Projects

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Maurizio Cattelan  Untitled 2007

We are coordinating our Spring 2009 course projects with the ongoing Sagan National Colloquium projects (PDF of Geography 360 Projects, fall 2008) and potential projects related to the OWU Campus Sustainability Task Force.

Some of the projects below are related to the seven goals of the University President’s Climate Commitment. Geography 355 (and Geography 360) projects related to the Climate Commitment are linked on that page.

Please complete the following for each course project (group projects may be combined or submitted separately):

  1. a time-line (on blog) including details (research, data, analysis, events) due by Monday March 30
  2. a project report (PDF with images, graphs, data, similar to Geography 360 Projects, fall 2008) and project product (if a specific product – map, event, proposal to the University – is the outcome of the project) due by Wednesday April 22
  3. a project presentation (20 minutes) on Monday April 27 or Wednesday April 29

•••••••

Food Waste / Food Recovery & Composting Logistics: Willis & Ufferman

Project Goal: Plan, maps, details for Food Waste Recovery integrated with campus recycling and composting. Please see the GreenOWU page on Food Waste Reduction @ OWU

Frisbee Golf at OWU: Newman & Shkoukani

Project Goal: Plan, maps, details for an official OWU Frisbee Golf course.  Specifications and costs, and address concerns about aesthetics, saftety, legal issues.  Develop a theme for the course (“Green OWU” or “OWU History”).

Rainwater Recovery and Rain Gardens at OWU: Conroy & Snow

Project Goal: Campus rainwater recovery potential map: focus on the academic side of campus to focus project.  Inventory of rainwater sources (roof type, access to water, potential uses, water quality issues) and uses.  Focus on potential for rain gardens (collaborative project) and general landscape watering needs.  Document grants for rainwater recovery and for rain gardens (Jann Ichida) and identify collaborators.  See GreenOWU Rainwater Recovery & Rain Gardens.

OWU DisOrientation Map: Ruzek & Schemenauer & McCown & Wheat

A map and guide to OWU to disOrient (or reOrient) new students to campus.  Goal: locate OWU geographically in the US and World.  Goal: make students think about their local, regional, and international impact.  Map of campus area w/USA and world map as backdrop:

  • campus area map: what kinds of things are left off the typical orientation materials?  (Where faculty live?, kinds of stuff on 222 “My Maps” projects, activist stuff (see OWU Activism), …
  • USA map: homes of US students, alumni (?), OWU “mission” trips, off-campus study, athletics conferences, greek ties, sources of campus energy (coal? nuclear?), where our garbage goes, where our sewage goes, OWU investments, …
  • world map: homes of international students (document international students with difficulties entering US?), OWU investments, alumni (?), sources of common campus foods (with stories of impact – such as bananas), OWU “mission” trips, study-abroad, …

3D Map of OWU Campus: St. Clair

Document and develop a 3D map of campus using Sketchup and Google Earth.  Work with Doug Thompson (Manager of OWU Web & Electronic Communications).  Potential use of 3D map for OWU Disorientation Map.

Alternative Fuel Vehicles on Campus / Ohio Wesleyan Public Transport Potential: Sluyter & Goswami & Hunter

1) OWU Faculty Public Transportation Potential Map: where do OWU faculty live, and can there be a viable form of public transportation to get them to campus?  Map faculty homes and develop a potential public transport route, examining existing public transport (COTA, DATA) and potential new public transport options.

2) Alternative Fuel Vehicles at OWU: document vehicle use on campus (campus owned vehicles & student cars) and propose alternatives.  Alternative fuel vehicles and on-campus public transport (to reduce student driving on and around campus). Map and plan for campus shuttle and link to DATA shuttles.  Collaboration between DATA and OWU.  Rickshaws!

•••••

OWU Campus Sustainability Task Force

Second, projects related to the OWU Campus Sustainability Task Force. This group of faculty and students are investigating if OWU should sign the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. The Commitment itself requires adherence to a series of actions:

A. Establish a policy that all new campus construction will be built to at least the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Silver standard or equivalent.

B. Adopt an energy-efficient appliance purchasing policy requiring purchase of ENERGY STAR certified products in all areas for which such ratings exist.  [need data on what appliances are sucking energy; dryers in Smith; put up clothes-lines instead?]

C. Establish a policy of offsetting all greenhouse gas emissions generated by air travel paid for by our institution. [can we get the data for these jet-setters? Include other OWU funded transportation: sports teams, CLEAR, fieldwork, mission trips, environmental trips]

D. Encourage use of and provide access to public transportation for all faculty, staff, students and visitors at our institution [shuttles from Columbus [faculty, airport, Polaris/Downtown; on-campus shuttle [alternative fuel] from west to east campus [to eliminate students driving cars], rickshaw [person or bike powered; OWU buys rickshaw's and students paid to haul people]

E. Within one year of signing this document, begin purchasing or producing at least 15% of our institution’s electricity consumption from renewable sources. [data issue; available alternatives; potential for solar or other renewable energy production on campus]

F. Establish a policy or a committee that supports climate and sustainability shareholder proposals at companies where our institution’s endowment is invested. [map out investments]

G. Participate in the Waste Minimization component of the national RecycleMania competition, and adopt 3 or more associated measures to reduce waste. [ties to several SNC projects]

Resources for taking these actions are here.

Some of these actions are not particularly relevant as course projects for us, but others are.  Our class projects could have an impact if we contribute to some short term actions.  The OWU Campus Sustainability Task Force must choose two of the seven actions above and work to implement them in the short term.  If OWU signs onto the agreement, we must take action in all seven areas.

The most significant overlap between existing campus green projects and the seven actions is with action G (waste minimization).  D and E have characteristics that mapping & GIS could be applied to.

Additional Resources

I have a pile of former Geography 355 projects, independent studies, etc. which may be of some value to our eventual class projects.  Some are good, some are crap:

Current and Past Studies in the OWU Preserves (with spatial data) by Lauren Blth (2006)

Mapping Fitness Trails by Will Crabtree (2006).  Will worked out a series of on and around campus running paths.  The maps are rough and would need to be recreated.

Delaware County Riparian Zone Land Use (2005) by Kampmann Kendall, Miller, and Steele

Air Emissions versus 2005 Delaware Population (2008) by Kim Sinclair

Delaware County Demographics: Income, Race, Education, Age, Population Density, Poverty (2008) by Wall, Hoffer, & Steffen

Environment & Pollution (focus on water resources) by Kim Martin (2008)

Environmental Polluters in Delaware (Martin, McLaughlin, & Pinault) (2008)

Agricultural Hazards in Delaware Co. by Steve Fowler (2008)

•••••

Due Wednesday February 18: Preliminary Project Proposal: Format:

Name of Project

Name of all participants & contact information

Date

1. Frame the Question(s): one sentence question(s) + one paragraph overview + one paragraph on final goal, intended audience, form of final project.

  • where are endangered ecosystems in Delaware County and how to they relate to areas of residential development?
  • where are potential recreational trail corridors in Delaware County that maximize access and usefulness as alternatives to driving?

2. Understand your Question(s): what do you have to know about the context of the question to answer it?

  • ex) What is an endangered ecosystem?  What are specific examples in Delaware? What defines a residential development?  How does the literature relate endangered ecosystems to development?  How does the Delaware case study relate to other studies
  • ex) What are the goals of recreational trails?  What are major impediments?  How is access defined?  How can trails be located so as to offer a viable alternative to driving?
  • what or who can help you to understand the issue: literature, people, who are the experts?

3. Locate your Data: if you don’t have data you can’t do the project

  • what data is available to help answer your question?  cost? compatibility?
  • what data do you have to generate yourself?  easy vs. difficult vs impossible
  • ex) Has anyone identified or mapped endangered ecosystems in Delaware?  Is their data available?  Is their data reliable? What format is it?  Is residential development data available for Delaware?  From who?  How current is it?  How to access it?  What format is it in?  Is it compatible with the ecosystem data?
  • ex) Are there any existing trails in Delaware?  Is data available?  Are there any data sets of potential or planned trails?  Who has this data?  What format is it in?  Where can one find data on population to relate to potential trails (to maximize access for the majority of people)?  Where can one find data on where people live vs. work, to determine trails that can serve as alternatives to driving?  Who has this data?  Is it compatible with existing trail data?

4. Analysis: choose a method for analyzing your data to answer your question

  • ex) generate endangered areas by comparing areas defined as important ecosystems to their closeness to recent development
  • ex) generate potential trails by generating important points and areas to connect; and determining feasible paths between those points; relate potential trails to property ownership and other factors

5. Present the Results:

  • generate a map (with a database) and use it to present results
  • map of endangered ecosystems in Delaware Co: distribute to ??
  • map of potential trails in Delaware Co.: planners, bike clubs, etc.
  • succinct report to present to people who can make project happen
  • vital part of the process: communication and advocacy

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