This year, the Geography and Environmental Planning Club will host the first annual Geography Awareness Week and GIS Day at PSU. The Geography Club is an academic club on campus and is open to all majors. The question that is often asked is, “What is Geography?” Geography is often referred to as the study of the Earth. It’s not just examining maps and identifying places; the field can be broken down into categories such as physical, environmental, regional, cultural and political.
Geography Awareness Week will take place from Nov. 14 until the 20. Since 1987, Geography Awareness week has always been held during the third week of November. According to About.com, the purpose of this week is to promote geographic education in schools and among the public. Every year there is a specific theme assigned, and this year “Fresh Water” was selected. In the past, other themes included, “Get Lost in Mapping: Find Your Place in the World,” “The Americans,” “Asia,” “Rivers,” and more.
The Plymouth State Geography Club will have a table in the HUB this Tuesday through Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. At the table, there will be a water taste test amongst different water sources and a water questionnaire. Those students who answer the question correctly will be entered in the table’s raffle. There will also be a map sale.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Day is always held on the Wednesday of Geography Awareness Week. The goal is to encourage GIS users to appear at schools and colleges to showcase real-world application of new and important technology.
On GIS Day, the Geography Club will host a two-hour open lab in the GIS room (Rounds 308) from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Faculty member John Lennon and PSU student Ryan Spencer will be there to show students how they can get involved with GIS and land future careers.
On Thurs. Nov. 18, the Geography Club will host a film showing “Blue Gold.” The film will introduce some of the future water problems that we will face, including the potential war on water. It is important to know that the available freshwater amounts to less than one half of one percent of all the water on Earth. It will be presented in Memorial 103 at 7:00 p.m. and snacks will be available for purchase.
In light of International Week, the Geography Club’s scheduled events all stress the need for us to be informed about our surroundings and the world we live in. It is important to raise awareness to the students about geography and current issues. We use geography in our everyday lives. It is a field that connects with many other disciplines and it will be useful in solving future problems.
For more information on Geography Awareness Week and GIS Day, check out mywonderfulworld.org. If you are interested in joining the Geography and Environmental Planning Club contact the president Courtney Webb (cmwebb@plymouth.edu) or the two co-advisors Bryon Middlekauff (bryonm@plymouth.edu) and Patrick May (pmay@plymouth.edu). Hope to see you get involved in this exciting week!