Today was the grand opening, ribbon cutting event at CURVE and I must say I was impressed with the turnout, the diversity of projects being showcased and the use of the space.

Amber Boll and I manned a workstation that focused on our GIS projects revolving around issues of food and urban gardening.We did not stop talking for the entire hour- impressed at the level of interest and response we were getting from the various departments and backgrounds at the event.

Everyone was curious about how either gardening or mapping could be incorporated in their own work or personal lives.  Many began by explaining their own expertise and how it might correlate and others simply wanted us to discuss our projects and the work being done around Atlanta.

Talking through much of my research, I realized the impact this type of work can have across disciplines.  Understanding ideas spatially is what we do as geographers, but to see people looking at the work we’ve done and being excited and engaged with it because of the visual nature and content was extremely gratifying.

I made countless new contacts, many with proposals for collaborative projects, within the span of an hour.  This event demonstrated the ability of the space and the partners involved to create innovative and applicable research.