Which Workshop Should I Apply for?

This will depend on how familiar you are with approaches to spatial analysis and on which workshop appeals to you most regarding disciplinary focus, location, and expenses for transportation, lodging, and meals.

A primary common goal of each workshop will be to explore strategies for enhancing the social science curriculum to promote undergraduate learning. All participants are expected to share this goal and to contribute to its achievement during the workshop and at their home institutions.

(a) Background experience with GIS and spatial analysis:

• I have a good background of general computer literacy and experience in applications of quantitative analysis in the social sciences but no prior familiarity with GIS or spatial analysis. The workshops at Ohio State University and at UC Santa Barbara will each admit a few participants with limited exposure to GIS providing they have backgrounds in quantitative approaches to the social sciences.
• I make some use of statistical and quantitative analysis in my research and teaching. Although I am familiar with GIS and spatial analysis, I have little or no experience in using these methods in undergraduate teaching. The workshops at UC Santa Barbara and Ohio State University will be most appropriate. If you are interested in the University of Oklahoma workshop, please review your familiarity with GIS with the workshop coordinator - Dr. Tarek Rashed.
• I have extensive experience in uses of GIS and methods of spatial analysis for research and/or teaching. Any of the three workshops (UC Santa Barbara, University of Oklahoma, Ohio State University) will be appropriate. In this case, your interest in technical content (spatial modeling at Ohio State, spatial econometric analysis at UCSB, or remote sensing at Oklahoma) might be the basis for selecting a workshop.
  • Note: Participants at the UC Santa Barbara and Ohio State University workshops are required to bring a laptop computer that meets minimum specifications.** If you do not have access to a laptop and you meet all of the other requirements, then apply for the University of Oklahoma workshop.
• Prior participants in CSISS, SPACE, GISPopSci, or ICPSR workshops on spatial analysis are eligible for admission to the 2006 SPACE workshops.

(b) Discipline focus:

• Both the UC Santa Barbara and the Ohio State University workshops address multi-discipline perspectives of spatial analysis in the social sciences. Previous workshops have attracted university instructors from anthropology, archaeology, communication studies, criminology, demography, economics, environmental studies, epidemiology and public health, gender and ethnic studies, human geography, political science, public policy & management, regional science, social science history, sociology, tourism & recreations studies, transportation studies, and urban studies & planning.
• The University of Oklahoma workshop will be of most interest to participants who have prior experience in using GIS software and who are interested in remote sensing applications in such fields as urban studies, planning, land use and land cover change, global economics, demography, archaeology, and environmental hazards assessment.

(d) Cost of participation:

• There are no admission fees to participate in SPACE workshops and all participants are eligible to apply for scholarship support (maximum of $1000). However, this support may not cover all expenses for transportation, lodging, and meals, and participants are encouraged to seek supplemental funding from their own institutions or other sources.
• Participants who reside in the immediate region of the workshop may be admitted without scholarship support.
• If you are accepted for the UC Santa Barbara or Ohio State University workshops, you are required to bring a laptop computer for use during the workshop.** If you have to purchase or rent a laptop, this will be an added expense. Laptops are not required at the University of Oklahoma, but you may find them useful.
• All applicants who are accepted for the program must agree to attend the full workshop. This may require that you arrive the day prior to the start of workshops and depart the day following the last designated workshop day. For most participants, this will require booking accommodations for 7 nights.
• Your transportation costs will depend on where the workshop is located relative to your home base. If you are accepted into a workshop, please book your transportation as early as possible and compare various travel options through travel agents or Web ticketing providers.
• The costs of lodging and meals are significantly greater in Santa Barbara than in Columbus, Ohio or Norman, Oklahoma. The workshop organizers have reserved university dormitory accommodations for those seeking to minimize expenses. Participants have the option of sharing accommodations. For those seeking comfort, commercial accommodations are available at much higher costs but may not be as convenient for workshop activities. Check "Travel & Accommodations" under the links to the detailed descriptions for each workshop for estimates of lodging costs.
• Each of the workshops will provide one or two complimentary receptions or meals, but you will be responsible for covering all other meals. Some meal costs are included as a package with dormitory accommodations at SFSU and UCSB.

** All participants in the UC Santa Barbara and Ohio State University workshops are expected to bring a laptop computer for use during the workshop. Recommended Laptop Requirements: Windows XP/2000/NT(SP6a), 512 MB RAM, 1.0 GHz Processor, Internet Browser, CD-ROM, USB, and a Wireless card. Minimum free disk space is 1.0 GB (1,000 MB). See requirements for all ESRI software..