Periphery apparel and a grant for attendance at this year’s AAGs

MaxPAC (I didn’t know Maxwell has a political action committee) is having an apparel sale, which reminded me of an idea I had last year.  I never followed up on it, but perhaps here is my chance to lure people out of the woodwork and to comment on the blog.

It goes like this.  I can fairly easily and cheaply (actually at no cost beyond the price of the clothing/stickers/hats/bags/etc) print up some Periphery (and Syracuse Geography) apparel/coffee mugs/clocks/golf bags/whatever else and put it up for sale with a slight (a buck or 2) markup over the regular cost.  I would then put that money into a fund that would go to support the first annual Periphery Grant for Effective, New, and Imaginative Experiments (the P-GENIE).  This grant would support one graduate students proposal to find new ways to navigate the dangerous waters of attendance at a major conference.  The money can be used at the recipients discretion, but is intended to support innovative efforts that might make the AAGs a productive professional experience (broadly considered).  These efforts should go beyond the regular rigor-morale of handshakes, general greetings, and long lasting glances that scream “I wish had the courage to introduce myself to you.”  Submissions from students would be judged on their creativity, the capacity of the funds to fully support such projects, and their potential to expand the utility of the conference.

As a side bonus, the apparel, etc, needn’t necessarily prominently feature the Periphery logo, but would the inclusion of some SU geography branding might increase the department’s visibility at the conference.

Such a project would take a little bit of work on my part, but if there is enough interest I’m certainly willing to do it.  I’m not sure how many people are reading the blog anymore, but if you would be interested in supporting such a project (possibly buying some gear or submitting a proposal), please let me know in the comments or through an email.