GEAR Lab Highlights from AAG 2026 SF

GEAR Lab members had an inspiring and productive week at the American Association of Geographers (AAG) 2026 Annual Meeting, with strong participation in symposium organization, panel discussions, research presentations, student awards, and specialty group leadership.

A major highlight was the inaugural AAG GIScience for Human Experience and Responsibility (GISER) Symposium, co-organized by Dr. Lei Zou with Drs. Yuhao Kang, Jiaxin Feng, Hoeyun Kwon, Armita Kar, Yue Lin, Hongyu Zhang, and Bing Zhou. The symposium featured 29 sessions centered on an important question for the future of GIScience: how can the field enhance human experience while embedding responsibility into the development and application of geospatial technologies? The event brought together scholars working across GIScience, GeoAI, human-centered computing, urban analytics, and responsible innovation.

Dr. Zou also contributed to several signature activities of the AAG GIScience Specialty Group, including the GISS & TGIS Tobler Distinguished Lectures, the GISS Student Honors Paper Competition, and the GISS Award Ceremony. These events continue to play an important role in recognizing outstanding scholarship and supporting the next generation of GIScience researchers.

GEAR Lab research was also represented in conference sessions and panels. Dr. Zou presented work titled “Climate Action in 3D: Thinking Spatially and Vertically for a Sustainable Future” and chaired three panels on the past, present, and future of GIScience; the value of geospatial small data in the era of big data and AI; and human networks and data science. These discussions highlighted emerging directions in spatial thinking, responsible GeoAI, data science, and climate resilience.

AAG 2026 was also a time to celebrate student achievements and leadership. Yifan Yang received 2nd place in the AAG GIScience Specialty Group Student Honors Paper Competition and received the AAG International Geographic Information Fund (IGIF) Scholarship. Zongrong (Jasper) Li also received the AAG IGIF Scholarship and was elected to leadership roles in the AAG Applied Geography Specialty Group and the AAG CyberInfrastructure Specialty Group. Hao Tian received 2nd place in the Remote Sensing Student Honors Paper Competition and received the AAG IGIF Paper Award.

The conference also offered a meaningful opportunity to reconnect with collaborators, alumni, and friends of the lab. It was especially exciting to see former students, including Drs. Binbin Lin, Debayan Mandal, and Bing Zhou, thriving as independent scholars and taking on leadership roles in the broader geography and GIScience community.

Congratulations to all GEAR Lab members, alumni, collaborators, and colleagues on a successful AAG 2026. We look forward to continuing these conversations and seeing everyone again at AAG 2027 in New York.