Recent Activities & Items of Interest
AGSG Business Items
- AGSG 2026 Business Meeting: Thank you to everyone who participated in this year's annual AAG meeting in San Francisco, California. The recording of the business meeting is published on the AAG meeting website. You can also find other session recordings in the gallery.
- Elected Officers: We are pleased to announce the newly elected officers of the Applied Geography Specialty Group (2026-2029). We look forward to their leadership and contributions in the coming years as they continue advancing the mission of AGSG.
- Lauren Childs-Gleason, Chair, NASA
- Devika Jain, Vice Chair, Harvard University
- Amanda Clayton, Treasurer, NASA
- Chinedu Nsude, Secretary, University of Oklahoma
- Zongrong (Jasper) Li, Student Representative, Texas A & M
Message from the Chair
Hello AGSG members,
I’m thrilled to step into the role of Chair for the AAG Applied Geography Specialty Group. Applied geography is at its best when we learn from one another, spark new collaborations, and connect people with opportunities that move our field forward. I’m excited to help foster that community, one that reflects the diversity, creativity, and real‑world impact at the heart of applied geographic work.
Over the next three years, I look forward to strengthening connections across our membership, elevating the work you’re doing, and creating more avenues for engagement, mentorship, and shared learning. Please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m eager to get to know each of you and support the work you’re passionate about.
Cheers,
Lauren Childs‑Gleason
Chair, AAG Applied Geography Specialty Group
AAG Annual Meeting
- Next year's AAG Annual Meeting will take place in New York City, from February 8-12, 2027.
Awards & Opportunities
- We once again extend our warm congratulations to the 2026 Anderson Medal Award recipient, Dr. Frank Southworth, Adjunct Principal Research Scientist in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr. Southworth delivered an engaging talk in San Francisco titled “Modeling the Geography of Multimodal Freight Movements: Past, Present, and Future,” showcasing his influential contributions to applied geography.
- Anderson Medal: The 2027 call for the Anderson Medal Award will be advertised soon! Please look out for the call for applications; the winner will serve as the keynote for the 2027 annual meeting. Visit the Anderson Medal webpage for more information.
- AGSG Travel Awards:
● We are delighted to announce the recipients of this year’s AGSG Travel Awards. Please join us in congratulating these outstanding scholars for their accomplishments and for representing the Applied Geography community through their continued research and engagement.
o Audrey Smith | University of Florida - Landsat to Livelihoods: Social–Ecological Costs of Large-Scale Land Acquisitions in Ethiopia
o Wenjing Gong | Texas A&M University - Essential Infrastructure or Unavoidable Risk? Modeling Urban Park Visitation under Dual Climate and Crime Stressors with Large-Scale Mobility Data
o Jason Yoo | Kent State University - Geospatial Mismatch between Social Vulnerability and BMP Co-benefits from Chesapeake Bay Watershed Management
o Kristina Fillman | Oregon State University - Compounding Injustices: A Political Ecology of Wildfire Smoke, Extreme Heat, and Child Health
o Zongrong Li | Texas A&M University - Seeing Green from Indoor in 3D: How Urban Form and Vegetation Shape Window-Level Views of Nature
Fun Stuff & Good Reads/Listens from AGSG Members
Excited to see the amazing things our members are doing, below are publications, grants, and awards from some of our members.
Publications
- Li, X., Poon, J. P., Silva, J. A., & Wang, L. (2026). Do China's energy poor left-behind regions benefit from solar photovoltaics? Applied Geography, 189, 103950. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2026.103950
- Zhao, X., & Su, H. (2026). Paradigm shifts and frontier issues in contemporary sustainable livelihoods research: A geographical perspective. Applied Geography, 191, 104007. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2026.104007
- Shao, L., Zhou, Z., Sun, Y., Xie, J., & Hong, C. (2026). A novel GCN-based framework for uncovering diurnal patterns and drivers of the surface urban heat island (SUHI) in hyper-dense cities. Applied Geography, 191, 103993. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2026.103993
- Kerwin, P., et al. (2025). Addressing challenges and exploring solutions to enhance Earth observation applications for emergency management. Journal of Earth Observation and Geospatial Applications, 1(1), 129–143. https://doi.org/10.65372/x7e2t216
Conference Participation and Research in Progress
AGSG member, Queenie Collins, completing an MSc and a prospective PhD student has been accepted to present at the Migration Beyond Emergency Symposium (University College Dublin, May 2026) and at the RGS-IBG Annual International Conference in 2026. These papers focus on preliminary findings and conceptual development related to Black American migration and transnational belonging.
Queenie’s current project, Racialized Privilege in Motion: Black American Migration and Belonging in Mérida, Mexico, examines how Black American migrants navigate privilege, race, and belonging within a society shaped by mestizaje, global mobility, and digital mediation. The research integrates ethnographic and digital methods to explore how mobility reshapes racialized experience and social recognition across borders. This work is being developed through preliminary field study planning supported by a CLAG Student Field Study Award, with ongoing efforts to secure additional funding for extended ethnographic research
Upcoming Opportunities & Events
Upcoming Conferences and Workshops
● Esri Imagery & Remote Sensing Educators Summit. April 22-23, 2026. Virtual & free. https://www.esri.com/en-us/about/events/remote-sensing-educators-summit/overview
● ESRI User Conference: Join the world's largest GIS conference. July 13–17, 2026. See the link for more info: https://www.esri.com/en-us/about/events/uc/save-date
● ESIP Summer Meeting: Home for Earth science data and computing professionals. July 28-31, 2026 in Austin, TX https://2026julyesipmeeting.sched.com/
● 2026 AAG Early Career Faculty Development Workshop: The AAG Early Career Faculty Development Workshop is a hands-on professional development experience designed to support geographers as they prepare for or navigate the early years of academic careers. The workshop focuses on balancing teaching, research, service, outreach, and personal life while building skills essential for long-term success. Use this link https://www.aag.org/events/2026-aag-early-career-faculty-development-workshop/ to register. Registration will open on Mon, April 27, 2026. The last day to register is Friday, June 5, 2026.
● Call for Papers: 2026 CGA Conference – Celebrating 20 Years of Geographic Analysis
The Center for Geographic Analysis at Harvard University has announced its Call for Papers for the 2026 CGA Conference, taking place October 2–3, 2026. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the conference, themed “Celebrating Geographic Analysis: Past, Present, and Future.”
- The CGA invites submissions from across geography, the social sciences, and the humanities that advance contemporary geographic analysis, spanning applied research, data, methods, and training. Abstracts may be considered for full presentations, lightning talks, or posters. In addition to paper submissions, the conference is also welcoming panel and workshop proposals, with particular interest in curriculum development, applied spatial machine learning and AI, methods and data training, and early‑career professional development. The submission deadline for all abstracts, panels, and workshops is June 15, 2026. Call for Papers: 2026 CGA Conference | Center for Geographic Analysis. The conference will feature two days of keynotes, talks, panels, workshops, and networking opportunities at Harvard’s David Rubenstein Treehouse. This is an excellent opportunity for applied geographers to share their work and engage with a global community of spatial researchers.
- The Library of Congress Philip Lee Phillips Society Fellowship supports an eight‑week research residency in Washington, DC, offering a $11,500 stipend with the possibility of an additional $2,000 honorarium for a lecture and publication; the fellowship provides scholars access to the world’s largest and most comprehensive cartographic collection, and applications for the 2024 cycle are due September 15, 2026. For full details, please see: https://www.loc.gov/programs/john-w-kluge-center/chairs-fellowships/fellowships/philip-lee-phillips/
Training Opportunities
● The Ohio State University's Center for Urban and Regional Analysis (CURA), in partnership with OSU University Libraries Research Commons, is pleased to announce a Summer 2026 webinar series on GIS to GeoAI: Bridging the Gap in Geospatial Education. All events are free and online; 12-1pm Eastern. (Recordings will also be posted at CURA's YouTube channel):
May 15: GeoAI in Human Geography: Data, Algorithms, and Critical Futures - Yue Lin, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
June 5: Geospatial + AI + Curriculum - Eric Shook, University of Minnesota
July 24: Preparing the GeoAI Workforce: Lessons from Research and Teaching - Wenwen Li, Arizona State University
August 14: Ethics and the Guide to GIS Education - Trisalyn Nelson, UCSB.
More information and registration can be found at our events page: cura.osu.edu/events
● https://appliedsciences.nasa.gov/join-mission/training. NASA ARSET hosts virtual training introducing remote sensing resources. For a list of upcoming trainings and to access freely available training archives. Some of the trainings include;
o May 21st & May 28th: Estimating Biomass Change
o June 16th, 18th, & 23rd, & 25th: Monitoring and Prediction of Floods using Earth Observations for Planning and Preparedness
o July 8th, 15th, & 22nd: Estimating Surface PM2.5 Using Satellite Data and Other Information Sources (English and Spanish)
● April 23rd, April 28th, & April 30th: Monitoring Groundwater Changes for Water Resources Management
● May 26th & June 2nd: Introduction to Thermal Remote Sensing and Applications in Urban Heat Island Mapping
● https://www.esri.com/training/mooc/. Esri MOOC Program: Massive open online courses show how to apply geospatial thinking and create data-driven insight that improves organizations, communities, and the world. To see upcoming courses see link above.
Internship & Job Openings
● NASA Fall Internships. Deadline to apply is May 22, 2026. Open to all college level students to graduate levels. Internships provide students with the opportunity to participate in either research or other experiential learning under the guidance of a mentor at NASA. US citizenship is required. For more information, visit: https://intern.nasa.gov/
● NASA EarthRISE Developers Academy application for fall 2026 opportunities will open in late May 2026. Developers Academy offers 10-week workforce development opportunities for current students and recent graduates to work on applied Earth science projects with environmental decision-making organizations. US citizenship is required. Fall application and term dates will be updated soon at https://appliedsciences.nasa.gov/nasadevelop
● There is a new opening for a postdoctoral researcher at Princeton University. The research will focus on unpacking social vulnerability-related constraints to household flood adaptation, across geographies and through time. I'm looking to hire two people for this research. You can find details about the position, including how to apply here: apply.interfolio.com/184893
Publishing Opportunities
About AGSG
The Applied Geography Specialty Group aims to increase the visibility of applied geography in the profession and the general population and facilitate communications among the Group members; promote and recognize individual excellence in applied geographic research.
Dues
Regular: $10
Student: $1
Dues waived for all eligible members joining under the AAG’s Developing Regions Membership Program
You can also donate to AGSG with this link: Donate - AAG
Stay in touch!
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Visit our Community Website: Applied Geography Community Site
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/applied-geography/