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Bulletin Summer 2022

About the Society

Need to know

The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) is the UK’s learned society for geography and professional body for geographers. We are also a membership organisation and a registered charity.

The Society was founded in 1830 to advance geographical science and this remains our core purpose. We achieve this through supporting geographical research, education, and fieldwork and expeditions, as well as by advocating on behalf of the discipline and promoting geography to public audiences.

We value our independence as well as the breadth of our activities that support the understanding of the world’s people, places and environments. Everyone with an enthusiasm for geography, travel and exploration is welcome to join.

A message

From the President

It has been terrific to see the wealth of the Society’s activity during my first year as President. The breadth of influence and the positive impact of our work astonishes me.

To a very large extent, this is due to you – our Fellows and members. Alongside our roles as a learned society, a professional body and a charity, the Society is firmly a membership organisation blessed with an extremely engaged membership.

There are many ways to engage with your Society – attending our regular and special events, contributing to our annual conference, mentoring Chartered Geographers or sharing expedition advice.

Our members also contribute in more formal ways: serving on regional committees, committees of Council that help steer the work of the management team, and advisory groups that contribute to projects – such as the upcoming Everest exhibition.

With this in mind, I would like to highlight our annual Council elections. This year, nominations close on Thursday 24 March and, if you know someone you believe will be a strong and positive Trustee, please do nominate them. The election will take place at the AGM in June. We intend to deliver a hybrid event this year, with attendance and voting possible in-person or online.

However you engage with your Society, your support for our work and enthusiasm for geography is what makes the Society a success. Thank you, and I look forward to meeting even more of you over the coming year.

Society

News

Medals and awards ceremony

In December, we were joined by our Patron, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal as we celebrated the 2020 and 2021 recipients of the Society’s medals and awards.

Forty five awards were presented including the Gold Medals which are approved by Her Majesty The Queen every year.

Restoration project progress

Works to conserve the oldest section of the Society’s building, Lowther Lodge, are progressing well with some major repairs completed towards the end of 2021. The south façade has been the focus of the first stage of restorations, with repair work done to stabilise the tall chimneys that are a signature feature of architect Richard Norman Shaw. Substantially more efficient boilers have also been installed.

New Year Honours

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2022 New Year Honours. Several Society Fellows were recognised including Anton Bowring OBE, Kenn Dunn MBE, Professor Lynne Frostick CBE, Dame Joanna Lumley and Susan Manns MBE.

Image credit: Ray Amoah Photography

Earth Photo 2022

Entries for this year’s Earth Photo competition are now open. The competition aims to further understanding of the world around us through captivating photographs. The deadline to submit photographs is 3 May.

New Shackleton exhibition

Our exhibition, Shackleton’s legacy and the power of early Antarctic photography, marks the centenary of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s death. The images on display highlight the influences and motivations which repeatedly drew Shackleton to the polar region, documenting the role of photography and literature in his career. The exhibition is on display in the Society’s Pavilion until May and an online version will be on our website.

Council nominations

We are now accepting nominations for the Council positions of Honorary Secretary (Education), Councillor (Education), Councillor (Expeditions and Fieldwork), Vice President (Research and Higher Education), Chair of Annual Conference 2023, and Councillor (Research and Higher Education).

Nominees should have an understanding of our activities and audiences, as well as experience relevant to the position. The nomination deadline is 9.00am on 24 March with the election taking place in June.

Latest membership card

One of the spectacular shortlisted Earth Photo 2021 images has been selected as this year’s membership card image. This image, Magic Tree by Yevhen Samuchenko depicts Ukraine’s Sofiyivsky Park.

Image credit: Magic Tree, Yevhen Samuchenko

Education

News

Geography heroes in training

A group of Geography Ambassadors and recently qualified teachers have begun working on a new initiative to share engaging content about Antarctica with school students using TikTok. The selected advocates have undertaken a social media training course and are now working on their content. We are grateful to the Flotilla Foundation for funding this initiative and the wider project.

Follow @geographyheroes on TikTok

School Essay Competition winners

We are delighted that Cameron Allan, Royal Grammar School Guildford, was selected as the winner of last year’s joint competition with the Financial Times. His essay on transport changes persuasively demonstrated how we can accelerate action on the Paris Agreement goals.

Young Geographer of the Year and Rex Walford winners

Congratulations to the four overall category winners of Young Geographer of the Year 2021, Aarav Gupta, Faatimah Ali, Kate James and Katie O’Shea. Congratulations also to Paul Greenhalgh, Berkhamsted Boys’ School, who received the Rex Walford Award which recognises the best scheme of work developed by trainee or newly qualified geography teachers on the same theme as the Young Geographer of the Year competition.

Endurance22

Endurance22 is a major international scientific expedition aiming to locate the wreck of Endurance, Sir Ernest Shackleton’s lost ship. At the time of writing it was scheduled to have departed 5 February.

We have been funded by the project to produce free resources for Key Stage 1 and 2 geography and history lessons, which will utilise our Collections, including polar maps, photographs, documents, and artefacts.

MacKay Carbon Calculator

We have produced teaching resources to accompany the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) MacKay Carbon Calculator, which allows users to explore how we might reduce the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 and beyond. Sir Patrick Vallance, the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser, provides a helpful introduction to the calculator in one of the resources.

Image credit: Dogs and men on ice, with Endurance behind, Frank Hurley, RGS-IBG

From the field

News

Migrants on the margins final report

The Society’s field research programme, Migrants on the margins, was a five-year collaborative project that investigated the movement of migrants into and around four of the world’s most pressured cities: Colombo in Sri Lanka, Dhaka in Bangladesh, Harare in Zimbabwe and Hargeisa in Somaliland. Supported by the Society, the research team, led by Professor Michael Collyer (University of Sussex) and Professor Laura Hammond (SOAS, University of London), adopted a comparative approach to look at the opportunities available to migrants to better understand their experiences and vulnerabilities.

The team engaged with both newly arrived and well-established residents of 13 neighbourhoods in the four cities through focus groups, surveys, walk along interviews, oral histories, Q methodology, and GIS and participatory community mapping workshops.

The key findings from the project have shed light on the incredible challenges of living in these neighbourhoods as well as the significant levels of population mobility, or churn, within these communities. Evictions were found to be commonplace and extremely damaging to the long-term livelihoods of residents, even many years after an eviction had taken place. The research also highlighted the clear gender differences between men’s and women’s roles in communities as people moved from rural to urban lifestyles and how people can easily become ‘trapped’, unable to move to better neighbourhoods and without the resources to move back to their previous home.

Image credit: Resident interview, Natalie Soysa

The project found that solutions to these issues are achievable when policymakers consider that migration is unlikely to be stopped and that legislation aiming to stop people moving is rarely successful, especially where people are moving within their own country. Policymakers also need to understand that gender differences remain fundamental to any policy interventions and that migration to urban areas transforms what is traditionally seen as men’s and women’s work in the communities. Equally, the overwhelming impact and ongoing fear of forced evictions found in the report shows how tenure security is the first step to sustainable improvements in residents’ living conditions.

Finally, the research points to the need for policymakers to consider the detrimental impact climate change has on city populations and how it can be a significant factor in affecting people’s mobility, resulting in residents becoming ‘trapped’ in low-income neighbourhoods with limited resources to move elsewhere. Results from the research are continuing to influence policy within the four cities and beyond. The research team have worked to support local policymakers and municipalities to improve the situations that migrants find themselves in.

The full project report is available on our website.

Image credit: Colombo, Natalie Soysa

Research and higher education

News

Annual International Conference 2022

We are delighted that this year’s conference will be held at Newcastle University from Tuesday 30 August to Friday 2 September 2022, and with Professor Rachel Pain of Newcastle University as Chair. The theme is Geographies beyond recovery, which asks geographers and our research collaborators to critically interrogate the idea and practice of recovery, across scales of life and global contexts, and to explore the geographies that might lie beyond.

This year we will be further developing expectations and initiatives about sustainability, inclusivity and accessibility in and around the conference and our broader activities with Research Groups and the geographical community. The Chair’s statement on inclusivity and safety at the conference highlights our intentions.

The open call for submissions for the conference will close on Friday 25 March. We are encouraging a wide range of session formats – guidance and examples can be found on our website.

We hope this conference will feature a strong in-person element, with hybrid and online ways to participate to allow broad and quality participation regardless of location or other factors.

Society book series

In the latest publication in the Society’s book series The Unsettling Outdoors: Environmental Estrangement in Everyday Life, Russell Hitchings (University College London) looks at our relationship to greenspace experiences, linking geographies of nature and the study of social practices.

Professional

News

Disaster Risk Management Professional Practice Group

Our Professional Practice Groups connect people with an interest in a thematic or sectoral area of professional geographical practice for networking and professional development.

The Disaster Risk Management Professional Practice Group, which was launched last year, brings together risk- focused professionals from across disaster risk reduction, re/insurance and the humanitarian, governmental and academic sectors.

In its first year, the group has hosted several online discussions which brought together professionals from across sectors, and across the globe, and focused on climate change risk management, understanding risk, and reflecting on lessons from COVID-19. Recordings of the events are on our website, alongside links to upcoming events and resources showcasing the breadth and range of professional pathways in Disaster Risk Management.

Chartered Geographers

We continue to expand our support for professional geographers interested in accreditation as Chartered Geographers. This includes accelerator programmes for those developing an application and mentors to support reflective professional development. Recognising that mentors also benefit from support, the new forum, ‘Mentoring the mentors’, has been established, which provides an opportunity for mentors to explore best practice in mentoring and share experiences. More information on these initiatives can be found online.

Image credit: Wildfire, Oregon, Marcus Kauffman/Unsplash

Events

Highlights

Summer events programme

This summer we look forward to building on the success of our return to in-person events and bringing you closer to inspiring speakers.

You can also continue to join us wherever you are for our online events, including fascinating Monday night lectures, informative CPD sessions, helpful workshops and intriguing regional events.

Each listing highlights whether events are in-person, online or both. This term we will broaden conversations on topical issues such as modern food injustices, visiting sites of natural disasters and how visual media shapes conversations around climate change.

One of our upcoming Monday night lectures will reveal the secrets behind the making of Disneynature’s Polar Bear, and in May Charlotte Connelly, from the Scott Polar Research Institute museum, journeys through extraordinary stories of human endeavour.

We advise checking our website before visiting the Society for the latest information.

From Lima to Canton and beyond

Studying globalisation through art

Over the last 20 years, digital imaging or digitisation of collections has become the norm within museums and archives, but it has mainly been focused on recording what humans can see with their eyes – colour images and sometimes laser scanning of 3D objects.

However, there is growing interest by digital humanities scholars in advanced imaging techniques and the new layers of information they can yield.

Working with the award-winning ISAAC research lab, led by Professor Haida Laing at Nottingham Trent University (NTU), the Society is collaborating on a new project which utilises multi-spectral imaging and artificial intelligence to uncover the mysteries of important historical artworks including watercolour paintings, maps and botanical drawings. Since each material combination has its unique spectrum, imaging spectroscopy can record to a greater or lesser extent, the material makeup (e.g. the pigments, dyes, binders, substrates) of an object. These added layers of information about heritage objects can lead to new insights about their creation, the history of trade and cultural influences, and can impact significantly on conservation and preservation decisions.

Image credit: Spatially offset Raman spectroscopy, Dr Sotiria Kogou

From the late 18th century, European colonial powers such as Britain and Spain were active in collecting information from around the world. Maps and charts as well as scientific drawings of flora and fauna were in high demand. Local artists were often employed to paint these according to European scientific conventions in cartography and botanical drawings. These scientific drawings expanded to paintings of costumes or export paintings of the daily lives of local people.

The first items analysed from the Society’s Collections have been the paintings of Joseph Brown, Colombia c.1826-1841 (X0842/1 to X0842/68). They include a selection of watercolours of various materials, formats and purposes, depicting scenes in and around Bogotá compiled by Joseph Brown, a trader who lived in Colombia from 1826 to 1841. Some of the sketches also bear the names of José Manuel de Groot and the Castillo brothers as the makers of the original drawings or the creators of the watercolours, evidence suggesting a degree of collaboration between Brown and local artists.

The project is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (UK) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (USA). The NTU team will be working across a number of important collections held by the Society, The National Archives, The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, The Hispanic Society, Library of Congress, Getty Conservation Institute and the Museum of International Folk Art.

Preliminary scientific analysis has shown some unique characteristics of the Brown collection. To find out more and to see results as they emerge visit the project website.

Image credit: A hunting scene on the Andes, Joseph Brown, RGS-IBG

Eyes on Everest

Capturing the first expeditions

To mark the centenary of the first European expeditions to Mount Everest, the Society is holding an exhibition this autumn which will explore how film has helped create the popular image of Everest and reveal the less well-known elements of the expeditions.

The Society and the Alpine Club, London were instrumental in the planning and execution of the first European-organised expeditions, having formed the Mount Everest Committee in 1921, combining the geographical, cartographic and scientific interests of the Society with the mountaineering expertise and technical knowledge of the Alpine Club.

Following the success of the 1921 expedition which gathered and shared vital geographical information, the Mount Everest Committee sought to further survey, map and photograph the landscape and document the people of the Himalayas. This led to the involvement of the photographer and filmmaker, Captain John Noel, who was aware of the commercial opportunities available to present first film footage of the people and landscapes of Tibet, and the attempt to summit the mountain, to public audiences in the West.

Captain Noel kinematographing the ascent of Mt. Everest from the Chang La [one of his Sherpa porters can be seen steadying the tripod], RGS-IBG

At the heart of the Society’s planned new exhibition are the films that Noel produced of the 1922 and 1924 expeditions. Using the latest research on the films and the films themselves as a lens through which to reframe the story of the expeditions, the exhibition will explore topics such as the role of local labour and local knowledge; how porters made filming on location possible; the tragic death of a group of porters during an avalanche in 1922; the contrasting colonial and local perceptions of the mountain and what it represented; the making and commercialisation of the films as a means to support future expeditions; and the context and uses of expeditionary films then and today.

Captain Noel, photographer, and his photographic porters by J.B Noel 1922, RGS-IBG

The exhibition will be accompanied by an events programme which will draw upon and further develop the ideas presented through lectures, film screenings, panel discussions and Collections talks, driven by recent research on Noel’s films and on the items in the Society’s Everest collection. A learning programme for schools will incorporate resources, workshops and teacher training sessions.

The Everest centenary exhibition, produced in partnership with global experience design agency, Event, will be on display in the Pavilion from early October 2022 until January 2023.

1924 film poster, RGS-IBG

Meet the Ambassadors

Inspiring the next generation

One of the Society’s key aims is to empower and support geographers in the gaining and sharing of geographical knowledge. Inspiring the next generation of geographers with this unique and vibrant discipline is an essential part of this goal. Our volunteer Geography Ambassador scheme connects students with positive role models and introduces them to a wider view of the benefits of the subject.

University geography students, recent graduates and those working in geographical professions are trained to deliver sessions to school students on the relevance of geography in the world today. They showcase the benefits of taking geography past compulsory stages of education to GCSE, A Level and beyond. The Ambassadors are specifically trained to bring their own reflections and experiences to the sessions, allowing them to challenge the stereotypes that are often associated with the subject.

Since September last year, over 150 students have taken part in the scheme’s training, joining around 2,000 other active Ambassadors in regular school visits, both online and in-person.

The feedback from these sessions reflects just how much impact they have. When surveyed, 99% of teachers who have had an Ambassador visit their school said they would use an Ambassador again and refer the scheme to their colleagues.

Providing vital insight about geography for young people in schools is not the only aim, the scheme also provides Ambassadors with a rewarding experience and the opportunity to develop their skills.

One of our newer Ambassadors, Claire from St Andrews University, shared the aspects of the scheme that she has most enjoyed so far:

“[Being an Ambassador] has allowed me to meet and work with a variety of people. I have learned practical skills related to content planning and organising, and have greatly enjoyed the element of creativity we as Ambassadors can bring to planning our sessions and content.”

Another Ambassador, Sofia, has gained valuable in-classroom experience from her sessions, saying,

“I would recommend the Ambassador programme to anyone interested in teaching because it gives you a taste of what it’s like in a way that is manageable with a busy university schedule.”

Sofia was inspired when leading a session at her own former school:

“Despite being 9.00am on the Wednesday before the Christmas break, we got the students talking about ideas and topics they could study in geography, which felt gratifying. The session was a full circle moment for me as I was back in the place where I fell in love with geography, teaching the next generation the vast possibilities the world of geography holds for them.”

Ambassadors have a lot to give, and a lot to gain. If you’re interested in developing your presenting skills as well as your geographical and professional network, or if you’re a teacher interested in arranging a session, visit our website to take the first step.

Society Print Store

A piece of history

The Society is home to one of the world’s finest Collections of photography, artwork and mapping which records over 500 years of geographical discovery, people and places from the 1480s to the present day.

Bring a piece of this unique history into your home or gift a loved one with an image from the Society’s Print Store. With the online store you can order high quality reproduction prints of some truly remarkable images from our Collections. From a volcano in Antigua to a zoological map, you can enjoy an image that captures key historic moments or snapshots from every corner of the world.

Explore collections relating to our latest exhibitions such as photographs from the travel writer Eric Newby, Mount Everest expeditions or the pursuit of the Northwest Passage.

There is a wide range of breathtaking photography and historic maps available and every purchase supports our charitable work and the care of our Collections.

Image credit: Endurance frozen in the ice, Frank Hurley, 1914-16, RGS-IBG

Propose a Fellow

Fellowship

Share a wealth of opportunities with your friends, family members, or colleagues by inviting them to join you in our vibrant community as a Fellow.

Fellowship is open to anyone over the age of 21 who can bring geographical or allied subject expertise to the Society – this could be from an academic, educational or professional background.

Our Fellows bring a wide range of experiences to the organisation and are vital to the Society’s mission to advance geography. They enable us to achieve so much more as a result of their expertise, knowledge and enthusiasm for the discipline.

New Fellows who quote NOM22 will benefit from 15 months for the cost of 12. This offer code can be shared on the Fellowship application form and is valid until 10 April 2022.

So propose a friend for Fellowship today by directing them to the Join Us page and instructing them to use the code above. Encourage their passion for geography and support the development of the field.

Corporate Partners

Cover image credit: Team members including Mallory and Sherpas at a rest stop on Everest, J.B Noel 1922, RGS-IBG