Author: Andrew Shears

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Introducing a 3D Google Earth Model of UWFox

At UWFox this spring, GEO 106 encountered a number of technical problems largely related to software and hardware obsolescence. So old were these machines that even our resident Helpdesk miracle workers found the challenges daunting. Despite mounting frustrations, the students kept an overwhelmingly positive attitude and pushed forward.

Just after midterm, an important GIS lesson was again aborted by the software company’s failure to support its older products still in use. At that time, the class discussed alternate project lessons that could provide a laboratory and application for all necessary skills while creating a product useful beyond the limits of this particular course section or semester.

With this, the first three-dimensional model of the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley campus was born.

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Diversity in Planning Workshop - East Central Regional Planning Commission

I gave the keynote address at the recent Diversity in Planning Workshop held by the East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, April 27, 2012 in Neenah. Read more

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My Talk at AAG 2012

My talk at the AAG this year was on the final day, early in the morning, during about three other similar sessions, and held in a forgotten corner in the bowels of the Hilton NY. Though it was still well attended (maybe 15-20 folks), it's understandable that some people who may have been interested in what I had to say weren't able to come. That's why I post it here. Read more

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From Absaroka to Yazoo: The 125 United States That Could've Been

I allowed my own mind to wander and I came up with the beginnings of a historical geography narrative for the United States of my own, drawing on each of these sources. How could I spell this out? Well, I'm no novelist, because I just really don't have the imagination or skills necessary to put together a story in that format. However, I can make maps here and there, and I firmly believe that maps can do a pretty good job telling a story. What did I end up with? My own alternate history U.S. map of 125 states Read more

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UWFox's Geography Offerings for 2012-13

I was only on the job about a month at UWFox before I got an email from the associate dean asking me for my proposed curriculum for the next academic year. Wait, what? You mean I get to decide what we're offering in geography for an entire school year? That's nuts! I'm not a department chair or anything, and I've certainly never designed or proposed a curriculum. Hell, I haven't even completed one semester as a full-fledged faculty member yet... Read more

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Promoting UWFox Geography, Fall 2011: An Active Geo-Adventurers Club

Our main goal with the Geo-Adventurers is to get students active in extra-curricular activities. In the case of this club, most of those activities involve getting down and dirty with the earth, which provides a natural link to the geoscience curriculum at UWFox. But again, first goal is involvement, and anything that happens after that is icing on the cake. Read more

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Promoting UWFox Geography, Fall 2011: Marketing Spring Courses

Let's face it: higher education is, for better or for worse, all about the numbers.  If our enrollment suffers, it's likely to be curtains for budget and for fun upper-level classes.  However, if enrollment grows, so does our department.  The other, even more crucial point is, of course, that both geography and geology are fields that have to recruit from within.  More enrollees give us more chance to bring students to the "dark side." Read more

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Promoting UWFox Geography, Fall 2011: Growing interest in the discipline and, hence, our little department

By raising the (quite low) awareness of what geography is as a discipline, it raises the potential for interest from students.  By growing interest with potential students, we've got a better chance at increasing the enrollment, therefore awareness is important in this job. Read more

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Promoting UWFox Geography, Fall 2011

As the only geographer, I'm responsible for everything related to the geography at the school, including awareness, planning, curriculum, you name it. Of course, this week, I worked with a local GIS user group to plan and promote a GIS Day event, which ended up being pretty damn successful. In fact, it was looking back during that promotional process -- of an event that itself was promotional in nature -- that made me realize that I've done A LOTof that since I've been at UWFox... enough to justify a new blog entry highlighting my latest work as a PR officer. It's just one of the many hats of a stand-alone geographer, the experience for which I've now started a separate blog category to explore. Read more

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GIS Day 2011 at UWFox: Success!

We had a total of 76 people attend the event, including faculty, staff and community members.  This shattered the FVGISUG's earlier record attendance of 23 set last year.  Of those 76, at least 63 were students, and 44 of those students completed the worksheet I created to encourage engagement with the presenters.  Not bad!

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