ENVIRO-NEWS: National Research Council Report: Understanding the Changing Planet: Strategic Directions for the Geographical Sciences

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Subject: [ENVIRO-NEWS] National Research Council Report: Understanding the Changing Planet: Strategic Directions for the Geographical Sciences
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Understanding the Changing Planet: Strategic Directions for the
Geographical Sciences

http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12860&utm_source=dels&utm_mediu
m=gateway&utm_campaign=delsref
or
http://tinyurl.com/ybfg4zq

Date:  March 25, 2010
Contacts:  Jennifer Walsh, Media Relations Officer
Luwam Yeibio, Media Relations Assistant
Office of News and Public Information
202-334-2138; e-mail <news@nas.edu>

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Eleven Questions for the Next Decade of Geographical Sciences Identified

WASHINGTON -- Eleven questions that should shape the next decade of
geographical sciences research were identified today in a new report by
the National Research Council.  Reflecting a time when populations are
moving and natural resources are being depleted, the questions aim to
provide a more complete understanding of where and how landscapes are
changing to help society manage and adapt to the transformation of
Earth's surface.

The committee that wrote the report solicited input from the
geographical science community to identify research priorities and the
approaches, skills, data, and infrastructure necessary to advance
research.  The strategic directions span from overarching issues of
environmental change and sustainability to specific areas in the field
that are transforming.  They are grouped by topic area, but are not
ranked in any order of importance.

How to understand and respond to environmental change:
                               *      How are we changing the physical
environment of Earth's surface?
                               *      How can we best preserve
biological diversity and protect endangered ecosystems?
                               *      How are climate and other
environmental changes affecting the vulnerabilities of coupled
human-environment systems?

How to promote sustainability:
                               *      Where and how will 10 billion
people live?
                               *      How will we sustainably feed
everyone in the coming decade and beyond?
                               *      How does where we live affect our
health?

How to recognize and cope with the rapid spatial reorganization of
economy and society:
                               *      How is the movement of people,
goods, and ideas changing the world?
                               *      How is economic globalization
affecting inequality?
                               *      How are geopolitical shifts
influencing peace and stability?

How to leverage technological change for the benefit of society and
environment:
                               *      How might we better observe,
analyze, and visualize a changing world?
                               *      What are the societal
implications of citizen mapping and mapping citizens?

The report was sponsored by the National Science Foundation, U.S.
Geological Survey, National Geographic Society, and Association of
American Geographers.  The National Academy of Sciences, National
Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research
Council make up the National Academies.  They are independent, nonprofit
institutions that provide science, technology, and health policy advice
under an 1863 congressional charter.  Committee members, who serve pro
bono as volunteers, are chosen by the Academies for each study based on
their expertise and experience and must satisfy the Academies'
conflict-of-interest standards.  The resulting consensus reports undergo
external peer review before completion.  For more information, visit
http://national-academies.org/studycommitteprocess.pdf.  A committee
roster follows.

Copies of Understanding the Changing Planet: Strategic Directions for
the Geographical Sciences
<http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12860>  are available from the
National Academies Press; tel. 202-334-3313 or 1-800-624-6242 or on the
Internet at http://www.nap.edu.  Reporters may obtain a copy from the
Office of News and Public Information (contacts listed above).

#       #       #

[ This news release and report are available at
http://national-academies.org ]

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
Division on Earth and Life Studies
Board on Earth Sciences and Resources

Committee on Strategic Directions for the Geographical Sciences in the
Next Decade

Alexander B. Murphy (chair)
Professor of Geography, and
James F. and Shirley K. Rippey Chair in Liberal Arts and Sciences
University of Oregon
Eugene

Nancy Colleton
President
Institute for Global Environmental Strategies
Arlington, Va.

Roger M. Downs
Professor
Department of Geography
Pennsylvania State University
University Park

Michael F. Goodchild *
Professor
Department of Geography
University of California
Santa Barbara

Susan Hanson *
Research Professor
School of Geography
Clark University
Worcester, Mass.

Victoria A. Lawson
Professor of Geography
University of Washington
Seattle

Glen M. MacDonald
Professor
Department of Geography
University of California
Los Angeles

Francis J. Magilligan
Professor
Department of Geography
Dartmouth College
Hanover, N.H.

William G. Moseley
Associate Professor of Geography
Macalester College
St. Paul, Minn.

Colin Polsky
Associate Professor
Graduate School of Geography
Clark University
Worcester, Mass.

Karen C. Seto
Associate Professor
School of Forestry and Environmental Studies
Yale University
New Haven, Conn.

Dawn J. Wright
Professor of Geography and Oceanography
Department of Geosciences
Oregon State University
Corvallis

RESEARCH COUNCIL STAFF

Mark Lange
Study Director

* Member, National Academy of Sciences

[Press release from
www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=12860 ]

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