July 2006 GCMC Events

What's Happening in the GCMC? (July 2006 Edition)

The month of July brought many different people and projects to the GCMC:

Archeology professor Mark Groover needed a special map for a book he is writing, The Historical Archeology of Farmsteads. Angela Gibson, GIS Specialist, created a GIS map of the eastern United States showing specific archeological sites to be included in the book, which will be published by the University Press of Florida.

Carol Shears, Professor of Geography, developed an extra-credit assignment using maps from the Collection for her summer Geography 101 classes. Students used topographic maps, street maps, and bird's-eye view maps of a U.S. city of their choice to study the city's urban development and growth over time. Students selected from Las Vegas, Nevada; Los Angeles, California; Miami, Florida; Baltimore, Maryland; San Diego, California; Indianapolis, Indiana; or Denver, Colorado. Perhaps not surprisingly, Las Vegas was the popular choice.

July also seemed to bring international activity to the GCMC: The director of the Ball State University London Center for the 2007 spring semester and the current director of the Australia Center both utilized the GCMC in preparation for the upcoming study-abroad programs. Specific topographic maps and aerial photography of the area around the Australia Center in Lennox Head were even purchased for use in classes in Australia.

Professors and students from various departments and classes used GIS software, maps, atlases, and nautical charts for their various summer projects. The GCMC welcomed students and faculty from the College of Architecture & Planning, Spanish, Biology, and Geography.

Local historians also visited the GCMC in July. One project involved searching for an Indiana city that was completely destroyed by a tornado and never rebuilt. Historic topographic maps from the Collection revealed the location of this missing town. Another project involved reviewing historic atlases of Virginia for genealogy research. The historian used the atlas, Virginia in Maps: Four Centuries of Settlement, Growth, and Development, located in the Atlas Collection.

Please visit the GCMC for GIS assistance or to use the maps, atlases, and other resources available in the Center. The GCMC will be open from 7:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. during the week through August 11. Regular 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. academic year hours resume on August 14.