Geography & Planning

GISSA Projects

Biology

STUDENT PROJECTS:

Students in the department work on real world projects to complement their lab time and research projects. The Plum Run project is one of these.

The Plum Run Project was undertaken in the spring and fall semesters of 2006. The project was a cooperative effort between West Chester University's Biology Department, Geology and Astronomy Department, and Geography and Planning Department at West Chester University. The project was completed under the supervision of Drs. Winfield Fairchild, Tim Lutz, and Gary W. Coutu.

The project involved field work to visit and assess the stream health of the Plum Run, a tributary to the Brandywine Creek. Plum Run starts in the Borough of West Chester, not far from West Chester University.

One exciting outcome of the Plum Run project was an interactive tutorial using Google Earth and GIS layers developed for the project. The tutorial will help people learn about the watershed, how it affects the biotic health of the Brandywine River and also how it in turn is affected by activities in West Chester Borough and lands owned by the University

Showcase of Student Work in the Lab

Students in the lab have ample opportunities to develop marketable skills using GIS. This page showcases some of our students’ work.

2005-2006 Academic Year

Baldassano, Keith. Chester County Watersheds and West Chester Borough Impact Areas. Fall 2006.

Convery, Matthew. Municipal GIS for Storm Water. Fall 2006.

Girafalco, John and Dan Paley. Parking Solutions for Parkesburg Borough. Spring 2006.

Quoch, Loc, Land Use Site Survey of a Parcel. Spring 2006

Sequoi Rock. GIS and the Appalachian Trail. Spring 2006.

Stillman, Brad, Andrew Bartlett and Charles Doyle. Chester County Land Use Changes From 1995 - 2000. Fall 2006.

Vega, C., Digital Elevation Model for Flood Mapping Applied to Chester County. Fall 2006.

2006-2007 Academic Year

Carmen at Computer

Barksdale, Jessica. Philadelphia Crime Mapping. Fall 2006

Beresk, John. Pennsylvania Versus National Waste Disposal Fall 2006

Boatright, Megan.> The Growth of Farmland Preservation in Chester County, PA 1989-2006. Fall 2006.

Boll, Ryan. GIS in Farmland Preservation in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Fall 2006.

Boozer, Ross. Spring Creek Watershed, A Hypothetical Risk Assessment. Fall 2006.

Colgan, Ann. GIS in the High School Classroom. Fall 2006

Correal, Louisa. Chester Coffee. Fall 2006.

Goode, Rachel. New Jersey Pinelands. Change in Median Home Value 1990-2000. Fall 2006.

Harris, Brandon. New Jersey High End Auto Dealerships. Fall 2006.

Levine, Leon. Reviving the West Chester Railroad -- From Rails to Trails. Fall 2006.

Students

Paioletti, Ashley. Mapping Chester County Markets Using Census Data. Fall 2006.

Rawhouser, Scott. Schuylkill River Basin EPA Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program. Fall 2006.

Rohm, Sarah, The Pinnacle Profile, The Appalachian Trail. Fall 2006.

Smiley, Justin. Density Comparison Within Same Zoning District of Municipalities in Chester County  Fall 2006.

Sprenkle, Jessa. Population Growth in School Districts located in Chester County, Pennsylvania Fall 2006.

Turk, Jacqueline. Pennsylvania's 19th Senatorial District. Fall 2006

Woods, Donna. Effects of Volcanism on the Island of Hawaaii. Fall 2006


Plum run project