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Thursday, June 17, 2021

GIS Ed Weekly: Mapping trans laws, locating Niagara Falls

Resources for Teaching and Learning 

2020 bills banning trans youth from sports
The Guardian: Mapping the anti-trans laws sweeping America: ‘A war on 100 front - After sports-focused bills, the bulk of the "other anti-trans bills sought to outlaw gender-affirming healthcare, with at least 36 proposals related to medical treatments across 21 states." 

Study Finds: Americans don’t know where their national landmarks are — 1 in 5 thinks Niagara Falls is in Iceland! - The poll was funded by Charmin (the toilet paper brand) and besides geography, covers sustainability. This story was not widely picked up in the U.S., but I did see it on Russia Today.

E!geo - "E!geo aims to bring together the education community to share experiences, learn from each other and drive innovations that can benefit ITC, partners and the broader geospatial community. We started in response to COVID-19 as we transitioned to online learning but are still faced with many challenges moving forward. This community of practice in ITC will share good practices internally and with partners on reshaping courses, communication/interaction with students and colleagues during courses, publishing course content on learning platforms." Via Justine Blanford on LinkedIn.

On and Off Campus

Salisbury: ESRGC Conducting Delmar, MD, Digital Survey - "The Tri-County Council for the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland (TCCLES) has contracted with the Eastern Shore Regional GIS (Geographic Information Systems) Cooperative (ESRGC) to perform a digital survey to identify contributing factors leading to property degradation in Delmar, MD. ESRGC interns from Salisbury University will be in town photographing houses and other structures in June. All photos will be taken from public property. Pictures will remain on a secure server and be used only for the survey."

UVA: Coding for the Common Good: Students, Volunteers Map Accessibility of Local Sidewalks - "The project has since evolved into a larger street mapping initiative to include curbs and crosswalks, making it easier to connect those transition points with sidewalks for wheelchair- accessible pathways."

Resources for Teaching and Learning

Washington Post: How many oceans are there on Earth? National Geographic now says five. - "National Geographic now recognizes five world oceans, including the Southern Ocean, which it defines as most of the waters surrounding Antarctica out to 60 degrees south latitude."

Programs and Courses

The Scotsman: Sir Michael Palin backs new geography course at Scottish university - The course, as I understand it, is a degree: "Lews Castle College University Highlands and Islands (UHI) is launching an online BA (Hons) in Geography – one of just two courses in the UK where the subject is taught solely online, with the other being available through Open University."

Delmar: AI in GIS - Per Philip Davis on LinkedIn and noted here: "Course is an introduction to AI with a focus on hands-on Machine Learning (ML) labs. Purely online course with Python labs using free Google Colab interface. If you have a Google account and computer, you're all set to learn. 16 week format beginning August 30 through December 10, 2021."

People

App State: App State's Dr. Maggie Sugg receives National Science Foundation award for mental health research - The more than $400,000 grant will "advance understanding of the relationship between geography and mental health illnesses — ranging in severity from depression to suicide. She will use geographic research methods, coupled with public health data, to identify North Carolina locations with populations with elevated rates of adverse mental health illnesses — while also examining how these locations differ across a rural-to-urban spectrum."

The Post Athens: Outgoing OU President Duane Nellis takes paid professional leave, won’t teach until 2022  - "Outgoing Ohio University President Duane Nellis will take a sabbatical, or paid period of leave, following his resignation as president and will not be teaching in a classroom until at least 2022, according to his retention agreement."

Bring Me the News MN: Tributes after sudden death of University of Minnesota's Mapping Prejudice Project co-founder - Kevin Ehrman-Solberg, the co-founder of the University of Minnesota's Mapping Prejudice project, which seeks to visualize "the hidden histories of race and privilege in the built environment" passed away unexpectedly, earlier this week.

Meanwhile in our Industry

Bloomberg: Mapbox Faces Union Drive as Labor Organizers Extend Push in Tech - "The union seeks to represent all 222 U.S. employees, technical or not, at the SoftBank Group Corp.-backed company. Nearly two-thirds of workers have already signed union cards with the Communications Workers of America, which has increasingly focused on tech workplaces in recent years."

Meanwhile in Education

Education Week: Map: Where Critical Race Theory Is Under Attack - "As of June 10, legislators in 20 states have introduced bills that would restrict teaching critical race theory or limit how teachers can discuss racism and sexism, according to an Education Week analysis. Four states have signed these bills into law."

KION: Colorful sidewalks in South County map safest routes to school - "The Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC) and the Monterey County Health Department have teamed up with South County schools and volunteers to paint designs on sidewalks in an effort to map out safe routes to schools."