Geography, Environment, and Sustainability

Dr. Selima Sultana Receives the AAG TGSG 2021 Edward L. Ullman Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Field of Transport Geography

Posted on March 31, 2021

Dr. Selima Sultana, Professor of Geography, Environment, Sustainability, is the recipient of the 2021 Edward L. Ullman Award from the American Association of Geographers Transportation Geography Specialty Group (AAG TGSG) (http://aag-tgsg.org/index.html)  for her outstanding contribution to the field of transport geography.  This is the most prestigious international award in transportation geography offered by the AAG TGSG since 1990 (http://aag-tgsg.org/). The award is named by Edward Louis Ullman (1912 – 1976) who was a highly influential transportation geographer and spent most of his academic career at the University of Washington (http://aag-tgsg.org/past.html).

Dr. Sultana has been engaged in the field of transportation and urban geography for 20 years and made significant contributions to commuting research in both the theoretical and applied domains, and is recognized internationally as a transportation researcher, teacher, and advisor. Her work has focused on two critical areas: first, how processes of urban growth and resulting spatial characteristics changes affect commuting and transportation decisions; and second, how transportation impacts accessibility and spatial equity for different income, family structure, racial, and ethnic groups. In addition to authoring a book on transportation modes across the world, she has published more than 50 refereed journal articles, book chapters, and research reports, as well as 11 book reviews, blog posts, other scholarly writings, numerous invited presentations and keynote speeches, and conference presentation. Her publications appear in a wide variety of outlets including some of the highest-quality journals in her fields of specialization, including the Annals of the American Association of Geographers, Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, Urban Studies, Urban Geography, Journal of Transport Geography, and Transport Policy. Her research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, Department of Transportation through the University Transportation Center of Alabama, Center for Sustainability at Auburn University, and University of North Carolina Greensboro. Prior to appointment at UNC Greensboro, Dr. Sultana was an Assistant Professor at Auburn University, AL. She has served as a guest editor of special issues for the Journal of Transport Geography and Sustainability. She served as a board member and chair of the AAG TGSG, Co-Head for the Network of European Transportation and Academic Research, and is currently serving as an editorial board member of Journal of Transport Geography. She is a co-editor of Southeastern Geographer, the flagship journal of the Southeastern Division of AAG (SEDAAG) and serving as an AAG councilor representing SEDAAG. She was awarded the SEDAAG Research Honors in 2019 for her significant publications and research leadership in the field of transportation geography. Her co-authored book entitled ‘The National Park System: Human Geography Perspectives on “America’s Best Idea” will be published in 2021 by the University of Georgia Press.

Dr. Sultana will formally accept the 2021 Edward L. Ullman Award at the 2022 AAG Annual Meeting Award Luncheon in NYC and present the Douglas Fleming Lecture at the AAG Annual Meeting in the following year.