SPACE Workshops

Are you interested in how your undergraduate students can acquire new understanding through the use of tools like geographic information systems? SPACE offers innovative ideas and techniques for introducing spatial thinking and methods to undergraduate courses in the social sciences.

These summer workshops are designed for instructors who are considering this approach for the first time as well as for those who already integrate geospatial methods into their courses. Participants in the SPACE program are eligible for scholarship support for subsistence. The deadline for application is April 18, 2006.

The Workshops

GIS and Spatial Modeling for the Undergraduate Social Science Curriculum
Columbus, OH
June 18-23, 2006

Spatial Analysis in the Social Science Curriculum: Enhancing Undergraduate Learning
Santa Barbara, CA
July 31-August 5, 2006

Remote Sensing and GIS Technologies for Undergraduate Curricula in the Social Sciences
Norman, OK
July 23-28, 2006

Fill out the application for SPACE Workshops

Criteria for Applicant Selection

The selection committee is looking for workshop participants who:

Teach undergraduate courses in social science disciplines and programs in community colleges, colleges, and universities. Although individuals with faculty appointments are preferred for this program, a limited number of Ph.D. candidates (who give evidence of significant commitment to teaching undergraduate students) will be considered..
Agree to include spatial perspectives and analysis in their undergraduate courses.
Agree to complete follow-up surveys on their uses of the workshop experience to enhance their undergraduate courses and curriculum.
Provide evidence in their application of commitment to undergraduate teaching and to developing curricula that exposes their students to the methodologies of spatial thinking.
Are comfortable with computer file and data management and experienced in searching for research data over the Internet. For the workshops at UC Santa Barbara and Ohio State University, we seek applicants who have experience in applications of quantitative analysis and GIS in the social sciences.

Individuals selected to participate in the UC Santa Barbara and Ohio State University workshops must bring a laptop computer for use in the workshop. The minimum specifications are for 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.

Laptops are not required to participate in the workshops at The University of Oklahoma.

Scholarship Support

There are no fees required to participate in a SPACE workshop.
Participants may apply for awards of up to a maximum of $1000.
Participants from designated minority institutions in the United States, and participants of Hispanic American, African American, or Native American background may be eligible for additional scholarship support.
In most cases, the SPACE scholarship award will not cover all of the costs for transportation, accommodations, and meals incurred by participants. You are encouraged to contact chairs of departments and deans at your institutions to seek funds to supplement the SPACE award.
Participants within daily travel distance of the host institution may be admitted without scholarship support.