Ronald F. Abler – Professor Emeritus of Geography at the Pennsylvania State University. Visiting Professor at the University of British Columbia, the University of Minnesota, and the Stockholm School of Economics. Director of the Geography and Regional Science Program, National Science Foundation, 1984-1988. Executive Director Emeritus, Association of American Geographers (AAG). Served on the boards of directors of numerous academic and non-profit organizations, including the American Council of Learned Societies, the Consortium of Social Science Associations, and the University Consortium for Geographic Information Sciences. Abler's research explores the ways different societies have used intercommunications technologies at different times and places. Author of numerous research articles and co-author or editor of several books and atlases. President, AAG in 1985-1986. Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1985). Centenary Medal of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society (1990). Association of American Geographers Honors (1995). Victoria Medal, Royal Geographical Society/Institute of British Geographers (1996).
José L. Palacio-Prieto – Professor, studied Geography at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and followed specialized courses in Watershed Management, GIS and Remote Sensing in the International Institute of Geoinformation and Earth Sciences (ITC) in the Netherlands. Fields of interest include Geomorphology (gully erosion), land use planning and land use and land cover change. He teaches geomorphology and GIS in the postgraduate program of Geography and works as researcher at the Institute of Geography-UNAM, where he is currently the Director (1997-2005). He was appointed Vice President of IGU for the period 2000-2004 and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Latin-American Geographical Union (2003-2005).
Anne Buttimer – Professor of Geography at University College Dublin 1991, was President of the International Geographical Union (2000-2004). Since earning a Ph D in geography at University of Washington (Seattle) in 1965 she has held research and teaching positions in Belgium, Canada, France, Scotland, Sweden, and USA. Her publications cover issues ranging from social space and urban planning to the history of ideas and environmental concern. Some of these have been published in translation to Dutch, French, German, Japanese, Latvian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Swedish. Serving now on the Committee for Scientific Planning and Review (CSPR) of the International Council for Science (ICSU), and as participant in its Priority Area Assessment on environment and sustainable development, she is a strong advocate of geography's potential role in promoting cross-cultural dialogue and livelier interactions among specialists in natural sciences and humanities on issues facing humanity and Planet Earth.
Bruno Messerli – Professor Emeritus, Institute of Geography, University of Bern. PhD 1962, full professorship 1968, Director of the Institute 1978-1984, Rector of the University of Bern 1986-1987, Professor Emeritus 1996. Fieldwork in the Alps and in the Mediterranean mountains 1958-1967 on past and present glaciations. Fieldwork in the African mountains 1968-1977 on paleoclimate, mountain ecology and development problems. 1979 leader of a UNU project on erosion, natural hazards and land use in the Himalayas and on flood processes in Bangladesh. 1987 beginning of an interdisciplinary research project in the High Andes of the Atacama region on climate change and natural resources. Director of UNESCO’s MAB program in the Swiss Alps, Coordinator of the UNU mountain program, Director of the office of the IGBP – PAGES Core Program, Chair of the first commission of the Swiss Universities on Environmental Sciences and Member of the Research Council. Dr. h.c. of the FU Berlin; member of 6 European Academies including the Russian Academy of Sciences, award of the Swiss Government for environmental sciences, UNEP – Global 500 award, Founder’s Medal of the Royal Geographical Society, several other national and international awards, President of the International Geographical Union 1996-2000.
Liu Changming – Born in Hunan Province,China,in 1934. He is now professor of geography / hydrology at Institute of Geographic Science and Natural Resource Research.. He graduated university in 1956. He was sent to former Soviet Union for graduate study in 1960-62, and then as visiting scholar to U.S. in 1981-82. During 1992-2002 he was Director of Institute of Agricultural Modernization and Center for Water Problems, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Concurrently, he also serves as Director of Division of Geo-science, Resources and Environment at Beijing Normal University. His research work is towards systematically developing theoretical base for establishing geographical hydrology. More contributions have been to agricultural, industrial and urban development concerning the environment and ecology as well as issues of global change etc. He has carried out many national key projects and internationally cooperative studies. He have engaged with several consultative works for central government. He serves and served as SSC member of IGBP/BAHC (1997-2002), Vice Presidents of IGU(2000-04) and IRCSA(1995-96), Chairman of IGU study group(1991-96), Vice President of GSC and Chinese Association for Environmental Sciences, Steering member of Chinese National Commission for IUGG, Chairman of CNC for IGBP-BAHC, editorial board member of two International Journals "Hydrological Processes" and "Water Resources Development", editor in chief of Journals: "Acta Geographica Sinica" and "Journal of Chinese Eco-Agriculture". Up to now, he has published more than 250 papers including books. He won 12 award / prizes for his achievements and was selected as academician of CAS in 1995.
Markku Löytönen –- Professor, MSc 1979 and PhD 1986 University of Helsinki. In 1995 he was appointed associate professor at the University of Turku, and 1999 full professor of human geography at the University of Helsinki. His research interests range from the history of geography and exploration to quantitative methods and GIS with special interest in the geography of health. His list of publications totals over 250 titles, mostly articles, reviews and research reports. He is domestically a well-known author of popular science books, among them three books for children, for which he has received four literature awards. He is on the editorial board or editorial advisory board of Journal of Health and Place, International Journal of Health Geographics, and Belgeo. He has served as the Editor-in-Chief of Fennia and has as the Editor-in-Chief of Terra. Some of Löytönen’s many positions of trust include Vice President of the IGU, full member of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters, and board member of the Federation of Finnish Learned Societies. He was recently inducted into the Order of the White Rose of Finland.
Lindisizwe Magi – Professor, educated at the University of Zululand (PhD), South Africa and as a Fullbright Scholar studied recreation and tourism geography at the University of Oregon. He was visiting academic and adjunct professor at University of Edinburgh (1988) and Southern Illinois University (1998) respectively. Presently he is Vice-Rector at the University of Zululand and has pioneered postgraduate programmes in recreation and tourism. Besides chairing the IGU National Committee (SA), he is member of the International Cartographic Association and the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme. He recently played a leading role in organising IGU 2002 Durban Conference and ICA 2003 Durban Congress. Lindisizwe Magi is a gold medallist of the Society of South African Geographers, and member of: KwaZulu-Natal Gaming Board and SA Tourism Research Committee of the Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. He has a number of Masters and PhD graduates and refereed publications to his credit.
Hiroshi Tanabe – Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Economy at the University of Teikyo in Tokyo, Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo, studied at the University of Tokyo (Doctor of Sciences) and of Rennes (France, 1966-68), nominated as associate professor (1971), professor (1986-97) at the University of Tokyo, and professor at Keio University (1997-2002), during these years, worked as Professeur associé at l”Université Paris VII (1979), Directeur of Maison du Japon, Cité International Universitaire de Paris (1991-93), editor of Journal of Geography of Tokyo Geographical Society (1999-2001) and its Vice-President (2001-03), also elected as Chair of the Working-Group on Applied Geography, IGU (1980-84) and Vice-president of IGU (2000). Specialized in administrative geography he contributed to decide the administrative boundary on the reclaimed land on the sea and in the submarine tunnel of the Tsugaru Straight. His research, extended to the public policy, regional and urban planning,, resulted in the urban analysis for the HABITAT,UN (1982). As his textbook for middle school is the most popular in Japan, his main interest is now the research of how geographical education can contribute to the peace process worldwide.
Woo-ik Yu – Professor of the Department of Geography(1980~) and Director of the Institute for Korean Regional Studies, Seoul National University (SNU); Born in Sangju, Korea (1950), BA (1971) and MA (1973) in geography at the SNU and Ph.D. (1980) at the University Kiel, Germany; Visiting Scholar to the UC Berkely (1990-91) and to the University of Paris-Sorbonne(1999-2000) and Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs of the SNU (2000-02); Research interest in geography lies in social geography and regional policy. Served IGU as Secretary General of the Organizing Committee of the 30th IGC in Seoul 2000; Member of the Korean Presidential Committee for the 21st Century (1989-94), Secretary General of the Korean Presidential Committee for Policy Planning (1994-98), Presently Member of the Advisory Committee for the Mayor of Seoul, General Advisor for the “Korean Encyclopedia Britanica”, Editor of the “Encyclopedia of Korean Culture”, Editor of the Weekly Magazine “Future Korea”; Vice-President of the IGU for the period of 2004-2008.
Vladimir Kolosov - Professor, PhD 1979 Moscow State University, habilitation 1992 (Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences), head of the Center of Geopolitical Studies at the Institute of Geography and professor at the Moscow Institute of International Relations. He received the scholarship of Brussels Capital Region (1991) and Fulbright Scholarship at the University of Colorado at Boulder (1997), was nominated as Professor at the Universities of Toulouse-Le Mirail (2001-2003), visiting professor at the universities of Paris-Sorbonne IV, Paris-I Panthéon-Sorbonne, Bordeaux and Tampere. His research interests lie in the fields of political geography and geopolitics, social geography, world cities and large metropolitan areas. He is the author of more than 300 publications, including the most popular textbook on political geography in Russia. He chaired the IGU Commission on Political Geography (1996-2004), is on the editorial boards of Political Geography, Geopolitics, BelGéo, Eurasian Geography and Economy, Annales géographiques. He co-directed and participated in many international projects and organized a number of conferences.
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