Geography Commons^™

Harnessing Data To Shape Montana's Tourism Narrative – 2024 Montana Governor's Conference, Melissa Weddell, Kara Grau, Megan Schultz

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

No abstract provided.

Belly Dance In Nebraska: Identity, Social Acceptance, And Perseverance, Alex R. Mohr

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Belly dance is an art form as well as an often-contested practice due to tensions over dress, terminology and cultural practices within the belly dance community because the dance originated outside the United States. Additionally, there is often a need to prove the legitimacy of the dance to those outside its sphere because it is often stigmatized due to the early association with exotic dancing. Belly dance is inherently geographic, as seen through its places of origin, music and movement styles, global spread, practitioners, and spaces of practice. However, it has not been well-represented in geography, and there is also …

Entangled Exclusions: Borders, Frontiers And Urban Geopolitics From Northeast India, Prerona Das, Gaurav Mittal, Jasnea Sarma

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

An epicentre of ethnicity-based identity politics and exclusions, India's northeastern region has long been politically imagined as both a ‘frontier’ and ‘borderland’ for state control, territorialization, extractive economies and (re)developments by colonial and subsequent post-colonial regimes. In post-independence India, the region experienced many territorial assertions made on ethnic grounds. With the rise of religio-national and neoliberal politics, new urban ‘developments’ and connectivity projects in the region have deepened exclusions based on class, caste, ethnic and religious borders. These have, in turn, led to further displacement, enclavization, and ghettoization of minority communities who are deemed ‘non-native’ along ethnocentric lines. Taking two …

Comparison Of Airborne Lidar-Derived Elevation Data In Fayetteville, Arkansas, Usa, Angelica M. Otting

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Light detection and ranging (lidar) laser scanners are prominent remote sensing tools to produce high resolution three-dimensional (3D) imagery of the Earth’s surface. These laser scanners combined with global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) and real-time kinematic (RTK) reference stations can generate some of the most accurate ground surface imagery and elevation data for terrain mapping and related applications. Lidar aerial survey is an important tool in industries such as architecture, civil engineering, forestry, geology, geography, and agriculture where digital terrain models (DTMs) can be used to examine the geographical landscape and urban industry. Currently, there are three different common laser …

Mapping The Underthing: Literary Geography And Geographic Education In The Slow Regard Of Silent Things, Colby Mcclain

Master's Theses

This thesis examines the imagined geography of Patrick Rothfuss’ The Slow Regard of Silent Things. Through textual analysis, it investigates how fictional spaces can be mapped, the significance of toponyms (i.e., place-names), and the broader implications for literary and geographic studies. Of the fifty-two (52) toponyms analyzed, thirty-eight (38) were meaningfully identified using the text and the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), revealing deliberate naming schemes associated with function, emotion, or symbolism. These findings provide insight into the main character’s world, and her unique relationship with space and place. This study demonstrates that even wholly imagined settings have an underlying …

Changing Climate, Changing Minds: Social Media's Role In Shifting Climate Change Beliefs, Rachel M. Clarke

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This study explores how social media messages influence individual beliefs, attitudes and behaviors related to climate change. Despite widespread exposure to social media, there is concern about its effectiveness in shaping beliefs and actions regarding climate adaptation and mitigation. Research indicates that many people in the United States show limited concern for climate change, underscoring the need for targeted communication strategies. By designing and implementing a survey experiment with random participants within the United States, this study examines how sharing first- person experiences of climate-related hazards on social media affects opinions about climate change, in comparison to traditional third-person news …

Development Of Al Ain Flash Flood Risk Maps Utilizing High-Resolution And Accurate Remote Sensing Data, Khaled Khamis Al Arfati

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Al Ain City has undergone significant land use transformations from 1992 to 2022, marked by a population increase of over 50% and extensive development activities. This period has seen the construction of new residential areas, infrastructure, and commercial establishments, as well as enhancements to green spaces. An analysis of the Digital Terrain Model (DTM) revealed an 83% alteration in the terrain due to urbanization and shifting sand dunes, with most elevation changes under 5 meters. The primary aim of this dissertation is to develop accurate flash flood risk maps for Al Ain using high-resolution remote sensing data. This research highlights …

Mapping Homes Of Georgia's Governors And Their Westward Shift (1776–2024), Andrew J. Bramlett

Symposium of Student Scholars

Since the start of the American Revolution, seventy-seven men have served as Governor of Georgia. Over time, the state expanded westward from the coast to become the largest state east of the Mississippi River. Although individual governors have been studied extensively (particularly in James F. Cook’s The Governors of Georgia), their residences remain underexplored as indicators of electoral power shifts. Based on the information of seventy-seven governors collected from Cook, the New Georgia Encyclopedia, and Georgia Historical Quarterly, this research visualizes the residences of governors at the time of their election by using ArcGIS and reveals the state’s electoral …

Territorio Anfibio Y Agroalimentario. La Ruralidad Cenagosa, Cristan Abad Restrepo

Educación

Las comunidades que habitan los ecosistemas cenagosos gestionan su vida en conjunto con el agua. Existe un espacio relacional donde todo es interacción, de allí que el bienestar de las poblaciones depende de la calidad del agua de las ciénagas, de la producción del pescado y de la biodiversidad. Sin estas condiciones, los territorios anfibios no pueden reproducir la vida. Cuando el río, el caño y la ciénaga no realiza el intercambio hídrico, las comunidades entran en crisis, porque materialmente depende de esta para sobrevivir. Gestionar esta relación es fundamental para garantizar la vida local. Esta cartografía social del corregimiento …

Narratives In Motion: The New Era Of Dam Building In East Africa, Andrew Nicholas Selassie Prado-Alipui

Theses and Dissertations

Narratives of energy insecurity, underdevelopment, and resource conflict influence how African hydropower projects are justified within the broader context of climate change and demands for sustainable development. The challenge of meeting energy demands provides the overarching motivation for ambitious large-scale hydropower projects in East Africa, especially in Tanzania and Ethiopia. As development projects, the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project (JNHPP) and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) can be understood as vehicles of political discourse, framed as the technopolitical solution to questions of national identity that both countries face in the midst of sociopolitical and economic transformation periods. This research shows …

Economic Development On The Ground: Rural Development And The Distribution Economy, John David Rinehart

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the practice of economic development in the South Carolina at the county and regional level. Looking at the Interstate 95 corridor, this research examines economic development organizations in practice, using in-depth interviews with actors operating at different spatial scales. Specifically, I highlight the current ideology of development as it relates to the proliferation of warehousing and distribution in the state. I outline the ideologies of economic development professionals, including their spatial strategies and perceptions of ‘community’ as it relates to economic development goals.

My research demonstrates the extent to which rural areas have been left without the …

Mapping Fire Susceptibility Of The South Carolina Coastal Plain, Breonna Roden

Theses and Dissertations

Wildfires are a natural hazard that have occurred across the world, throughout time. Regions prone to wildfires have been experiencing changes in their fire regimes. Not only has the fire season length increased, but the fires themselves are increasing in frequency and intensity. Wildfire research has been limited for the state of South Carolina, raising concerns along with global warming and population growth. Global warming is likely to become more extreme, which can lead to droughts becoming more frequent and lasting for longer periods of time. According to the 2020 census, South Carolina was the 10th fastest-growing state, which is …

Racial Contestations Of Space: Rural Preservation And Black Municipal Development In The South Carolina Lowcountry, Sydney Elizabeth Potter Smith

Theses and Dissertations

As newcomers flock to the South Carolina Lowcountry and drive development, the region has generally implemented strategies to preserve what remains of the region’s iconic rural landscapes by restricting new development in places that are designated as “Rural Areas”. These multi-scaler growth management strategies are problematic because they frame rural preservation as benefiting the greater good and prescribe a universal solution to urban sprawl, regardless of the individual needs of rural communities. This naturalizes and perpetuates forms of racial inequality across the landscape. Simultaneously, there are alternative spatial practices that aim to improve the quality of life for rural residents …

Mobilizing Discord On The United States’ Many Borders: Critical Social Science And Geopolitical Complexity, Margath Walker

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

Attention to the political landscape connecting the United States, Mexico, and Central America has returned with glaring intensity, highlighting the visibly geostrategic elements of bordering practice. Scholars have focused on how state power materializes at multiple scales while at the same time being attentive to the contestable and mutable nature of myriad agentic forces. This talk operates similarly by considering prospects for a frictional and at times ambiguous spatial politics. I extend the notion of discord as a productive lens through which to consider securitization, mobility, and migration. I use two short examples—the border-industrial complex and migrant caravans—to illustrate my …

Statement From The Indiana Academy Of The Social Sciences And Board Of Directors

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Best Businesses For New Urbanist Communities: A Retake, Karl Besel, Tonya Thornton, Yusuf A. Nur, Kenneth Chilton

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

Place defines the linkages between space and representation. Several theoretical concepts attempt to examine how people perceive a place and even their purpose as a part of it, including it being as a prescribed way of life, a public ideology to ascribe to, and as a set geographical residence. More often than not, this “sense” is simply categorized by a rural-urban continuum dictated by health and wealth. New Urbanism communities is an urban design movement that promotes a sense of community by designing walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods that are environmentally friendly and provide a wide range of housing and job types. …

George C. Roberts Award Recipients

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

96th Annual Iass Conference Call For Papers

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Volume 27, Issue 2 Full Contents

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Editor-In-Chief's Note, Surekha Rao

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Mission And Editorial Policy

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Religiosity And Violence Prevention Programs On Violence Amongst Adolescents In The U.S., Ngoc Nguyen, John Paulson, Quentin Maynard, Thu T. Ha

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

Youth violence is a societal concern in the United States due to its negative consequences on individuals and communities. The current study aimed to examine the potential mitigating factors of violence prevention programs and religiosity in reducing youth violence among African American, White, Hispanic, and Asian American adolescents in the United States. It also tested the moderation effects of sex on religiosity and violence prevention programs with youth violence. Results of the main effects revealed that adolescents who attended violence prevention programs were generally less likely to engage in violence than those who did not; and that adolescents who were …

Author Biographical Notes

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Reviewers And Referees

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Editorial History

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Mapping And Analyzing Urban Growth In The Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Using Geospatial Technologies Integrated With Machine Learning, Hamsa Mohamed Yusuf

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Urbanization is happening at a rate twice the increase in population on a worldwide scale. This has great environmental and social impacts, along with large impacts on regional climate and one of the reasons for this is the ever-continuous change of land use and land cover. The availability of high-resolution satellite imagery in addition to the advancements in geospatial technology allow mapping of LULC changes to be done accurately, efficiently and covering wide areas.
This thesis studies the urban Land Use and Land Cover Change (LULCC) that happened in Abu Dhabi city for the last 3 decades by utilizing geospatial …

Trump And The Us Energy Transition, Conor M. Harrison

Faculty Publications

The US electricity grid has seen a rapid increase in the amount of renewable energy over the last decade, with many renewable advocates viewing the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 as the catalyst to move the grid towards 100% clean energy. The 2024 elections, however, have significantly muddied the path. In this commentary, I posit what the Trump administration—and related Republican control of both houses of the US Congress—means for the US electricity system. I begin by briefly outlining the contours of federal and state electricity governance, the design of Inflation Reduction Act, the existing drivers of renewable energy growth …

Towards An Explicit Understanding Of Network Governance In Urban Forestry Management: A Case Study Of Portland (Or), Usa, Quadri Olatunbosun Taiwo, Vivek Shandas

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

As the climate continues to warm, and municipal leaders look for cost-effective and timely approaches to urban sustainability, one increasingly sought-out approach is the use of tree canopy to cool neighborhoods. Despite widespread efforts to expand tree canopy in cities, an overwhelming body of evidence suggests that urban green space is declining across the U.S., yet little is known about the factors that propel these changes. Understanding the institutional and governance systems can help identify the opportunities for slow consistent declines. Using social network analysis (SNA) metrics, we examined stakeholder roles in power structures and decision-making processes within Portland, Oregon’s …

The Way Of The Woods: Interview With Greg Weiss, Greg Weiss

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

Mr. Weiss shares invaluable experience and wisdom of bushcraft and his sense of place in the northern Wisconsin woodlands. His local experiences are also informed by years of travels to the Amazonian forest and many other locations. Mr. Weiss heads and co-runs an outdoor adventure business in the Northwoods and organizes and leads primitive skills workshops off Lake Superior (Cornucopia, WI). He has been an extremely valuable member of the Northland College community for more than twenty years.

Confronting Housing Challenges In West Virginia, Dawson Bernard, Gabrielle Frazier

CRC Research Symposium

The housing crisis in the United States has become a growing concern, with a lack of affordable, quality housing, and increased rates of homelessness. While this issue affects the nation as a whole, it takes on unique dimensions in rural and economically challenged places like West Virginia. What are the key trends and challenges in housing in West Virginia, and how do they impact housing quality, affordability, and access? Many communities across the state of WV are grappling with aging housing infrastructure, lack of new development, and economic instability. Motivated by both an omission in data and pressing housing issues …