Happy Monday

**Facebook: McGill Undergraduate Geography Society ** Instagram: @mcgillgeography**

1.       Sustainability Professor Candidates Final meet and greet

2.       MUGS Events

3.       GeoSpectives: Whitening spaces: Military-led Colonization of Northern Guatemala During the Cold War

4.       AUS/SUS Grad Ball

5.       AUS Teaching Excellence Award

6.       Becoming an Active Bystander

7.       PIZZA NOT PIPELINES: Energy East Application Party

8.       Undergraduate Research Award Competition

9.       Information Sessions for McGill's 2016 Field Study in East Africa

10.   Cool thing of the week

Happy Monday!

There are days that I have a lot of great information and interesting, witty comments to write for this part here but lately, all I can think of is: I'm so over winter. Reading Week is only a week away and midterms are currently rolling so make sure to arrive at the GIC on time to claim your spot for the day. In case you are done with midterms (lucky you), we have some events coming that will keep you warm. Also, I just learned it's National Banana Bread Day so make sure to share one with your geobuddy.

Sustainability Professor Candidates meet and greet

The last candidate for the Sustainability Professor position will be at the geography lounge (Burnside 305) on Monday Feb. 23^rd at 5 pm for an informal meet and greet.
His name is Dr. Graham Macdonald and his current work fuses national food supply and bilateral trade statistics from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to map the sources of national diets as well as the land and water resources embodied in imported calories. Global demand for specific commodities has contributed to the emergence of key export-oriented agricultural systems, now comprising one-fifth of the calories produced worldwide.

MUGS Events

For those participating in the #mugsassassins2015, the targets will be sent out shortly. If you didn't get an email confirming your participation, make sure to email mugs.assassings.2015@gmail.com. Stay classy and stay alive.
We are organizing a Sugar Shack outing when we come back from Reading Week so make sure to keep an eye out for the FB event and announcement in future listserv!
Lastly, clothing orders are coming soon so make sure to look for the MUGS office hours after Reading Week to get your MUGS apparel and show your geography pride.

GeoSpectives: Whitening spaces: Military-led Colonization of Northern Guatemala During the Cold War

The next GeoSpectives talk will be on February 23, 2015, 4-5 pm in Burnside 426.
Whitening spaces: Military-led Colonization of Northern Guatemala During the Cold War
Prof. Kevin Gould
Department of Geography, Planning and Environment. Concordia University
Scholars have shown that during the Cold War, the United Stated sought to install new economic and cultural arrangements throughout the Global South.  This paper explores how US-sponsored development, in the form of infrastructure-building in northern Guatemala, also reinforced ongoing local projects of race and nation.  Specifically, spaces of infrastructure construction are demonstrated to have been key sites where Guatemalan military planners imagined and elaborated a whitened national population during the 1960s.

AUS/SUS Grad Ball

Better than your high school prom, AUS and SUS have combined forces to bring you the 2015 Graduation Ball, which will be held on Saturday, March 21st, 2015 in the Windsor Ballrooms at Le Windsor Hotel. Doors will open at 7:00 PM with an all-you-can-drink cocktail bar, followed by a dinner, and then we will dance the night away with an open bar! Tickets are sold at http://gradball.sus.mcgill.ca/ and for more information, you can email the organizing committee at mcgillgradball2015@gmail.com or go on their FB event page.

AUS Teaching Excellence Award

Do you know an outstanding Professor, Advisor or Teaching Assistant in the Faculty of Arts? Nominate them for an AUS Teaching Excellence Award! Please fill out the nomination form attached and submit it to the AUS VP Academic at academic.aus@mail.mcgill.ca by Thursday, February 26th, 2015. Winners will be announced at the Awards Reception in early April because we all know the geography staff is the best!

Becoming an Active Bystander

As part of the ongoing dialogue that began with the #ConsentMcGill campaign, the Office of the Dean of Students, Healthy McGill and the Residence Life Office have developed a McGill specific bystander program. On March 9, 2015 we are officially launching the Becoming an Active Bystander: A Sexual Violence Prevention Workshop
This free, peer-facilitated workshop is designed to empower students to identify and interrupt potentially harmful situations, and to respond compassionately to individuals affected by sexual violence. By working through scenarios and role-plays, participants will be provided with the knowledge and tools to interrupt safely, and become active members of change. This workshop strives to foster a community of responsibility, with the goal of reducing the incidents of sexual violence. To learn more and for workshop registration, visit: www.involvement.mcgill.ca/organization/bystander

PIZZA NOT PIPELINES: Energy East Application Party

Energy East would be the longest and highest-volume tarsands pipeline in North America, causing the emissions equivalent of an additional 7 million cars on the road and crossing from Alberta's tarsands, through Montreal, to Nova Scotia. Come learn about the pipeline, eat free pizza, and apply to be an intervenor to help stop Energy East in the SSMU lobby on Tues Feb 24th from 5-6:30pm. Facebook event here. By applying en masse to be intervenors on the basis of climate impacts (a criterion not included in the government's assessment), we can highlight how broken the review process is as a step in stopping this pipeline from becoming a reality. If you can't make it but want to apply, you can do so online here: http://350.org/step-by-step-ee/

Undergraduate Research Award Competition

Our fantastic department advisor Michelle sent us a tip on two opportunities for undergraduate research award competitions coming to McGill very shortly for both SUS and AUS so you can check both links here: for Arts Research Internship Award and Science Undergraduate Research Awards or contact Michelle for more information.

Information Sessions for McGill's 2016 Field Study in East Africa

Gain a full semester's worth of credits while studying and researching in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda next winter. This program intends to introduce students to East Africa specifically by increasing their understanding of the goals, circumstances, challenges and opportunities of people living in the areas visited. Through an increased understanding of Canada's linkage with this area, graduates of the program should be better equipped to become active and effective contributors to sustainable development in Africa, whether by following academic or professional paths, or simply by being more informed citizens. This 15-credit program is open to students of all academic backgrounds, U1 and above. 
Upcoming information sessions will be held in Burnside RM 426 from 17h-18h on February 18, March 18, March 24, April 9 and at Mac Campus (MS2-084) on February 23 at 14h30.
For more information visit http://www.mcgill.ca/africa/ website orhttps://www.facebook.com/cfsia.mcgill. The deadline to apply is April 30, 2015.

Cool Thing of the Week

Don't forget to keep up with the latest GICrushes! You don't need great GIS skills to know that biggest clusters of love in the McGill campus are in the GIC!
Some maps are so bad they are good but these are plain bad; these are also good examples of what not to do for your GIS assignments.

Have an awe-inspiring week! Don't be late for class.

Phil Perez Aranguren

VP Communications