Kutztown University welcomes you to our campus in Kutztown, Pennsylvania for the MSAAG Annual Meeting this Fall. The meeting will be held in Boehm Hall and in the McFarland Student Union. The meeting begins Friday afternoon with paper sessions, dinner, and Geography Bowl competition. If you arrive early, consider our Friday field trips to the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center on Kutztown’s campus. On Saturday, the morning paper and poster sessions will be followed by a luncheon meeting, distribution of student awards, and keynote address. In the afternoon, we will be offering a walking tour of Main Street in Kutztown.

Registration will be online this year at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2019-annual-meeting-msaag-tickets-65183471518. There is a 20-minute period for registration, so make sure that your credit card information is on hand, and your 250-word abstract is prepared in advance if you are presenting. Please check in at the lobby of Boehm Hall for the conference starting at 12 PM on Friday October 18th and 8 AM on Saturday October 19th. The deadline for abstract submission is September 27th. Participants who register for the full conference by September 11th will receive a discount:

*Fees include program costs and ticket and payment processing fees charged by Eventbrite. Note that there will be no refunds after October 9, 2019.
**You must pre-register to attend field trips as there are limited spaces available.
***Walk-in tickets include meals, but will only allow you to participate as a spectator. To present during this conference you must register online to submit an abstract. Pricing for walk-in tickets will match the prices under “After Sept.11.”

Free parking on campus will be available. Vehicles may park in the B3 lot and the Kutztown Fairgrounds on Friday. The B3 lot is an approximate 5-10 minute walk to Boehm. The Fairgrounds parking is across College Blvd from the MacFarland Student Union. After 4:30 PM on Friday, vehicles may be relocated to any white lined space on campus. On Saturday, parking is available in any white lined space on campus.

We suggest that you make arrangements for lodging early, as this is the peak season for fall foliage tourism! We have arranged for a blocks of rooms at the Holiday Inn for Thursday 10/17, Friday 10/18, and Saturday nights 10/19 at the rate of $109 plus taxes, and a block of rooms at the Hampton Inn for 10/17, 10/18, and 10/19 for $125 plus taxes. The Holiday Inn is located in Breinigsville, just off I-78 and the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and the Hampton Inn is located in Kutztown, about half a mile south of the university. Mention “Middle States Division of the AAG or MSAAG” when making your reservations. Please call the hotel to make reservations to ensure that you get the group rate. Please make reservations early, as the number of rooms is limited, and room rates will expire a month before the event.

We suggest that you make arrangements for lodging early, as this is the peak season for fall foliage tourism! We have arranged for a blocks of rooms at the Holiday Inn for Thursday 10/25, Friday 10/26, and Saturday nights 10/27 at the rate of $109 plus taxes, and a block of rooms at the Fairfield Executive Inn for 10/25 and 10/26 for $115 plus taxes. There is a more affordable option at the La Quinta Inn & Suites for 10/25, 10/26, and 10/27 for $85 plus taxes. All hotels are within ten miles of campus, where the program will be held. Mention “Middle States Division of the AAG or MSU” when making your reservations. Please make reservations early, as the number of rooms is limited, and room rates will expire a month before the event (three weeks at Fairfield Executive Inn). *

*If those three are booked up Hampton Inn and Suites is another local option.

Paper Sessions are 60-80 minutes long and consist of four presentations of 20 minutes. Papers on all topics of geographic nature are welcome. Concurrent paper sessions will be held on Friday, October 20 and Saturday, October 21. Each room is equipped with a computer, digital projector and screen. We urge participants to use PowerPoint software for their presentations and to have your presentations saved on a flash drive.

Poster Sessions will be held on both Friday and Saturday. Poster dimensions must be as least 36 inches in height and 48 inches in width (36”h x 48” w) but cannot exceed 48”h x 60” w. Poster mounting boards and easels will be available. Posters will be displayed on the first-floor atrium of the CELS building.

Panel-Roundtable Sessions are welcome. Panel discussion sessions typically consist of three to four panelists and are organized around a theme. Roundtable discussion sessions are ‘open format’ where the chair of the round table facilitates a discussion among all attendees focusing on a theme or issue. Students are welcome to organize both panel and roundtable sessions. A limited number of panels can be accommodated. If you are interested in organizing either a panel or a roundtable session please contact Pankaj Lal at msaag2018@montclair.edu before September 24, 2018. Current sessions include:

5-Minute Lightning Talks (for students only) are intended to give undergraduates and graduates an opportunity to speak about emerging research activities. Presenters should have one to three PowerPoint images to illustrate their work, and carefully prepare a five-minute overview of their project.

All abstract submissions for paper sessions, poster sessions, and 5-minute lightning talks are due October 5, 2018.

For more information on directions, parking, child card, field trips and the 2018 program view the Summer 2018 Newsletter. If you have any questions or wish to be added to the email list to receive newsletters, contact MSAAG President Pankaj Lal at msaag2018@montclair.edu