Marketing & Communications

BGSU geographer Dr. Xinyue Ye is recently home from receiving the Emerging Scholar Award from the Association of American Geographers at the group’s annual meeting. Not only did he return with the award, but with a prestigious appointment as well.

“At the same time, I was appointed to be one of the two U.S.-side book editors of A Comparative Geography of China and the U.S., to be published by Springer Press in 2013,” said Ye, a specialist in economic geography. “That book will be heavily promoted by the field, and will be influential given the increasing importance of the U.S.-China relationship.”

The Emerging Scholar Award is given annually to "early-to-mid career scholars who show potential for distinguished scholarship in development, planning and/or policy issues though applied or theoretical research in these areas, and/or impacted the field through mentorship/teaching.” It is presented by the association’s Regional Development Planning Specialty Group, which nominated and unanimously elected Ye for the award, according to Honors Committee Chair Vandana Wadhwa.

“What he has accomplished in his three years here at BGSU is truly remarkable,” said Dr. Charles Onasch, director of the School of Earth, Environment and Society. “Not only has his research program been exceptionally productive (e.g., 12 peer-reviewed journal articles, five book editorships, three book reviews, and PI or co-PI on five grants in this year alone!), but the recognitions arrive daily.

“He serves on several editorial boards and has been appointed as chief liaison to three U.S.-China geography initiatives. In this last area, our school is exploring undergraduate, graduate, and faculty exchanges with two Chinese universities that focus on geospatial science. We are very fortunate to have Xinyue.”

In addition to his position in the geography department, Ye is also a member of BGSU’s Center for Regional Development (CRD). He was a key player on an award-winning, CRD project to help businesses find and develop the workforces they need to succeed. The center designed and is building a searchable online database containing real-time information on what workers exist in specific locations and the skill sets they possess.

“This project will be very helpful to the economic development community,” said Dr. Michael Carroll, center director.

Ye created the spatial decision models for the “Comprehensive Space-Time Data Analysis Toolkit,” which was funded by the U.S. Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration. Along with CRD Assistant Director Will Burns, Ye presented the toolkit at the University Economic Development Association national competition, winning the 2011 Award of Excellence.