The QMRG offers a prize each year for the best undergraduate dissertation. Entries are assessed by at least two judges who are required to provide a mark out of ten and a paragraph of justification for each. This year the QMRG had entries from 10 geography departments in the UK.

If possible we will post a copy of the winning entry here.

Deadline: 10 July 2010

Many thanks for all the great entries and it was a pleasure for the committee to read such a wide ranging use of quantitative methods. The field this year was very strong indeed and all entrants should be commended, however, the entry submitted by the University of Oxford stood as being particularly innovative. Therefore, the prize this year is awarded to Amelia Hanna for the dissertation titled “Mega-Yardangs: A Quantitative Morphometric Study”. Well done Amelia and the QMRG committee wish you well for your future.

As in previous years, the prize is for the best dissertation in *any* area of quantitative geography, which include the application of existing techniques or the development of new ones in physical, human or
environmental geography. However, it is our expectation that the selected study will demonstrate a genuine and detailed engagement with quantitative methods by the student. Thus, for example, running a piece of software to harvest results, without demonstrating an understanding of model formulation, or interrogating the limitations of the model output, is insufficient.

Entries are limited to undergraduate students completing BSc / BA level dissertations in UK higher education institutions and must be nominated by a member of staff within those institutions. Each institution is limited to a single entry. Entries are judged by members of the QMRG committee who may, depending on the number of entries received, decide to award separate prizes for different fields of the discipline. There is a cash prize for the winner(s).

This year will operate differently from previous years in that a complete copy of the nominated dissertation should be sent directly to each of three judges without any indication of the mark the dissertation received. If you would like to nominate a dissertation, please contact myself in the first instance (a.singleton@ucl.ac.uk) and I will provide further information about where each copy should be sent.

The closing date for entries to be received by the judges is July 10th.

Dissertations should be submitted by the student’s department, along with a copy of the appropriate departmental dissertation regulations. Research papers or reports should be submitted by the company where the work has taken place, with a cover letter explaining the context of the work. Confidentiality will be ensured.

Please submit the work in hard copy to either Linda See or Alison Heppenstall (contact details below). Please include an email address for the student or employee. Departments/companies may not submit more than one entry. Closing date for entries is 28 Feb 2009.

Dr Linda See/Dr Alison Heppenstall
School of Geography
University of Leeds
Woodhouse Lane
Leeds
LS2 9JT

Email: l.m.see@leeds.ac.uk; a.j.heppenstall@leeds.ac.uk

The Physical Geography prize goes to Robert Bradford from the University of Bristol and is titled “Modelling the Future of a Valley Glacier in the European Alps, under 21st Century Climate Predictions Recently Released as part of the IPCC Special Report on Emissions Scenarios”

The Human Geography prize goes to Charlotte Norton also from the University of Bristol titled “A Multilevel Approach to Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Life Satisfaction in Germany from 1992 to 2006″

Well done to both Charlotte and Robert, plus thanks to all those who sent in entries and to committee members who spent time completing reviews.