Geography Professor Rick Church has been selected to be President of the North American Regional Science Council (NARSC) for 2015. NARSC is “an international scholarly organization that focuses on regional analysis, ranging from urban and spatial economic theories to applied problems and public policies in regional development, sustainability, environmental management, transportation, land use and many other contemporary issues of our societies. We are an interdisciplinary association representing members in fields as diverse as economics, agricultural economics, public policy, urban planning, civil engineering, geography, finance, and demography. NARSC represents Regional Science in North America, and our allied regional organizations provide opportunities for local participation” (source).
According to its Mission Statement, “The North American Regional Science Council (NARSC) promotes the scholarly exchange of ideas and knowledge that apply to urban and regional phenomena in North America and across the globe. The association fosters exchange across academic disciplines and builds on the understanding that urban and regional issues are best addressed by utilizing tools, methods, and theoretical frameworks specifically designed for regional analysis, as well as concepts, procedures, and analytical techniques of the various social and other sciences. The association organizes an annual national conference that provides a forum for interaction and discussion, and sponsors scholarly regional science journals for the dissemination of research and ideas. NARSC is an objective, scientific body without political, social, financial, or nationalistic bias” (source).
Rick will serve on the NARSC Executive Committee and the Honors Committee for this year, and he will present a presidential address at the North American Meetings in the fall. Congratulations and kudos to Dr. Church!
Professor Church joined UCSB Geography in 1980 and was the Department Chair from 1984-1988. In 2009, he was elected a Fellow of the Regional Science Association International and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was appointed Associate Dean of the UCSB Division of Mathematical, Life, and Physical Sciences in 2010 and was elected to the Board of Directors of the Western Regional Science Association in 2012. In 2012, Rick received the Lifetime Achievement Award, Section on Location Analysis of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS), he was awarded the UCSB 2012-2013 Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award in 2013, and in 2014, he was selected for the UCGIS Research Award for his highly-cited “Maximal Covering Location Problem” paper and relevant fundamental contribution to GIScience.
