Geocube – The world of Geography at your fingertips

Posted on October 4, 2011 by

Linkedin is a great site for professional networking and yesterday it led me to have a brief but very informative email conversation with Karl Donert (president of EUROGEO) about geography education outreach. Karl led me to a very polished interface called Geocube. Geocube is an interface that resembles a Rubik’s cube that allows a user to discover different geographical topics in an interactive fashion.

Primary interface of the Geocube

Once a general topic is selected an additional interface opens showing more specific topics of discussion.

Secondary interface of the Geocube

Within each of the specific topics (numbering 54) of discussion is written text with terms and definitions, as well as images and embedded videos. All in all a very comprehensive site covering the multidisciplinary aspects of geography enabling the education of the next generation. The project is an European initiative from the HERODOT Network for Geography in Higher Education

Torn in Two Frames the Civil War in Cartographic and Geographic Thought

Posted on August 11, 2011 by

Torn in Two is a multimedia exhibit featuring maps, photos and more.

The Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library is commemorating the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War with an exhibit entitled Torn in Two. This multimedia exhibit frames the conflict in cartographic and geographic context and features historic maps, photographs, prints, diaries, political cartoons and more. On September 21 (10 AM to 3 PM), there will be a symposium featuring:

Debra Newman Ham: Thenceforward and Forever Free: A brief Overview of the Quest for Emancipation in the United States
Susan Schulten: Mapping the Sectional Crisis: Cotton, Slavery, and the Strength of the Rebellion
Richard Miller: The Battle of Balls Bluff: Would Terrain Maps Have Made a Difference?
Ronald Grim: Remembering the War through Maps: Creating the Gettysburg Post-Battle Maps

Throughout 2011 and 2012 there will be more Civil War experts visiting The Boston Public Library as a part of the Lowell Lecture Series 2011-2012: Remembering the Civil War.

Nation’s Report Card on Geography

Posted on July 13, 2011 by

The Nation's Report Card: Geography 2010, Grades 4, 8, and 12

The National Assessment Governing Board will be hosting a live webinar event reporting how well students are performing in geography for grade levels 4, 8 and 12. The date and time is July 19th at 11:00 AM, registration is required, but the event is free to attend.

Go to http://www.nagb.org/geography/ to register and for more information.

United States Airway Maps – Ford Motor Company ~1928

Posted on January 11, 2011 by

MAGIC has a unique map collection that has recently been digitized and is now available for public viewing over the internet. The series is titled “United States Airway Maps – Ford Motor Company 1928” and consist of airway navigation maps from city to city in the United States from ~1927-1933. Currently, the collection exists on the Internet Archives (Link), but stay tuned as MAGIC is working on migrating the collection into their standard delivery mechanisms (Flickr, Historical Map Collection, etc…).

Below is an embedded copy of the title map.

Census In The Schools – 2010

Posted on December 22, 2010 by

So what is the Apportionment and how do we teach our students about it? The Census In The Schools program, created and maintained by the U.S. Census Bureau has updated the teacher resources and online activities to reflect the newly released 2010 Decennial Census.

Below are Apportionment lesson plans for grades:

University of Connecticut Geography Club

Posted on November 16, 2010 by

A new and forming group of students in the Department of Geography at the University of Connecticut is forming a geography club for undergraduate students. The club typically meets on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 PM in CLAS room number 420. The next meeting dates are:

Wednesday November 17, 2010 at 7 PM
Wednesday December 1, 2010 at 7 PM

Free pizza will be provided to all who attend on December 1st. Preliminary activities that the club is considering engaging in are:

Community service projects – Watershed conservation and trail clean ups.
Field trips – Trips to the New York Center for Advanced Research of Spatial Information (CARSI), Map and Geographic Information Center at UConn, Regional Census Offices and Regional ESRI offices.
Participation in Academic and Professional Conferences – AAG, NESTVAL, Connecticut and North East Arc Users Group, and more.
Fun – Whatever the club wants to do to have some fun!

Your involvement in the club will present opportunities for leadership development, social networking, and opportunities for degree related experience. Come check out the geography club at UConn!

Census Facts for Students!

Posted on October 18, 2010 by

The U.S. Census has a great website for students to explore facts about the state they live in or states they have an interest in as well! Teachers with a sharp eye will see a lesson plan link in the state selection box!

Teachers, there exists a great website for instructional resources at:

http://www.census.gov/schools/

GPS Navigation – Destination… The Heart.

Posted on August 9, 2010 by

So this post has been up on CNN for a while now, but it’s fun and light hearted so why not repost it here? Enjoy!

With new GPS dating apps, it’s love the one you’re near

Where are all the Birds?

Posted on June 26, 2010 by

As a follow up to the National Pollinator Week 2010 post, I found some very interesting bird atlas projects online that map the distribution of bird species. What’s even better about these projects is that data collection is largely done by volunteers. Why is that good news? It means that if you are looking for a new hobby or to put your birding skills to the test your in luck. Below are some links to some bird atlas projects. The one I’m most familiar with is the Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlas, but you should really check out them all if you’re interested! Anybody ask what you could do with a degree in geography? Check out this dream job of a friend of mine to see what she does on a daily basis. Jealous? I am.

Atlases hosted by Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Bird Atlas of Britain and Ireland 2007-2011

Happy weekend to all the aspiring ornithologists and geographers!

National Pollinator Week 2010

Posted on June 25, 2010 by

It’s National Pollinator Week 2010! We depend on many species to pollinate our crops so that we have a dependable food resource. Unfortunately many species of pollinators are at risk including:

I first learned about National Pollinator Week from a USGS news post and found some interesting links. A few of these include a few podcasts (Bees Are Not Optional, Pollinators, Phenology, and Climate Change) that interview scientists who research pollinating species. One of the most interesting was a link to Butterflies and Moths of North America. This site has a distribution map that allows you to first find an area of interest, then see lists of species found in that area. Below is an example of a species that is found in Connecticut.

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For more information on National Pollinator Week 2010 and to see what activities may be happening in your neighborhood please visit http://www.pollinator.org/

University Libraries Outside the Neatline

Category Archives: Geography