Tag Archives: summer

Summer in the SAL 2014

While not hard at work, we may take a break by completing some geography-themed jigsaw puzzles!

School may be out for the summer, but that doesn’t mean the SAL has been asleep! Instead, we have remained a busy, active place, with many students working on environmental and geospatial research projects. Here’s a quick update of what’s been happening (so far) this summer in the SAL.

  • Hunterr P. ’15, the second University of Richmond student to take advantage of the 3-2 program we have with the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University (he will start pursuing his Master of Forestry this fall but will receive his undergraduate degree from UR in the Spring of 2015), continues to work on a project with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). Using a healthy combination of ENVI and ArcGIS, Hunterr has been working to analyze and classify LANDSAT imagery covering the state of Virginia. His work will help the DCR create a statewide development vulnerability model—which natural areas in the state are most at risk of development?

  • Heather C. ’16 and Meghan M. of the College of William and Mary have been helping Dr. Todd Lookingbill prepare a Natural Resources Condition Assessment (NRCA) report for the Booker T. Washington National Monument, located near Roanoke. The NRCA reports, which have been or will be written for many of the units of the National Park Service, analyze the current condition of natural resources in those parks and try to elucidate long-term trends about their resources. In particular, the reports use lots of maps to communicate their results. Dr. Lookingbill has worked with students on prior NRCA reports, including one for Shenandoah National Park; while Booker T. Washington is a much smaller park, there is still a great amount of work involved in creating the report.

  • Will H. ’15 is working with Dr. Mary Finley-Brook on her continued efforts toward making the University of Richmond campus a more sustainable, environmentally-friendly place. Will has taken various trips to other universities and conferences to learn about their sustainability efforts and is researching how to implement some of those ideas here. He’s even making some maps to document his findings!

In addition to all this student research, we’ve had a few other notable events. SAL Director Kim Klinker just got back from leading her annual summer study abroad trip to Australia; she has created a storymap showing where the trip went, complete with student reflections about each day’s activities. The University’s Information Services department will be updating the SAL computers later in the summer, updating our software to ArcGIS 10.2 so that our students stay on the cutting edge of GIS technology. Kim and Andrew will be traveling to the Esri Education GIS Conference in San Diego and will present a talk about our campus mapping efforts; they will also get to attend a few days of the big Esri International User Conference, following the Education Conference. And of course, the “World Famous” Spatial Analysis Lab seeks to again dominate the Gottwald Games, a series of lighthearted games held by the science departments labs, to be held next week. Be on the lookout for our custom t-shirts, and start brushing up on your geography skills—we’re hosting a game this year too!

And finally, our current GIS Technician, Andrew Pericak, will be stepping down at the end of this month so that he can began his Master’s study in the fall. Andrew will also be attending the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University, where he will pursue a Masters of Environmental Management. But the SAL will not be devoid of a Technician! The Department of Geography and the Environment has hired a new Technician, Chris Brown (as Kim says, No, not that Chris Brown,) who will be starting July 1. Chris brings lots of great technical and analytic GIS experience to the SAL, so hopefully the transition from one Technician to the other will go smoothly.

We here in the SAL are excited for all our exciting summer projects and activities. Yet sooner than we can imagine, the Class of 2018 will be arriving on campus. We look forward to greeting them in August and introducing them to the world of GIS!

Summer in the SAL 2013

It’s hard to believe, but in exactly two weeks the new students—the Class of 2017—will arrive on campus to begin their University of Richmond experience. But even though the summer is almost over here at UR, the Spatial Analysis Lab has been a busy place for the past few months! Here are some brief highlights of our Summer 2013.

The SAL team for the Gottwald Games

The SAL team also placed fifth this summer in the annual Gottwald Games—it was our first appearance!

  • The Department of Geography and the Environment welcomed a new staff member in July—and, yes, it’s me, serving as the GIS Technician for the department. This post-baccalaureate position will give me lots of behind-the-scenes experience with running a GIS architecture, will put me in contact with many faculty and staff at the University, and will help ensure that the SAL and its students are achieving as much success as possible.
  • At least three student research projects were based out of the SAL this summer. Two students worked with the Chesapeake Conservancy and used remote sensing software to identify specific areas of land in the Chesapeake Bay watershed that contribute most notably to pollution in the Bay. Two other students continue to work on a Natural Resource Conservation Assessment report for the nearby Shenandoah National Park. And another student made good use of our GPS technology to document lead levels in trees near the Richmond International Airport. These students will present their work and their findings over the next year; stay tuned to the blog for updates!
  • We’ve continued to explore storymaps—interactive, online web maps that are specifically tailored to communicate some information. In the past, we’ve uploaded data to be stored on a cloud computer, but this summer we’ve learned how to store our data locally and serve that data live. So now, when you access a map such as this one showing farmers markets around Richmond or this one looking at the imperial fora of Ancient Rome, you’re seeing a live look at our data. Expect many more customized, interactive storymaps over the next few months.
  • We’ve formed new partnerships with various departments and offices around the University, all of whom are excited to make use of our geospatial resources. For instance, over the next year the SAL will be helping students and staff in the Music Department, the Center for Civic Engagement at UR Downtown, the University Museums, the Digital Scholarship Lab, and even the Office of Emergency Management. We’re also exploring the possibility of incorporating some of our spatial data into the official University of Richmond campus map.
  • Finally, we’ve been preparing for and undergoing a massive hardware and software update. Just today, the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology updated the SAL computers and soon we will be receiving a new large-format printer for printing maps. On the software side, all the University computers will now run ArcGIS 10.1 as will our database server and our web server, giving us greater ability to publish maps online. These updates will make sure that UR students are on the cutting-edge of GIS technology.

We’re looking forward to another exciting year in the SAL. Expect much more frequent updates here on the blog, be sure to follow our account on Twitter @UR_SAL, and be on the lookout for exciting online storymaps! And above all, enjoy the final few weeks of your summer.