Geography Commons^™

And Then There Were Two: Why Is The United States One Of Only Two Countries In The World That Has Not Ratified The Convention On The Rights Of The Child?, Mark Engman

International Human Rights Law Journal

Twenty-five years ago, the United Nations General Assembly (‘U.N. General Assembly’) unanimously adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child (hereinafter the “CRC”), which became the most widely accepted human rights treaty in history. Today, every nation in the world is a party to the CRC – except for two: Somalia, and the United States. This article will analyze the politics behind America’s failure to ratify this treaty. That may seem a little out of place in a law journal, but in reality the United States’ (‘U.S.’) acceptance or rejection of international law is as much a matter of …

Principled Humanitarian Organizations And The Use Of Force: Is There Space To Speak Out?, Scott Paul, Elizabeth Holland

International Human Rights Law Journal

Humanitarian organizations are fundamentally concerned with addressing the suffering of civilians. The decision by an armed actor to resort to force can result in greater protection or greater harm, and has at least as significant an impact on civilian lives as any decision made during the conduct of hostilities. Yet, humanitarian organizations rarely publicly advocate for or against the use of force. This article explores the perceived and actual limitations that humanitarian principles place on the public advocacy of humanitarian organizations regarding the recourse to force. It begins with a discussion of the relevant legal framework and explication of the …

Transitional Justice In Sri Lanka: Rethinking Post-War Diaspora Advocacy For Accountability, Mytili Bala

International Human Rights Law Journal

Sri Lanka’s 26-year civil war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam came to a bloody end in May 2009, amidst allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity on both sides. Since then, Tamils in the diaspora, long accused of funding the war, have become vocal proponents for war crimes accountability. Some might label certain forms of diaspora advocacy as “lawfare” or “long-distance nationalism.” However, these labels fail to account for the complex memories and identities that shape diaspora advocacy for accountability today. In order for Sri Lanka to move forward from decades of conflict, transitional justice mechanisms to …

No Child Is An Island: The Predicament Of Statelessness For Children In The Caribbean, Catherine A. Tobin

International Human Rights Law Journal

In a region characterized by human mobility, many children in the Caribbean are born in a different country than their parents. In fact, the Caribbean is considered one of the regions with the highest percentage of people migrating. This article will analyze the root causes of statelessness for children in the Caribbean, focusing primarily on the dangerous interplay between ineffective birth registration systems and lack of safeguards for children who would be otherwise stateless. The article will also address recent shifts in migration and nationality policies in countries such as The Bahamas and the Dominican Republic that have exacerbated existing …

A Close Look At The Relationship Between Poverty And Political Violence In Nepal, Lauren C. Griffin

Global Tides

Today, one quarter of Nepal’s population of 27 million lives on a daily income of less than two dollars (Sharma 8). Villages are deprived of an ample water supply, and some areas still lie in ruins from the aftermath of the Maoist insurgency. This paper will seek to understand the role of poverty in the historically and presently unfolding political environment of Nepal. Several factors show direct correlation between poverty and insurgent activity, such as land ownership, level of education and socio-economic standing. Nepal has had a volatile and bloody past in the midst of medieval dynasties, an authoritative monarchy …

Eastern Washington Wildfires: Tracking Land Recovery In The Colockum Tarps Wildfire Area, Michael Balda, Allison Shinn

Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

Eastern Washington State has seen an increase in wildfire activity because of policies of fire suppression and changing climate. The Colockum Tarps wildfire started on July 27, 2013, in Malaga, Washington, due to a water pump malfunction. After ignition, the fire quickly moved south-southwest and burned a total area of 80,408 acres of grasslands and forest. We combined fieldwork and geospatial analysis of aerial photography and satellite imagery to examine vegetative recovery within the fire area. Using ArcGIS and PCI Geomatica, we analyzed 2013 National Agricultural Imaging Program (NAIP) images and a wildfire perimeter shapefile from the Bureau of Land …

Here I Am And Here I’M Not: Queer Women’S Use Of Temporary Urban Spaces In Post-Katrina New Orleans, Vigdís María Hermannsdóttir

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This thesis builds on previous work on the relationship between queer identities and urban space. Drawing from an analysis of two recurring New Orleans-based queer women’s events, I examine how lesbians and queer women not only use but also actively produce social spaces of their own through participation in events organized specifically for lesbians and queer women. Using qualitative methods, I examine the ephemeral and transient quality of lesbian and queer women’s social spaces in post-Katrina New Orleans and the processes through which such spaces come into being. I argue that lesbian and queer women’s production of ephemeral social spaces …

Network Analysis Of The Walkability Of Denver’S Light Rail And Bus Rapid Transit Network And How This Can Be Improved, Ryan Ferriman

Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones

This study evaluates how well the existing and proposed light rail and bus rapid transit lines in Denver serve residents who want to get by without a car. The number of residents and jobs within half mile and one mile walking distances of stations are calculated using network and buffer analysis methods. Results are compared to determine the accuracy benefit of conducting a network analysis rather than the more common buffer analysis. The study looks at ways to boost the number of residents and employees within walking distance by maximizing access around each station. It also quantifies the available land …

Internal Ecologies And The Limits Of Local Biologies: A Political Ecology Of Tuberculosis In The Time Of Aids, Abigail H. Neely

Dartmouth Scholarship

South Africa is known for its high rates of HIV and tuberculosis (TB), where HIV has provided fertile ground for the transmission of TB. Indeed, HIVTB coinfection is widely understood as one of the, if not the, biggest health problems in the country. In practice, doctors and nurses understand that unusual cases of tuberculosis indicate HIV and they make diagnosis and treatment plans accordingly. International treatment standards and protocols inform this practice as doctors pay little attention to individual people and the political, economic, cultural, social, and environmental contexts in which they live. Political ecology, with its nested, place-based analysis, …

Estimating Stormwater Runoff For Community Gardens In New York City, Mara Gittleman

Theses and Dissertations

While much of the literature cites community gardens as providing urban ecosystem services, there is very little research quantifying these benefits. This thesis compares the stormwater runoff rates of urban vacant lots, community gardens, and residential developments in New York City and evaluates community gardens as green infrastructure.

Creation Of Weighted Theissen Polygons Using Python, Colin Spohn

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Abstract:

This project is an exploration into creating and manipulating Thiessen polygons. Thiessen polygons are zones created around points to show the area closer to each point than any other point in the set. Thiessen polygons are used to extend climate data from individual stations across areas. After creating the new procedure applications of the algorithm were considered.

The manipulation explored in the project focused on allowing the borders of traditional Thiessen polygons to be shifted based on values among the points. These manipulated Thiessen polygons have been dubbed weighted Thiessen polygons.

These weighted Thiessen polygons were created using the …

Mountain Passes And Saddle Points, James Bisgard

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Variational methods find solutions of equations by considering a solution as a critical point of an appropriately chosen function. Local minima and maxima are well-known types of critical points. We explore methods for finding critical points that are neither local maxima or minima, but instead are mountain passes or saddle points. Criteria for the existence of minima or maxima are well known, but those for mountain passes or saddle points are less well known. We give an accessible treatment of some criteria for the existence of such points (including the mountain pass lemma), as well as describe a method that …

Structure And Composition Of The Kennesaw State University Arboretum: Past And Present, Stephanie A. Roper

Symposium of Student Scholars

The purpose of this study is to determine the trends in composition and structure of the Kennesaw State University (KSU) Arboretum, located on the Kennesaw Campus. To assess the trends, we identified the tree species, and measured the diameter (dbh) and locations of all stems including new growths (i.e. greater than 1cm dbh) in the permanent plot during the summer of 2014. Density, dominance, and frequency values were calculated and all trees were plotted from data collected in 2008, 2010, and 2014. Findings show that there have been an increase in Fagus grandifolia (beech), a significant decline in Cornus florida …

Gold Mining And Unequal Exchange In Western Amazonia: A Theoretical Photo Essay, Gordon L. Ulmer

disClosure: A Journal of Social Theory

I combine fieldwork photography and ethnographic documentation of gold mining in Madre de Dios, Peru, to examine the localized material, social, environmental, and health outcomes of the global gold boom. This 'theoretical photo essay’ examines how local and global forces coalesce around gold mining and influence peoples and environments in Western Amazonia. I use embodiment theory in anthropology, ecological economics, and theories of underdevelopment to understand local consequences of the global gold trade and to elucidate how opulence and the machinations of capital accumulation in economic centers of the world occur at the expense of human lives and environments in …

Monitoring Invasive Plant Species: Summer Internship At Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary, Belmont, Massachusetts, Holly M. Zanoni

Sustainability and Social Justice

Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary, located in Belmont, Massachusetts is a dynamic suburban sanctuary that effectively upholds Mass Audubon’s three-part mission of advocacy, conservation, and education. Invasive plants threaten ecological integrity; however, proactive measures are taken to mitigate further encroachment. This is accomplished by surveying and taking inventory for presence of invasive species, then prioritizing them, and finally by incorporating high priority species into the immediate management strategy. Four invasive plants were formally analyzed using geographic information science during the 2014 growing season: Garlic mustard, Black swallowwort, Japanese knotweed, and Dame’s Rocket. The resulting density maps detected pattern changes from 2011, 2012, …

Emissions From Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations During Wet And Dry Periods In The Southeastern United States, Jesse N. F. Winchester

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Air quality modeling is a recent development in atmospheric science dedicated to simulating the characteristics of surface emissions within the context of a variety of meteorological conditions. In western Kentucky, there are several concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) that emit a variety of gases, including sulfur dioxide (SO₂). The hypothesis was that the concentration and spread of SO₂ emissions from these sources would differ between wet and dry periods over the CAFO locations. In this thesis, point emissions from locations representing CAFOs in western Kentucky and the transit of SO₂throughout the southeastern U.S. were simulated …

Assessing Mesoscale-Equivalent Temperature In Kentucky, Keri Younger

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this research is to investigate mesoscale-equivalent temperatures (TE) in Kentucky and potential land cover influences. Kentucky presents a unique opportunity to perform a study of this kind because of the observational infrastructure provided by the Kentucky Mesonet (www.kymesonet.org). This network maintains 65 research-grade, in-situ weather and climate observing stations across the Commonwealth. Equivalent temperatures were calculated utilizing high-quality observations from 33 of these stations. In addition, the Kentucky Mesonet offers higher spatial and temporal resolution than previous research on this topic. As expected, the differences (TE-T) were greatest in summer (smallest in winter), with an average of …

Illustrated Essay: Bridgewater's Third Nature And The Re-Wilding Of The Landscape, Brian Payne, Karen Callan

Bridgewater Review

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Relationship Between Landscape Change And Conservation Plans Since 1991 In Tompkins County, Ny, Kelly Nickodem

Theses - ALL

Various levels of government try to manage the spread of urbanization and the increasing threat to open space and agricultural lands by implementing various comprehensive or conservation plans. Extensive research has also studied the changing landscape using remote sensing and GIS, yet little has been done to connect the environmental policies with these technologies. Using Tompkins County, New York as a case study, this project attempts to combine these two aspects by examining how land-cover and land-use is changing over time with respect to environmental policies put in place at various governmental levels. Each town in the county has developed …

Operation Mapping: Cartography, Intelligence, And The 3rd Battle Of Gaza, 1917, Joel Radunzel

Theses - ALL

World War I sparked numerous innovations in military cartography. In the Palestine theater as elsewhere, the British and Dominion forces leveraged new technologies, including aerial photography and wireless intercepts, to supplement their use of intelligence to map enemy troop positions. The creation and distribution of these position maps by the 7th Field Survey Company for the 3rd Battle of Gaza in late 1917 represented an innovative process of intelligence gathering, map production, and knowledge distribution. This thesis not only examines the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) along with its subordinate intelligence assets and cartographic organizations as a comprehensive mapping system, but …

Aerial Thermography In Archaeological Prospection: Applications & Processing, Autumn Chrysantha Cool

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Aerial thermography is one of the least utilized archaeological prospection methods, yet it has great potential for detecting anthropogenic anomalies. Thermal infrared radiation is absorbed and reemitted at varying rates by all objects on and within the ground depending upon their density, composition, and moisture content. If an area containing archaeological features is recorded at the moment when their thermal signatures most strongly contrast with that of the surrounding matrix, they can be visually identified in thermal images.

Research conducted in the 1960s and 1970s established a few basic rules for conducting thermal survey, but the expense associated with the …

Environmental Impact Of Conference Realignment, Bradley Farley

Masters Theses

Sports have a large impact on the environment. While leagues and teams are looking at improving their sustainability at stadiums, they also have increased their travel distances. NCAA Division I athletic conferences have recently endured conference realignments. This expanding geographic footprint of these conferences has led to teams having an increased travel distances for all sports. This research investigates the environmental impact of travel distances that conference realignment has had in NCAA Division I athletics, particularly regarding the Power 5 conferences carbon footprint. The research question examined is, based on travel distances, has the carbon footprint of the conferences changed …

Mapping Ancient Baldcypress Forests For Conservation At Black River, North Carolina, Jordan Nichole Burns

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A few ancient baldcypress-bottomland hardwood forests survive across the southeastern United States in a mosaic of remnant old-growth stands left untouched by extensive logging during the early 20th century. Uncut stands in the Southeast that survived centuries of disturbance following European settlement tended to be too senescent and non-commercial to justify logging. Remnant ancient baldcypress forests at Black River, North Carolina, appear to contain the oldest living trees in eastern North America and The Nature Conservancy has protected several of these stands. However, the full extent of ancient bottomland forests along Black River is not known and many valuable tracts …

Recent Shoreline Erosion Rates Along Black River Bay, Jamaica: Erosion And Recovery After Hurricane Ivan In 2004, Karen Louise Zelzer

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Rising sea level is threatening coastal areas, particularly those in the Caribbean which rely heavily on tourism and marine resources to support local economies. The purpose of this study is to analyze shoreline position along the south coast of Jamaica to determine the locations and rates of coastal change. IKONOS satellite imagery sets for 2003, 2007 and 2012 were used to monitor land use and shoreline changes along Black River Bay, including Galleon Beach Fish Sanctuary, in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. In particular, the effect of Hurricane Ivan in 2004 on shoreline changes was evaluated. Erosion rates were significantly higher during …

Modeling Background Radiation Using Geochemical Data, Kara Marsac

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Aerial gamma ray surveys have many applications in geology and science in general, such as locating mining prospects, defining radioactive plumes, and detecting nuclear weapons. Unfortunately there is currently no simple way to separate the natural gamma radiation of soil and rocks from that of contaminants such as radioactive plumes. This project used geochemical data (uranium, potassium and thorium concentrations) collected from national databases, private companies, and the NURE (National Uranium Resource Evaluation) Survey, to create forward models of exposure rates measured by aerial gamma ray surveys. We developed these techniques using an area in north central Arizona known as …

Towards An Expansion Of The Salt City Harvest Farm: Exploring A Community Farm’S Impact, Challenges, And The Agricultural Ways And Aspirations Of Its New American Farmers, Rose Tardiff

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The Salt City Harvest Farm (SCHF) is a community farm located in Kirkville, NY cultivated by and for New Americans living in Syracuse who wish to expand gardening beyond their backyards and community gardens. While the farm has been operational for two growing seasons, it is an all-volunteer project with limited capacity, and concerns about long-term sustainability. This research was designed to be pragmatic; it seeks to inform the future structure and programming of the SCHF by identifying its projectspecific challenges, drawing on the agricultural aspirations of its New American participants, and investigating how other refugee farming projects in the …

September 2013, Colorado Front Range Flooding, And Impacts On Agriculture And Irrigation Infrastructure: A Case Study In The Left Hand Ditch System, Boulder County, Colorado, Nick Ludolph

Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones

Flooding can cause massive harm to the agricultural sector by flooding fields and damaging the infrastructure that is essential for agricultural activities. Crops are often lost and repairs may be necessary to restore irrigation systems to functional status. This research aims to quantify the damages and losses experienced from the unprecedented September 2013 flooding event in Boulder County Colorado’s Left Hand Ditch Company service area. Damages are cataloged and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technologies were used to estimate economic impact and determine the landscape characteristics of lands where the highest rates of flooding occurred. Alfalfa and non-alfalfa hays experienced the …

Using Kriging, Cokriging, And Gis To Visualize Fe And Mn In Groundwater, Crystal Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For aesthetic, economic, and health-related reasons, allowable concentrations of iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) found present in drinking water are 0.3 mg/L and 0.05 mg/L, respectively. Water samples taken from private drinking wells in the rural communities within Buncombe County, North Carolina contain amounts of these metals in concentrations higher than the suggested limits. This study focused on bedrock geology, elevation, saprolite thickness, and well depth to determine factors affecting Fe and Mn. Using ArcGIS 10.2, spatial trends in Fe and Mn concentrations ranges were visualized, and estimates of the metal concentrations were interpolated to unmonitored areas. Results from this …

Farmer Discontent In Periurban Bangalore: The Utopia Of Agricultural Modernization, Neoliberal Developmentalism And The 21st Century Global City, Zhe Yu Lee

Geography Honors Projects

Today’s agricultural production in periurban Bangalore is structured by deteriorating ecological conditions and lack of enabling economic environment. Many farmers live in precarity even as market logic has become hegemonic given the dominance of input and capital-intensive cash crop production, a situation exacerbated by the threat of government-driven land acquisition. In my honors thesis, I argue that epistemological assumptions regarding agricultural modernization and neoliberal developmentalism that undergird this mode of production have come to largely structure the operation of institutional frameworks and individual subjectivities. However, these “external” influences are never fully totalizable and by invoking notions of assemblage and hybridity, …

Resistance, Acquiescence Or Incorporation? An Introduction To Land Grabbing And Political Reactions ‘From Below’, Marc Edelman, Ruth Hall, Saturnino M. Borras Jr., Ian Scoones, Ben White, Wendy Wolford

Publications and Research

Political reactions ‘from below’ to global land grabbing have been vastly more varied and complex than is usually assumed. This essay introduces a collection of ground- breaking studies that discuss responses that range from various types of organized and everyday resistance to demands for incorporation or for better terms of incorporation into land deals. Initiatives ‘from below’ in response to land deals have involved local and transnational alliances and the use of legal and extra-legal methods, and have brought victories and defeats. The relevance of political reactions to land grabbing is discussed in light of theories of social movements and …