November 16, 2022 9:00 AM - November 16, 2022 6:00 PM
UNM SUB Atrium & Ballroom B

Geography Awareness Week 

Geography Awareness Week (GAW) is of great importance to our department, our next generations of geographers, and to the role of geography in our institution. GAW is a great opportunity for outreach and connecting current and past students. At GAW, we showcase how a degree in geography can lead to a multitude of excellent opportunities in research, encompassing everything from physical and human geography to spatial science. By showcasing the possibilities in geography over a week across campus, we increase our ability to recruit new students into geography and train the next generation of geographers that are critically needed for the health and continuation of our discipline.

GAW was largely dormant and a shadow of its former self due to the Pandemic, which greatly hindered our ability to host in-person events and provide the networking opportunities GAW was known for. Therefore, as we come out of the pandemic, our goal is to revive GAW to its former glory; and indeed, this is gearing up to be the largest and most impactful GAW in our department’s history, with major events happening every day of the week.

GAW will run from November 14th – 18th and consist of a diverse variety of outreach events, workshops, the GIS day conference, and the Murphy Lecture.

Wednesday, November 16th - GIS Day Symposium and ASPIRE Open House

On Wednesday (Nov. 16th) is GIS day, our special flagship event. GIS day is a conference hosted by the department that includes a student poster competition, booths for outside vendors from academia, government, and industry, and a virtual reality interactive exhibit hosted by the UNM Centennial Science & Engineering Library. During GIS day, students will be able to engage with experts and come together as geographers. This will be the largest GIS event, with several vendors attending, and will be an engagement and outreach opportunity not only for UNM students, but also prospective geographers from local high schools. For example, over 80 students from Rio Grande High School will be attending the event! The Center for Advancement of Spatial Informatics Research & Education (ASPIRE) will also be hosting an open house (long delayed due to the Pandemic!) on this day, which will include tours of the facilities and networking events. During GIS day, you will be able to engage with experts and come together as geographers. This will be the largest GIS event, with several vendors attending, and will be an excellent engagement and outreach opportunity. Many employers from industry will be attending, so I highly encourage that you attend. This will be a great event for finding job opportunities and networking!

GIS Day Symposium Activities

Poster Competition | Academic and Industry Representatives | VR Booth | Lightning Talks 

ASPIRE Open HouseTours | Equipment Demos | Poster Competition Award Ceremony