WOW 2015

The GSA is welcoming the new year and we're kicking off this new semester with new (and old) GSA officers and an enthusiastic, energetic and activity-filled year.  We started off this semester with Week of Welcome (WOW) and had a lot of fun talking to students about geography.  Plus we had amazing cookies.

As for upcoming events, our first one is the free LA Geographical Society lecture this Friday at 8 pm at LA City College.  This month's lecture is on "Amenity Clusters defining the Spatial Logic of Los Angeles" by Samuel Krueger from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.  If you want to carpool send us an email.  For more information on LAGS lectures, check out their website lageography.org.

We will have meetings every other Thursday starting at 2:30 pm in PH1-230.  The first meeting of the semester will be on February 12th.  This is a great way to meet fellow geographers, learn about events and even contribute ideas for future events.

We plan to have more events later this month so keep checking us out here and on our other social media site for updates.  We hope your semester is off to a good start and that the GSA can help make it even better.  We hope to see you around.  Spread the good word of geography! 

All photos taken by Laylita Day (except last one taken by Carol Phillip).

CALL FOR MAPS

This November 19, the Geography Student Association will be holding the second annual GIS Day Map Exhibition. The goal of this event is to showcase the Geography field's diversity of thought in general, and research done by students and faculty of the CSULB Geography Department in particular. We're taking over the outside wall of the LA5 building and covering it with maps that show the range of issues and subjects that can be studied with an education in Geography.

Fall 2013 Map Exhibition.  Photo Credit: Laylita Day

To that end, the Geography Student Association would like to borrow maps by CSULB faculty or students. The maps can be of any size, as long as they exist on paper or can be printed to an 8.5x11 size. After the exhibition, the maps will be returned.

To enter your map into the Exhibition, submit an entry form. Complete one form per map you plan to submit, and GSA members will be in touch with you to arrange the details of picking up your map or maps.

Click here for the entry form.

LAGS and Cultural Night

LAGS
This month's first LAGS lecture was presented by some Roosevelt High School students.  These students have been learning how to use GIS to map social inequalities, such as obesity, community gardens, PTSD and alcoholism in their local community, which is mostly minority and low income.

The first group showed maps concerning the obesity epidemic found in Boyle Heights.  The question the students asked was whether one’s economic status affected their likelihood of developing obesity.  They compared Boyle Heights with Pacific Palisades, a higher income neighborhood.

Obesity/Income Map for Boyle Heights. Image from Boyle Heights Beat (online).

The next group focused on community gardens.  They explored community gardens in their local area ad found quite a few, but they were usually small and rarely open.  The students commented on the abundance of vacant lots, which they suggested could be used for community gardens.

The third group examined PTSD in young adolescents.  They said a lot of young people suffer from PTSD in low income communities where gang violence and shootings occur daily.  The students presenting this topic said they experience such events in their own lives.

The last group addressed the issue of alcoholism among both adults and young people.  These students walked around Boyle Heights, taking note of every alcohol advertisement and liquor store they found.

For more information on this topic visit Boyle Heights Beat and GeoMaster.  Next month's LAGS lecture is titled "Bahrain - Between Two Seas" by Dr. Zia Salim, Assistant Professor of Geography, CSU Fullerton.  It will begin at 8pm on October 3rd.  Visit the LAGS page for more info.  Email us at csulbgsa@gmail for carpool info.

CULTURAL NIGHT
The first cultural night was a huge success!  We had so many people show up that we couldn't fit them all at one table!  We ate at Magic Lamp, a Lebanese Mediterranean grill restaurant on East Second Street in Long Beach and it was delicious.  There was not only good food but live music and good service.

Afterward we got dessert at Sweet Jill's Bakery across the street from Magic Lamp.  All the cakes there looked amazing and the ones our group tried tasted amazing too.  If you missed this past cultural night, don't worry.  We're having another one in October, place and day TBA.  Here are some photos from this month's cultural night.   

Week of Welcome: Day Two

Here is a photo gallery of the second day of Week of Welcome.  You can see some of the people who put pins in our map!  Plus the complete map is at the end.  Enjoy!

A New Semester, A New GSA

The GSA is back!!!!!  We're kicking off this new semester with new (and old) GSA officers and a more enthusiastic, energetic and activity-filled year.  (Including hikes and a map exhibit during Geography Awareness Week in Nov.).

Want to know more? The GSA will be tabling at Week of Welcome in the quad Thurs. from 11 - 2 pm.  We'll be located near the orange balloons near the library side of the quad.  You can stop by for more info or just to say hi.

 

Wednesday's tabling was quite the success.  We had information about upcoming events as well as a map that you can place a pin in of where you would like to go in the world plus quizzes to test your geographical knowledge.  Don't worry, you get candy regardless of the answer.  

As for upcoming events, our first one is the free LA Geographical Society lecture this Friday at 8 pm at LA City College.  This month's lecture is on Geo-visualizing Community Issues and will be presented by Roosevelt High School students.  If you want to carpool send us an email.  For more information on LAGS lectures, check out their website: http://www.lageography.org.

After that is the Mesa Mania restoration project at Bolsa Chica Wetlands where you can get your hands dirty and help nature.  This will be on Sunday, Sep. 7 from 9 am to noon.  There will be an optional lunch afterwards.

We will have meetings Sep. 10 and 11, Wed. 2:30-3:30 and Thurs. 4-5 pm in PH1-230.  This is a great way to meet fellow geographers, learn about events and even contribute ideas for future events.

September 12th (Friday) is Cultural Night, where we go out to eat at different ethnic/cultural restaurants, learn a bit about the cuisine's history and importance to the culture and just have a good time.  The restaurant hasn't been decided yet, so suggestions are welcome.  Just email us. 

      

We plan to have more events later this month so keep checking us out here and on our other social media site for updates.  We hope your semester is off to a good start and that the GSA can help make it even better.  We hope to see you around.  Spread the good word of geography! 

LAGS Lectures, Hike and Photo Contest

Hi everyone!

Sorry it's been so long since our latest update.  It's been a crazy semester. 

The LAGS had their first two lectures of the year on Feb. 7 on "Fog and Climate Change: Now You See It, Now You Don’t!" by Dr. Steve LaDochy, Professor of Geosciences, CSU Los Angeles and March 7 on "Jakarta: Inside an Asian Mega-City" by Dr. Helga Leitner, Professor of Geography, UCLA. 

The next lecture will be April 4 on "Going Bananas Over Bananas: Ecology and World Trade" by Dr. John Kirchner, Professor of Geography Emeritus, CSU Los Angeles. 

The LAGS will be hosting a special event on May 2, the California Geographical Society Annual Conference.  Students who present papers and maps can possibly get the fee refunded to them through the Geography Department.  Visit the department office for more info or call them: 562-985-8432 or 4977.  

Logo from Google Image Search.

 
The LAGS also has scholarships available and the deadline is April 4.  For more info visit their website. 

The GSA is planning a hike during Spring Break to Angels Gate Park in San Pedro.  The address is 3601 Gaffey St., San Pedro, CA 90731.  The website also includes driving directions.  Angels Gate Park has Fort MacArthur and the Korean Friendship Bell.

Korean Friendship Bell.  Photo by Laylita Day.

Fort MacArthur.  Photo by Laylita Day.

We're still working out some details, but it'll most likely be a morning hike with a cultural lunch (instead of cultural night dinner) afterward.  Please email us if you're interested in coming so we can get a basic headcount and let us know if anyone needs to carpool.

We will be having our annual photo contest during Earth Week from April 21-24.   We'll have fliers with more details about the contest out sometime next week, so be on the lookout for them!  There might also possibly be other events during that week  hosted by the Environmental Science and Policy Club.  More info to come later.

Image from Google Image Search.

 If there are any questions, suggestions or if you want to volunteer to help with the photo contest just email us: csulbgsa@gmail.com.

I hope everyone has a great and relaxing spring break!!!!!!

Week of Welcome

Here are some photos of Week of Welcome in case you missed it or only blurred past it on your way to class.  GSA had a table out and we promoted geography to all who passed by.  Getting rained out though on the second day didn't help but it was still a good time.  I hope everyone else had a chance to enjoy it.  Or at least grab some free stuff.