Middle States Division

American Association of Geographers

2017 Annual Meeting

October 20-21, 2017

Geneseo, NY

SUNY Geneseo extends a warm invitation to our campus in Geneseo, NY. The 2017 meeting will consist of two days of paper and poster sessions. The meeting begins Friday afternoon with plenary and paper sessions, dinner, and Geography Bowl. On Saturday, a morning of sessions will be followed by a buffet luncheon with a brief meeting and student awards, and an address by incoming AAG President Dr. Derek Alderman. There will also be a field trip to Letchworth State Park Saturday afternoon. The Park was selected as “Best in the Nation” in a 2015 USA Today poll. Plans for the meeting include:

Paper and poster presentations
GeoBowl competition
Graduate and undergraduate paper competitions
Five minute lightning talks for undergraduates
Couch-surfing for undergraduates to avoid lodging fees
A graduate school panel for undergraduates
Participation by professional geographers from the Rochester area
Shops, cafés, taverns, and a restored theater on a National Historic Landmark Main Street
Trip to Letchworth State Park “Best State Park in the Nation” in 2015 USA Today Readers’ Choice poll

Registration

Registration will be online this year at https://middlestatesaagfall2017.eventbrite.com. There is a 20 minute period for registration, so make sure that your credit card information is on hand and your abstract is prepared in advance if you are presenting. Participants who register for the full conference by September 24th will receive a discount:

Fees*	Before 6 pm Sept. 24	After 6 pm Sept. 24
Faculty Full Registration	$105	$115
Student Full Registration	$45	$55
Faculty One Day	$65	$65
Student One Day	$30	$30

*Fees include program costs and ticket and payment processing fees charged by Eventbrite. Note that there will be no refunds after October 10, 2017.

Lodging

We suggest that you make arrangements for lodging as soon as possible, as this is the peak season for fall foliage tourism! We have arranged for a blocks of rooms at the Quality Inn for Thursday 10/19 and Friday nights 10/20 at the rate of $135 plus taxes, and a block of rooms at the Hampton Inn for Thursday 10/19 at $119 plus taxes, and Friday 10/20 for $165 plus taxes. Both hotels are within two miles of campus, where the program will be held. There is a more affordable yet less convenient option at the Rodeway Inn in Lakeville, NY for Thursday 10/19 and Friday 10/20 at the rate of $119 plus taxes. This motel is about a twelve minute drive from campus and is in a very small lake hamlet with fewer amenities. Mention “Middle States Division of the AAG” when making your reservations. Please make reservations early, as the number of rooms is limited and room rates will expire thirty days before the event (45 days at Rodeway Inn).

Quality Inn Hampton
4242 Lakeville Road
Geneseo, NY 14454
Phone: 585-243-0500

Hampton Inn
4250 Lakeville Road
Geneseo, NY 14454
Phone: 585-447-9040

Rodeway Inn
6001 Big Tree Road
Lakeville, NY 14480
Phone: 585-346-233

Information on other lodging options are available here: http://geneseony.com/where/stay.asp.

Undergraduates: If you are looking to save money on lodging and would like to meet fellow geography students, there are a limited number of couchsurfing spots available first-come-first-served with our off-campus geography majors. If you are interested in couchsurfing, check “Yes” during online registration. Again, this is first-come-first-served, so register as soon as you can!

Call for Papers, Posters, Panels, and Lightning Talks

Paper Sessions are 60-80 minutes long and consist of four presentations of 20 minutes. Papers on all topics of a geographic nature are welcome. Concurrent paper sessions will be held on Friday, October 20 and Saturday morning, 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 presentation on a flash drive.

The Poster Session will be held on Saturday October 21. Poster dimensions must be at least 36 inches in height and 48 inches in width but cannot exceed 60 inches in width and 48 inches in height. Poster mounting boards and easels will be available. Posters will be displayed on the second floor of the atrium in Bailey Hall, outside of the breakout rooms.

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 roundtable 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 given facility and volunteer constraints. If you are interested in organizing either a panel or a roundtable session please contact James Kernan at kernan@geneseo.edu or 585-245-6194 before September 15, 2017, so that you have time to register for the discount rate by September 24, 2017.

5-Minute Lightning Talks (for undergraduates only) are a new addition, and are intended to give undergraduates 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.

Submitting Abstracts Abstracts for papers, posters, panels, and lightning talks will be submitted during the online registration process. The combined title and abstract should not exceed 250 words. It is highly recommended that you compose your abstract in a word processor, proofread and edit it, and cut-and-paste into the appropriate location during registration. Titles and abstracts will not be proofread or edited, and will be published in the program as submitted.

Student Competitions Middle States Division AAG encourages all graduate and undergraduate students to submit and present research papers to the Student Paper Competition of the MSDAAG annual conference. Both graduate and undergraduate competitions
have a First Prize of $100 and a Second Prize of $50. See the Summer 2017 Newsletter for more information.

For more information on directions, parking, child care, Letchworth State Park Field Trip, and the 2017 program, view the Summer 2017 Newsletter. If you have any questions or wish to be added to the email list to receive the newsletters, contact MSAAG President James Kernan.