s 1952 The Look of Maps: An Examination of Cartographic Design, Eduard Imhof’s 1965 Cartographic Relief Presentation, and Jacques Bertin’s 1967 Semiology of Graphics; Diagrams, Networks, Maps. In addition, they have published many new titles that complement the reissued classics.

In addition to publishing about the science, application, and technology of (GIS), Esri Press also has publications that support potential and existing users of GIS technology in a myriad of disciplines including health care, environmental science, geology, planning, sociology, political science, history, and ecology.

It is ironic that, in this era of the “paperless-office,” the leading developer and vendor of digital GIS materials is also a leader in the publication of print-media materials. With the growth of GIS and its importance to the discipline of geography, we should celebrate Esri’s contributions to publications in Geography. This AAG Publication Award is conferred on Esri in recognition of exceptional and outstanding contributions to Geography through a vigorous and prolific publication program. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AAG Extends Early Registration Discount for Florida Meeting

Due to the recent government shutdown, the AAG has extended the early bird registration discount through December 3, 2013, to accommodate our colleagues working in the federal government. However, anyone registering by the Dec. 3 deadline is eligible for the lower, discounted rates. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Featured Themes Bring Engaging Experiences to AAG 2013 Tampa

The AAG annual meeting will feature more than 5,000 presentations, posters, and workshops by leading scholars, researchers, and educators. Current themes for the AAG Annual Meeting include:


Geographies of Climate Change

Climate change is the major environmental challenge facing humankind today. Geographies of Climate Change, a featured theme for the upcoming AAG Annual Meeting in Tampa, highlights the complex spatial dimensions of climate change including the observed and anticipated geographical differentiation in potential impacts and vulnerability. The Presidential Plenary that opens the Annual Meeting will focus on this theme, and will feature Mike Hulme, author of Why We Disagree about Climate Change; Linda Mearns, project leader of the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program; Susanne Moser, co-author of the recently-published Successful Adaptation to Climate Change, and J. Marshall Shepherd, current president of the American Meteorological Society.

We invite you to organize sessions and develop papers around the Geographies of Climate Change theme. Contributions are particularly welcome that address the scientific complexity and uncertainty of climate change, its political and policy contextualization, the challenges of formulating adaptation and mitigation strategies, and the importance of effective communication strategies.

To participate in the Geographies of Climate Change sessions, please visit http://www.aag.org/annualmeeting/call_for_papers to submit your abstract or session. When you receive confirmation by email of a successful abstract submission, forward this confirmation to [email protected]. If you are pre-organizing a session, forward the session confirmation to [email protected] as well. Thank you!

Organizers: Julie Winkler, AAG President��Jill Coleman, Climate Specialty Group Chair ��Josh Newell Human Dimensions of Global Change Specialty Group Chair

GIScience, GIS and Policy

The potential for GIS and GIScience to contribute to the formation of public policy has long been a reality, but is now becoming more broadly understood and central to governmental policy-making at all levels, as well as in society at large. A core theme of the upcoming AAG Annual Meeting will be "GIScience, GIS, and Public Policy," which will explore the expanding role of GIScience and GIS in the public policy arena, on crucial national issues such as climate change, immigration, health, civil rights and racism, transportation, energy, electoral redistricting, natural resources, social justice, the environment, and many others.

The theme of “GIScience, GIS, and Public Policy” also encompasses another dimension, that of federal and state policy-making regarding GIS itself. At the AAG Tampa Bay meeting, several special sessions will focus on the work of two key national organizations which make policy for GIS: the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) and the National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC). Both of these organizations are leading the development of a new Strategic Plan for the US National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI). The US Census Bureau and other federal agencies, as well as private sector organizations, will also discuss their latest policy and technical developments related to the generation and use of Geographic Information Systems and data, and how these interact with the NSDI. Parallel international policies and activities of the Global Spatial Data Infrastructure (GSDI) will also be discussed.


Key issues in planning for the future of the NSDI include the explosive generation and availability of real-time interactive GPS/GIS spatiotemporal data, GIS cyberinfrastructure, web-enabled GIS, geography education and workforce development policies, GIS certification, standards development, data interoperability, and many others. Current challenges in GIScience, such as locational privacy implications of the wide-spread availability of real-time geographic data, will be an area of special focus. Other sessions will address issues such as public access to governmental GIS data, federal procurement procedures for GIS and mapping services, evolving legal frameworks of a spatially enabled society, and a wide range of critical analyses and perspectives of GIScience, GIS, and Public Policy.

In addition to the topics identified above, we would also like to invite you to develop your own ideas on the theme of “GIScience, GIS and Public Policy,” and to form sessions and submit papers.

To participate in the GIScience, GIS, and Public Policy sessions, please visit http://www.aag.org/annualmeeting/call_for_papers to submit your abstract or session. When you receive confirmation by email of a successful abstract submission, forward this confirmation to [email protected]. If you are pre-organizing a session, forward the session confirmation to [email protected] as well. Thank you!

Organizing Committee: Douglas Richardson, Executive Director, AAG ��Robert Austin, Chair, National Geospatial Advisory Committee��David Cowen, University of South Carolina��Karen Kemp, University of Southern California��Nancy Obermeyer, Indiana State University��Colin Flint, Utah State University��Mei-Po Kwan, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign��David DiBiase, Esri��Francis Harvey, University of Minnesota��Wendy Guan, Harvard University��Timothy Trainor, US Census Bureau��Keith Clarke, UC Santa Barbara��Larry Sugarbaker, US Geological Survey��John Wilson, University of Southern California��Elizabeth Wentz, Arizona State University��Marianna Pavlovskaya, Hunter College--CUNY ��Mark Monmonier, Syracuse University��Daniel Brown, University of Michigan��Fahui Wang, Louisiana State University��John Rogan, Clark University��WenWen Li, Arizona State University��May Yuan, University of Oklahoma��Selima Sultana, University of North Carolina, Greensboro

Racism and Violence

In the wake of the death of Trayvon Martin and acquittal of George Zimmerman, the 2014 AAG meetings in Tampa presents a particularly apposite opportunity to highlight geographical scholarship addressing racism and violence. In addition to special sessions organized by AAG Past-President Audrey Kobayashi and Professor Joe Darden on the US ‘stand your ground’ law, we invite others to develop sessions and submit papers related to this theme. As expressed in Professor Julie Winkler’s September Presidential column, there is a special interest in papers that address the need for more comprehensive civil rights legislation, desegregation of public schools, and greater access to employment for all groups and an increased minimum wage. Contributions of geographical research to understanding and addressing progress in these and related areas are especially welcome.

To participate in the Racism and Violence sessions, please visit http://www.aag.org/annualmeeting/call_for_papers to submit your abstract or session. When you receive confirmation by email of a successful abstract submission, forward


this confirmation to [email protected]. If you are pre-organizing a session, forward the session confirmation to [email protected] as well. Thank you!

Scale and Sustainability

At what scale should sustainability be examined? More than a decade ago, the scale of global climate change, impacts, and adaptation was examined by the AAG project on Global Change in Local Places. A major finding was the mismatch between the scale of global knowledge and of local responses. In these sessions, the query is extended to all of sustainable development—the linking of environment and development to enhance human well-being while preserving the life support systems of the planet.

We invite you to organize a session of papers around what you might consider to be an important question related to this theme of how scale matters for sustainability. Such questions might include:

• How do geographic and temporal scales of sustainability relate to each other? • At what geographic and temporal scales can sustainable development be

assessed or its pathways evaluated? • Where do actions that address the sustainability transition take place and

where should they take place? • What are the scales of the constituents of human well-being? • How do the scales of the three pillars of sustainable development:

environment, economy, and equity differ? • What ought to be the scales, and units of local, regional, and global

sustainability? • What are good case studies of cross-scale interactions and what do these teach

us? • How does scale and sustainability interact within specific application domains

such as climate change, health, agriculture, energy, etc. • Do global phenomena of economic activity or of technological change shift

the scales of sustainability? • Other key questions addressing Scale and Sustainability

Organizers: Bob Kates - ([email protected])��Tom Wilbanks -

([email protected])��Doug Richardson - ([email protected]) To participate in the Scale and Sustainability sessions, please visit

http://www.aag.org/annualmeeting/call_for_papers to submit your abstract or session. When you receive confirmation by email of a successful abstract submission, forward this confirmation to [email protected]. If you are pre-organizing a session, forward the session confirmation to [email protected] as well.

The American South

With the annual meeting located in Tampa, Florida, this year, the nation of geographers has an unparalleled opportunity to engage with the US region that is the American South. A region with both painful legacies and vibrant social justice movements, with both distinct sub-regional cultures and a broad overall flavor, with many geographic patterns simultaneously both similar to and different from those in the


US as a whole, the American South is deserving of scholarly attention from a wide range of perspectives. The study of the American South has long been of importance to geographers. Yet, the region has received increased attention as of late, leading to the founding of an AAG specialty group on the South and the expansion of the Southeastern Geographer to a quarterly journal. Underlying this renaissance and remaking of Southern Studies is a critical engagement with current theoretical and methodological debates and changes in geography, a valuing of the environmental as well as the cultural and political dimensions of the region, and a consideration of previously marginalized voices and perspectives within traditional conceptions of southern identity. ��We welcome paper, session, field trip, and workshop proposals that (a) demonstrate scholarship on the social, political, cultural, economic, environmental/physical geographic, and ecological aspects of the American South; (b) engage in critical reflection on the issues, processes, intrinsic qualities, and interconnections that shape the region and its landscapes; (c) utilize innovative techniques and methods in exploring aspects of the US Southeast; (d) provide venues for the exchange of research and teaching ideas among scholars of the American South; or (e) build greater ties between geographers and the larger, cross-disciplinary Southern Studies community. Geographers from all subfields of the discipline are encouraged to participate in some aspect of this Emerging Theme; we also encourage participation from scholars outside of geography.��Sessions on a number of important topics are already being organized including:

• Water • Race • Migration • American Indians • Tourism broadly, and also plantation tourism specifically • The legacy of the Civil Rights struggle • Expressions of interest in the above are welcomed. In addition, we encourage

proposals or abstracts across the breadth of geographic inquiry, including but not limited to the following:

• Mapping the South—cartographically or conceptually • The Changing South --the tension between tradition and transition • Role of food, music, and sports in (re)defining southern landscapes • Social class, privilege, and inequality in the South • Feminist perspectives of the region along with use of critical race and queer

approaches The South in literature, film, television, and other media (including Internet)

• Southern politics, political struggles, and uneven electoral geographies • Neo-liberalization of the American South • Public memory, commemoration and heritage in the South • Human-environment interaction, sustainability, and environmental (in)justice

Southern environmental geographies and natural resource issues • Economic and labor geographies of present or past • Mobilities and movement in southern history and culture • Southern studies: theoretical and methodological issues and concerns • Urbanization, rurality, and shifting development geographies


• Historical geographies of the South and southerners • Applied GIS, digital humanities, and other innovations

To participate in The American South sessions, please visit http://www.aag.org/annualmeeting/call_for_papers to submit your abstract or session. When you receive confirmation by email of a successful abstract submission, forward this confirmation to [email protected]. If you are pre-organizing a session, forward the session confirmation to [email protected] as well.

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Organizing Sessions

See http://www.aag.org/annualmeeting/call_for_papers/organize_a_session. Each session may list up to two organizers and one chair in the program. Paper Sessions consist of five papers or four papers and a discussant. Each paper is

expected to conform to the 20-minute time limit. Panel Sessions consist of four to six participants, with no abstracts. These sessions are 100-minute discussions among the panel and audience members. Formal presentations are not to be part of panel sessions, and panel sessions do not have abstracts associated with them.

All participants in sessions need to be registered for the meeting. Participants who register by December 3, 2013 will enjoy discounted registration fees.The deadline for submitting abstracts is also December 3, 2013.

In addition, AAG Past President Eric Sheppard will be delivering his past presidential

plenary, titled "Thinking Geographically About Capitalism." The conference will be held April 8-12, 2014, in Tampa, Fla.

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AAG Featured Session on Detroit and Race

The AAG Annual Meeting in Florida will feature Joe Darden and Richard Thomas’ new book, Detroit: Race Riots, Racial Conflicts, and Efforts to Bridge the Racial Divide. A distinguished panel will also participate in a broader debate on race relations and the national implications raised in this important new book.

Panelists will include Ruth Wilson Gilmore, The Graduate Center at City University of New York; Audrey Kobayashi, Queen’s University; Laura Pulido, University of Southern California; Bobby Wilson, University of Alabama; and John Frazier, Binghamton University.

Joe Darden is Professor of Geography at Michigan State University and former Dean of Urban Affairs Programs. Richard Thomas is Professor Emeritus of History at Michigan State University.


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Julian Bond to Speak at AAG Meeting in Tampa

The Association of American Geographers (AAG) is pleased to announce that Julian Bond, a renowned civil rights pioneer and political leader, has been named the third recipient of the AAG Atlas Award. Professor Bond will receive the award at the AAG’s next Annual Meeting in Tampa, Florida on Friday evening, April 11, 2014, where he will deliver a presentation on “Race Around the World,” focusing on how civil rights figures and organizations have shaped and changed American foreign policy. More than 8,000 geographers and others from around the world, including the media, are expected to attend the AAG meeting.

Julian Bond has played a central role throughout the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, as a leading figure in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and as co-founder and first president of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Bond was repeatedly elected to the Georgia General Assembly for 20 years, including six terms as a state senator. More recently, he has served as Chairman of the NAACP for 12 years, from 1998 to 2010.

Bond is the son of former college and university president Horace Mann Bond, and he has built his own record as a celebrated educator, having held appointments at several leading institutions, including American, Harvard, and the University of Virginia. He has been awarded more than 20 honorary degrees throughout his career.

Julian Bond embodies the ideals and goals of the AAG Atlas Award, which is designed to recognize and celebrate outstanding accomplishments that advance world understanding in exceptional ways. The image of Atlas bearing the weight of the world on his shoulders is a powerful metaphor for this award program, as the AAG’s awardees are those who have taken the weight of the world on their shoulders and moved it forward, whether in science, politics, scholarship, the arts, or in war and peace. In addition to a substantial cash prize, an Atlas statuette will be presented to Professor Bond as a compelling keepsake and an inspiring symbol for the award program itself. Author and scientist Jane Goodall and human rights leader Mary Robinson are the previous recipients of the AAG Atlas Award.

We invite you to join Professor Julian Bond and the AAG in Tampa to celebrate his extraordinary accomplishments and to discuss with him and others from around the world the future of civil rights and social justice. To register for the meeting, please visit www.aag.org/annualmeeting.

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Little Havana: A Latin American Gateway

While you are in Tampa, you may notice signage for U.S. Highway 41. Built in the 1920s, it was the only overland route across the southern tip of Florida. U.S. In a larger spatial context, U.S. 41 is a north-south axis that spans the middle of North America and extends from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to Miami. The southernmost section (Tampa to Miami) is known as the Tamiami Trail. The last few miles of the road are locally


known as Calle Ocho (Southwest 8th Street), which forms the main artery and an important boundary within the vibrant multi-ethnic community of Little Havana. The Cuban imprint in ‘Little Havana’ is a cultural layer that simultaneously underlies the current demographic structure of the neighborhood and provides glimpses into the neighborhood’s cultural and historical change.

For a walking tour of Calle Ocho in Little Havana visit: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/city-guides/miami-walking-tour-3/. Map Credit: Hilton Cordoba.

Before Little Havana

Little Havana has been a common destination for a number of groups that include: Miccosukees, Bahamians Jews, Greeks, Cuban refugees, and immigrants from almost every Latin American country (Shell-Weiss, 2009). Originally, Little Havana consisted of two neighborhoods: Riverside and Shenandoah. Calle Ocho was known as Orange Glades Road that marked a division within the area that is noticeable even today. Riverside, the neighborhood north of Calle Ocho, acquired its name due to its close proximity to the Miami River and was home to some of Miami’s earliest schools, churches, and businesses. Shenandoah (the neighborhood south of Calle Ocho) remained in farmland until the 1920’s when it was developed as a single-family residential area. By contrast, the Riverside the area north of Calle Ocho saw the construction of primarily multi-family housing to meet the needs of number of Jewish people who moved from the Northeast.


With them came a landscape comprising a number of synagogues, Sunday schools, Jewish senior homes, as well as numbers of influential leaders who arrived in Miami from the Southeast (George, 2006).

The Tower Theater with its Art Deco style has been a landmark of the neighborhood since it first opened its doors in 1926. Located along Calle Ocho and 15th avenue, the road was a two way street at the time hence the sign of the theater was built at an angle so that it was easy for the drivers to glance quickly at the listing of shows. In the 1960’s with the growth of the Cuban population, the theater was the first one to offer titles in Spanish in Miami-Dade County. Picture Credit: Hilton Cordoba


The making of an enclave The first wave of Cubans arrived between 1959 and 1962 and became known in the

Cuban Community as the ‘golden exiles’ because of the human capital that they brought with them. Many of them were well educated and had business experience. They settled in Riverside and Shenandoah and established businesses and social organizations. In a second wave that occurred from1965 to1973, 3,000 to 4,000 Cubans per month were airlifted to the U.S. Diplomatic preference and easier paths to resettlement were given to those Cubans who had relatives already established in the U.S. During this period Riverside and Shenandoah collectively became known as Little Havana. In this new layer of settlement, many of the apartment buildings that once were occupied by Jews and Anglo Americans were now homes of the newly arrived Cubans. In this cultural an ethnic shift, many of the synagogues were converted into Catholic churches, and the elementary schools’ curricula now featured classes in Spanish (Alberts, 2005). The last major wave of Cuban migration was in 1980 when a boatlift was organized at the port of Mariel; those who embarked on this voyage are sometimes referred as ‘Marielitos’ because of their port of exit. The Cuban population of Little Havana reached its peak with the Census of 1980 when it stood at 95,522. In relative terms that number accounted for approximately 70 percent of the total population and 85 percent of the Hispanics in Little Havana (Cordoba & Carrillo, 2010).

A shot of the Miami River from Jose Marti Park with the I-95 overpass in the background. In the late 1800’s the Miccosukee people navigated the river from the Everglades to come to trade and exchange items with the white settlers. By 1980, the I-95


overpass was the temporary home where the U.S. government created makeshift camps for Cuban refugees that arrived during the Mariel boatlift. In 2008, Jose Marti Park with the Miami River in the background were the setting for a scene in the comedy-drama film Marley & Me. Picture Credit: Hilton Cordoba

From ethnic enclave to multi-ethnic community

Between 1980 and 2000, Little Havana’s Cuban population decreased by 30 percent, and by the 2000 U.S. census, they accounted for 56 percent of Hispanics in Little Havana; estimates of the 2009 American Community Survey showed a slight increase to 58 percent share among Hispanics. Central and South Americans on the other hand, have continued to increase their numbers in Little Havana where now they represent thirty and twelve percent of the Hispanic population, respectively. Nicaraguans and Hondurans account for the two biggest groups from the Central American community while Colombians and Peruvians from the South American community. The fastest growth in the last decade came from the Uruguayans and Argentineans (595 and 318 percent, respectively) as many left for the United States with the collapse of the Argentinean economy in 2001. Little Havana has changed as the different groups that have come through the area have made it their home. Nicaraguans have especially acquired an affinity for Little Havana as you can find their fritangas (cafeteria style restaurants serving Nicaraguan food and specialty drinks) at almost every major intersection, a street name after Nicaraguan poet Ruben Dario, the offices of the Nicaraguan consulate, the mausoleum of former Nicaraguan president Anastasio Somoza Debayle, and St. John Bosco Catholic Church and its Nicaraguan parishioners.


Fritangas are found throughout the streetscape of Little Havana. These restaurants are not just about the ethnic dishes but also a place to gather news about the homeland or the local community, buy phone cards to call relatives, a place to find souvenirs and delicacies imported from Nicaragua, and even a place of worship on the evening of every December 7th when Nicaraguans celebrate ‘la griteria’ (a chanting to the Immaculate Concepcion of the Virgin Mary, a tradition that dates back to colonial times). Picture Credit: Hilton Cordoba

The centrality of Little Havana is often most overlooked but helps explain why this

area has been sought out by so many immigrants and helps us understand why it continues to be the residential area of choice of many Hispanic seniors. Businesses along Southwest 8th Street, West Flagler Street and other major roads not only prevent residents from having to go outside the neighborhood for goods and services, but also make it easy to live in the area without dependence on the automobile. This centrality also creates locational advantages in access jobs: Little Havana is in the vicinity of higher income areas, which are the workplace for many immigrants who live in the neighborhood. Areas such as Brickell, Coconut Grove, Key Biscayne, and Miami Beach, are luxury condominium communities, with extravagant homes, and hotels that provide work for many immigrants who find positions as maids, gardeners, and construction workers. These workers capitalize on a huge cultural benefit of not having to learn a new language; many can live in Little Havana without ever learning English. The combination of these unique characteristics creates a safe haven for immigrants and the perfect gateway for those in search of a new life in America.

There is more to Little Havana than the name suggests, so when you come across U.S. route 41 in Tampa, think about the lively multi-ethnic neighborhood at the southern end of the road. You can venture out along the Tamiami Trail and cross the Everglades as the famous Trail Blazers did in early 1920’s. You will have a chance to stop by the Miccosukee village, catch an airboat ride, or hop on a bike to explore the Everglades on a 15 mile loop at Shark Valley. If you prefer not to drive, you may take the 92 Silverstar and enjoy a train ride through the verdant back country of Florida; whatever you decide to do, just bring a camera along to capture the unique streetscape and a hearty appetite for the endless variety of Latin food that await you in Little Havana.

—Hilton Cordoba��, Geosciences Department, ��Florida Atlantic University

References Alberts, Heike C. (2005). “Changes in Ethnic Solidarity in Cuban Miami”. Geographical Review 95(2). P 231-248.

Cordoba, Hilton & Carrillo, Jose. (2010). “Neighborhood Change in Miami’s Little Havana; A Demographic Analysis from 1970 to 2000”. The Florida Geographer. 41. P 65-88.

George, P.S. (2006). Images of America: Little Havana. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing.

Shell-Weiss, M. (2009). Coming to Miami: A social History. Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida.

United States Census Bureau. (2009). American FactFinder. Retrieved from http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml.


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The AAG Review of Books

The AAG Review of Books launched this year as a quarterly online journal of the AAG.

The AAG Review holds scholarly book reviews as formerly published in the AAG’s flagship journals, 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.

The Annals of the AAG and The Professional Geographer will continue to be published both in hard copy and online and book reviews will now be available exclusively through the new online companion publication, The AAG Review of Books.

And what’s more, after this year all content older than a year will be completely free access, ensuring that these insightful reviews are available to all.

To access the full AAG Review of Books, log in using your AAG member ID, then select "Members Only" in the lefthand column. If you receive an error, you may need to refresh the page once you're logged in. When you see the Members Only page, select "AAG Journals" from the lefthand column, then select The AAG Review of Books. Once you're on the Taylor & Francis site, select "Volume 1 2013" in the List of Issues box and you'll see Issues 1 and 2.

Log In Now Read Volume 1, Issue 1 FREE

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AAG Introduces Global Connections and Exchange Youth TechCamps

We are pleased to announce the Global Connections and Exchange Youth TechCamps: My Community, Our Earth Program (GCE MyCOE). Outstanding United States high school students will be selected to team up with counterparts in Bolivia, Panama, or South Africa. They will collaborate online and in person at one of three rounds of training events in these countries to address the theme of GeoTechnologies for Climate Change & Environment. All camps will provide competitively-selected youth with academic preparation, orientation, cultural exchange, mentoring and training in use of geotechnologies such as online mapping, community GIS, mobile GPS, and crowdmapping. Each TechCamp round will engage 40 competitively-selected students, aged 15-18, including 10 from across the US, and 30 national counterparts. At each camp, participants will self-organize on teams to create youth-led local projects using online geotechnologies. Teams will continue to work through online collaboration to


finish their projects, which will then be showcased in an Online Youth Leadership Project Fair at the end of the program.

The program aims to provide opportunities for youth to learn more about online geotechnologies and how to apply them in service of their communities, while gaining a deeper understanding about different places and cultures of the world. It is conducted by the Association of American Geographers (AAG) with funding and support from the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Youth Programs Division. In addition to ongoing global programs, AAG has conducted regional initiatives in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America under the MyCOE partnership, offering youth an array of resources both online and in print to address themes of sustainable development important to their regions and their communities. To date, MyCOE has supported about 800 youth projects in 102 countries, trained hundreds of students and teachers in the U.S. and around the world, provided professional development, and facilitated connections among universities, governmental agencies, nonprofit organizations, private sector entities, and schools.

Deadline for U.S. applicants is January 10, 2014 and for international applicants is February 1, 2014.

A full call for applications is available with details of the terms of participation, eligibility rules, specific application instructions, and criteria for selection on the Techcamps webpage. Pre-camp preparations, webinars, and virtual exchanges take place through May, followed by the TechCamps in summer 2014. Post-camp virtual exchange activities will include online project collaboration supported by the program and finalized by the end of 2014.

The official language for this initiative is English. For more information, contact: [email protected] or visit www.aag.org/techcamps.

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Call for Participation to Youth in the U.S., Bolivia, Panama, South Africa: TechCamps on Geotechnologies for Climate Change and Environment

The Global Connections and Exchange Youth TechCamps: My Community, Our Earth Program (GCE MyCOE) is looking for current high school students in the United States, Bolivia, Panama and South Africa. High school students from each of these countries will be selected to form teams and will collaborate online and in person at one of three rounds of training events to be held in Bolivia, Panama and South Africa. The overarching theme for this program will be Geotechnologies for Climate Change and Environment. Students that are selected will be given academic preparation, orientation, mentoring, training in use of geotechnologies such as online mapping, community GIS, mobile GPS, and crowd-mapping and will participate in cultural exchange activities. Youth work will be featured in an online project fair and showcased at national venues. Travel and lodging is also provided by the program.

All applicants must be both citizens of and residing and studying in the country from where they are applying. For example, U.S. applicants must be United States citizens who both live and are currently studying in the United States. Bolivian applicants must be Bolivian citizens who both live and are currently studying in Bolivia, etc.


Applicants must be over the age of 15 by June 1, 2014, and no older than 18 years old by September 1, 2014. You should be attending at least one semester of high school after the exchange program. ��

Deadlines: U.S. students: January 10, 2014 International students: February 1, 2014 The official language of this program is English. �� To read more about this program, including more detailed information

about eligibility or about the countries we are working with, and more, visit www.aag.org/techcamps. You can also find a link to the application form there. Please direct any questions to [email protected].

This program is managed by the Association of American Geographers which serves as Secretariat for the My Community, Our Earth Partnership and receives funding and support from the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Youth Programs Division through the Global Connections and Exchange Program. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Visiting Geographical Scientist Program Accepting Applications for 2013-14

The Visiting Geographical Scientist program (VGSP) is accepting applications for the 2013-14 academic year. VGSP sponsors visits by prominent geographers to small departments or institutions that do not have the resources to bring in well-known speakers. The purpose of this program is to stimulate interest in geography, targeted for students, faculty members and administrative officers. Participating institutions select and make arrangements with the visiting geographer. For more information, visit www.aag.org/vgsp.

A list of pre-approved speakers is also available on the website. Please include a cover letter that describes the objective(s) of the visit, a schedule of events or activities being planned with the application form.

VGSP is funded by Gamma Theta Upsilon (GTU), the international honors society for geographers. Questions and complete applications may be directed to Niem Huynh.

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Visiting Geographical Scientist Program Seeks Speaker Nominations

Gamma Theta Upsilon is looking for nominations to the Visiting Geographical Scientist Program (VGSP) list of speakers. The Visiting Geographical Scientist Program is funded through GTU (the geography honor society) and managed by the Association of American Geographers. VGSP speakers have the opportunity to bring new knowledge and interesting perspectives to geography departments across the country. Speakers usually visit at least two schools on a trip in order to meet with geography students and faculty, give presentations, share research, and talk with administrators about the importance of geography in higher education. Small colleges/universities in underserved regions are especially encouraged to apply for our


grants to bring in VGSP speakers. If you are willing to participate and would like to be featured on our approved list of VGSP speakers, please contact current GTU President Dr. Tom Wikle at [email protected] or (405) 744-5666.

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Upcoming AAG Grant and Award Deadlines

The AAG has a long history of supporting and recognizing geographers around the globe through its many prestigious grants and awards programs. Opportunities with approaching deadlines are listed below. Full descriptions with eligibility requirements are available on the AAG website at www.aag.org/grantsawards.

Anderson Medal

The James R. Anderson Medal of Honor in Applied Geography is the highest honor bestowed by the AAG Applied Geography Specialty Group. It is awarded by the group's board of directors in recognition of highly distinguished service to the profession of geography. It is awarded to individuals or groups who have contributed notably to the advancement of the profession in one or more areas of industry, government, literature, education, research, service to the profession, or public service. Due: December 1, 2013. See www.aag.org/awards/anderson for details.

Meredith F. Burrill Award

The AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award stimulates and rewards talented individuals and groups who have completed work of exceptional merit and quality that lies at or near the intersection of basic research and practical applications or local, national, or international policy implications. Due: December 31, 2013. See www.aag.org/awards/burrill for details.

Mel Marcus Fund for Physical Geography

The objective of The Mel Marcus Fund for Physical Geography is to carry on the tradition of excellence and humanity in field work espoused by Dr. Melvin G. Marcus. Grants from the Mel Marcus Fund for Physical Geography will foster personally formative participation by students collaborating with faculty in field-based physical geography research in challenging outdoor environments. Due: December 31, 2013. See http://www.aag.org/awards/marcus for details.

Glenda Laws Award

The Glenda Laws Award is administered by the Association of American Geographers and endorsed by members of the Institute of Australian Geographers, the Canadian Association of Geographers, and the Institute of British Geographers. The annual award and honorarium recognize outstanding contributions to geographic research on social issues. Due: December 31, 2013. See http://www.aag.org/awards/laws for details.


AAG E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Award in Geography

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. Due: December 31, 2013. See www.aag.org/awards/miller for details.

George and Viola Hoffman Award

An award from the George and Viola Hoffman Fund may be made annually to support student research toward a master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation on a geographical subject in Eastern Europe. Due: December 31, 2013. See www.aag.org/grants/hoffman for details.

AAG International Geographic Information Fund Student Travel Grants

The AAG International Geographic Information Fund (IGIF) offers support for full-time students who are currently registered in an undergraduate or graduate degree program within the United States, and who are working in any area of spatial analysis or geographic information science or systems, to travel to national or international symposia or specialized conferences. Due: December 31, 2013. See www.aag.org/grants/igif for details.

AAG Research Grants

The AAG provides support for direct expenses of research or fieldwork that addresses questions of major import to the discipline (excluding master's or doctoral dissertation research). Due: December 31, 2013. See www.aag.org/grants/research for details.

Anne U. White Fund

This fund supports field research conducted by a member of the AAG jointly with her or his spouse, regardless of any formal training in geography. Due: December 31, 2013. See www.aag.org/about_aag/grants_and_awards/aag_research_grants/ anne_white_fund for details.

Darrel Hess Community College Geography Scholarships

The AAG offers a national scholarship program to support students from community colleges, junior colleges, city colleges, or similar two-year educational institutions who will be transferring as geography majors to four-year colleges and universities. Due: December 31, 2013. See www.aag.org/grants/hess for details.

AAG Dissertation Research Grants

The AAG provides support for direct expenses of master’s or doctoral dissertation research to eligible individuals. Due: December 31, 2013. See www.aag.org/grants/dissertation for details.

AAG Meridian Book Award for the Outstanding Scholarly Work in Geography


A committee awards the annual prize for a book that makes an unusually important contribution to advancing the science and art of geography. Due: December 31, 2013. See www.aag.org/awards/meridian_book for details.

AAG Globe Book Award for Public Understanding of Geography

A committee awards the annual prize for a book that conveys most powerfully the nature and importance of geography to the non-academic world. Due: December 31, 2013. See www.aag.org/awards/globe_book for details.

John Brinckerhoff Jackson Prize

The Jackson Prize was established to encourage and reward American geographers who write books about the United States, which convey the insights of professional geography in language that is interesting and attractive to a lay audience. Due: December 31, 2013. See www.aag.org/awards/jackson_prize for details.

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AAG Typhoon Haiyan Relief Efforts

Earlier this month Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda), one of the strongest tropical storms ever recorded, swept through portions of the Philippines. Over 5000 people lost their lives, and the damage to homes and infrastructure is massive. Natural hazards research is an integral part of geography, and, as geographers, we are aware of the short- and long-

term impacts that a natural disaster of this magnitude has on individuals, families, and communities, and we recognize the many challenges facing the Philippines as it rebuilds from Typhoon Haiyan.

Visit the AAG website at http://www.aag.org/HaiyanRelief to learn more.

NOAA satellite image of Typhoon Haiyan shown approaching the Philippines. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Donate to the AAG-GTU Student Travel Awards Fund

The Association of American Geographers (AAG) and Gamma Theta Upsilon (GTU) have partnered to raise funds to support student attendance at the AAG annual meeting. The AAG-GTU Student Travel Awards provide travel subsidies of $200 to help undergraduate and graduate student members of GTU attend AAG meetings. Please support our geography students by making a donation to the AAG-GTU Student Travel Awards Fund by using the online form.


GTU student members in need of AAG-GTU travel funds can submit applications online at the GTU website. The deadline is February 1, 2014.

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Support Geography with a Tax-Deductible Gift

By contributing to AAG Funds, you provide crucial support to the next generation of geographers. To learn more, visit http://www.aag.org/donate.

End-of-the-year tax-exempt donations to the AAG may be made online, via mail or fax. All charitable contributions made to the AAG by December 31, 2013, are tax-deductible for the year 2013. Gifts to the AAG may be designated to support specific projects and initiatives. Your pledge may be matched by your employer. Please consult your appropriate advisor for details.

The Association of American Geographers, a nonprofit, tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) organization.

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NSF Cancels Fall Competition for Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Proposals

The Fall 2013 competition for Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement (DDRI) proposals submitted to the Geography and Spatial Sciences (GSS) Program has been cancelled. The next deadline for submission of DDRI proposals to GSS will be Thursday, February 13, 2014.��

The Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE); the Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences (BCS); and Geography and Spatial Sciences Program have made the difficult decision to cancel the Fall 2013 GSS DDRI competition. This cancellation decision resulted from the fact that the posted deadline for submission of DDRI proposals to the GSS Program was October 10, 2013; which fell during the 16-day time period when NSF operations were suspended due to a lapse in appropriations.��

With resumption of NSF operations on October 17, SBE officials explored the possibility of conducting the competition on a modified schedule. Because a delay in the proposal-submission deadline would push the Fall 2013 competition into the early months of 2014, any investigator whose Fall 2013 proposal was declined would be unable to revise and submit a new proposal by the next proposal-submission deadline. NSF officials decided it would be best to enable all investigators to have until February 13, 2014, to submit their strongest possible proposals.��

NSF anticipates conducting two GSS DDRI competitions in Fiscal Year 2015.��Investigators preparing DDRI proposals for the February 13, 2014, deadline should consult the GSS solicitation (NSF 12-570) as well as either the NSF Grant Proposal Guide or the NSF Grants.gov Application Guide for instructions regarding the preparation of proposals. All of these documents are accessible from links at the GSS website (http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503621).

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California Budget Plan Would Add 500 Full-time Faculty

A budget proposal under consideration by the California State University's Board of Trustees would add 500 new faculty positions for high-demand subjects, including geography. “There is a commitment now to build the tenure-track workforce, and given that many faculty are reaching the end of their careers, it’s not a moment too soon,” said Lillian Taiz, president of the Cal State Faculty Association. The plan also includes funding for 70 new academic advisors to help students meet graduation requirements more quickly.

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Apply to Become a Volunteer at the AAG Annual Meeting

Get involved by volunteering some of your time during the AAG Annual Meeting April 8-12, 2014, in Tampa, Fla.

Student members and unemployed or underemployed geographers who are AAG members are encouraged to apply for this unique opportunity to help offset their meeting registration costs. All applicants must be registered and must have paid for the meeting to be chosen as a conference volunteer. Conference volunteers will receive $14.50 per hour in return for their time.

To begin the process, go to the AAG Conference Volunteer Application online, or for more information, visit the conference volunteers page.

Deadline for applications is January 20, 2014.

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AAG's Annual Meeting Childcare Subsidy Program

The AAG provides limited reimbursement to registered conference attendees to subsidize part of the necessary childcare expenses incurred during the meeting at a licensed child care agency/provider. Be sure to also visit the AAG's Annual Meeting Parents Exchange, an online discussion forum available to parents planning to travel with children to its Annual Meeting in Tampa. The forum enables parents to share information about kid-friendly activities, events, childcare options, and more. To learn more, visit http://www.aag.org/cs/annualmeeting/childcare.

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Cynthia Brewer Recognized for Contributions to Topographic Mapping

Cynthia Brewer, of Penn State

University, is this year’s recipient of the USGS Henry Gannett Award for her involvement in the development of new symbology for the US Topo mapping


project. Dr. Brewer worked with USGS staff to develop content and symbols for online

devices and printed topographic maps with various display sizes and resolutions for a range of scales from 1:5,000 to 1:1,000,000. Her innovations in the use of color, symbols and generalization are now incorporated into a USGS standard for generating topographic maps.

Dr. Brewer is an affiliate faculty member who works with the USGS Center of Excellence for Geospatial Information Science (CEGIS). She developed and maintains the National Mapping Expertise Exchange program, which promotes innovation and excellence in national mapping and builds connections among mapmakers, educators, researchers, and software developers at academic, commercial, and governmental organizations.

Additionally, Dr. Brewer directly involves students, both at the graduate and undergraduate level, in her designs and research work, providing a foundation, education and training for the next generation of mapping professionals.

The National Geospatial Program presents the Henry Gannett Award biennially to commemorate the first USGS Chief Geographer, Henry Gannett (1882-1914), and his many contributions to American geography and cartography. Since 2009, USGS has awarded three individuals that have made a magnificent impact on topographic mapping. Associating the legacy of Henry Gannett with this award is designed to recognize and celebrate talented individuals for outstanding recent accomplishments to the USGS topographic mapping of the Nation.

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Rodrigue Brings the Red Planet Alive

Chrys Rodrigue, professor at California State U. – Long Beach (CSULB), teaches a geography of Mars class, which has become especially timely, as Nov. 28 was “Red Planet Day,” the 49th anniversary of the launch of the first successful mission to Mars by Mariner 4.

In addition, as part of Geography Awareness Week (Nov. 17-23), she gave a talk based on the subject. Inside, the CSULB weekly newsletter, explains more about her in the publication’s article, “The ‘Red Planet’ Comes Alive.”

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Monk Receives Honorary Degree from Autonomous University of Barcelona

The Autonomous University of Barcelona awarded Jan Monk of the University of Arizona with the degree of Doctor Honoris Causa. The award, presented on October 16, 2013, cited her contributions to gender and feminist geography, engagement with qualitative research in social and cultural geography, and extensive fostering of international ties in the discipline. In her introduction at the ceremony, Professor Maria


Dolors Garcia-Ramon noted that this is only the second time in the history of the university that an honorary degree has been awarded to a geographer. She indicated appreciation for Dr. Monk’s long-term association with the University both on the campus and in supporting its faculty and graduate student geographers who have visited her home institution and in settings including AAG meetings.

Texas State U. Student Completes Dissertation Field Work in Costa Rica

By Laura Cano Amaya

Texas State University student Laura Cano Amaya visited Costa Rica this summer for her dissertation fieldwork. She observed connections between food security and risks in natural hazards, focusing on the development of household resilience to food insecurity measurement. In a collaborative work with the Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, she conducted a survey in five communities in the vicinity of the Poás Volcano – one of the most affected areas of the 2009 earthquake.

With the assistance of the government and other organizations, much has been accomplished by the affected communities in the recovery phase after the earthquake. Nonetheless, after almost four years, the tourist industry is just starting to recover. Some of the reconstruction housing projects are on hold and families are still struggling to feed their families. The town of Cinchona was declared uninhabited after the earthquake and the residents were relocated to a new housing development called Nueva Cinchona. Although the families are appreciative of the “nice houses” they received, they don’t have access to land resources as they did before. One resident of Nueva Cinchona commented: “we used to grow fruits and vegetables for us to eat. That helped us, especially at the end of the month. Now we are told that we cannot grow anything or have chickens here. It makes it hard.”

Laura Cano Amaya (third from right) with members of the Agribusiness Women Association of Dulce Nombere, Costa Rica. This is one of several income-generation projects for women implemented in the communities impacted by the earthquake. Below, The epicenter of the Cinchona earthquake of 2009 was to the east of the Poás Volcano in the Ángel-Varablanca fault. (Photographs by Ismael Amaya)


She will present her findings during the AAG Annual Meeting April 8-12, 2014, in Tampa, Fla.

Research supported by: Texas State University, Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, and AAG.

New housing development Nueva Cinchona built to relocate the residents of Cinchona after their town was declared uninhabited. This is a suburban type development with playgrounds, outside gym, and firefighter station in a rural setting. At right, tourism activity is slowly coming back as road conditions are improving.

he environmental impact of the earthquake is still present in many areas. This is a picture of a landslide in Varablanca that caused the collapse of a road and houses claiming several human lives. Landslides caused most of the structural damage and human loss in this area.

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Steven Kale, Transportation Geographer and Teacher, Dies at 65

Steven R. Kale, 65, died November 7, 2013, in his hometown of Salem, Oregon, following a brief illness. Kale achieved much in his life in academics, his profession, and in relationships with others in his life.

Kale, the middle of three children, was born in Manhattan, Kansas, in 1948 to Alton and Ruby Kale. His early years were spent in central Kansas where he and his older brother James became Eagle Scouts. After graduating from Mankato High School in 1966, Kale matriculated at Kansas State University. He earned degrees in Geography and Business Administration. Later, he obtained a master’s degree and doctorate from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.

In 1975, Steve started his career as an economist at the Nebraska Department of Economic Development. From 1982 to 1989, Kale taught courses and conducted research in economic development, area and community development, renewable energy, and other topics at Oregon State University in Corvallis.

Kale left the University in 1989 to take on transportation work at the Oregon Department of Transportation. He remained at ODOT for 16 years and retired as the agency’s primary freight planning person. However, Steve continued to work, setting up his own consulting firm and taking on jobs for several Oregon ports and intermodal freight businesses to help them plan seed funding for projects. He also subcontracted with other consulting firms on a variety of transportation related projects.

Steve was an active member of many professional organization and national bodies, including the American Institute of Certified Planners and the Intermodal Freight Transport Committee of the Transportation Research Board where he served as the chair. Kale was also active in the Association of American Geographers and the International Geographic Union. His enthusiasm for geography and interest in his alma mater kept him involved on the KSU Geography Alumni Board.

Kale’s lifelong interest in far-away places took him to Oulu, Finland; Mendoza, Argentina; Sidney, Australia; Dubrovnik, Croatia; and much of Europe. He also managed to visit all 50 U.S. states. Steve’s travels also took him to the Arctic Circle twice: once in Alaska and another time in Finland.

A lover of the outdoors, Kale was also interested in hiking, camping, skiing, canoeing, whitewater rafting, and bird watching. He was an ardent supporter of environmental protection and cultivated lifelong friendships with many people. Steve’s personal and professional qualities were very much respected. He will be dearly missed.

Steve was preceded in death by his mother Ruby (Streit), father Alton Dale Kale, his sister Elaine and brother James. He is survived by three nephews: Jonathan Cote, David Kale, and Dan Kale.

Memories and tributes may be posted in Steven Kale’s AAG Necrology page.


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AAG Releases October List of New Books Received

• The AAG Review of Books office has released its November new books received list. For further information, contact John McEwen, assistant to the editor-in-chief.

• October, 2013 • A Vineyard Odyssey: The Organic Fight to Save Wine from the Ravages of

Nature by Kiger, John (Rowman and Littlefield 2013, https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781442221901)

• About the Hearth: Perspectives on the Home, Hearth and Household in the Circumpolar North by Anderson, David G., Robert P. Wishart, and Virginie Vaté, eds (Berghahn Books 2013, http://www.berghahnbooks.com/title.php?rowtag=AndersonAbout)

• Africa's Moment by Severino, Jean-Michel, Ray Olivier (Polity Books 2013, http://www.polity.co.uk/book.asp?ref=9780745651576)

• Anarchy, Geography, Modernity: Selected Writings of Elisée Reclus by Clark, John and Camille Martin (PM Press 2013, https://secure.pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&p=565)

• Bagels and Grits: A Jew on the Bayou by Moses, Jennifer Anne (University of Wisconsin Press 2013, http://uwpress.wisc.edu/books/4301.htm)

• California through Russian Eyes, 1806–1848 by Gibson, James R., ed (The Arthur H. Clark Co. 2013, http://www.oupress.com/ECommerce/Book/Detail/1779/california through russian eyes 1806 1848)

• Chronicling the West for Harper's: Coast to Coast with Frenzeny & Tavernier in 1873–1874 by Chalmers, Claudine (University of Oklahoma Press 2013, http://www.oupress.com/ECommerce/Book/Detail/1782/chronicling the west for harper 27s)

• Coffee: A Comprehensive Guide to the Bean, the Beverage, and the Industry by Thurston, Robert W., Jonathan Morris, and Shawn Steinman, eds (Rowman and Littlefield 2013, https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781442214408)

• Corporate Sovereignty: Law and Government under Capitalism by Barkan, Joshua (University of Minnesota Press 2013, https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/corporate-sovereignty)

• Crossings: Africa, the Americas and the Atlantic Slave Trade by Walvin, James (University of Chicago Press 2013, http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/C/bo16826299.html)

• Cuisine Empire: Cooking in World History by Laudan, Rachel (University of California Press 2013, http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520266452)

• Developing the Rivers of East and West Africa: An Environmental History by Hoag, Heather J (Bloomsbury 2013, http://www.bloomsbury.com/us/developing-the-rivers-of-east-and-west-africa-9781441155405/)


• Early and Middle Woodland Landscapes of the Southeast by Wright, Alice P., and Edward R. Henry (University Press of Florida 2013, http://upf.com/book.asp?id=WRIGH002)

• Encountering Gorillas: A Chronicle of Discovery, Exploitation, Understanding, and Survival by Newman, James L. (Rowman and Littlefield 2013, https://rowman.com/ISBN/978-1-4422-1955-7)

• Faith Based: Religious Neoliberalism and the Politics of Welfare in the United States by Hackworth, Jason (University of Georgia Press 2012, http://www.ugapress.org/index.php/books/faith_based)

• The Gaia Hypothesis: Science on a Pagan Planet by Ruse, Michael (University of Chicago Press 2013, http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/G/bo10665496.html)

• Geographies of Race and Food: Fields, Bodies, Markets by Slocum, Rachel, and Arun Saldanha, eds (Ashgate 2013, http://www.ashgate.com/isbn/9781409469278)

• Geopiracy: Oaxaca, Militant Empiricism, and Geographical Thought by Wainwright, Joel (Palgrave Macmillan 2012, http://www.palgraveconnect.com/pc/doifinder/10.1057/9781137301758)

• GPS Declassified: From Smart Bombs to Smartphones by Easton, Richard D. and Eric F. Frazier (Potomac Books 2013, http://www.potomacbooksinc.com/Books/BookDetail.aspx?productID=293771)

• The Great Ocean: Pacific Worlds from Captain Cook to the Gold Rush by Igler, David (Oxford University Press 2013, http://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-great-ocean-9780199914951;jsessionid=7EB929AB73BF0B303CEA3C61E6988430?cc=us&lang=en&)

• Greater Mekong Subregion: From Geographical to Socio-economic Integration by Shrestha, Omkar Lal and Aekapol Chongvilaivan (Institute of Southeast Asian Studies 2013, https://bookshop.iseas.edu.sg/publication/1242)

• The Handbook of Food Research by Murcott, Anne, Warren Belasco, Peter Jackson (Bloomsbury 2013, http://www.bloomsbury.com/us/the-handbook-of-food-research-9781847889164/)

• The Hydropolitics of Dams: Engineering or Ecosystems? by Everard, Mark (Zed Books 2013, http://www.zedbooks.co.uk/node/11833)

• Landscapes of Mobility: Culture, Politics, and Placemaking by Sen, Arijit and Jennifer Johung, eds (Ashgate 2013, http://www.ashgate.com/isbn/9781409442813)

• The Last Days of the Rainbelt by Wishart, David J (University of Nebraska Press 2013, http://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/product/Last-Days-of-the-Rainbelt,675734.aspx)

• Latin American Development by Cupples, Julie (Routledge 2013, http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415680622/)

• Learning, Capability Building and Innovation for Development by Dutrénit, Gabriela, Keun Lee, Richard Nelson, Luc Soete, and Alexandre O. Vera-Cruz


(Palgrave Macmillan 2013, http://us.macmillan.com/learningcapabilitybuildingandinnovationfordevelopment/GabrielaDutrénit)

• Making in America: From Innovation to Market by Berger, Suzanne (MIT Press 2013, https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/making-america)

• Mammoths and the Environment by Ukraintseva, Valentina V (Cambridge University Press 2013, http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/life-sciences/evolutionary-biology/mammoths-and-environment)

• Masculinities in Chinese History by Hinsch, Bret (Rowman and Littlefield 2013, https://rowman.com/ISBN/978-1-4422-2235-9)

• Modeling Electric Distribution with GIS by Meehan, Bill (ESRI Press 2013, http://esripress.esri.com/display/index.cfm?fuseaction=display&websiteID=223&moduleID=0)

• Monitoring Biodiversity: Lessons from a Trans-Andean Megaproject (Bilingual) by Alonso, Alfonso, Francisco Dallmeier, and Grace P. Servat, eds (Smithsonian Institution Press 2013, http://scholarlypress.si.edu/content.cfm?page=new)

• Mountain Geography: Physical and Human Dimensions by Price, Martin F., Alton C. Byers, Donald A. Friend, Thomas Kohler, and Larry W. Price, eds (University of California Press 2013, http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520254312)

• Moving Safely: Crime and Perceived Safety in Stockholm's Subway Stations by Ceccato, Vania (Lexington Books 2013, https://rowman.com/ISBN/9780739177617)

• Nashville in the New Millennium: Immigrant Settlement, Urban Transformation, and Social Belonging by Winders, Jamie (Russell Sage Foundation 2013, https://www.russellsage.org/publications/nashville-new-millennium)

• New Developments in Spatial Economics and Economic Geography by McCann, Philip (Edward Elgar 2013, http://www.e-elgar.co.uk/bookentry_main.lasso?id=13494)

• The New Enclosures: Critical Perspectives on Corporate Land Deals by White, Ben, Saturnino Borras Jr., Ruth Hall, Ian Scoones, Wendy Wolford, eds (Routledge 2013, http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415823746/)

• Of Palm Wine, Women and War: The Mongolian Naval Expedition to Java in the 13th Century by Bade, David (Institute of Southeast Asian Studies 2013, https://bookshop.iseas.edu.sg/publication/1909)

• Oil in the Environment: Legacies and Lessons of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill by Wiens, John A (Cambridge University Press 2013, http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/life-sciences/natural-resource-management-agriculture-horticulture-and/oil-environment-legacies-and-lessons-exxon-valdez-oil-spill)

• Painters and the American West, Vol. II by Hunt, Sarah A., James P. Rhonda, Joan Carpenter Troccoli, and John Wilmerding (University of Oklahoma Press


2013, http://www.oupress.com/ECommerce/Book/Detail/1801/painters and the american west vol 2)

• The Palm Oil Controversy in Southeast Asia: A Transnational Perspective by Pye, Oliver and Jayati Bhattacharya (Institute of Southeast Asian Studies 2012, https://bookshop.iseas.edu.sg/publication/1238)

• The Pecan: A History of America's Native Nut by McWilliams, James (University of Texas Press 2013, http://utpress.utexas.edu/index.php/books/mcwpec)

• Pests in the City: Flies, Bedbugs, Cockroaches, and Rats by Biehler, Dawn Day (University of Washington Press 2013, http://www.washington.edu/uwpress/search/books/BIEFLI.html)

• The Plant Hunters: The Adventures of the World's Greatest Botanical Explorers by Fry, Carolyn (University of Chicago Press 2013, http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/P/bo17224006.html)

• Returns: Becoming Indigenous in the Twenty-First Century by Clifford, James (Harvard University Press 2013, http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674724921)

• Romantic Geography: In Search of the Sublime Landscape by Tuan, Yi-Fu (University of Wisconsin Press 2013, http://uwpress.wisc.edu/books/5252.htm)

• Science, Philosophy and Physical Geography, 2nd Edition by Inkpen, Robert and Graham Wilson (Routledge 2013, http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415679664/)

• Second Cities: Globalization and Local Politics in Manchester and Philadelphia by Hodos, Jerome I (Temple University Press 2013, http://www.temple.edu/tempress/titles/2081_reg.html)

• Seeds, Science, and Struggle: The Global Politics of Transgenic Crops by Kinchy, Abby (MIT Press 2012, https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/seeds-science-and-struggle-0)

• Social Capital and Rural Development in the Knowledge Society by Westlund, Hans and Kiyoshi Kobayashi, eds (Edward Elgar 2013, http://www.e-elgar.co.uk/bookentry_main.lasso?currency=US&id=15261)

• The Social Life of Water by Wagner, John R (Berghahn Books 2013, http://www.berghahnbooks.com/title.php?rowtag=WagnerSocial)

• Space, Place, and Violence: Violence and the Embodied Geographies of Race, Sex, and Gender by Tyner, James A (Routledge 2012, http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415880855/)

• Spatial Questions: Cultural Topologies and Social Spatialisation by Shields, Rob (SAGE 2013, http://www.sagepub.com/booksProdDesc.nav?prodId=Book233758)

• “Strange Lands and Different Peoples”: Spaniards and Indians in Colonial Guatemala by Lovell, W. George and Christopher H. Lutz (University of Oklahoma Press 2013, http://www.oupress.com/ECommerce/Book/Detail/1771/strange lands and different peoples)


• Taken by Storm: A Social and Meteorological History of the Great New England Hurricane by Avilés, Lourdes B (American Meteorological Society 2013, https://secure.ametsoc.org/amsbookstore/viewProductInfo.cfm?productID=95)

• Tropic of Hopes: California, Florida, and the Selling of American Paradise, 1869–1929 by Knight, Henry (University Press of Florida 2013, http://upf.com/book.asp?id=KNIGH002)

• Tropical Dry Forests in the Americas: Ecology, Conservation, and Management by Sanchez-Azofeifa, Arturo, Jennifer S. Powers, Geraldo W. Fernandes, Mauricio Quesada, eds (CRC Press 2013, http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781466512009)

• Water Without Borders? Canada, the United States, and Shared Waters by Norman, Emma S., Alice Cohen, and Karen Bakker (University of Toronto Press 2013, http://www.utppublishing.com/Water-without-Borders-Canada-the-United-States-and-Shared-Waters.html)

• Writing Food History: A Global Perspective by Claflin, Kyri W. and Peter Scholliers, eds (Bloomsbury 2012, http://www.bloomsbury.com/us/writing-food-history-9781847888082/)

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AAG Field Trips 2014

AAG Annual Meeting field trips available to Explore Florida on one or more of these AAG Annual Meeting field trips. Log in at aag.org to add a field trip to your registration.

Explore the rich physical and cultural geography of Tampa, Florida through informative field trips led by geographers or other experts. Field trips are also an excellent way to meet and exchange ideas with colleagues and friends.

TUESDAY, APRIL 8

1-1. Canoeing Tampa's Hillsborough River ��Tuesday, April 8, 8:30am - 2:00pm��Organizer/Leader: Christopher F. Meindl, University of South Florida and Terry Tomalin, Tampa Bay Times ��Trip Capacity: 14��Cost/person: $100 (includes bus transportation, canoe rental and lunch)

Despite its diminutive stature of barely 54 river miles, Tampa’s Hillsborough River is essentially three separate streams rolled into one: the wild and scenic mostly spring-fed headwaters portion; the suburban stretch that strains to provide Tampa drinking water; and the mostly privatized, neglected, and concrete banked urban reach. After walking about one half mile along the river to Curtis Hixon Park and commenting on Tampa’s plans for (re)developing its riverfront, we will bus to Seargant Park (discussing the river’s role as Tampa’s primary drinking water source), board canoes at Canoe Escape, and paddle a scenic reach to Morris Bridge Park where we will cookout.

1-3. Florida Aquarium and Wild Dolphin Cruise ��Tuesday, April 8, 12:30pm -

5:00pm��Organizer/Leader: Hannah Torres, University of South Florida, School of


Geosciences ��Leader: Kamal Alsharif, University of South Florida, School of Geosciences ��Trip Capacity: 50��Cost/person: $26 (includes admission)

From the Tampa Convention Center, participants will walk 15-20 minutes through Tampa's Channelside District to the not-for-profit Florida Aquarium. After exploring fascinating exhibits, participants will board a 72-foot catamaran to get a first-hand look at Tampa Bay, home to more than 500 bottlenose dolphins, endangered manatees and numerous bird species - all in one of the busiest deep-water ports in the Southern US! The 75-minute tour boards at 2:00 and departs promptly at 2:30. Dress comfortably; flat shoes with tread preferred, binoculars optional. Water is allowed, but no outside food. Lunch is not included; however food can be purchased at the aquarium's restaurant. Affordable lunch options are available ($5-$10).

1-4. Weedon Island Preserve: An Urban Treasure ��Tuesday, April 8, 3:30pm -

8:00pm��Organizer/Leader: Christopher F. Meindl, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg��Trip Capacity: 14��Cost/person: $72 (includes bus transportation and canoe rental)

Archaeological evidence suggests that Native Americans inhabited what is now Weedon Island Preserve more than two thousand years ago, and the Preserve continues to host occasional archaeological research. Weedon Island also bears the scars of more recent attempts to increase water flow through this low-lying region in order to reduce the number of breeding mosquitoes. Mangrove swamps used to dominate the low energy coast from Tampa Bay down to the Florida Keys. On this trip you will learn about the region’s Native American past and mangrove swamps with a 30 minute boardwalk hike and 2.5 hour canoe trip. Please note: we will be stopping for dinner, it is recommended to bring $20-25.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9

2-2 Lettuce Lake Park Hardwood Swamp Forest �� Wednesday, April 9, 9:30am - 1:30pm��Organizer/Leader: Kamal Alsharif, University of South Florida, School of Geosciences ��Trip Capacity: 50��Cost/person: $42 (includes bus transportation and box lunch)

In this field trip you will be exploring the beautiful hardwood swamp forest next to the Hillsborough River outside the City of Tampa. Lettuce Lake is a place to study nature. Watch alligators and different types of Florida avian species. The park has a beautiful boardwalk that visitors can enjoy and explore nature. It is a place for geographers to learn more about Florida landscape and environment.

2-3 Where Are We Drinking? The Political Ecology of Tampa Craft

Brewing ��Wednesday, April 9, 2:00pm - 6:00pm��Organizers/Leaders: Colleen Hiner, Texas State University; Toby Applegate, Rutgers University; Jessica Breen, University of Kentucky ��Trip Capacity: 33��Cost/person: $50 (includes admission fee for Tampa Bay Brew Bus)��Sponsor: AAG, Cultural and Political Ecology Specialty Group, Rural Geography Specialty Group, Wine Specialty Group

Great beer is impossible without great amounts of water. Tampa's geography affords geographers the opportunity to sample the intersection of its famous Floridian aquifer and its burgeoning craft beer scene. On this field trip, geographers will be able to experience


this beer ecology first-hand. Tampa's own Brew Bus will guide us through four separate breweries and tap rooms for tastings and tours. Included will be safe transportation, a knowledgeable local guide, and complimentary pints of the Brew Bus' own brews between stops.

THURSDAY, APRIL 10

3-2. Celebrating Smart Growth, New Urbanism and Main Street: Disney, Profit and Suburban Spawl ��Thursday, April 10, 8:30am – 3:30pm ��Organizer/Leader: Christopher F. Meindl, University of South Florida ��Trip Capacity: 24��Cost/person: $43 (includes bus transportation)

New Urbanism is heralded by some as an appropriate path for future urban growth. In theory, such development promotes walkability by densely packing a variety of land uses such as businesses, schools, open space, and several housing types of widely variable prices. Several Florida communities have attempted to incorporate smart growth principles, including Celebration—Disney Corporation’s attempt to profit from land development adjacent to its famous central Florida theme parks. After a bus ride to Celebration, participants will tour the community on foot and discuss the promise and perhaps illusion of new urbanism. Please note: we will be stopping for lunch, it is recommended to bring $15-20.

3-3. Trees in the City of Tampa: Tour of Urban Forest Management, Monitoring

and Policy ��Thursday, April 10, 9:00am - 12:00pm��Organizer: Shawn Landry, University of South Florida ��Leader: Robert Northrop, University of Florida/Hillsborough County Extension; Kathy Beck and Robert Irving, City of Tampa; Andrew Koeser and Michael Andreu, University of Florida��Trip Capacity: 25��Cost/person: $32 (includes bus transportation, handouts)

The City of Tampa adopted a tree protection ordinance in 1974. Since that time, trees and the urban forest has been the subject of research, the target of political conflict, the pride of a community, and the object of substantial investment. This tour will highlight important issues threatening urban forest sustainability in Tampa and how these challenges have been addressed in the recently adopted City of Tampa Urban Forest Management Plan.

FRIDAY, APRIL 11

4-1 Growth and Development In Late 19th and 20th Century Tampa�� Friday, April 11, 9:00am – 12:00pm��Organizer: Shawn Landry, University of South Florida ��Leader: Robert Kerstein, University of Tampa��Trip Capacity: 27��Cost/person: $26 (includes bus transportation)

Join Dr. Robert J. Kerstein, professor of government and world affairs at the University of Tampa, on a tour that focuses on growth and development in late 19th and 20th century Tampa. The tour will leave from the convention center, area of the former Fort Brooke, and include stops at several sites designated by historic markers that describe the important of these places in the city's history. It will also include stops at Plant Hall at The University of Tampa and in Ybor City.


4-2. Florida's Springs Coast: Water, Floods, Manatees, and Sea Level Rise at Homosassa Springs ��Friday April 11, 9:00am – 5:00pm��Organizer/Leader: Christopher F. Meindl, University of South Florida ��Trip Capacity: 14��Cost/person: $90 (includes bus transportation and admission fee)

Homosassa Springs is an excellent location to examine the relative health of (and threats to) Florida’s many magnificent springs. In addition, participants can observe manatees and learn about the struggle to protect one of Florida’s iconic animals. Finally, because Homosassa Springs is low lying and very near the Gulf of Mexico, it provides an opportunity to discuss the potential impacts of sea level rise and recent changes to the National Flood Insurance Program. Please note: we will be stopping for lunch, it is recommended to bring $15-20.

4-3 Tampa Bay Seawater Desalination Plant �� Friday, April 11, 10:00am -

2:00pm��Organizer/Leader: Kamal Alsharif, University of South Florida, School of Geosciences ��Trip Capacity: 28��Cost/person: $40 (includes bus transportation and boxed lunch)��Sponsor: AAG Water Resources Specialty Group

Tampa Bay Seawater Desalination Plant is one of the largest desalination plants in the country. Seawater coming into the plant goes through a rigorous pretreatment process then freshwater is separated from the seawater using reverse osmosis. The end product is high-quality drinking water that supplies up to 10 percent of the region’s needs. It provides up to 25 million gallons per day of drinking water to the region. Guests will learn how the seawater into fresh drinking water. They will also learn about regional water supply and how the desalination plant fits into the supply mix.

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

December 5-6, 2013 - Borderlands Modeling and Understanding for Global Sustainability Workshop, Beijing Normal University Sponsored by AAG, International Geographical Union, International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, International Cartographic Association December 5-7, 2013 - "Tower of Babel" or global networks in permanent restructuring Migration between myth and reality The Tunisian-Mediterranean Association for Historical, Social and Economic Studies' fifth international conference will be held in Béja, Tunisia. December 28-30, 2013 - 12th Asian Urbanization Conference The 12th Asian Urbanization Conference will be held in Varanasi, India, and is sponsored by the Asian Urban Research Association (AURA) January 27-29, 2014 - Institute of Geoinformatics' 2014 Symposium, Ostrava, Czech Republic The Geoinformatics for Intelligent Transportation conference will highlight new methods, issues and challenges of improving transportation.


April 8-12, 2014 - AAG Annual Meeting: TAMPA 2014

Join the Association of American Geographers at the AAG Annual Meeting in Tampa, April 8 to April 12, 2014, for the latest in research and applications in geography, sustainability, and GIScience.

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Careers at AAG: Research Scientist

The Association of American Geographers has an opening for the position of Research Scientist, to be located at the AAG’s office in Washington, DC.

We seek an individual with excellent research and writing skills who can contribute to the AAG’s strong portfolio of federally-funded research, education and outreach projects. The Research Scientist will participate in the development of research projects and protocols; contribute to new project development; interact constructively with academic and non-academic organizations; assist in preparing manuscripts for publication; and support project management. The Research Scientist will also work closely with AAG staff to support broader AAG initiatives, meetings, and proposals.

A highly qualified candidate will have a PhD in geography, possess strong skills in quantitative methods and research, including knowledge of GIS and/or spatial analysis; possess outstanding written and verbal communication skills; be highly organized and able to meet deadlines on multiple projects, and have strong interpersonal; skills.

This is an excellent opportunity for a junior scholar, but we will also consider applications from senior level researchers. Salary is commensurate with experience. The AAG is an equal opportunity employer and offers a highly competitive benefits package and an excellent collegial working environment. The AAG is located in the heart of Washington, DC , near Dupont Circle.

To apply, please send a letter of application, CV, sample publications, and contact information for three references via email to: Astrid Ng at [email protected] Applications will be reviewed until the position is filled.

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