Education Tidbits
Seven faculty members at UC Santa Barbara have been awarded the distinction of Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Among them: “Richard Church, professor of geography, for innovative contributions to human geographic science and technology, including modeling location-based-services, forest conservation, health, fire and police services, environmental management, and network analysis.”
The University of Delaware’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment (CEOE) Global Visualization Lab uses Google Earth to view real-time data streams on everything from ocean temperature and currents to the movement of ships in Delaware Bay—all at once. Even better news: the university is installed two real time satellite receivers to allow more real time data to be used in exploring the oceans.
Hudson County Community College (HCCC, NJ) will be offering a new course in 2010: a 75-hour “GIS/GPS Integrated Computer Applications Certificate Program.” It involves GIS and GPS and “a project management component that utilizes Microsoft Office.” Those who complete it receive a certificate and five credits toward an associate degree in Computer Science.
Dan Edelstein is principal investigator with history Professor Paula Findlen for “Mapping the Republic of Letters” a Standford project that mapped thousands of letters that were exchanged during the period of the Enlightenment to uncover hidden truths about the “Republic of Letters.”
On the computer screen, a map of Voltaire’s correspondence shows a complex geometry of red lines to major European cities – but the heavy yellow line, showing the most frequent correspondence – connects directly to the heart: Paris.
L. A. Cicero Dan Edelstein, Nicole Coleman and Paula Findlen have mapped thousands of pieces of correspondence for the Republic of Letters project.
The “Republic of Letters” project received a three-year Stanford Presidential Fund grant in 2008, and earlier this month received $99,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
