Ball State University Celebrates Geography Awareness Week

Ball State University Celebrates Geography Awareness Week

National Geographic celebrates geography every year with Geography Awareness Week, and this year’s theme is “Explore! The Power of Maps.”  This year National Geographic is celebrating 100 years of cartographic history the week of November 15-21. 

Ball State University is kicking off a week of geography-related events and exhibits with a special presentation, “Maps as (Em)power(ment)” on Monday, November 16 from 6:00 to 7:00 in Bracken Library room 104.  Dr. Jorn Seemann, Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography, will be presenting an informative session about the unique power of maps for conveying a “world of information” in a visual, spatial format. 

The presentation will acquaint the audience with a vast collection of maps used for numerous purposes of education and learning.  Anyone—young or old, geography buff to beginning learner, teacher, student, map lover—is welcome, and the session is free and open to the public.  (Paid parking is available in the Emens parking structure).

Dr. Seemann has a master’s degree in Geography from Universitat Hamburg in Germany and a Ph.D. from Louisiana State University.  The focus of his research is the relations between maps and society.  He is particularly interested in cultural and interdisciplinary perspectives, including mental maps, cartographic education, and creative ways of thinking, perceiving, and representing space and place.

A corresponding exhibit displaying a gallery of maps will be located in the front windows of the Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) on the second floor of Bracken Library.  This special exhibit of maps will be available through the end of November.

For more information about any of the Geography Awareness Week programs, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.