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Association of American Geographers visits Villanova for Middle States
Division meeting
By Megan Armstrong '06
On Oct. 29 and 30, Villanova University hosted the
Middle States Division meeting of the Association of American Geographers (AAG)
in the Connelly Center.
 Dr.
Keith Henderson, political science department and president of the AAG
Middle States Division Executive Board, organized the event.
The conference began on Friday afternoon with guest
registration. The event drew approximately 140 attendees from Pennsylvania,
New Jersey, New York and Delaware. Then a series of paper sessions were
held, when roughly 65 papers were presented on topics such as natural
resource issues, technology and society, environmental conservation and
cultural identity.
Following a light buffet dinner on Friday evening,
Henderson formally welcomed all in attendance and thanked the students and
AAG members for taking part in the event. Henderson also applauded the
papers that had been presented that afternoon, and encouraged all the
weekend’s presenters to submit their work for publication and review.
Henderson said: “The
participants, both faculty and students, enjoyed not only the talks but the
discussions that ensued during and after the sessions. We were particularly
happy that so many students took part. They really had a chance to see the
diversity and applicability of geography.”
Following the supper and welcome, a Geography Bowl
was held in both the Villanova Room and the Radnor/St. David’s Room, in
which teams of students from Middle States colleges and universities
competed in a quiz-style competition. In addition to Villanova’s team,
student teams from West Point Military Academy, George Washington
University, Bloomsburg/Montclair State University, West Chester University,
SUNY Geneseo, Vassar College and a mixed team of extras participated in the
bowl. Students attempted both individual and team questions such as “If you
travel from Detroit to Windsor, Canada, what general direction are you
going?” and “List 5 countries that have become part of the European Union
this year.”
The conference continued on Saturday with paper
sessions, a poster session and the Middle States luncheon. Dr. Victoria
Lawson of the University of Washington, president of the AAG, offered the
keynote address at the luncheon, during which she spoke on “The Geographic
Advantage of Development Studies.” Lawson called for geographers to take a
much more active role in developmental studies of geography to show how
economic and political theories operate within the discipline.
The national meeting of the AAG will be held in
Denver, Colo. from April 5-9, 2005. |
