Geography Commons^™

Legacy Parkway: Evaluating The Effects Of Construction On Wetland Patterns, Nate Dorsey, Jillian Brandley, Joshua Fawcett, Michael Johnson

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

The Legacy Parkway is a 14-mile highway that was built in 2008 to alleviate traffic congestion in Davis County, Utah. The parkway was built near the Great Salt Lake in an area with many wetlands. Prior to construction there was a great deal of controversy regarding how the parkway might negatively affect the wetlands. This research attempts to answer the following question: How did construction of the Legacy Parkway impact wetland patterns?

Examining The Impacts Of Habitat Fragmentation Along The Western Border Of Yellowstone National Park, Alex D. Johnson, Vania Hernandez, Janelle Sands, Matthew Bekker

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Landscape Ecology combines the disciplines of geography and ecology to give a unique spatial approach, which allows extrapolation across scales Our area of study is located on the SW border of Yellowstone National Park and the adjacent National Forest. (Fig.1) Different land management practices between the National Park and National Forest, in particular, deforestation in the National Forest, can affect the ecosystem in the greater Yellowstone area. (Fig. 2)

A Comparative Study Of The Murray/Taylorsville And Salt Lake City Greenway Systems, Nicholas G. Baker, Evan Pressley, David Munson, Mark Christensen

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Greenways are an important part of an urban system. They are linear strips of vegetated area that extend through or around cities. Greenways have various environ-mental, social, and economic benefits that contribute to healthy communities. Characteristics of greenway systems can be quantified and measured, allowing comparison between study areas. Our study uses landscape metrics to compare the total area, total edge, number of patches, and connectivity of the Salt Lake City and Murray, Utah greenway systems.

Geography News, V34n1, Spring 2010, Geographic Alliance Of Iowa.

Geography News

Inside This Issue:
--Coordinator’s Corner
--Rail Roads Under and Over
--�� ��������� in Russia
--Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad
--Iowa, Agriculture and Geography in the Iowa Core Curriculum

A Test Of The Area Of Refuge Hypothesis In Indo-Pacific Marine Biogeography, Jonnell C. Sanciangco

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Many hypotheses have been proposed to explain the marine biogeographic patterns of species richness of the Indo-Pacific. One of these hypotheses suggests that available habitat area is the main predictor of species richness. This is the basis for the area of refuge hypothesis that attempts to explain the global maxima of species richness found in the Coral Triangle, the area encompassing mostly the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia. This species-area effect also has habitat heterogeneity as a potential component. The purpose of this study is to test the effects of habitat availability predictors, such as shallow water area and coastline length …

A Gis Analysis Of The Environmental Variables Related To Rift Valley Fever Outbreaks, Jacqueline Florette Jackson

Health Services Research Dissertations

Rift Valley fever is a mosquito-borne disease that causes widespread febrile illness and mortality in domestic animals as well as humans (Gaff, 2007). Rift Valley fever virus was first isolated in 1931 (Daubney, 1931), and since then, outbreaks have occurred in sub-Saharan Africa, southern Africa, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Madagascar, proving it to be a virus able to invade ecologically diverse regions (Gaff, 2007). The potential introduction of Rift Valley fever into the United States suggests the potential for human infection and major economic disruption. It is important to understand the role environmental variables have played in historical outbreaks …

Commodifying My Culture: An “Appalachian” Reflects On Her Role In Sustaining A Limited Discourse Of Appalachia, Amanda Fickey

disClosure: A Journal of Social Theory

No abstract provided.

Does More Green Equal More Green?: A Comparison Of Vegetation In Rich And Poor Neighborhoods In Utah County, Alan Peters, Roxanne Yorgason, Cinta Nielsen, Alison Fletcher

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Greenery is an important part of any urban environment. Besides being visually appealing, landscaping performs important ecological functions such as food and habitats for some creatures and cooling effects for the urban ecosystem. For these and other reasons, places with green lawns and mature trees are highly desirable. Landscaping, however, is not cheap. Planting and maintaining appropriate trees, shrubbery, or grasses can be costly to private homeowners, businesses, or municipalities. This can result in unequal amounts of trees and other greenery between rich and less affluent communities, and a disparity between rich and poor neighborhoods within the same city. Using …

Greenway Systems In Salt Lake City And Tallahassee A Comparitive Analysis, Derek Bruton, Lydia Michela, Tyler Terry, Morgan Osborne

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Landscape ecology is the study of the relationship between spatial pattern and ecological processes on a range of landscape scales. One aspect of land¬scape ecology that we chose to study was green¬ways. Greenways are long, narrow corridors that differ from the surrounding landscape types; they are used for recreation, and for pedestrian and bi¬cycle traffic. We compared the greenways in Salt Lake City and Tallahassee (Figures 3 and 4), using landscape metrics (methods of quantifying land¬scape pattern) as tools to define characteristics of the greenway systems. To determine which city had a stronger greenway system, we based our conclusions on …

A Greenway Runs Through It: The Midtown Greenway And The Social Landscape Of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Aaron M. Brown

Geography Honors Projects

Minneapolis’ Midtown Greenway is a 5.5 mile bicycle and pedestrian corridor that replaced a grade-separated railroad line in 2000 and expanded to its current length in 2007. In an era of reinvestment in American inner cities and a heightened political awareness of both urban transportation alternatives and public spaces, the academic field of geography has much to contribute to the discussion about the viability, effectiveness, and success of projects such as this adaptive reuse of reclaimed, deindustrialized space. My research investigates results from a survey of 223 Greenway users, exploring participants’ demographics, residential proximity to the trail, and purposes for …

Who Draws The Line In El Paso, Texas: Multiscalar Interactions And The Chances For Border Reform, Robert L. Heyman

Geography Honors Projects

The question of how borders are defined and enforced has always been an important issue both to the state and to residents between whom make and must deal with those decisions. This project examines El Paso, Texas as a case study for shaping a more progressive future for border and immigration enforcement. It does so by reporting on 16 interviews with key actors in border policy discussions. El Paso offers an excellent opportunity to study how border and immigration enforcement approaches are negotiated between scales, including federal enforcement agencies, state government, city and county officials, and community activists. Immigration enforcement …

Analysis Of Streamflow In The St. Croix River: A Hydrologic Model, Stephanie A. Kleinschmidt

Geography Honors Projects

This project assesses how streamflow is affected by anthropogenic changes to the environment, looking specifically at the St. Croix River Basin. In 2004 the United States Geologic Survey (USGS) published a report on streamflow in the St. Croix River at two gaging stations: Danbury and St. Croix Falls. The streamflow at the upstream station near Danbury, Wisconsin remained stable over time, while an increase was observed at the station in St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin further downstream. In order to evaluate this disparity, this project utilizes a GIS hydrologic model to analyze the factors expected to be influencing the flow rate. …

Mapping The Mahajanga Basin: Using Gis To Explore Spatial Relationships In Madagascar's Geology And Paleontology, Anne Brown

Geography Honors Projects

Tha Mahajanga Basin, located in northwestern Madagascar, is a region of intense geological and paleontological study, but has never before been subject to spatial analysis. Since 1993, expeditions conducted by Stony Brook University, Macalester College, and the University of Antananarivo have uncovered a rich sampling of more than six thousand specimens and observations including fossils of non-avian dinosaurs, crocodiles, and turtles. This paper analyzes the spatial relationships between paired groups within the fossil record as well as wider regional trends to address paleoenvironment. A combination of spatial analysis and statistics are used to determine the patterns existing between fossils or …

Internal Displacement: Recent History, Visions For The Action Ahead, Mayela Calderon

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research project is meant entirely to highlight the suffering of millions of people around the world outside of their homes and inspire the addressing of this. Internally displaced people face human rights violations on all levels starting from political representation all the way to their basic needs and when their national government who has the primary responsibility, is either unable or unwilling to do something about this, it is up to the international community and civil society to ensure these rights are being fulfilled. The mainstreaming of this topic is essential to pressure influential actors to mobilize and achieve …

Modeling Large-Scale Historical Migration Patterns Using Family History Records, Brian Bunker, Elias Wise, Eric Severson, Sam Otterstrom

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Location has a powerful effect, and humans seek to understand not only where they are, but where they have come from. Thus, genealogy and migration are both important human concepts, and one can help to illuminate the other. Historical migration studies use records of all types to attempt to model and explain the movement of individuals and families. Our purpose is to use the new Family Search database compiled by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members to create a flexible search engine which will enable visualization and analysis of migration by community or by place …

Finding Latino/As: Library Tools To Discover And Mine Social Data And Statistics For Latino/Hispanic Populations In The United States, Marisol Ramos, Shikha Sharma

UConn Library Presentations

The purpose of this presentation is to clarify the difference between Data Mining from Mining for Data when searching for information about the United States Latino/Hispanic American population and what tools are available at the Homer Babbidge Libraries for our faculty and students doing this type of research.

This presentation was part of the Puerto Rican and Latino Studies Institute's Terturlia series, March 31, 2010.

A European Case Study On The Intersection Between Public And Private Space: Increasing Breastfeeding Rates In A Modern World, Steven Matthew Stearmer

Theses and Dissertations

Health organizations around the world, from international bodies of government to local advocacy groups, are pushing the benefits of breastfeeding. While this is commendable, no study has ever been completed to assess on a regional scale the available policy options and their effectiveness at producing increased breastfeeding rates. It is my contention that five key factors influence the effectiveness of breastfeeding policies in Europe; Acceptance of public breastfeeding, maternity resource commitment, legal protection of breastfeeding in public and business space, a united voice in favor of breastfeeding, and limitations to formula advertisements in hospitals on media outlets. These five factors …

Design Of A Monocular Multi-Spectral Skin Detection, Melanin Estimation, And False-Alarm Suppression System, Keith R. Peskosky

Theses and Dissertations

A real-time skin detection, false-alarm reduction, and melanin estimation system is designed targeting search and rescue (SAR) with application to special operations for manhunting and human measurement and signatures intelligence. A mathematical model of the system is developed and used to determine how the physical system performs under illumination, target-to-sensor distance, and target-type scenarios. This aspect is important to the SAR community to gain an understanding of the deployability in different operating environments. A multi-spectral approach is developed and consists of two short-wave infrared cameras and two visible cameras. Through an optical chain of lenses, custom designed and fabricated dichroic …

Interpretive Programs For Natural Resource Interpretation At Glacier Point, Yosemite National Park, California, Shannon Brianne Glendenning

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

This guide to Natural Resource Interpretation in the Glacier Point Region of Yosemite National Park, California was developed over three summers of research and implementation. The range of programs developed to inform the public about the regional and local natural resources are: formal, semi-formal, ranger led hikes and walks, activity based programs, and informal visitor contacts. The programs were designed to inform park visitors about the natural, social, and historical resources in the region. The overall objective is to connect the visitors with the marvels and wonders of the natural resources at Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park, California. This …

A Hidden Markov Model For Earthquake Declustering, Zhengxiao Wu

Research Collection School of Economics

The hidden Markov model (HMM) and related algorithms provide a powerful framework for statistical inference on partially observed stochastic processes. HMMs have been successfully implemented in many disciplines, though not as widely applied as they should be in earthquake modeling. In this article, a simple HMM earthquake occurrence model is proposed. Its performance in declustering is compared with the epidemic-type aftershock sequence model, using a data set of the central and western regions of Japan. The earthquake clusters and the single earthquakes separated using our model show some interesting geophysical differences. In particular, the log-linear Gutenberg-Richter frequency-magnitude law (G-R law) …