Previous Council Fellowship Winners

Mr. Dinko Dinko's award will fund part of his research, A Participatory Drone Mapping of Water Security for Irrigation and Smallholder Agriculture in Northern Ghana. Upon receiving the scholarship, Mr. Dinko noted, ​“This grant will support my research on how irrigation water is negotiated, contested, and renegotiated in a context characterized by legal pluralism water resource governance structure in northern Ghana. Using participatory drone mapping and pixel-level analysis, I examine who gets access to irrigation water, where, in what ways, and when water is accessed, and how historical and current power alignments are implicated therein. My research contributes to ongoing discussions on how location matters in explaining the uneven geographies of access and control of water in semiarid spaces.”

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Mr. Elamin Elamin's fellowship will help cover fieldwork costs in Madagascar for his project, Applying a Food/Energy/Water/People Framework to Assess Impacts of the World’s First Climate Change Famine in Madagascar. When asked about his research, Mr. Elamin explained, ​“My research goal is to study how the dynamics of environmental change serve as a challenge to global security and to produce new understandings about the human dimensions of global climate change.”

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Ms. Elisa Sperandio will use the fellowship funds to assist with her project, Contested Geographies of ‘Welcome’: A Comparative Analysis of Refugee Integration. “The project examines how Bologna and Torino differ in their implementation of the Italian model of accoglienza diffusa (diffused reception), which is aimed at providing housing and integration services to refugees, and designed to be adaptable to local resources and needs,” said Ms. Sperandio, “My research looks to how program practitioners, refugees, and city residents contribute to shaping local approaches to diffused reception and to complicating institutional visions of integration.”

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Mx. Reagan Yessler's research, Cosplay as Personal Expression in Restrictive Environments: A Case Study on the Yamacon Anime Convention in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, “...expands traditional concepts of gendered performance and cultural diffusion to explore the understudied communities of queer cosplayers in the Appalachian region,” they explained. ​“My work focuses on the intersections of queer identity, gendered performance, and race, as well as the confounding dynamics a politically conservative environment places upon these overlapping identities…This fellowship will allow me recording devices and convention access to contact and interview fellow queer cosplayers, especially queer cosplayers of color, about how the convention spaces allow them to differently embody their identity than in surrounding spaces.”

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Mx. Eden Kinkaid will use the fellowship award to fund their research, Governing Crisis: A Political Ecology of Food Systems in the Time of COVID-19. Upon receiving the scholarship, Mx. Kinkaid noted, “This award will support my research on the impacts of COVID-19 on southern Arizona’s food system. Working with a team of collaborators, I am examining the effects of the pandemic on the food producers, distributors, and institutions that compose the regional food system. This research will document COVID-19’s impacts on southern Arizona’s food system, how various food system actors are responding to those impacts, and what broader lessons can be learned from this moment of crisis in food and agriculture.”

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Mrs. Hilda Onuoha's award will fund part of her Ph.D. research titled, A Spatio-temporal Valuation of Grassland Ecosystem Services in the U.S. Great Plains. When asked about her research, Mrs. Onuoha explained, “My research is on the analysis of long term grasslands conditions in the U.S. Great Plains and how any changes in grassland conditions impact the provision of benefits grasslands provide for humans.”

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Ms. Özlem Ayse Özgür's fellowship will help pay for the translation and transcription of her research, ​Effects of Community Gardening on Socio-Economic Wellbeing of Sub-Saharan African Refugee Women in Southern Arizona​.​ “​The objective of this research is to investigate how shared activity spaces such as community gardens within community economy networks influence resettlement and socio-economic well-being of Sub Saharan refugee women in a neoliberal context by using mixed methods,” said Ms. Özgür.

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Ms. Alana Rader will use the fellowship funds to facilitate a community mapping exercise to analyze the relationship of historical to current land uses and patterns of forest regeneration in Mexico to complete her dissertation, ​Beyond Deforestation: Dynamics of Tropical Forest Regeneration and Land Use in the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor, Mexico.​ ​Ms​. ​Rader said, “​My research interests lie at the intersection of ecology, land use, and landscape recovery across scales. I examine this intersection in tropical forests of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor in Mexico for my dissertation, to assess how the process of tropical forest regeneration following environmental and human disturbances is driven by the feedback of biophysical processes and land use.”

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Ms. Xochizeltzin Castaneda Camacho will use the fellowship award to fund her Ph.D. research, Changes in Forest Cover Patterns and Related Social Effects in Three Protected Areas of Arid Northern Mexico. Upon receiving the scholarship, Ms. Castaneda Camacho said, “Based on the political ecology approach, I am investigating changes in vegetation cover and social composition in three Mexican Protected Areas in the Chihuahuan Desert. Deserts are understudied in comparison to the human tropics and the goal is to understand what is causing vegetation change and their implications. The AGS Council Fellowship award will help me to develop the 2020 summer fieldwork.”

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Ms. Audrey Denvir's award will allow her to complete her study with the research titled,Avocados Become a Global Commodity: Consequences for Landscapes and People. When asked about her research, Ms. Denvir noted, “My research investigates human-environmental systems of global commodity production, specifically avocados in Michoacan, Mexico, and how they impact local forests and people.”

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Ms. Lauren Fritzsche's fellowship will allow her to advance her dissertation research, Geographies of Exclusion and Belonging: Refugee Resettlement in the United States. “I am honored to receive the AGS Council Fellowship”, said Ms. Fritzsche. “This award will contribute toward my dissertation research in Montana and Louisiana where I examine how changing national refugee policies impact local resettlement practices and the experiences of refugees”, she added.

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Ms. Jennifer Langill will use the fellowship funds to support part of her initial fieldwork for her project titled, From Opium to Oranges: Intergenerational Livelihood Change in a Hmong Village in Northern Thailand. Ms. Langill stated, “I am extremely grateful to AGS for their support. The Council Fellowship will greatly benefit my dissertation fieldwork in Thailand, where I am researching gendered, generational, and ethnic implications of livelihood changes for highland Hmong populations.”

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Mr. Jacob Dein will use the Fellowship award to fund his Master’s research Where do the city birds sing? The influence of green space on the urban soundscape. Upon receiving the scholarship, Mr. Dein wrote, “I am thrilled that the AGS fellowship will allow me to further explore urban soundscapes in the U.S. and Europe. My fieldwork enabled by this award will support solutions to increasing anthropogenic noise—improving the livability of cities for both humans and wildlife. I am extremely grateful to the AGS for their generous support!”

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Ms. Ileana Diaz will use the fellowship funds to support part of her initial fieldwork for her dissertation project titled, Navigating Food Futures: Post-Disaster Food Sovereignty in Puerto Rico. Ileana stated, “Being recognized with the AGS Council Fellowship helps me get closer to my goals, this is a wonderful opportunity and recognition. I am truly honored and grateful for this fellowship and for the society’s support of my research.”

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For Megan Mills-Novoa, the fellowship will allow her to advance her dissertation research, After Adaptation: A multi-scalar study of climate change adaptation projects in Southern Ecuador. Megan stated, “I am greatly appreciative for the support of the AGS Council Fellowship. This funding will enable me to return to southern Ecuador in Fall 2019 and complete a crucial second phase of dissertation research on the long-term impacts of climate change adaptation projects in highland communities."

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For Ms. Mara van den Bold, the fellowship award will allow her to continue her study, Greening energy: the politics of solar power in Senegal. When asked about her award, Ms. van den Bold replied, “I will use the AGS Council Fellowship towards funding my field work in Senegal, which will examine the implications of large-scale renewable energy development for rural livelihoods.”

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Ms. Katherine Cann will use the fellowship award to fund her return to expand on her dissertation Untangling the Roots of the Mangrove Tree: Understanding and Uniting Diverse Stakeholder Interests Towards Successful Co-Management of a Coastal/Marine Protected Area in Panama. Ms. Cann noted, “I am thrilled to receive the 2018 AGS Council Fellowship, which will allow me to continue monitoring the progress of decentralizing conservation in the country. Preliminary results of my master’s thesis research in Pedasí revealed that the community is steadfast in fighting for the protection and right to govern their local protected space. I am looking forward to assisting their efforts working towards an effectual co-management plan for their local coastal and marine protected area on the eastern Azuero peninsula.”

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Mr. Christopher Hair will continue his dissertation, A View from Above: Alternative Perspectives on Small-Scale Indigenous Agriculture in Northern Ecuador. Christopher stated, “Receiving the AGS Council Fellowship is an incredible honor, and I am very grateful for the support of the American Geographical Society. Studying agrobiodiversity and the methods that are used by smallholders to conserve traditional crops is a true passion of mine. This fellowship will allow me to further my understanding of issues related to food security and food diversity. Receiving this award is a big milestone for me, and it will undoubtedly contribute to my development as a researcher and geographer.”

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Ph.D candidate, Mr. Dinuke Munasinghe, will use the Council Fellowship award to supplement his field research for his dissertation, A Novel Approach to Assess Sediment Fluxes in Mobile Bay, Alabama. Dinuke stated, “I am extremely honored to receive this fellowship from the American Geographical Society and was thrilled to learn of my selection for this award. I am deeply appreciative of the generous support provided by AGS for budding scientists like myself to see the advancement of science.”

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For Mr. Kuan-Chi Wang, the fellowship award will allow him to advance his dissertation study, Border Assemblages: The Political Economy of Regional Vegetable Trade in Asia. In a recent interview with AGS, Mr. Wang stated, “I am incredibly honored and humbled to be selected as a recipient of the 2018 AGS Council Fellowship. I am thoroughly appreciative of the opportunity to advance my academic development and collect data on a new dimension that I have uncovered in the process of dissertation writing. I plan to complete a book proposal during this round of field research with a more fine-grained analysis on the local edamame networks under new food safety regulations.”

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For Ms. Saburna Chatterjee, the fellowship funded her Ph.D dissertation “Reducing Climate Change Vulnerability Through Adaptation with Particular Reference to Migration: A Study in the Indian Subdarbans.” In a recent interview with AGS, Ms. Chatterjee noted, “…a great honor for me. This Fellowship will certainly go a long way towards shaping my vision as a Geographer and will serve as a strong stepping stone for fulfilling my commitment to serve mankind through my work.”

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Mr. Jordan Cissell’s fellowship award funded his Ph.D dissertation “Mangrove Change Detection and Habitat Mapping in Zapata Swamp, Cuba, Using Remote Sensing and Local Knowledge.” He stated, “I am incredibly honored and humbled to be selected as a recipient of the 2017 AGS Council Fellowship, and thoroughly appreciative of the opportunity it provides to travel to Zapata Swamp, Cuba, and conduct field work later this spring. Throughout the course of my graduate study, I have developed a tremendous amount of admiration and respect for both the beauty and importance of coastal wetland ecosystems, and this project presents the exciting opportunity to examine a critical ecosystem on the cusp of a period of potentially explosive economic and infrastructural development. I cannot wait to get down there and explore a topic that so thoroughly meshes human and environmental change dynamics! Thank you very much to the AGS for their generous support.”

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Mr. Jedd Sankar-Gorton used the funds to support his Ph.D dissertation “The Impacts on Amenity Migration in and Around Slovenia’s Triglav National Parks.” Sankar-Gorton has told AGS that his research will focus on the implications of increasing use by traditional and new user groups for protected area planning and governance. Mr. Sankar-Gorton added, “I will look to build a better understanding of these issues to improve the efficacy of future planning and governance in mountainous areas. This study is also an opportunity to continue the seemingly fading tradition of geographers doing real fieldwork. This is a worthy cause as we move deeper into the era of remote sensing and funding cuts and I look forward to the chance to get out into the field.”

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Ms. Dara Seidl used her funding to continue her study, “Personal Geomasking Behavior of Internet Users.” Based on a recent interview with Ms. Seidl, her research examines personal location masking behavior through an online survey, focusing on both the precision and accuracy of location information Internet users opt to provide when asked. Ms. Seidl noted, “The study contributes to geo-privacy research by addressing geomasking from the perspectives of individual Internet users, as well as explores potential drivers for concealing location. In particular, the funds will support a pilot study targeting individual-level attempts to protect location privacy online.”

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For Ms. Debangana Bose the fellowship funded her interests in the dynamics of displacement and resettlement in India and the implications for the rest of the world as well as for urban theory. Her dissertation research focused on “Forced Resettlement, Illegality and Everyday Life in Peri-urban Delhi in India”. Through ethnographic field research in Delhi’s resettlement colonies, she is interested in understanding how illegality and precarity are understood and experienced by multiple actors such as the residents, land mafias, local leaders, NGO workers and actors of Delhi’s growth coalition. Her research aimed to explain a regime of planning and poverty, connecting governmental rationalities of eviction, displacement, and resettlement and the associated effects with rounds of urban expansion and illegal land markets.

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Ms. Rakhee Kewada used the funds to support preliminary research in Tanzania during the summer of 2016. Her research revolved around the question of how different institutional forms of Chinese capital impact outcomes and struggles over uneven development at the local and global scales. The central goal of the preliminary research was to explore how ‘to empirically’ investigate this question. At the global scale, Rakhee analyzed the terms and conditions of the port construction projects, and their articulation with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Maritime Silk Road Project and will conduct interviews with business and government officials. At the local scale, she examined the level of investment on the part of Chinese capital in the social reproduction of the labor force. This exploratory research is vital in assessing whether or not the lens of social reproduction will enable the answering of the research question, as well as the feasibility of such a study.

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For Ms. Sophia Albov, the fellowship supported her Masters’ research into the Socio-geographic Components of the Alternative Agricultural Sector in Finland. This research addressed the question of agricultural sustainability with a focus on three aspects of the alternative agricultural sector, including: urban agriculture, organic farming, and community supported agriculture (CSA). The project had three objectives: 1) to identify the geographic factors that influence the uptake and spatial diffusion of alternative agriculture; 2) to examine the specific European Union (EU) and Finnish state policy mechanisms driving the alternative agricultural sector and changes in Finland’s agricultural geography; and 3) to investigate farmers’ responses and adaptations to these policy mechanisms as well as other complex social and environmental challenges related to food production in the 21st century.

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Ms. Nora Sylvander used the money towards the first phase of her dissertation fieldwork this summer in Nicaragua, which she expects to complete by 2018. Her research in Nicaragua examined the dynamics by which non-indigenous “mestizo” migrants are blamed for undermining conservation goals in the Bosawas Biosphere Reserve in Nicaragua. Drawing on political ecology, she will explore the relationship between the Socio-political Marginalization of Mestizos and Conservation Outcomes in Nicaragua.

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Ms. Sara Hughes used the money towards three months of dissertation fieldwork in an Israeli settlement in the West Bank. The project explores why Israelis, many of them recent immigrants from the United States, would choose to live in a military-occupied area because of a sense of community and security. She hopes to address how residents are constructing these concepts, how security infrastructure facilitates a certain lifestyle, and how residents are defining danger, safety, and community.

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Mr. Oliver H. Wigmore’s research combines field hydrology, satellite remote sensing, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s) to identify drivers and quantify spatial and temporal variability in soil moisture storage in the pro-glacial valleys and wetlands of the Cordillera Blanca, Peru. Funds from the AGS Fellowship were used to purchase components for the development of a multi-rotor UAV capable of operating at 4,000 to 5,500 meters above sea level in the Andes and collect high-resolution multispectral imagery. This platform will be used to map surface soil moisture, land cover, and glacier surfaces and to generate digital elevation models at centimeter resolution across the study sites.

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