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Geography is what we all have in common

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AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award

We are no longer accepting applications, due to the low amount of funds available for awards in the current cycle.

The AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award honors work of exceptional merit and quality that lies at or near the intersection of basic research in geography on the one hand, and practical applications or policy implications on the other.  The purpose of the award is to stimulate and reward talented individuals and groups whose accomplishments parallel the intellectual traditions Meredith F. Burrill pursued as a geographer, especially those concerned with fundamental geographical concepts and their practical applications, especially as relevant to local, national, and international policy arenas. The funds that underwrite the award come from a bequest by Burrill, a gift from his wife Betty, and donations in his memory from colleagues and friends. The award, consists of a certificate and cash honorarium, at the Association’s Annual Meeting.

Criteria:

The Burrill Award Committee solicits nominations of individuals and teams that have completed work of exceptional merit and quality that lies at or near the intersection of basic research in geography on the one hand, and practical applications or policy implications on the other. The committee gives special consideration to research that addresses the role of geography in:

1) inter- and multi-disciplinary work on the interrelationships of significant cultural phenomena;

2) place name standardization, especially with reference to maps, gazetteers, and other publications; and/or

3) promoting local, national, and international collaboration on such problems and topics. One award may be given annually; the committee may choose not to make an award in any given year at its discretion.

Nominations: 

Digital submissions are encouraged. Please submit complete nomination in an email attachment to grantsawards@aag.org with “AAG Burrill Award” as the subject line to ensure that the message is properly processed. Nomination materials that are emailed as a single attachment as an Adobe Acrobat pdf file are greatly appreciated. Alternatively, nine copies of the completed application can be sent to: Association of American Geographers, attn: Burrill Award, 1710 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20009-3198.

Please provide a curriculum vitae for the nominee as well as a nomination statement (two pages maximum) that describes the ways the nominee meets the award criteria. Up to three supporting letters from other individuals may also be submitted.

As with all other AAG awards, eligibility also rests on the candidate being in compliance with the AAG Professional Conduct Policy. Nominations may be rescinded, and the award may also be revoked for any candidate or awardee who is found in violation of the AAG’s Professional Conduct Policy.

About the Award:

The AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award was established to commemorate Meredith “Pete” Burrill’s many and varied contributions to the profession of geography as an academic, senior government official, and officer of the Association of American Geographers (AAG). After serving as a professor of geography for 15 years, Burrill came to Washington, D.C. during World War II. He was soon appointed Executive Secretary of the United States Board on Geographic Names, and began a 32-year career that became global in scope. During those years, Burrill was a mainstay of the evolving AAG. He played a critical role in the transformation of the small, elite society into the open, dynamic organization it has become today, with a headquarters and full time staff in Washington. Burrill served as president of the AAG in 1965.

AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award Recipients

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2023

James K. Mitchell

Professor Emeritus James K. Mitchell of the Department of Geography at Rutgers University, has devoted his over 50 years as a geographer to the human dimensions of environmental risks, hazards, disasters, and resilience. Incorporating natural, social, and management sciences, he has taken a broad front approach to bridging deep theoretical thinking and geographical knowledge with institutional practices to influence policymaking processes and outcomes in disaster response, recovery, and mitigation.

Mitchell’s work has been pathbreaking, engaging a wide variety of organizations at all levels of governance, and bringing together researchers, policy makers, and members of the public for complex discussions about developing actionable outcomes to help transform landscapes and people’s livelihoods to achieve sustainable development. Over several decades, he has tirelessly encouraged the engagement of geographers in policy making processes and outcomes, and inspired generations of students to move in new and promising directions in hazard and disaster research and mitigation.

2023 AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award

James K. Mitchell

2023 AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award

Professor Emeritus James K. Mitchell of the Department of Geography at Rutgers University, has devoted his over 50 years as a geographer to the human dimensions of environmental risks, hazards, disasters, and resilience. Incorporating natural, social, and management sciences, he has taken a broad front approach to bridging deep theoretical thinking and geographical knowledge with institutional practices to influence policymaking processes and outcomes in disaster response, recovery, and mitigation.

Mitchell’s work has been pathbreaking, engaging a wide variety of organizations at all levels of governance, and bringing together researchers, policy makers, and members of the public for complex discussions about developing actionable outcomes to help transform landscapes and people’s livelihoods to achieve sustainable development. Over several decades, he has tirelessly encouraged the engagement of geographers in policy making processes and outcomes, and inspired generations of students to move in new and promising directions in hazard and disaster research and mitigation.

2019

Stephanie Pincetl

Stephanie Pincetl, University of California Los Angeles

2019 AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award

Stephanie Pincetl

2019 AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award

Stephanie Pincetl, University of California Los Angeles

2014

Douglas Batson

Douglas Batson, U.S. Board on Geographic Names

2014 AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award

Douglas Batson

2014 AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award

Douglas Batson, U.S. Board on Geographic Names

2013

Richard Marston

Richard Marston, Kansas State University

2013 AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award

Richard Marston

2013 AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award

Richard Marston, Kansas State University

2012

Lary Dilsaver

Lary Dilsaver, University of South Alabama

2012 AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award

Lary Dilsaver

2012 AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award

Lary Dilsaver, University of South Alabama

2011

Derek Alderman

Derek Alderman, East Carolina University

2011 AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award

Derek Alderman

2011 AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award

Derek Alderman, East Carolina University

2010

Antonio Páez

Antonio Páez, McMaster University, and “Mobility and Social Exclusion in Canadian Communities” Research Team

2010 AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award

Antonio Páez

2010 AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award

Antonio Páez, McMaster University, and “Mobility and Social Exclusion in Canadian Communities” Research Team

2010

Ruben Mercado

Ruben Mercado, University of Toronto;

2010 AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award

Ruben Mercado

2010 AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award

Ruben Mercado, University of Toronto;

2010

Steven Farber

Steven Farber, McMaster University;

2010 AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award

Steven Farber

2010 AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award

Steven Farber, McMaster University;

2010

Catherine Morency

Catherine Morency,  École Polytechnique Montréal;

2010 AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award

Catherine Morency

2010 AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award

Catherine Morency,  École Polytechnique Montréal;

2010

Matthew Roorda

Matthew Roorda, University of Toronto

2010 AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award

Matthew Roorda

2010 AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award

Matthew Roorda, University of Toronto

2009

Sylvio Mannel

Sylvio Mannel

2009 AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award

Sylvio Mannel

2009 AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award

Sylvio Mannel

2007

The Louisiana State University GIS Clearinghouse Cooperative

The Louisiana State University GIS Clearinghouse Cooperative (Jacqueline Mills, Andrew Curtis, John Pine, Barret Kennedy, Michael Leitner)

2007 AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award

The Louisiana State University GIS Clearinghouse Cooperative

2007 AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award

The Louisiana State University GIS Clearinghouse Cooperative (Jacqueline Mills, Andrew Curtis, John Pine, Barret Kennedy, Michael Leitner)

2006

William Graf

William Graf and the NRC Platte River Committee

2006 AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award

William Graf

2006 AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award

William Graf and the NRC Platte River Committee

2004

Joel .L. Morrisson

Joel .L. Morrisson

2004 AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award

Joel .L. Morrisson

2004 AAG Meredith F. Burrill Award

Joel .L. Morrisson

See All Awards
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