2020 Virtual SWAAG Meeting, Anywhere & Nowhere, November 17-19
The Southwest Division Executives will organize the "virtual" Annual Meeting and cordially invites you to join us in cyberspace for this year's annual meeting of the Southwest Division of the American Association of Geographers. In addition to paper and poster sessions, a number of special events are planned, including Student paper and poster competitions ($1000 top awards for both graduate and undergraduate).
PROGRAM:
Tuesday, Nov 17
Geography Undergraduates: focusing on the next generation
9:00 Sessions
Opening Session: Geography in a Pandemic
Coffee with Erik; What’s going on in your Community?
10:00 Opening Remarks and Welcome to Virtual Annual Meeting
10:15 First Paper
Carmen Brysch (Texas A&M University)
Poster Gallery I open (files uploaded and visible)
11:00 Sessions
New Geography AAG Leadership Webinar: Ken Foote and Shannon O’Lear
What’s in a Name? Undergraduate Student Perceptions of Geography, Environment, and Sustainability Key Words and Program Names with Justin Stoler (University of Miami), Amber Pearson (Michigan State University), and Diana Ter-Ghazaryan (University of Miami)
What attracts students to our courses and to our majors? Three co-authors of a forthcoming Annals article have helped answer these questions by surveying over 4,000 undergraduates at four U.S. universities, asking them to rate key words from course titles and descriptions as well as degree and department names. The results suggest strategies for attracting students to our classes and majors to our programs. Among the key findings to be discussed are that undergraduates overwhelmingly and consistently preferred simple, thematic types of terms to those that sounded more technical or science oriented. Forms of the word geography were rated significantly lower than words or phrases containing environment and sustainability. Forms of geography that included the word science were rated particularly low. The open-access article can be downloaded at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/24694452.2020.1766412
1:00 Sessions
Undergraduate Paper Competition
3:00 Sessions
Live Poster presenters interaction (poster gallery I)
Undergraduate Student Poster Competition
Nicholas Collins (University of North Texas)
Kaitlin Stewart and Valencia Stewart (Stephen F. Austin State University)
Carly Alley (Texas Christian University)
Jack Lineham (University of North Texas)
Caroline Garnett (University of Texas at Austin)
Monique Walker (Oklahoma State University)
Geography II paper session
5:00 Keynote Speaker: Emily Yeh, Vice President American Association of Geographers
Geography in unsettled times: The AAG and you”
Emily Yeh is a professor of Geography at the University of Colorado Boulder, and is currently department chair. Her research focuses on development and nature-society relations in Tibetan parts of contemporary China. She has studied the political ecology of pastoralism, vulnerability to and indigenous knowledge of climate change, ideologies of nature and nation, and grassroots environmental activism. Her book, Taming Tibet: Landscape Transformation and the Gift of Chinese Development, explored the intersection of the political economy and cultural politics of development as a project of state territorialization. She regularly teaches classes on environment & society, development, China, political ecology, and research design.
Wednesday, Nov. 18
Graduate Research and Contemporary Geographies
9:00 Sessions
Graduate Student Research I (Paper Competition)Claire Burch (University of Oklahoma)
Mary Truman (Texas State University)
Jesse Andrews (Oklahoma State University)
Nazla Bushra (Louisiana State University)
Kathryn McDaniel (Texas State University)
Poster Gallery II opens (files uploaded and visible)
11:00 Sessions
Graduate Student Research II (Paper Competition)
Cheryl Foster (Louisiana State University)
Jennifer Ellis (University of North Texas)
Thomas Williamson (University of North Texas)
Kaleigh Shuler (Texas State University)
Walter Furness (Texas State University)
Geography 3 paper session
1:00 Sessions
Getting the Word Out about Geography: how to extend your work beyond the academy, AAG Workshop:
Workshop Presenters: Emily Fekete, Coline Dony, and Lisa Schamess
Raising awareness about the work of geographers starts with you! Past AAG Presidents have often called for geographers to actively pursue opportunities to highlight their work in venues beyond academic journals. For example, Derek Alderman utilized storytelling as a method to call for increased public communication and broadening publications under his geography is R.E.A.L. initiative, while David Kaplan argued that geographers must start developing alt-ac skills for the growing market. Yet, cultivating a circulation strategy beyond academic journals requires time because we are trained in academic writing and may be unsure of how to translate our work for different outlets or audiences. Students may be interested in pursuing careers where writing for the general public or promoting geographic ideas is a vital component of their daily job duties.
Graduate Student Research III paper session
Morgan Jones (University of Oklahoma)
Daniel Silva (University of Texas)
Natalia Hamilton (Texas Tech University)
Elena Shabalina (Texas State University)
Dolly Na-Yemeh (University of Oklahoma)
3:00 Sessions
Live poster presenters interaction (poster gallery II)
Graduate Student Poster Competition
Zach Tabor (University of North Texas)
Rubay Bin Mostafiz (Louisiana State University)
Regular Poster Session:
Kellen Bullock (Oklahoma State University)
Hongbo Yu (Oklahoma State University)
Dwayne Hinton (Louisiana State University)
Steve Stadler (Oklahoma State University)
Geography 4 paper session
5:00 Plenary Guest Speaker: Serena Prammanasudh, United We Dream
Undeniable Power and Transformation: How Immigrant Youth Won in 2020
This talk will provide an engaging overview of the impacts of the unprecedented global COVID-19 pandemic on the most disenfranchised communities in our country amidst historic uprisings for black lives and within the context of a pivotal election year. This talk will be informed by the lived experiences of those directly impacted (especially undocumented communities), and – using Oklahoma as a case study – will demonstrate that this socio-political moment must be understood as fertile ground for building transformative momentum towards people-centered systems for generations to come.
7:00 GeoBowl substitute/alternative
"First SWAAG Virtual Happy Hour"
Thursday, Nov. 19
Geographies of the Virtual
9:00 Organized Session, Laurel Smith (OU)
Film/media paper panel
11:00 Organized Session, Laurel Smith (OU)
Film/Media paper panel
1:00 Graduate School Round Table
Participants:
Bill Doolittle, University of Texas at Austin
Rebecca Sheehan, Oklahoma State University
Ben Zhan, Texas State University
Waquar Ahmed, North Texas University
3:00 SWAAG Business Meeting & Awards Announcements
Erik Prout, (Texas A&M University) Chair
Kory Konsoer, (Louisiana State University) Secretary
Jennifer Koch, (University of Oklahoma) Treasurer
Michaela Buenemann (New Mexico State University) Regional Councilor
MEETING AGENDA:
REGISTRATION: SWAAG 2020
LINK to AAG hosting of SWAAG Registration
Registration for the 2020 Meeting is $50 for Faculty and Professionals, and $25 for Students.
The registration is integrated with the AAG's meeting platform. You must register before submitting an abstract for participating. Abstracts are due Wednesday, November 4. During registration, an option to donate $10, $20, and $30 is built into the system.
ABSTRACT SUBMISSIONS:
After registering, submit at this link.
https://aag-meetings.secure-platform.com/a/solicitations/5/home
Student Competition Rules:
The four competitions are: 1st $250, 2nd $100, and 3rd $50 in each category. An extended up to 500 word abstract is required. Deadline is 5:00 PM November 4 and must be emailed to the Treasurer. The faculty/adviser form must be in by Friday, November 6.
Graduate Paper
Graduate Poster
Undergraduate Paper
Undergraduate Poster
The Two AAG prizes ($1000 each) are Best Grad Paper & Best Undergrad Presentation at a Regional Division Meeting. The only recipient stipulation is to attend a future AAG Conference.
PROGRAM:
Tuesday, Nov 17
Geography Undergraduates: focusing on the next generation
9:00 Sessions
Opening Session: Geography in a Pandemic
Coffee with Erik; What’s going on in your Community?
10:00 Opening Remarks and Welcome to Virtual Annual Meeting
10:15 First Paper
Carmen Brysch (Texas A&M University)
Poster Gallery I open (files uploaded and visible)
11:00 Sessions
New Geography AAG Leadership Webinar: Ken Foote and Shannon O’Lear
What’s in a Name? Undergraduate Student Perceptions of Geography, Environment, and Sustainability Key Words and Program Names with Justin Stoler (University of Miami), Amber Pearson (Michigan State University), and Diana Ter-Ghazaryan (University of Miami)
What attracts students to our courses and to our majors? Three co-authors of a forthcoming Annals article have helped answer these questions by surveying over 4,000 undergraduates at four U.S. universities, asking them to rate key words from course titles and descriptions as well as degree and department names. The results suggest strategies for attracting students to our classes and majors to our programs. Among the key findings to be discussed are that undergraduates overwhelmingly and consistently preferred simple, thematic types of terms to those that sounded more technical or science oriented. Forms of the word geography were rated significantly lower than words or phrases containing environment and sustainability. Forms of geography that included the word science were rated particularly low. The open-access article can be downloaded at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/24694452.2020.1766412
1:00 Sessions
Undergraduate Paper Competition
- Madeline Wade (University of Oklahoma)
- Willow Harper (University of Central Arkansas)
- Madison Wilson (University of Oklahoma)
- Michael Yoder (Urbanálisis)
- Alyson Greiner (Oklahoma State University)
- Colleen Myles (Texas State University)
- Patrick Hagge (Arkansas Tech University)
- Ashley Coles (Texas Christian University)
3:00 Sessions
Live Poster presenters interaction (poster gallery I)
Undergraduate Student Poster Competition
Nicholas Collins (University of North Texas)
Kaitlin Stewart and Valencia Stewart (Stephen F. Austin State University)
Carly Alley (Texas Christian University)
Jack Lineham (University of North Texas)
Caroline Garnett (University of Texas at Austin)
Monique Walker (Oklahoma State University)
Geography II paper session
- Sophie Plassin (University of Oklahoma)
- Jacob Shephard (Oklahoma State University)
- Junghwan Kim (University of Illinois)
5:00 Keynote Speaker: Emily Yeh, Vice President American Association of Geographers
Geography in unsettled times: The AAG and you”
Emily Yeh is a professor of Geography at the University of Colorado Boulder, and is currently department chair. Her research focuses on development and nature-society relations in Tibetan parts of contemporary China. She has studied the political ecology of pastoralism, vulnerability to and indigenous knowledge of climate change, ideologies of nature and nation, and grassroots environmental activism. Her book, Taming Tibet: Landscape Transformation and the Gift of Chinese Development, explored the intersection of the political economy and cultural politics of development as a project of state territorialization. She regularly teaches classes on environment & society, development, China, political ecology, and research design.
Wednesday, Nov. 18
Graduate Research and Contemporary Geographies
9:00 Sessions
Graduate Student Research I (Paper Competition)Claire Burch (University of Oklahoma)
Mary Truman (Texas State University)
Jesse Andrews (Oklahoma State University)
Nazla Bushra (Louisiana State University)
Kathryn McDaniel (Texas State University)
Poster Gallery II opens (files uploaded and visible)
11:00 Sessions
Graduate Student Research II (Paper Competition)
Cheryl Foster (Louisiana State University)
Jennifer Ellis (University of North Texas)
Thomas Williamson (University of North Texas)
Kaleigh Shuler (Texas State University)
Walter Furness (Texas State University)
Geography 3 paper session
- Jonathan Comer (Oklahoma State University)
- Sara Moya (Texas State University)
- Conner Flynt (Louisiana State University)
- Xochizeltzin Castaneda Camacho (University of Texas)
1:00 Sessions
Getting the Word Out about Geography: how to extend your work beyond the academy, AAG Workshop:
Workshop Presenters: Emily Fekete, Coline Dony, and Lisa Schamess
Raising awareness about the work of geographers starts with you! Past AAG Presidents have often called for geographers to actively pursue opportunities to highlight their work in venues beyond academic journals. For example, Derek Alderman utilized storytelling as a method to call for increased public communication and broadening publications under his geography is R.E.A.L. initiative, while David Kaplan argued that geographers must start developing alt-ac skills for the growing market. Yet, cultivating a circulation strategy beyond academic journals requires time because we are trained in academic writing and may be unsure of how to translate our work for different outlets or audiences. Students may be interested in pursuing careers where writing for the general public or promoting geographic ideas is a vital component of their daily job duties.
Graduate Student Research III paper session
Morgan Jones (University of Oklahoma)
Daniel Silva (University of Texas)
Natalia Hamilton (Texas Tech University)
Elena Shabalina (Texas State University)
Dolly Na-Yemeh (University of Oklahoma)
3:00 Sessions
Live poster presenters interaction (poster gallery II)
Graduate Student Poster Competition
Zach Tabor (University of North Texas)
Rubay Bin Mostafiz (Louisiana State University)
Regular Poster Session:
Kellen Bullock (Oklahoma State University)
Hongbo Yu (Oklahoma State University)
Dwayne Hinton (Louisiana State University)
Steve Stadler (Oklahoma State University)
Geography 4 paper session
- Yaqian He (Dartmouth)
- Stephen Caparotta
- Dane Atkins (University of Northern Iowa)
- Heather Swienton (Texas State University)
5:00 Plenary Guest Speaker: Serena Prammanasudh, United We Dream
Undeniable Power and Transformation: How Immigrant Youth Won in 2020
This talk will provide an engaging overview of the impacts of the unprecedented global COVID-19 pandemic on the most disenfranchised communities in our country amidst historic uprisings for black lives and within the context of a pivotal election year. This talk will be informed by the lived experiences of those directly impacted (especially undocumented communities), and – using Oklahoma as a case study – will demonstrate that this socio-political moment must be understood as fertile ground for building transformative momentum towards people-centered systems for generations to come.
7:00 GeoBowl substitute/alternative
"First SWAAG Virtual Happy Hour"
Thursday, Nov. 19
Geographies of the Virtual
9:00 Organized Session, Laurel Smith (OU)
Film/media paper panel
- Brad Bays (Oklahoma State University)
- Erin Stanley (University of Oklahoma)
- Eric Magrane (New Mexico State University)
- Rafael Gonzalez (University of Missouri Columbia)
11:00 Organized Session, Laurel Smith (OU)
Film/Media paper panel
- Blake Taylor (University of Oklahoma)
- John Hill (University of Oklahoma
- Laurel Smith (University of Oklahoma)
- Jeffrey Roth (Stephen F. Austin University) cancelled
1:00 Graduate School Round Table
Participants:
Bill Doolittle, University of Texas at Austin
Rebecca Sheehan, Oklahoma State University
Ben Zhan, Texas State University
Waquar Ahmed, North Texas University
3:00 SWAAG Business Meeting & Awards Announcements
Erik Prout, (Texas A&M University) Chair
Kory Konsoer, (Louisiana State University) Secretary
Jennifer Koch, (University of Oklahoma) Treasurer
Michaela Buenemann (New Mexico State University) Regional Councilor
MEETING AGENDA:
- Welcome & Chair Comments
- Student Competition Awards
- Regional Councilor Report
- Southwest Geographer Report
- Secretary Report
- Treasurer Report
- Future Meetings
- Other Business
- Elections
REGISTRATION: SWAAG 2020
LINK to AAG hosting of SWAAG Registration
Registration for the 2020 Meeting is $50 for Faculty and Professionals, and $25 for Students.
The registration is integrated with the AAG's meeting platform. You must register before submitting an abstract for participating. Abstracts are due Wednesday, November 4. During registration, an option to donate $10, $20, and $30 is built into the system.
ABSTRACT SUBMISSIONS:
After registering, submit at this link.
https://aag-meetings.secure-platform.com/a/solicitations/5/home
Student Competition Rules:
The four competitions are: 1st $250, 2nd $100, and 3rd $50 in each category. An extended up to 500 word abstract is required. Deadline is 5:00 PM November 4 and must be emailed to the Treasurer. The faculty/adviser form must be in by Friday, November 6.
Graduate Paper
Graduate Poster
Undergraduate Paper
Undergraduate Poster
The Two AAG prizes ($1000 each) are Best Grad Paper & Best Undergrad Presentation at a Regional Division Meeting. The only recipient stipulation is to attend a future AAG Conference.