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The Cartography and Geographic Information Society (CaGIS) proudly announces that applications are now being accepted for the Society’s annual scholarship awards. The scholarships recognize academic achievement and encourage the continuing success of outstanding cartography and geographic information science students. The scholarships also recognize achievement or potential for achievement in original research advancing the specific disciplines of cartography or geographic information science. CaGIS will award two Master’s Scholarship Awards ($1,000 each) and two Doctoral Scholarship Awards ($1,500 each) to outstanding applicants.

Applications are due by March 31, 2024, and can be submitted in the online application form (https://forms.gle/WwvhqX4Fp9fkHvc86). Award recipients will be announced in May, 2024. Please see the CaGIS Student Scholarships page (https://cartogis.org/awards/students/) for more information.

Dr. Cynthia Brewer received the ICA Carl Mannerfelt Gold Medal during the Awards Ceremony at ICC 2023 in Cape Town, South Africa.  The nomination was submitted by Aileen Buckley, U.S. Primary Delegate to the ICA and Chair of the U.S. National Committee for the ICA and Anthony Robinson, The Pennsylvania State University.  Some of Dr. Brewer’s notable achievements are described in her nomination document,

“Dr. Brewer is widely known for her contributions to color theory in cartography, with the most impactful of her accomplishments being ColorBrewer, a web application that has helped innumerable people worldwide make appropriate and perceptually viable color choices for thematic maps. These color schemes are found today in commercial and open-source software packages used by tens of millions of people every day. Few others in our field can make any such claim to broad, daily impact on so many around the world. Her impact on the field of cartography has cemented her reputation as the world’s foremost expert on color in cartography, earning international acclaim. Dr. Brewer’s work does not stop with color, however, as she has led other significant projects all aimed at helping people to make better maps. These additional works include, among others, ScaleMaster, a tool developed though collaboration to provide guidance on generalization and multiple representations of geographic data. Her work has influenced the field to such an extent that the notion of creating a Brewer has become a goal for other academic Cartographers…”

Dr. Cynthia Brewer received the ICA Carl Mannerfelt Gold Medal from ICA President, Tim Trainor. Photo courtesy of Aileen Buckley.

During the International Cartographic Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, Dr. E. Lynn Usery was awarded the ICA Honorary Fellowship.  An excerpt from the nomination document summarizes Lynn’s contributions to the fields of cartography and GIScience:

“Because of the breadth and depth of his involvement and contributions, the extraordinary impact that Dr. E. Lynn Usery has had on the fields of cartography and GIScience cannot be overstated. Not only was he a cartographer and GIScientist of international reputation, but he also made many extraordinary contributions to the ICA. For this reason, it is fitting that he be awarded the ICA Honorary Fellowship posthumously.”

A CaGIS Rising Grant was awarded to the project, “Characterizing and Promoting Cartography and GIS Graduate Programs through Research Theme Discovery and Online Seminars.” Students involved in the project are: Yuhao Kang, Yanbing Chen, Bing Zhou, and Zhining Gu.  Advisors are Song Gao, Lei Zou, and Wenwen Li.

CaGIS Rising projects include research or outreach efforts that have the potential to transform global challenges into new opportunities that advance and promote Cartography and GIScience. Creativity, novelty, and the potential for broader impacts to society constitute key criteria for evaluating these proposals for funding.

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