The 2024 Media Achievement Award is awarded to Patricia Solís, David Hondula, Jennifer Vanos, Ariane Middel, and Melissa Guardaro for their work at Knowledge Exchange for Resilience at Arizona State University. This accomplished team of researchers employs a diverse range of geographic methods and approaches to generate world-class research on the urgent challenges posed by extreme heat. They adeptly transform their findings into actionable knowledge in the policy and community spheres. Their work has been featured in various high­ profile outlets, including Nightly News with Lester Holt, the Today Show, Good Morning America, The Washington Post, The New York Times, National Geographic, Rolling Stone Magazine, Slate, The Guardian, The Weather Channel, National Public Radio, Scientific American, High Country News, Los Angeles Times, Dallas Morning News, Wired, The New Yorker, CBS Sunday Morning, and many more. Their sustained efforts in science communication and sharing concrete, actionable steps to address extreme heat are significantly influencing the public policy landscape in Arizona, effectively demonstrating the value of geographical research in addressing our most pressing environmental problems.

For all these reasons, the AAG proudly recognizes Patricia Solís, David Hondula, Jennifer Vanos, Ariane Middel, and Melissa Guardaro with the 2024 AAG Media Achievement Award.

Sue Bergeron, Frank LaFone, Barbara MacLennan and Jesse Rouse, co-founders of VerySpatial.com, for launching an internationally known, award-winning podcast providing outstanding geographic content and teaching methods to geography enthusiasts and educators around the world for 15 years.

Joshua Inwood, Pennsylvania State University, for his distinguished record of achievement in media engagement on important topics that advance societal understanding of racism, civil rights, and social justice.

Richard Campanella for exemplifying how to employ popular media to engage the public in geographical scholarship.

Keith Debbage for his exceptional work in communicating geographic research to the public.

2012 Minelle Mahtani, University of Toronto for her outstanding research in the area of minority representation in geography, her contributions to the Geography Faculty Development Alliance and her use of multimedia to enhance diversity initiatives, demonstrating her oustanding efforts to encourage a more diverse discipline. Dr. Mahtani initiated a tradition, together with the editors of Social & Cultural Geography for an article celebrating the AAG Glenda Laws Awardee.  Her inaugural article citation is: Minelle Mahtani (2014) Toxic geographies: absences in critical race thought and practice in social and cultural geography, Social & Cultural Geography, 15:4, 359-367, DOI: 10.1080/14649365.2014.888297

Allen Carroll is recognized for his career as Art Director at National Geographic Magazine, Executive Vice President at National Geographic Maps, and his unparalleled contributions to the dissemination of and public access to geographical results, concepts, and tools such as ESRI’s story maps and other open source tools.

Matthew Rosenberg is recognized for his success in promoting greater understanding of geography through web and social media, as well as through his other publications and work.

Robert Kitchin is recognized for his exceptional work both on the media and in the media, and for advancing our understanding of media geography.

Marshall Shepherd is a frequently sought out expert on weather, climate, and remote sensing by a multitude of news programs. He hosts “Weather Geeks” on The Weather Channel and has inspired numerous students to pursue careers in the field.

Derek Alderman in recognition of his dedication to promoting the important role that geography plays in people’s lives through public media outlets.

William G. Moseley for his effective use of the media to raise public understanding of social and environmental issues in Africa and beyond, and his success in fostering awareness of the insights that can come from bringing a geographical perspective to bear on those issues.

Joshua Muldavin for his geographical insight into the major issues confronting a large portion of the world that would otherwise go unnoticed, and in recognition of his outstanding promotion of geography through various global media.

2004

Harm J. de Blij for his extraordinary contributions to the advancement of the discipline and for his longstanding contributions to the public awareness for geography both nationally and internationally.

Craig Colten, Louisiana State University, for his many significant contributions while a government employee during his early career and, later, as an academic.

Media Achievement Award

2002 Mark Monmonier, Spying with Maps: Surveillance Technologies and Future of Privacy, University of Chicago Press.

David DiBiase, Esri