Wetlands = clean water

A new paper reveals that isolated wetlands are even more important for water quality than previously understood.

A quick lesson in Participant Observation

Here is a short summary of Participant Observation. (And the lengthier Wikipedia entry if you are into that sort of thing.)

Retro is old

Daily Dose of Architecture asks about the newest juxtapositions of new and old.

more Mid-Term madness

Regular readers can ignore this
(Goes with material on Sakai)

1. F
2. T
3. F
4. T
5. F
6. A
7. C
8. C
9. C

Thames Bridge

Creative proposals for the new Thames River Bridge.

Test thoughts

Some good reading while you are thinking ahead to mid-terms might include a little about:

• Ian McHarg's Design With Nature including reviews
• Read about Return of the Cuyahoga or watch a couple minutes of the video (below)
• Look over an Environmental Commission's NRI
• Peruse some USGS 7.5 minute topographic quad maps
•       (do you have a favorite? Start with this one.)
• Think a little more about the Ahwahnee Principles
• Do you have time to make a map on ArcGIS.com?
• The National Wetlands Inventory

Drawing quote

 “Whether capturing masterworks, analyzing the archetypal, or traveling to see at first hand the great buildings and landscapes, drawings developed from critical observations coerce us to better understand the subject."

         - Walter Hood 

GeoWeb and iMap

Also, for the Fundamentals of Environmental Planning, the easy-to-use data browsers from the NJ DEP are online here.

Slope maps

Friday Photos: Mt St Helens

When we spoke about Mt St Helens in class recently, we were talking primarily about the physical form of the terrain. But I found that the visitors' experience at this Forest Service site was as good as almost any National Park Service site.

Before GPS

CityLab posts a story explaining that before GPS there were concrete arrows.

What is a hydrograph?

If the hydrograph is still a little bit perplexing to you, check out this helpful site created by the USGS. For a larger conversation about streams and flooding, check out this page from Wenatchee Valley College (the Knights).

Liberty State Park

Well, it is almost never good when I use both the NJ tag and the politics tag on the same story.
The NJ legislature has approved some major changes for Liberty State Park. But the Star-Ledger reports that some faculty at Rutgers (and Harvard) are pushing back.

Rutgers' new plan

The Star-Ledger has posted an editorial lauding the new Master Plan for the Rutgers campuses. What I find interesting is not the position they take but that the paper's editorial board found this topic suitable for such an editorial. Despite their comment that, "Every decade or so, somebody makes plans to rearrange the campus and nothing ever comes of it," this editorial is evidence that any Master Plan made by the state's flagship university should be of interest to a much larger audience.

Student advice

Esri's Chief Scientist, Dawn Wright, posted some thoughts last year as advice for students. I don't think that these are particularly specific to the GIS world. I particularly liked her response telling students to take an active interest in their field, whatever it is:

My advice would be to go with that flow and learn as much as you can about that new career path you’re interested in. Find someone in that area who is willing to give you some advice, or do the requisite Internet research to find out about blogs, Facebook pages, Twitter streams, local and regional conferences in that particular area. Talk to other students who are currently on that particular career path. And … get an internship in that area too!

Now is a great time to get excited about your career, start exploring ideas and making connections.

RotD: USGS maps

Today in class we are talking about free USGS topographic quads for NJ, so I wanted to share some different scenes from around New Jersey that might be of interest. Just click and they'll expand.










A special thanks goes out to Mike Siegel and the Rutgers Cartography Lab. This is a great resource for students and for pros.

Mappy Anniversary for National Geographic Maps!

The incredible cartographic products at the National Geographic Society are turning 100 years old this year.These custom map products are produced with such great regularity and consistent quality that, even in the age of computers, they represent something remarkable.

As a kid these maps were a constant in my life. I remember spending an unusual amount of time wondering how they had so precisely mapped the Moon:

And when I got the chance at a couple meetings to chat with former cartographic Chief, Allen Carroll, it was a thrill.

So take a few minutes to peruse NatGeo's great article about 100 years of mapping. It is a fascinating peek inside a meticulous realm that has touched millions.

Dissertation defense

PhD Dissertation Defense
Deborah Greenwood, Feb 24, 10:30 AM
Cook Office Building Room 226

Understanding Agricultural Tranformations:
The Urbanization and Feminization of Agriculture in the United States

Coming soon

R U ready? The new Rutgers Master Plan, with help from RAMSA and Sasaki, is being released today. It will be interesting to see whether NJ.com has to turn off the comments.

Urban ecology

Many of our former and current students know Myla Aronson, from the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and the Environment. Well, Myla has made the big time with a featured article in the latest National Wildlife magazine from the NWF. The article takes a look at the increasing diversity of urban ecology and the opportunities and challenges it represents.

Plus, the photo of a wild turkey on a suburban sidewalk looks great.

Have you voted?

Now is your chance to cast a vote for the top new building of the year in american-architects online poll. I haven't look at them all yet, but I am leaning towards the Consol Energy Wingtip Bridge.