Special Projects

A variety of projects have been completed and are currently under construction that add a visual geographic component to Earth and Space Science topics.


Nonfiction books

Please select a book under the "Book Titles" menu to the right.  Each book will feature a Google Earth tour, list of terms, and critical thinking questions.

Special projects

• Walking Tour of Tree Biodiversity at Ridley Creek State Park - In Fall 2007, the honors scholars enrolled in EARTH 100H/STS 200H engaged in a community outreach project that utilized the new digital technology available on campus. Nearby, Ridley Creek State Park has a multi-use trail with 48 numbered trees. To assist with the Park's educational objectives, the students created an audio walking tour enhanced with photos that can be downloaded on an iPod for visitors to the park. For people at a distance that are unable to come to the Park, a virtual tour in Google Earth was created to share information on Pennsylvania's tree biodiversity to a much larger audience.

  
  Download the podcast here for iTunes and your iPod. If you do not have an iPod, view online the same m4v file that will play on an iPod, or view the virtual tour in Google Earth. View the credits for the project, recognizing the hard work of the scholars.  

• Cemetery Investigations - When an instructor would like to do a tombstone weathering exercise with students but cannot visit a cemetery (because of location, weather conditions, etc.), an exercise can be completed through Google Earth! Each cemetery Google Earth file includes a series of photos that document tombstone shape, composition, years, names, etc. Students may also use the data present in the Google Earth file to conduct demographic studies, such as human survivorship and lifespan by decade.  

Cumberland Cemetery, Lima, PA (Google Earth file, additional tombstone investigation information)
Additional cemeteries to come

• The Lorax Project - Based on Dr. Seuss - The Lorax Project, students created Google Earth tours based on forests at risk and endangered species. View these creative examples!
  

The Atlantic Forest - Golden Lion Tamarins (Google Earth file)
     By Jenn Knowlton, Zanya Stephenson, Michelle Sulpizio
Forests of Madagascar - Lemurs (Google Earth file)
     By Ben Bean, Carl Doonan, Eileen Fresta
Mountains of Southwest China - Red Pandas (Google Earth file)
     By Shelby Lordi, Kaitlin Ludlow, Averil Sweeney

• Solar Decathlon competition - With the overarching goal of constructing a house powered entirely by solar energy, twenty colleges and universities from across the globe gather in Washington DC every two years to showcase their innovative technologies.  Penn State Brandywine students have created virtual tours of the homes with information on the innovative and effective use of solar power. 

2009 Solar Decathlon (Google Earth file)
2007 Solar Decathlon (Google Earth file)

• The Genographic Project - In Spring 2009, the students enrolled in GEOSC 021H (Earth & Life) participated in The Genographic Project.  Through the website at National Geographic, students learned how DNA is being used to track where humans come from, and how we got to where we are living today.  Each student utilized the kit to sample their own DNA to be sent in for analysis.  Once the data was obtained, students tracked their genetic lineage in Google Earth.  

Adrienne Showalter (Google Earth file), Don Hennig (Google Earth file), Tina Anastasopoulos (Google Earth file), Hoi Chau Cheung (Google Earth file)
Paola Pedraza-Rivera (Google Earth file), Sara Neville (Google Earth file), June Carfagno (Google Earth file), Erin Dungee (Google Earth file)