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Media Relations
Kansas State University
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Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-6415
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Source: John Harrington, 785-532-6727, jharrin@k-state.edu

Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008

KANSAS GEOGRAPHY CONFERENCE SEPT. 20 AT K-STATE

MANHATTAN -- Kansas State University's chapter of Gamma Theta Upsilon, the international geography honorary society, will help host the annual Kansas Geography Conference Saturday, Sept. 20, at the K-State Student Union.

The conference, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the K-State Student Union, is to help teachers in grades K-12 learn more about teaching geography.

"Part of the conference will be devoted to information delivery and a discussion of available teaching resources for Geography Awareness Week/Geography Action! This year we will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Geography Awareness Week, Nov. 16-22, and the theme is 'Mapping the Americas,'" said John Harrington, K-State professor of geography.

The conference's keynote address, "Geography Education as if Students Mattered: Spatial Thinking and Modern Neuroscience," will be given at 11 a.m. by Phil Gersmehl, professor of geography and co-director of the Center for Geographic Learning at Hunter College of the City University of New York.

Gersmehl is an internationally recognized scholar in geographic education, spatial cognition and multimedia cartography. His research has identified a number of different spatial concepts, such as connection, spatial comparison, spatial diffusion and spatial analog, and has looked at when a child's brain is ready to start learning those spatial concepts. His presentation will share real-world successes at a number of grade levels in helping students learn spatial concepts.

Conference registration is $10 in advance or $15 at the door. Checks can be made payable to Gamma Theta Upsilon or GTU.

More information on the conference is available by contacting Harrington at 785-532-6727 or jharrin@k-state.edu.