CSM students at Association of American Geographers Conference.

While some students may have traveled out of state, or, even, out of country for spring break, seven CSM students took a “staycation.” Anna Aminov, Samantha Ayon, Kira Bartlett, Tan Ting Jennifer Chow, Jessica L. Delantoni, Xiangyu Lopez and Alexander Sanchez attended the annual Association of American Geographers Conference this spring break. Approximately 7,000 geographers, from all over the world, presented their latest research and exhibits on a variety of topics, ranging from urban gentrification, sustainable agriculture and climate change. Students were free to attend presentations of their choice, where they were introduced to advances in state-of-the-art techniques such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS). Aside from learning about the newest technologies, students observed the professional process of presenting scholarly papers and theoretical topics. The conference also gave students an opportunity to explore an array of career choices by attending presentations and visiting an on-site job center. The conference was intellectually stimulating, with the added bonus of the students getting to know one another out of the classroom setting.