Geography Commons^™

Use Of Ground Penetrating Radar For Determination Ofwater Table Depth And Subsurface Soil Characteristics At Kennedy Space Center, Gideon M. Hengari, Carlton R. Hall, Tim J. Kozusko, Charles R. Bostater

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Sustainable use and management of natural resources require strategic responses using non-destructive tools to provide spatial and temporal data for decision making. Experiments conducted at John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) demonstrate ground penetrating radar (GPR) can provide high-resolution images showing depth to water tables. GPR data at KSC were acquired using a MALÅ Rough Terrain 100 MHz Antenna. Data indicate strong correlation (R²=0.80) between measured water table depth (shallow monitoring wells and soil auger) and GPR estimated depth. The study demonstrated the use of GPR to detect Holocene and Pleistocene depositional environments such as Anastasia Formation that consists of …

Lds Geography On A Micro-Scale, Nathan Simmons, Dr. Samuel Otterstrom

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Recently the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has gained world-wide recognition for the high standards the Church promotes, but perhaps even more so for the rapid growth and expansion it has experienced. Much of this spread is due to the Church’s policy of active proselytizing, a force which fuels the spatial diffusion of church membership. It is therefore valuable to study the spatial diffusion of the LDS faith throughout the world to better understand the factors that influence the distribution of church membership throughout the world, and that promote its growth.

Utah County Government Study, Amanda K. Tammen, Dr. Richard H. Jackson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Glamorous Presidential, Senatorial, and Congressional campaigns garner airtime, contributions, and groupies. Any observant constituent would believe that the aforementioned elected officials influence their lives the most. However, local elected and appointed officials have a greater impact on residents’ lives. By far, the least understood responsibilities are those at the County level. In 1832 Alexis de Tocqueville stated, “The County becomes the great administrative center and the intermediary between the government and the plain citizen.” Today many can name their city’s mayor. But most cannot name even one of their elected county commissioners.

The Impact Of Light Rail On Land Use In The Salt Lake Valley, Kenneth K. Rencher, Dr. Richard H. Jackson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In 2001 The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) completed the first phase of a new light rail system, TRAX, stretching from Downtown Salt Lake City south to Sandy. Two years later, an east-west line was added to connect to the University of Utah and the U of U Medical Center. One of the justifications for these projects was that the creation of a light rail system would be a catalyst to economic development in the areas around the tracks and stations. This study examines the initial impacts on housing densities, commercial and retail development, and property values along the existing TRAX …

Operational Multi-Angle Hyperspectral Sensing For Feature Detection, Charles R. Bostater, Donald K. Brooks

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Remote sensing results of land and water surfaces from airborne and satellite platforms are dependent upon the illumination geometry and the sensor viewing geometry. Correction of pushbroom hyperspectral imagery can be achieved using bidirectional reflectance factors (BRF's) image features based upon their multi-angle hyperspectral signatures. Ground validation of features and targets utilize non-imaging sensors such as hemispherical goniometers. In this paper, a new linear translation based hyperspectral imaging goniometer system is described. Imagery and hyperspectral signatures obtained from a rotation stage platform and the new linear non-hemispherical goniometer system shows applications and a multi-angle correction approach for multi-angle hyperspectral pushbroom …

Early Humboldtian Influences On Alfred Russel Wallace's Scheme Of Nature [Presented At The Alfred Russel Wallace And His Legacy Royal Society Of London Meeting, 21 October 2013], Charles H. Smith

DLPS Faculty Publications

Alfred Russel Wallace’s 1858 Ternate paper on natural selection is a famous work in the history of science. Beyond his co-discovery of the principle, moreover, Wallace is known for a large number of early applications of the idea, both to biological and biogeographical subjects. Yet how much do we really know about Wallace’s own evolution of thought, and his actual intentions before his views were swallowed up by the inertia of Darwin’s revolution? A number of differences between Wallace’s and Darwin’s views are apparent and have been much treated over the years, but related discussions dwell more on effects than …

Bridging The Byu Administration – International Student Gap, Maraly Ledezma, Dr. Samuel Otterstrom

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The project was extremely successful. It is a living witness that when are anxiously engaged in a good cause, and pray in faith, God puts forth his hand.

A Framework To Evaluate Wildlife Feeding In Research, Wildlife Management, Tourism And Recreation, Sara Dubois, David Fraser

Wildlife Population Management Collection

Feeding of wildlife occurs in the context of research, wildlife management, tourism and in opportunistic ways. A review of examples shows that although feeding is often motivated by good intentions, it can lead to problems of public safety and conservation and be detrimental to the welfare of the animals. Examples from British Columbia illustrate the problems (nuisance animal activity, public safety risk) and consequences (culling, translocation) that often arise from uncontrolled feeding. Three features of wildlife feeding can be distinguished: the feasibility of control, the effects on conservation and the effects on animal welfare. An evaluative framework incorporating these three …

Strangers In A Strange Land: The Phenomenon Of Migration In South Africa, Stephen J. Spiegelhalter, Dr. Daniel Nielson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The result of the funding from this grant is a preliminary insight into the phenomenon of migration in South Africa. While interesting in and of itself, it actually comprises an important component of a larger project—an honors thesis on the study of international migration, its effects on the migrating population, and its effects on the host state. This study focuses on the parallel situations of the United States and South Africa. Further, it specifically examines the interplay of domestic economic and political conditions and public sentiment regarding immigration legislation. This topic continues to occupy the foreground of American politics with …

A Tree Ring Analysis Comparing Tree Rings At Two Elevations To Precipitation And Temperature To Find The Dominant Limiting Factor, At Snowbird Utah, Brian Latta, Dr. Matthew F. Bekker

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The objective of this case study is to determine which limiting factor is most dominant in controlling tree growth at Snowbird, Utah. Trees typically respond and grow to a variety of factors. Some of these factors are precipitation, temperature, competition, soil moisture, soil depth, and disturbances. The two most dominant factors found in previous studies are temperature and precipitation. This case study found that neither of these factors is the most dominant limiting factor for tree growth.

Spatial Manifestations Of Christian-Muslim Relations In Damascus And Aleppo, Syria, Joey Leavitt, Dr. Chad Emmett

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Syria’s unique geographic location places it at both the epicenter of ancient Christianity’s advent and the heart of the modern Islamic Middle East. This rich and diverse religious history is evident today in Syria’s population. Although the majority of Syrians are Muslim, a sizable minority of between 10% and 20% profess Christianity.

Land Surface Phenologies And Seasonalities Using Cool Earthlight In Mid-Latitude Croplands, Woubet G. Alemu, G. M. Henebry

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Phenology deals with timing of biotic phenomena and seasonality concerns temporal patterns of abiotic variables. Studies of land surface phenology (LSP) and land surface seasonality (LSS) have long been limited to visible to near infrared (VNIR) wavelengths, despite degradation by atmospheric effects and solar illumination constraints. Enhanced land surface parameters derived from passive microwave data enable improved temporal monitoring of agricultural land surface dynamics compared to the vegetation index data available from VNIR data. LSPs and LSSs in grain growing regions of the Volga River Basin of Russia and the spring wheat belts of the USA and Canada were characterized …

Images And Observations From My Time In Pakistan, Brian Jose

Forum Lectures

An unexpected trip to Pakistan, on behalf of the US State Department, provided me with an opportunity to meet thousands of Pakistani's, engage in their arts scene, and get something of a 'street-level' view of a country Americans rarely see. In this forum, I share stories, photos and experiences from my time in this wondrous, thoughtful, chaotic, dangerous and often misunderstood country.

Moving Forward: Next Steps For Confronting Increased Flood Risks, Molly Mitchell

October 2, 2013: Quantifying Risks and Moving Forward

No abstract provided.

Norumbega News, No.17 (Fall 2013), Osher Library Associates

Friends of OML, Occasional Publications

Issue No.17, Fall 2013

Osher Map Library and the Smith Center for Cartographic Education

Portland, Maine

Imls Place Grant: Press Release Abstract 1, Place Project Group

PLACE Project

Early press release describing the PLACE (Position-based Location Archive Coordinate Explorer) project that is funded by the Institute for Museum and Library Services. The University of New Hampshire (UNH) library partnered with the UNH Earth Systems Research Center to develop a geospatial interface that is searchable by geospatial coordinates.

[Sabbatical Report], Jun Yan

Sabbatical Reports

During my sabbatical leave (Fall 2013), I have mainly worked on the project to explore the dynamics of the U.S. domestic airline market. This project focuses on geographic changes in the U.S. domestic airline market over the past two decades (1993-2012) at the level of city-pair directional markets. The primary goal for this project during my sabbatical is to prepare and process data for further analysis in the coming years.

Landscape Ideology In The Greater Golden Horseshoe Greenbelt Plan: Negotiating Material Landscapes And Abstract Ideals In The City's Countryside, Kirsten Valentine Cadieux, Laura E. Taylor, Michael F. Bunce

College of Liberal Arts All Faculty Scholarship

We analyze the role of landscape ideology in the recent Ontario Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH) Greenbelt Plan. Focusing on the “Protected Countryside,” the major land-use designation in the Plan that structures the Greenbelt framework, we explore tensions between abstract ideals of countryside used by policy makers to elicit support for the Plan and people's lived experience of material landscapes of the peri-urban fringe. Approaching “countryside” from the combined perspectives of landscape studies and political ecology, we show how the abstract ideals used to build support for the protection of countryside in the high-level political arena are in tension with existing …

Strategies For Strengthening The Great Plains Oral Health Workforce, John Reinhardt, Kimberly Mcfarland

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

The looming shortage of dentists in rural communities throughout the Great Plains is a well-documented concern. Access to care can be a problem, and the lack of dental care is generally most acute among those with low income, those with complex health issues, and minorities. Studies are finding that there are significant associations between poor oral health and the occurrence of systemic diseases or problems. Examples include cardiovascular disease, stroke, and preterm delivery of low-birth weight infants. The two primary diseases of the oral cavity-dental caries and periodontal disease-are not only treatable but also preventable with adequate care.

The University …

Ensuring Mathematical Learning In Rural Schools Investing In Teacher Knowledge, Wendy M. Smith, W. James Lewis, Ruth M. Heaton

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

In this research article we share our vision of how to improve student mathematics success in rural districts. Good teaching matters. We have found two recurring features that can support teachers' success in effectively teaching students mathematics: high-quality, longitudinal professional development and professional connections. We partner with rural districts and master teachers to offer local high-quality professional development for mathematics teachers to strengthen their mathematical knowledge for teaching. We have substantial evidence that participation in longitudinal, high-quality professional development significantly increases teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching, as well as improves their confidence in teaching. Bringing teachers together for professional development …