Spatially Connected

The American Geographical Society (AGS) needs your help in a matter of vital importance.  We are conducting a nationwide survey of public attitudes toward geography and knowledge about geography.  This is our part in a major study funded by the National Science Foundation.  This “Roadmap” project is a joint effort of the National Geographic Society, the National Council for Geographic Education, the Association of American Geographers, and AGS.  The overall topic is geographic literacy, a matter of serious concern in America today.  We invite all U. S. citizens and long term residents of the United States to take the survey.  The only eligibility requirement is that you must be age 18 or older.  The results will help guide Federal and state policies regarding geographic education.

You may access the survey online by clicking the following link:  AGS Geographic Knowledge and Values Survey  (If the link does not take you directly to the survey, please copy and paste this URL into your web browser:  http://webteach.ubalt.edu/UltimateSurvey/Surveys/TakeSurvey.aspx?s=F30154FD158241D39265B445E3BD5817 ). 

Based on trial runs, we estimate the survey will take 12 to 18 minutes of your time.  Please help us spread the word by forwarding this invitation by every possible means:  email, Internet, listserves, newspaper, radio, TV, social networks (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.), and personal appearances (clubs, local to national groups, public events, etc.).

Please join the public campaign "Speak Up For Geography: The 10,000 Letter Challenge".  As a leader in the geospatial industry, your support of geography education in K-12 schools is needed now more than ever. The goal of the 10,000 Letter Challenge is simple: to send 10,000 letters to Congress in support of the bipartisan Teaching Geography is Fundamental (TGIF) Act by November 18, 2011. This date marks the ending of Geography Awareness Week 2011 and the last day of the Congressional session before the Thanksgiving recess. It's easy to send letters to your Members of Congress at http://speakupforgeography.org. 

For full article go to:
http://apb.directionsmag.com/entry/national-geographic-asks-you-to-speak-up-for-geography/210856#.TqnKHMvgWQU.email

"About 216 million people, or 3.15% of the population live outside their countries"

Ever wonder were people are moving from and moving to?  Here is a very cool tool that visually shows immigration and emigration throughout the world.

http://www.peoplemov.in/

An excellent opportunity for community college students intending to transfer to a 4-year college and major in geography.  This is a national scholarship through the Association of American Geographers (AAG). 

To find out more: http://www.aag.org/cs/grants/hess

City Club of Portland hosts talks and dinners every week highlighting various aspects of community growth. On Monday they will have a presentation based on the work of Space Syntax, a London based firm that uses spatial research to guide design based on observed human behavior.

Here is the information on the talk:


Date: January 24, 2011 -6:00pm -7:30pm
Jimmy Mak’s, 221 NW 10th Ave. in the Pearl

When it comes to transportation, planners use “science” for cars, but more often “intuition” for pedestrians. Technicians develop elaborate computer models for the movement of vehicles. But when it comes to predicting where people will saunter on two feet, it’s all observation and guesswork. In the 1990s, the London-based firm Space Syntax changed all of that.

Mapping neighborhoods from a pedestrian’s eye level for the places people desire to go and then applying relatively simple algorithms to model behavior, Space Syntax developed robust new computer forecasts that led the way to successfully “pedestrianizing” such car-choked districts as Trafalgar Square in London and the historic Old Market Square in Nottingham. Today, with nine offices across the globe, the firm is leading the design and redesign of districts in cities as diverse as Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and Beijing, China. Tim Stonor will speak about Space Syntax’s efforts—both the successes and the good tries—to improve the movement and commerce in urban conditions ranging from medieval cities to contemporary suburbs.

Stonor is an architect and town planner with wide international experience. In the 1990s, he established the Space Syntax Laboratory at University College London (UCL) and the consulting firm Space Syntax Limited to build bridges between professional practice and academic research. As managing director, Stonor oversees the London office’s consulting activities and is responsible for the firm’s strategic direction. Stonor is a member of the UK Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, the steering group of the UK National Health Service Design Review Panel, and the Expert Advisory Panel at Walk England, and is a director of the UK Academy of Urbanism. For 2010/11, he is a Loeb Fellow at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design.

"The lottery of birth is responsible for much of who we are. If you were not born in the country you were, what would your life be like? Would you be the same person?

IfItWereMyHome.com is your gateway to understanding life outside your home. Use our country comparison tool to compare living conditions in your own country to those of another. Start by selecting a region to compare on the map to the right, and begin your exploration."

Visit Ifitweremyhome.com to start exploring the world's countries.

The Geological Society of America has a number of positions open for Summer 2011.  These are short-term, paid geoscience positions in some of the most beautiful natural areas of the world.  


For full descriptions, visit:  http://rock.geosociety.org/g_corps/2010/allJobDescriptions.asp

National Geographic is bringing truckloads of books, maps, globes, toys, clothing, luggage and more to its warehouse sale in Portland, Ore., in December. The event will be held at the Oregon State Convention Center, 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Portland, from Friday, Dec. 3, to Sunday, Dec. 5, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

*Admission is free*

http://events.nationalgeographic.com/events/special-events/warehouse-sale/

City of Portland's Office of Healthy Working Rivers presents -
 
River-in-Focus Brownbag: PDX 2 Gulf Coast
 
In August, 22 Oregonians traveled to the Gulf Coast to meet with people affected by the BP Oil Spill to better understand the impact on their lives—and to learn how to prevent future disasters. The team travelled by boat, plane, helicopter and van to observe community meetings, bird rehabilitation operations, sea turtle egg relocation, oil damage surveys, community relief actions, spill related research and BP Claim Center operations. Mike Rosen, from the City of Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services, will share his firsthand knowledge of the PDX 2 Gulf Coast project (www.pdx2gulfcoast.com) including the team’s mission, lessons learned and next steps. Mike will use art, photos and videos to describe the disaster and the actions PDX 2 Gulf Coast is implementing to raise awareness and encourage personal accountability.
 
Tuesday, November 16
Noon to 1 pm
City of Portland
Portland Building Auditorium, 2nd Floor
1120 SW 5th Ave
 
Free lunchtime presentation, open to the public, please bring your own lunch.
 
For information on Portland’s rivers, visit  www.portlandonline.com/river

AAG Community College Travel Grants
Due November 1

Support from this grant program is awarded to outstanding students from community colleges, junior colleges, city colleges, or similar two-year educational institutions to attend the next AAG Annual Meeting. These travel funds are generously provided by Darrel Hess and Robert and Bobbé Christopherson. The award consists of meeting registration, one year membership in the AAG, and a travel expense subsidy of $500 to be used to defray the costs of attending the AAG Annual Meeting. More information at http://www.aag.org/cs/grants/college_travel