The results of the Southeastern Regional Councilor election have been finalized and Dr. Selima Sultana has been elected to the position. Her term starts on July 1, 2020. Currently, she is a Professor in the Department of Geography, Environment, and Sustainability at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro (UNCG). Dr. Sultana is also serving the division as the co-editor of the Southeastern Geographer.
The Department of Geosciences at Mississippi State University invites applications for a tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant Professor in Human Geography, with a specialization in Black Geographies, with an anticipated start date of Fall 2020 or Spring 2021.
We seek scholars whose work focuses on Black Geographies in relation to one or more of the following areas: gender, sexuality and Black feminist thought; environmental racism, environmental justice and political ecology; political and economic geographies; health and well-being; agriculture and food systems; or Black placemaking and community-building. We are especially interested in scholars with expertise on the Black experience in the American South, or on the transnational connections between the Black diaspora in the US and other parts of the world.
Applicants must hold a PhD in geography (or a closely related field) by the time of appointment, and will demonstrate evidence of (or the potential for) excellence in research, teaching and student mentoring. Applicants will be expected to maintain an active research program with the potential for external funding, develop and teach undergraduate and graduate courses in their areas of expertise, as well as supervise both masters and doctoral students.
The Department of Geosciences currently has 19 tenured or tenure-track faculty, five clinical professors, and four full-time instructors and awards B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. Within the department, there are four areas of disciplinary emphasis: Geology, Geography, Geospatial Science, and Meteorology. In addition, the department maintains close relationships with a variety of other research centers and interdisciplinary programs elsewhere on the Mississippi State campus. More information about the Department of Geosciences is available on our website: www.geosciences.msstate.edu.
Candidates may apply on-line by submitting a cover letter (including statements of research and teaching interests), a curriculum vitae, and a list of three references with contact information through the Mississippi State University HRM website: http://explore.msujobs.msstate.edu/cw/en-us/job/499785?lApplicationSubSourceID=. The position will remain open until filled; however, the review of applications will begin April 13, 2020. For questions about the position or the application process, please contact search committee chair Shrinidhi Ambinakudige at shrinidhi@geosci.msstate.edu.
MSU is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, genetic information, pregnancy, gender identity, status as a U.S. veteran, and/or any other status protected by applicable law. We always welcome nominations and applications from women, members of any minority group, and others who share our passion for building a diverse community that reflects the diversity in our student population.
SECOND CALL: SEDAAG is soliciting nominations for the AAG Regional Councilor from the Southeastern Division. The Regional Councilor position, chosen by AAG members in the Southeastern Region, is a 3-year term that begins on July 1, 2020. The Regional Councilor takes part at both the AAG and SEDAAG meetings.
Eligibility: AAG members residing within the Southeastern Division; Must not have been an AAG employee for three years from end date of employment.
Please send any nominations for REGIONAL COUNCILOR to SEDAAG Nominations Chair, Tom Chapman (techapma@odu.edu) by February 17, 2020. Nominees should submit a Biosketch that outlines any prior commitment to AAG and SEDAAG. Eligible voters comprise all AAG members in the Southeastern Region.
Description of Position:
If you are curious about what a Regional Councilor does, John Kupfer, the current Regional Councilor for the Southeastern Division, describes the position from his personal experience, below. If you know of qualified and interested candidates, please touch base with them to gauge their interest and commitment.
The primary role of the Regional Councilor is to serve on the AAG Council, which is comprised of the AAG President, Past President, and Vice President, as well as National Councilors elected by the entire AAG membership and Regional Councilors elected by each of the AAG regions. The Council serves as the governing body of the AAG, establishing committees and determining Association policies and procedures. As Councilor, you will be involved in appointing Editors, Assistant Editors, and Editorial Boards for the AAG’s journals, approving the organization’s budget, and developing, implementing and supporting new projects. You will likely be asked to serve on ad hoc committees associated with AAG initiatives, and you will have the opportunity to serve as liaison to a range of AAG Committees. Regional Councilors are also eligible to serve as AAG Secretary or Treasurer. In short, you’ll get to learn a lot about how the AAG works and have input that really can make a difference in the success of our organization.
Within SEDAAG, the Regional Councilor serves on the Executive and Steering Committees and thus has a role in shaping our organization’s activities and policies. You will get to review, comment on, and approve SEDAAG’s budget and any proposed financial initiatives, help to select upcoming meeting host sites, and be involved in the selection of editors for Southeastern Geographer. As with the broader Council responsibilities, it’s your chance to make a difference in the direction and success of SEDAAG.
So, your first question is probably: How much time will this take up? Regionally, the Councilor makes a short verbal report at SEDAAG’s annual meeting about important AAG activities that could affect the region, and prepares a brief report on the region that is submitted to the AAG Council at our spring meeting. We transact some business by email and phone, as well. All told, these responsibilities are fairly minor. For AAG Council, you are expected to attend two Council meetings annually, one in the fall (November, in recent years) and one in the spring (which takes place at the AAG Meeting site immediately prior to the start of the meeting). Council meetings entail an afternoon arrival and brief meetings and dinner on Day 1, a full day of meetings on Day 2, and meetings until noon on Day 3. I also served on an ad hoc committee for the Professional Geographer and a Presidential taskforce on the state of AAG regions, among other things. Most notably, I also was a member of the Search Committee to select the new AAG Executive Director following Doug Richardson’s retirement. Some assignments are fairly minor; others can be more time consuming. You have some control over how involved you get, but you need to be aware that you will serve in your role as Councilor for 3 years.
Given that, your second question might be: What do I get out of it? Primarily, you get to contribute to AAG and SEDAAG and work with a bunch of interesting people, including not only other Councilors and several AAG Presidents, but also the Executive Director, Meridian Place staff, and AAG members from around the world. I’ve made a number of good friends and professional contacts through my service, and I feel that I’ve helped the organizations in some fairly fundamental ways. I also understand better why some things work the way that they do. By the way, there is no honorarium, but AAG does cover all of your expenses for Council Meetings.
Finally, you might be wondering: Do I really have anything to contribute? The answer is almost unequivocally: “Yes”. Council needs a diverse range of viewpoints to function well. That means scholars from not only different specializations across geography, but also perspectives from people of diverse backgrounds and varied academic institutions. Many of the regional Councilors with whom I’ve served come from ‘teaching’ institutions, and the reality is that such settings make up a huge percentage of our membership. Council isn’t really about your research background – it’s about how you can contribute to helping AAG and SEDAAG better serve our members.
If you have additional questions about the position or John’s experiences, please feel free to contact John directly at: kupfer@sc.edu.
AAG President David Kaplan will be speaking at the SEDAAG Honors Banquet on Monday, November 25th, 2019.
The title of his talk is
Expanding the Community of Geography
Two field trips are planned for the SEDAAG 2019 meeting.
Both of these field trips will meet at the front entrance of the Hotel Ballast at 10AM, Sunday November 24 and are weather permitting.
Doug Gamble
Professor and Chair
Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences
UNC Wilmington
Students and Faculty–
November is coming up in just a few short weeks and the finishing touches are being put on this year’s edition of World Geography Bowl. Whether you are student or faculty, there is a place for you.
In case you haven’t heard of it, the World Geography Bowl is a ‘quiz bowl’ style team competition where all the questions are geographically oriented. Think Jeopardy! but with teams of six players instead of everyone competing alone, and the category is always “World Geography”. Each state in the division is invited to send a team to represent it in the competition. Please note that we will be starting with registration beginning at 10am. If you are interested, there are several ways you can get involved.
Are you a student? Then you can compete! Below are a list of state team coordinators that you can get in touch with to join. If your state is not listed, please email me at ddrake4@missouriwestern.edu to get more information.
Tennesseans wishing to play should contact Dr. Andrew Joyner, East Tennessee State University (joynert@mail.etsu.edu)
Virginians wishing to play should contact Dr. Joe Nicholas, University of Mary Washington (jnichola@umw.edu)
West Virginians wishing to plat should contact Dr. Tom Saladyga, Concord University (saladygat@concord.edu)
Students from all other states should contact me directly for more information (ddrake4@missouriwestern.edu)
Are you a faculty member? Then you have options! We are in dire need of volunteers to be judges and scorekeepers on Sunday November 24th. Don’t worry, we can train you. We are also seeking faculty members willing to coordinate teams for Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, and North and South Carolina. We are always seeking new volunteers on the committee. If you would like to write questions, we have openings for that as well. Just email me at ddrake4@missouriwestern.edu
And finally, whether you are a student or faculty member, I invite you to come and cheer on the teams, especially at the Monday evening November 25th Dream Team vs. All Stars and Championship rounds.
Dr. Dawn Drake
The results of the 2019 elections for various positions are out. The new officers will begin their terms following the conclusion of the 2019 SEDAAG meeting in Wilmington, NC:
President: Lynn Resler – Virginia Tech.
Treasurer: Amy Potter– Georgia Southern University.
Alabama State Rep: Caroline McClure – University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
Florida State Rep: Cynthia Simmons – University of Florida.
Kentucky State Rep: Peggy Gripshover – Western Kentucky University.
South Carolina State Rep: Conor Harrison – University of South Carolina.
West Virginia State Rep: Jamison Conley – West Virginia University.
Congratulations to the new officers and we look forward to seeing everyone in Wilmington, NC in November.
Shrinidhi Ambinakudige – Secretary
For
The Executive Team
Position summary: Department of Geography, University of Georgia, Athens, invites applications for a Ph.D. level research assistantship (RA) in remote sensing beginning Spring 2020. The student will participate in a project studying the impacts of sediment runoff and nutrients from Belize’s watersheds on the health of the coral reefs of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System in light of potential changes in precipitation as a consequence of climate change. The project is funded by the NASA A.8 Program “Sustaining Living System in a Time of Climate Variability and Change”.
Responsibilities: The student will be working with a large interdisciplinary team from the University of Georgia (UGA), University of Alabama- Huntsville, Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL), and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)- Belize. The research will involve working with NASA Earth Observations (EO) products, atmospheric correction, and water quality algorithms developed for the region of interest, and in situ measurements of water optical properties along with data on coral reef extent. The ultimate purpose is to develop sustained local capacities on the use of NASA EO and hydrological modeling for decision-making in Belize. It will involve multiple field trips to Belize and partnering with the local team for field data collection.
Required qualifications: Candidate must have proven abilities to conduct independent research and to work as part of a large scientific team. Experience in data analysis and modeling, water remote sensing background, and the ability to work in a nearshore coral reef environment are also required. Experience in or an interest in learning R, GEE, or Python also are required. Additional skills in the interpretation and synthesis of multi-platform remote sensing data, water quality or hydrological modeling also would be helpful. A strong background in statistics and coastal ecology also are suggested, but the drive and willingness to learn these skills is acceptable.
Initial RA offer includes 2 years of support through the project and the possibility of renewal for 2 more years from other sources. The assistantship will include a salary commensurate with education and level of experience, tuition waiver, and health benefits. Students will join the Mishra Lab in the Department of Geography at the University of Georgia. Interested candidates should send an email describing their past experience and their motivation for pursuing a graduate degree in the above research topic, along with a CV, GRE scores, and the names and contact information for 3 references to Dr. Deepak Mishra (dmishra@uga.edu), Professor, Department of Geography, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602 by November 15, 2019. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. The anticipated start date is January 02, 2020.
The University of Georgia values diversity and all qualified applicants are encouraged to apply. UGA is in Athens, GA, a vibrant mid-sized city with abundant shopping, restaurants, and cultural experiences. Interested candidates must apply online at http://grad.uga.edu/index.php/prospective-students/domestic-application-information/requirements/application-forms/ by November 15, 2019. In case of any questions, please contact Dr. Deepak Mishra (dmishra@uga.edu) (Tel: 706-542-8927), Department of Geography, UGA.