Academic Conferences
As mentioned in the first Geo News Brief of fall 2018, there are two geography conferences within reasonable driving distance (about 3 hours) from campus. Two graduate students have expressed interest in attending SEDAAG which will take place in Johnson City, TN from November 18-19. Faculty from the department will be in attendance, so if you have any questions, or would like further information, please reach out to any faculty member.
Also, the largest geography conference is taking place in Washington DC in April, 2019. This is another great opportunity to network, learn, and find academic and work opportunities. To give a brief of overview of who attends the conference, the American Association of Geographers has provided the following info-graph based on last year’s meeting. As you can see, almost ‘half’ of the attendees were students, so take advantage and join students from all over the U.S. and the world.
Academic Opportunities
Funded Graduate Assistantship at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte
The Department of Geography and Earth Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte is accepting applications for a funded graduate student position to join a research project on urban agriculture in Argentina. The student will assist Dr. Colleen Hammelman in implementing this qualitative research project (potentially including a research trip to the region during summer 2019) which investigates conflicts over land for growing spaces in environmentally-focused cities. The student will have the opportunity to co-author journal articles and conference presentations as well as complete an individual project to meet graduation requirements. The ideal candidate will be curious about human-environment interactions and social justice in urban environments, self-motivated, and team-oriented. A successful candidate will have a background in geography, urban planning, international relations, or a related field. Preferred skills include: community-based research and a working knowledge of Spanish. The Geography PhD program generally requires a Master’s degree prior to admission. Exceptional students applying for the MA in Geography program may also be considered for this assistantship. Funding is guaranteed for 1.5 years (depending on start date) via a research assistantship for this specific project, with additional years of funding expected through departmental teaching and/or research assistantships. The position will also support relevant conference travel and the student will be nominated for the University’s Graduate Assistant Support Program (GASP) to offset tuition fees. The preferred start date for this position is January 2019 (although August 2019 applicants may also be considered).
Interested applicants should submit a cover letter (including a statement of interest in the position, relevant education and experiences) and CV to Dr. Colleen Hammelman at colleen.hammelman@uncc.edu. Interested applicants should contact me directly before applying to the graduate school.
Paper Competition
The Remote Sensing Specialty Group of the Association of American Geographers is pleased to announce the 2018-2019 Students Honors Paper Competition. Students from all academic levels are invited to submit original research papers on all topics that advances the field of remote sensing and GIS. Students selected as finalists will be placed in a special paper session at the Annual Meeting to be held April 3-April 7, 2019 in Washington, DC.
We encourage papers on innovative remote sensing and GIS methods, concepts, theories as well as applications. Research must have been completed within the past academic year as part of the applicant’s undergraduate or graduate studies and can include thesis/dissertation topics. The applicant must still be a student at the time of presentation. While papers may include co-authors, the applicant must be primarily responsible for the research presented.
October 25, 2019-deadline for submitting extended abstract (different than the regular AAG abstract, instructions below).
January 27, 2019-deadline for submitting the full completed paper.
Extended Abstract Guidelines
The extended abstract will be used to determine up to 10 competition finalists. Please follow the guidelines below when preparing extended abstracts:
Title, author(s) names, and contact information of the author(s)
400-800 words in length
Summarize the primary objective, methodology, results, and conclusions of the study
Include references and citations. Words used in reference list do not count toward the word count for the extended abstract.
Include an additional single page of 1-2 figures, if necessary
Submit abstract as a Microsoft Word document
Paper Guidelines and Structures
Selected finalists will be required to submit one digital copy of their completed papers in Microsoft Word format, which must be prepared in accordance with the format of the PE&RS Journal. Manuscript guidelines for PE&RS can be found on the ASPRS website (www.asprs.org/pears-submissions-policy-and-guidelines/… The length of the papers MUST NOT EXCEED 27 pages including tables and figures. There will be strict enforcement of the page limit and formatting requirements of the papers (i.e. double spaced text, 1.25″ margins and 11/12-point font). The deadline for completed paper submission is January 27, 2019.
Students who are interested should electronically submit the following to the RSSG Student Co-Director Qiuyan Yu (qiuyanyu@mail.usf.edu)
Job Opportunities
GIS Analyst, National Computing Group, Greensburg, PA
GIS Technician, Synectics Inc., Greensburg, PA
Support Specialist, Ecolane, Wayne, PA
Marketing Internship, Esri, Vienna, VA
Geospatial Analyst, General Dynamics Information Technology-Military, Springfield, VA
Should you have any questions about any of these opportunities, do not hesitate to get in contact.
Sincerely,