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| Graphic from the NY Times air pollution article |
Reddit: Advice for First Time Teaching a GIS Course - An interesting thread. I like this suggestion: "If you have labs challenge the students to research how to utilize tools (rather than holding their hand through it), it’s perhaps the most valuable skill to learn." My team refers to this as "tough love."
CityLab: How Opioid Deaths Differ in Rural and Urban Areas - "A new study shows that the country faces different opioid challenges in urban and rural areas." Sadly, the graphics are a bit wonky and the study in question is behind a pay wall. CityLab was acquired by Bloomberg this week.
Journal of Geography in Higher Education: Merits of capstone projects in an online graduate program for working professionals - "In this paper we highlight the capstone project model used in an online geospatial professional program in which students apply a wide range of technical skills as well as enhance their soft skills through problem-based projects. These projects include advisement from graduate faculty, rigorous project planning to ensure the work is integrated with and builds upon the leading edge of applied research, and include numerous cycles of revision based on feedback from faculty, fellow students, and peers in the industry." The program in question is Penn State's MGIS. Via Anthony Robinson.
Medium: The Many Meanings of ‘Open’: Open Data, Open Source, and Open Standards - Ann Hale Miglarese takes on this evergreen topic. I wrote a version back in 2006 (p. 22).
Twitter: RJ Hale and friends discuss moving from one GIS product to another. It's a good reminder that students need to be prepared to change interfaces regularly, whether they are staying with the same technology provider/platform or moving from one to another. The only thing that's constant is change!
Radiant Earth Foundation: Radiant Earth Foundation Releases World’s First Open Repository for Geospatial Training Data - The Radiant Earth Foundation launched Radiant MLHub, described as "the world’s first cloud-based open library dedicated to Earth observation training data for use with machine learning algorithms." The funding for the first training set is from the Patrick McGovern Foundation. McGovern was the chairman and founder of IDG.
Caliper: Maptitude Team Provides Sponsorship for 2019 FSU Geography Awareness Week - The team provided a donation for the poster competition at Fayetteville State University, an HBCU.
On and Off Campus
Wellington Times: Wellington High School utilises technology in Geography - "Students at Wellington High School have an even better understanding of topography and landforms after helping to construct an augmented reality sandbox." It seems the school's industrial engineering program, individuals from UCLA and others helped put the box together.
UDaily: Mapping data - As a Delaware undergrad Abdul "Qadir developed a poster titled 'Healthy America: Spatial modeling of diabetes cases hotspots in conterminous United States,' which won first prize in the 2018-19 International Statistical Institute and Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) Student Competition, announced during the World Statistical Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in August." Qadir is now a master’s student in data science with a thesis "focused on agriculture monitoring and the sustainability of agriculture in southeast Asia with a specific focus on India."
MyEasternShore MD: Dorchester Career and Technology students learn map skills, help to make city safer - "...[S]tudents from the Dorchester Career & Technology Center (DCTC) and employees from the City of Cambridge Department of Public Works (DPW) have teamed up to use geographic information systems (GIS) maps to make sidewalks in the city compliant with federal accessibility law."
UNL: Laser scanning leads to 3D rendering of Robber’s Cave - "A first-of-its-kind project funded by History Nebraska and coordinated by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Richard Wood is ... digitally mapping every millimeter of the cave’s 5,000-plus square feet, engravings and all." What's special about the cave? It's a "naturally occurring but shallow formation that was expanded into a storage cavern in 1869 by the owners of Nebraska’s first brewing company, Pioneers Brewery. Unconfirmed, often dubious reports boast of historic visitors: an injured Jesse James, slaves escaping to freedom via the Underground Railroad, Chuck Norris." Among the goals is getting the cave on the National Register of Historic Places.
Daily Local News: Student hopes his Eagle Scout project will inspire others to learn geography - Patrick Ingham chose painting the U.S. map at the Early Learning Center in West Grove, in Chester County, PA "for his Eagle Scout project because he has always enjoyed the subject of Geography in school. He is a 2-time AGCS Geography Bee Champion and has also competed in the Pennsylvania State Geography Bee and the International Geography Olympiad. He said he hopes that the map painted on the playground at the ELC will inspire younger students at AGCS to learn about and enjoy geography."
Stanford: The hard to count still matter, but first you have to find them - "Stanford medical student Hannah Wild traveled to the Omo River Valley in Ethiopia to survey the health of the nomadic Nyangatom who live there – and to show that people who are hard to count still count." More on the Scope Blog from the medical school.
CT Mirror: Maps for All: Connecting culture, commerce and conversation - "A vigorous initiative — Maps for All — urges residents to “see the world in public places.” It was launched last month to coincide with National Geography Awareness Week, but has ambitions that extend further. The aim of Maps for All is to promote greater awareness and understanding of the impact and influences of places around the world, and how they connect here, close to home. It envisions world maps of various designs sprinkled throughout the city, region and state."
Programs and Courses
UNCG Now: New degrees in geography, environment, sustainability - "UNC Greensboro’s Department of Geography, Environment, and Sustainability (GES) is putting itself on the map with two new undergraduate degree programs that will be available starting fall 2020: a bachelor of science in geography and a bachelor of arts in environment and sustainability."
Encoura: 2019 IPEDS Update: Five Insights into the Online Master’s Market - The number of online master's programs and completion are growing, but slower than in previous year.