diff --git a/app/controllers/maps_controller.rb b/app/controllers/maps_controller.rb
index f253efd5..3d785e91 100644
--- a/app/controllers/maps_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/maps_controller.rb
@@ -116,8 +116,12 @@ class MapsController < ApplicationController
 
   # GET maps/:id/export
   def export
-    exporter = MapExportService.new(current_user, @map, base_url: request.base_url)
-
+    topic_ids = params[:topic_ids].split(',').map(&:to_i)
+    synapse_ids = params[:synapse_ids].split(',').map(&:to_i)
+    exporter = MapExportService.new(current_user, @map,
+                                    topic_ids: topic_ids,
+                                    synapse_ids: synapse_ids,
+                                    base_url: request.base_url)
     respond_to do |format|
       format.json { render json: exporter.json }
       format.csv { send_data exporter.csv }
diff --git a/app/services/map_export_service.rb b/app/services/map_export_service.rb
index 4e180bf2..8f0ab662 100644
--- a/app/services/map_export_service.rb
+++ b/app/services/map_export_service.rb
@@ -1,11 +1,13 @@
 # frozen_string_literal: true
-
+# rubocop:disable Metrics/MethodLength
 class MapExportService
   attr_reader :user, :map, :base_url
 
   def initialize(user, map, opts = {})
     @user = user
     @map = map
+    @topic_ids = opts[:topic_ids] if opts[:topic_ids]
+    @synapse_ids = opts[:synapse_ids] if opts[:synapse_ids]
     @base_url = opts[:base_url] || 'https://metamaps.cc'
   end
 
@@ -61,6 +63,7 @@ class MapExportService
     topic_mappings.map do |mapping|
       topic = mapping.mappable
       next nil if topic.nil?
+      next nil if @topic_ids && !@topic_ids.include?(topic.id)
       OpenStruct.new(
         id: topic.id,
         name: topic.name,
@@ -72,13 +75,14 @@ class MapExportService
         user: topic.user.name,
         permission: topic.permission
       )
-    end.compact
+    end.compact.uniq(&:id)
   end
 
   def exportable_synapses
-    visible_synapses = Pundit.policy_scope!(user, map.synapses)
+    visible_synapses = Pundit.policy_scope!(user, map.synapses).uniq
     visible_synapses.map do |synapse|
       next nil if synapse.nil?
+      next nil if @synapse_ids && !@synapse_ids.include?(synapse.id)
       OpenStruct.new(
         topic1: synapse.topic1_id,
         topic2: synapse.topic2_id,
@@ -110,3 +114,4 @@ class MapExportService
     spreadsheet
   end
 end
+# rubocop:disable Metrics/MethodLength
diff --git a/frontend/src/Metamaps/Export.js b/frontend/src/Metamaps/Export.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..115de12c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/Metamaps/Export.js
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+/* global $ */
+import clipboard from 'clipboard-js'
+
+import Active from './Active'
+import Control from './Control'
+import GlobalUI from './GlobalUI'
+import Selected from './Selected'
+
+// simple hack to use the existing ruby export code
+// someday we can build a real export function here
+
+const Export = {
+  data: null,
+  copySelection: function () {
+    // clipboard.copy can't be called in a different callback - it has to be directly
+    // inside an event listener. So to work around this, we require two Ctrl+C presses
+    if (Export.data === null) {
+      Export.loadCopyData()
+    } else {
+      clipboard.copy({
+        'text/plain': Export.data,
+        'application/json': Export.data
+      }).then(() => {
+        GlobalUI.notifyUser(`${Selected.Nodes.length} topics and ${Selected.Edges.length} synapses were copied to the clipboard`)
+      }, error => {
+        GlobalUI.notifyUser(error)
+      })
+      Export.data = null
+    }
+  },
+
+  loadCopyData: function () {
+    if (!Active.Map) return // someday we can expand this
+    const topics = Selected.Nodes.map(node => node.getData('topic').id)
+
+    // deselect synapses not joined to a selected topic
+    Selected.Edges.slice(0).forEach(edge => {
+      const synapse = edge.getData('synapses')[edge.getData('displayIndex')]
+      const topic1Id = synapse.get('topic1_id')
+      const topic2Id = synapse.get('topic2_id')
+      if (topics.indexOf(topic1Id) === -1 || topics.indexOf(topic2Id) === -1) {
+        Control.deselectEdge(edge)
+      }
+    })
+
+    const synapses = Selected.Edges.map(edge => {
+      return edge.getData('synapses')[edge.getData('displayIndex')].id
+    })
+
+    const url = `/maps/${Active.Map.id}/export.json`
+    const query = `topic_ids=${topics.join(',')}&synapse_ids=${synapses.join(',')}`
+    $.ajax(`${url}?${query}`, {
+      dataType: 'text',
+      success: data => {
+        Export.data = data
+        GlobalUI.notifyUser(`Press Ctrl+C again to copy ${topics.length} topics and ${synapses.length} synapses`)
+      }
+    })
+  }
+}
+
+export default Export
diff --git a/frontend/src/Metamaps/Import.js b/frontend/src/Metamaps/Import.js
index d4051ddb..535058dc 100644
--- a/frontend/src/Metamaps/Import.js
+++ b/frontend/src/Metamaps/Import.js
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import _ from 'lodash'
 import Active from './Active'
 import AutoLayout from './AutoLayout'
 import DataModel from './DataModel'
+import Control from './Control'
 import Map from './Map'
 import Synapse from './Synapse'
 import Topic from './Topic'
@@ -78,6 +79,8 @@ const Import = {
     if (topics.length > 0 || synapses.length > 0) {
       if (window.confirm('Are you sure you want to create ' + topics.length +
           ' new topics and ' + synapses.length + ' new synapses?')) {
+        Control.deselectAllNodes()
+        Control.deselectAllEdges()
         self.importTopics(topics)
         // window.setTimeout(() => self.importSynapses(synapses), 5000)
         self.importSynapses(synapses)
@@ -122,10 +125,10 @@ const Import = {
           if (noblanks.length === 0) {
             state = STATES.UNKNOWN
             break
-          } else if (noblanks.length === 1 && self.simplify(line[0]) === 'topics') {
+          } else if (noblanks.length === 1 && self.normalizeKey(line[0]) === 'topics') {
             state = STATES.TOPICS_NEED_HEADERS
             break
-          } else if (noblanks.length === 1 && self.simplify(line[0]) === 'synapses') {
+          } else if (noblanks.length === 1 && self.normalizeKey(line[0]) === 'synapses') {
             state = STATES.SYNAPSES_NEED_HEADERS
             break
           }
@@ -233,7 +236,11 @@ const Import = {
 
       self.createTopicWithParameters(
         topic.name, topic.metacode, topic.permission,
-        topic.desc, topic.link, coords.x, coords.y, topic.id
+        topic.desc, topic.link, coords.x, coords.y, topic.id, {
+          success: topic => {
+            Control.selectNode(topic.get('node'))
+          }
+        }
       )
     })
   },
@@ -270,7 +277,11 @@ const Import = {
       $.when(topic1Promise, topic2Promise).done(() => {
         self.createSynapseWithParameters(
           synapse.desc, synapse.category, synapse.permission,
-          topic1, topic2
+          topic1, topic2, {
+            success: synapse => {
+              Control.selectEdge(synapse.get('edge'))
+            }
+          }
         )
       })
     })
@@ -369,6 +380,7 @@ const Import = {
       importId,
       {
         success: function(topic) {
+          Control.selectNode(topic.get('node'))
           if (topic.get('name') !== 'Link') return
           $.get('/hacks/load_url_title', {
             url
@@ -421,13 +433,6 @@ const Import = {
     console.error(message)
   },
 
-  // TODO investigate replacing with es6 (?) trim()
-  simplify: function(string) {
-    return string
-      .replace(/(^\s*|\s*$)/g, '')
-      .toLowerCase()
-  },
-
   normalizeKey: function(key) {
     let newKey = key.toLowerCase()
     newKey = newKey.replace(/\s/g, '') // remove whitespace
diff --git a/frontend/src/Metamaps/Listeners.js b/frontend/src/Metamaps/Listeners.js
index a5dc630f..edcb0161 100644
--- a/frontend/src/Metamaps/Listeners.js
+++ b/frontend/src/Metamaps/Listeners.js
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import Active from './Active'
 import Create from './Create'
 import Control from './Control'
 import DataModel from './DataModel'
+import Export from './Export'
 import JIT from './JIT'
 import Realtime from './Realtime'
 import Selected from './Selected'
@@ -30,9 +31,26 @@ const Listeners = {
         case 27: // if esc key is pressed
           JIT.escKeyHandler()
           break
-        case 38: // if UP key is pressed
+        case 37: // if Left arrow key is pressed
+          if (e.target.tagName === 'BODY') {
+            Visualize.mGraph.canvas.translate(-20, 0)
+          }
+          break
+        case 38: // if Up arrow key is pressed
           if ((e.ctrlKey || e.metaKey) && e.shiftKey) {
             Control.selectNeighbors()
+          } else if (e.target.tagName === 'BODY') {
+            Visualize.mGraph.canvas.translate(0, -20)
+          }
+          break
+        case 39: // if Right arrow key is pressed
+          if (e.target.tagName === 'BODY') {
+            Visualize.mGraph.canvas.translate(20, 0)
+          }
+          break
+        case 40: // if Down arrow key is pressed
+          if (e.target.tagName === 'BODY') {
+            Visualize.mGraph.canvas.translate(0, 20)
           }
           break
         case 46: // if DEL is pressed
@@ -72,6 +90,12 @@ const Listeners = {
             Visualize.mGraph.plot()
           }
 
+          break
+        case 67: // if c or C is pressed
+          // metaKey is OSX command key for Cmd+C
+          if ((e.ctrlKey || e.metaKey) && e.target.tagName === 'BODY') {
+            Export.copySelection()
+          }
           break
         case 68: // if d or D is pressed
           if (e.ctrlKey || e.metaKey) {
diff --git a/frontend/src/Metamaps/index.js b/frontend/src/Metamaps/index.js
index 747cb643..2f28ee55 100644
--- a/frontend/src/Metamaps/index.js
+++ b/frontend/src/Metamaps/index.js
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import Control from './Control'
 import Create from './Create'
 import DataModel from './DataModel'
 import Debug from './Debug'
+import Export from './Export'
 import Filter from './Filter'
 import GlobalUI, {
   Notifications, ReactApp, Search, CreateMap, ImportDialog
@@ -40,6 +41,7 @@ Metamaps.Control = Control
 Metamaps.Create = Create
 Metamaps.DataModel = DataModel
 Metamaps.Debug = Debug
+Metamaps.Export = Export
 Metamaps.Filter = Filter
 Metamaps.GlobalUI = GlobalUI
 Metamaps.GlobalUI.Notifications = Notifications