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2012
The alumni newsletter of the Department of Geography-Earth Science
at Shippensburg University
Check out the
Department of
Geography-Earth
Science Facebook
page. We share
information about
campus events, scholarships, job
and internship opportunities and
more.
Tim Hawkins took this photo of
the Coastal Cliffs in Point Loma,
California. He writes, “These
sandstone cliffs represent the Point
Loma Formation, which formed
about 75 million years ago. The cliffs
have resulted from erosion due to
constant wave action. The boulders
below have also been smoothed by
the wave action.”
This photo earned an Honorable
Mention in the 2011 department
photo contest. See the back page
for more winning entries.

News from Department Chair Dr. William Blewett
Greetings everyone! The past two years
have been especially challenging for Pennsylvania’s
state universities, and Shippensburg
University is no exception. After threatening to
cut the university’s state appropriation by more
than 50% (which would have effectively closed
down the university), the governor eventually
agreed to a cut of “only” 19%, still an enormous
economic hit, and one made more egregious by
the years of belt tightening that preceded it. As
I write this column, the governor has proposed
a 20% cut for the State System for 2012-2013.
How long our university system can continue
to absorb such drastic cuts is anybody’s guess.
Thankfully, Shippensburg has been able to
weather the storm more easily than some of
our sister schools (at least so far), but only
by drastically reducing academic support and
significantly increasing the number of students
in our courses.
Despite these challenges, the Geography-
Earth Science Department has never been
stronger, with more than 200 undergraduate
majors and 30 graduate students. Our GIS
major has increased from a handful of students
just a few years ago, to more than 30 students
this spring. At the same time, the department
has earned more than $250,000 in competitive
grants from a diverse set of funding organizations.
One of the largest was a $197,000 grant
from the National Science Foundation to
integrate Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR)
and related technologies across our curriculum.
Drs. Zume and Cornell spearheaded this effort,
aided by Drs. Woltemade and T. Feeney.
The department purchased nearly $118,000
of geotechnical equipment with this grant and
is expanding our field techniques curriculum
with a new course, Field Techniques II, taught
by Dr. Zume, and focused on using GPR,
Electrical Resistivity, and related techniques
to solve environmental problems. The course
will be taught this summer for the first time.
Meanwhile, our faculty members continue
to publish their research in a wide array of
national journals including The Professional
Geographer, Journal of the American Water Resources
Association, Bulletin of the Ecological
Society of America, Journal of Paleolimnology, and
the Pennsylvania Archaeologist. Dr. Jan Smith
continues to run the Pennsylvania Geographic
Alliance (the organization responsible for promoting
K-12 geography in Pennsylvania) from
her office in Rowland Hall, and was recently
recognized as a “Pennsylvania Distinguished
Geographer” by the Pennsylvania Geographical
Society. Dr. Paul Marr was recently elected
president of the Middle States Division of the
Association of American Geographers, an
office of national prominence. He also edits
the division’s journal, The Middle States Geographer.
In addition, through the efforts of Dr.
Claire Jantz, Shippensburg University gained
membership in the Chesapeake Cooperative
Studies Unit, which will allow SU faculty to
compete for research and funding opportunities
with multiple federal agencies. I’ve only
scratched the surface of our activities over
the past two years, and I urge you to review
the faculty reports elsewhere in the newsletter.
Collectively, these activities rival research
institutions like Penn State or the University
of Maryland, and are all the more remarkable
given our significant teaching loads.
Dr. Pomeroy has returned to the department
after serving two years as the Interim
Director of the Institute for Public Service and
Sponsored Programs, the grants administration
arm of the university. Both the students
and his colleagues are glad to have him back
safe and sound in Shearer Hall.
Our students continue to be involved in
research with faculty and engaged in field study.
Dr. Cornell took a group of students to Curaçao
in the Caribbean again last year and each
participant was required to produce a poster
related to a particular research topic. Dr. Alison
Feeney ran a similar trip to Bermuda concerned
with mapping and GIS. Dr. Pomeroy will be
leading students on a field trip to China this
summer. This will be his fourth trip to China
over the past eight years.
Most of all, we are appreciative of the
support our alumni provide to the Geography-
Earth Science Department, through service on
our Advisory Board, by hiring our students (for
internships and full-time positions), and by
making donations to the department through
the SU Foundation. Dr. Bob Harper (who
retired from the department several years ago)
and his wife Betty have recently established a
new scholarship to honor deserving undergraduate
students. Thanks Bob and Betty for
your interest and dedication to the department
over the years! For those who have already established
scholarships, the department extends
our continued appreciation and gratitude, especially
in these stressful economic times. For
those interested in establishing a scholarship
or contributing to the department directly, I
urge you to contact Beth McKinley at the SU
Foundation, or you may contact me directly.
In closing, may I please ask you to take just
a few minutes to complete the attached survey
and return it to us You can also access it online
and submit it to the website noted on the form.
It’s one of the only ways that we can get a good
idea of how we’re doing and what needs to be
changed. If there’s something you liked about
our program and want to see it maintained,
let us know. Conversely, if we need to change
something, we’ll never know unless you tell
us. The next few years will be especially challenging
to the department as State support of
Higher Education continues to dwindle. You
can help us by providing valuable feedback
for the important decisions yet to come. Also,
don’t forget to visit our Facebook page, which
includes departmental news as well as employment
opportunities in the environmental
sciences. Thank you and best wishes!
Ship to Host Middle States
Geography Conference
The Middle States Division of the
Association of American Geographers
will be holding its annual meeting at
Shippensburg University in November
2012. We are in the process of organizing
the conference, which is tentatively set for
November 2 and 3, 2012 in the Ceddia
Union Building.
We hope to have four concurrent
paper sessions and a poster session over
the two day conference. We are planning
on having approximately 16 individual
sessions, so if you would like to organize
a paper session please contact Dr. Paul
Marr at pgmarr@ship.edu. The official
Call for Papers will be either at the end
of April or early May, before the summer
break. If you are currently not a member
of Middle States, please consider joining.
2 Down to Earth News 2012

Department Faculty Updates
Mike Applegarth
I have continued
my work in the southwestern
U.S. using
remotely sensed imagery
to assess landscape
evolution and changes.
Most recently, I presented
results at the
AAG meeting from
my ongoing research
assessing land use changes in Mohave County,
Arizona. In the geography department, I have
become chair of the Facilities and Resource
Management Committee which oversees the
department budget — with much help from
Judy Ferrell — and maintains the building
facilities. The geography department at the
University of Northern Iowa, where I received
my master’s degree, recently awarded me with
Alumnus of the Year. I am very proud of this
honor and will travel to receive the award in
April.
William Blewett
I continue to serve
as chair of the Geography-Earth
Science
Department, a responsibility
that requires
a great deal of time
and effort. I also continue
to teach Physical
Geology, Geology of
National Parks, and
graduate Geomorphology. Field work is a big
part of these courses and I still take students to
South Mountain each semester and to Maryland
and Great Falls in the spring.
I’ve spent the last four years writing a book
entitled Geology and Landscape of Michigan’s
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and Vicinity
for the National Park Service. The book is
finally finished and will be released on March
15 (available for $22.95 on Amazon.com’s
website — preorder now!), and I’m looking
forward to a return to normal life. This past
fall Dr. Drzyzga and I spent three weeks
of our sabbatical in the Upper Peninsula of
Michigan measuring elevations of ancient
glacial lake shorelines and their relationship to
nearby moraines. We will be returning to the
Upper Peninsula to finish our work this summer,
with an article (we hope) to follow. I am
also working with Walt Loope from the U.S.
Geological Survey on a manuscript describing
the spillover of glacial Lake Minong across
the eastern Upper Peninsula during the early
Holocene. Closer to home, I continue to work
with SU students on topics relating to soils and
relict periglacial landforms. Along with Dr.
John Wah (an adjunct in our department), I’m
readying a manuscript with students Corinne
Koiro and Gus Frederick on the relationship
of certain periglacial landforms to nearby soil
development. The research will be presented
at the Association of American Geographers
meeting in New York City this February.
Since relinquishing my chairmanship of
the University Forum (faculty senate) several
years ago, I’ve focused on departmental matters
and building our enrollments. I continue
to serve on the College Council of the College
of Arts and Sciences and was on that organization’s
Executive Committee for several years.
I also serve on a number of university and
departmental committees.
During the three to four hours per week
that I’m not at work, I reside with my wife,
Gretchen, at the base of South Mountain
outside Shippensburg, on a stabilized colluvial
apron of Pliocene/Pleistocene age.
Sean Cornell
Since the last newsletter, life in the department
has been very busy. I am blessed
to have an excellent group of colleagues and
students to work with. Despite the challenges
our department and university have faced with
ever reducing budgets, I am proud of the many
worthwhile accomplishments we have made. I
have been working to expand opportunities for
Geo-ESS students to participate in field learning
experiences. Each spring, more than 30 students
are involved in teaching environmental
education programs to K-5 grade students. I
also continue to teach summer courses at the
Marine Science Consortium in Wallops Island,
Virginia. Each year we have more students
taking advantage of classes there. Last January,
we took 12 students to Curaçao (formerly the
capital island of the Netherlands Antilles). This
was our second trip, and we had an opportunity
to meet with the Consul General Valerie Belon
to learn about the many political changes going
on in Curaçao as a result of recent public
referendums. It was an excellent opportunity
for our students. Also together with Dr. Jantz
and Dr. Drzyzga and other colleagues across
campus, we raised over $20,000 to take 53
students from a range of majors to the Gulf
Coast in the fall of 2010. The purpose of our
trip was to learn first-hand about the impact of
the Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill, and to see
how the region was recovering from Hurricane
Katrina, five years later. We engaged students
in service-learning projects that put them in
contact with local residents, scientists, and oil
spill clean-up workers. It was among the most
impactful learning experiences I have ever had
the privilege of being a part of.
Outside of the classroom, Dr. Zume,
Dr. Feeney, Dr. Woltemade and I continue to
make progress on our NSF-funded grant to
develop curricular enhancements that integrate
Geophysical field methods into the classroom.
Students now regularly use the GPR (Ground
Penetrating Radar) equipment in both Physical
Geology and upper-level courses and most
students report very favorable experiences and
interest in such geotechnologies. Through my
association with the Marine Science Consortium,
I am also now engaged in a project
to help NASA with shoreline monitoring
at its Wallops Island Flight Facility. With a
colleague from Kutztown University, I have
engaged in a year-round beach surveying
program to monitor ground water, beach morphology,
sediment analysis, and beach migration
rates. Hurricane Irene proved to be quite
significant for the shoreline, and has led NASA
and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reinvestigate
their long-term plans. Currently
NASA is pursuing a beach replenishment
initiative to protect the multi-billion dollar
launch facility which will serve both orbital
and sub-orbital rocket launches through the
next decade or more.
Personally, I together with my family, had
an opportunity to explore the eastern Caribbean
during this past winter break. With all my
time in the northern and southern Caribbean,
this was my first opportunity to explore the
subducting end of the Caribbean Plate firsthand.
I didn’t have enough time to explore so
I can’t wait to go back. Anyone want to come
along Best wishes to all!
Scott Drzyzga
Hello Gang. I’m happy to report many
good things. First, I earned a sabbatical leave
(Fall 2011) and accomplished everything I set
out to do. I continued my work to unravel the
(continued on page 4)
Down to Earth News 2012 3

Department Faculty Updates
(continued from page 3)
mysteries of Glacial Lake Algonquin, which
existed in the Great Lakes basin approximately
12,000 years ago. Dr. Blewett and I conducted
weeks of fieldwork in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
regarding some newly discovered ancient
shorelines, and we developed new hypotheses
about moraine development in the region.
We’re going back to the “UP” during Summer
2012 to virtually excavate a massive pro-glacial
delta with some new Ground Penetrating
Radar technology. Also, my latest manuscript
about the ancient lake is in press and will be
published in a forthcoming issue of the Journal
of Paleolimnology.
Dr. Claire Jantz
and I are still working
together. We’re beginning
to wrap up our
five-year effort (National
Science Foundation)
to build new
knowledge about the
Baltimore metropolitan
area, and to better
understand how urban growth is changing
the region’s water supplies. We took graduate
student Michael Maret and undergraduate students
Ben Ritter and Gus Frederick to Seattle,
WA, to present new findings at the Association
of American Geographer 2011 Annual Meeting;
each did a great job. To follow up, Claire
and I just submitted a new research proposal
that seeks to answer fundamental questions
regarding future urban growth, land cover
change and water quality conditions across the
entire Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
In October 2011, students Scott Evans
and Deb Whitmoyer, and I, attended the 6th
Annual NW Pennsylvania GIS Conference.
The conference was filled with presentations
and talk about the Marcellus Shale gas play
and the related demand boom for GIS-related
products and services. Scott and Deb both presented
work they accomplished in our Applied
GIS course. I should note that we ran Applied
GIS a little differently than usual last year, for
we visited with the National Park Service’s map
production staff in Harper’s Ferry and learned
how to achieve high-quality map designs using
ArcGIS, Adobe Illustrator, and the National
Park Service’s map/brochure style sheets. Our
students made some stunning map products
in that class.
In January 2012, I became a Certified
Geographic Information Systems Professional
(GISP). Former students of GIS III
(aka Advanced GIS) should recall beginning
their application processes in college so that
adding to and amending their applications will
be easy as each develops the required years of
professional on-the-job experience. I’m pleased
to share that alumna Katie Howard (nee Hess)
also became a Certified GISP in January.
For those keeping track, our GIS and Ford
Labs are running ESRI ArcGIS for Desktop
10 (ArcInfo), ESRI Business Analyst, the latest
version of ERDAS Imagine, Surfer 10, and
Trimble GPS Pathfinder Office 5.2, among
many others. Also, we upgraded our fleet of
Trimble GPS/GNSS hardware. We now have
two survey-grade GeoExplorer 6000s and a
dozen mapping-grade GeoXM units to support
classroom instruction, student research,
and our summer Field Techniques course.
Last but not least, I’d love to hear from
you. Anything you can share with us about your
experiences at Ship or in the current GIS job
market will help us to better help our students.
sadrzy@ship.edu.
Allison Feeney
Hi everyone.
As in the past I
continue to teach
GIS and cartography
courses,
continually updating
skills with
the changing demands
of technology
and the
limitless possibilities geography has to offer.
The past two years I have been working with
students interested in the Atlantic trade, with
particular focus on Bermuda. My own research
has been examining historic maps created in
the first 100 years of settlement of the New
World, and analyzing the accuracy of these
early maps in a GIS. Last summer I went with
a graduate student, Stewart Beattie to Bermuda,
who was using GIS to map shipwreck
data, and this fall break I took ten students
from an honor’s course, “The World of Pirates”
to Bermuda. While there, we stayed in the
historic Naval Dockyards, mapped features for
a 3D tour, visited with an underwater archaeologist,
snorkeled the coral reefs, and saw many
of the islands cultural and physical landscapes.
Closer to home I have been working with
another graduate student who is mapping the
street trees in the borough of Shippensburg.
While this initial phase is part of his graduate
research, he intends to establish a GIS for the
borough and the university to collaboratively
map, study, and manage the urban trees. I also
continue to work with student organizations
such as the adventure club and ski club where
I can express my love for outdoor activities
such as whitewater rafting, kayaking, skiing,
and tennis.
Tom Feeney
Well, my office is
no cleaner than the
last time you were here
in Shearer Hall! I have
had no difficulty at all
filling up Dr. Benhart’s
old office with assorted
stuff. I’d like to think it
is all there ready to go
to class or in the field at a moment’s notice,
but you know better.
The classes seem to be boiling along as
maybe you once remember them. I continue
to work away at making Hydrogeology a “realworld”
class, as I’m still waiting for that perfect
37º F day with light rain to run that SLUG
test. And, I’m working to incorporate some
geophysics into the Environmental Geology
class thanks to the combined efforts of Drs.
Cornell, Zume, and Woltemade into bringing
that equipment to the Department. On
the research side, I continue to monitor the
hydrology of springs in the region, with a major
effort being placed on the Cleversburg Sink
Cave system. The system is not far away, and
is adjacent to the mighty Burd Run channel
just a few miles upstream from campus. Some
really neat stuff is coming out of there that
might indicate (that’s a strong statement!) that
some Burd Run water could be flowing to an
entirely different watershed. Wouldn’t that be
something! Unfortunately, we have to wait for
just the right hydrologic conditions to test this
idea. Some students and I are also making trips
into the cave on a regular basis to collect water
samples to evaluate how the speleothems (cave
formations) in there are forming. Stay tuned!
I continue to help Dr. Hawkins collect
weather data at the station to satisfy the
weather-geek side of me, and I have done a
bit of work to help the Shippensburg Borough
Water Authority site a new water supply well.
As some of you may recall, we have had great
success in the past siting very productive wells
for the Borough, but going to the trough
too often may be creeping up on my batting
average.
Please drop me a note and let me know
how you are doing.
4 Down to Earth News 2012

Department Faculty Updates
Kurt Fuellhart
I continue to teach
courses in human geography
including
Cultural Geography,
Geography of the
U.S.A. and Canada,
and Economic Geography.
My research
involves the geography of air transport services
and other regional economic issues. I have
recently co-authored conference papers for
several international meetings including the
International Conference of the Hong Kong
Society for Transportation Studies (2010) in
Hong Kong, SAR, China, The Association of
American Geographers Conference (2011) in
Seattle, Wash., and the Air Transport Research
Society Annual Conference (2011) in Sydney,
NSW, Australia.
Tim Hawkins
Hi everyone! I
continue to teach and
research in the fields
of meteorology and
climatology. I am
on sabbatical during
Spring 2012 working
on two projects. The
first builds on some previous work by examining
the role that three-dimensional computer
simulations and three-dimensional tangible
models have in student learning of challenging
meteorological concepts. I’m working with Jan
Smith and we’ve initially found some interesting
differences in student scores depending on
whether students use a 2-D or 3-D model as
well as some interesting sex-based differences.
My other project involves building a hydrologic
model of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
With a functioning model, I hope to examine
the impact of projected climate change and
land use change in the coming decades on the
runoff to the Bay as well as the hydroclimate
of the watershed. I will also be able to use the
model in my classes and for future student
research. I still very much enjoy working with
students on research projects. Some recent
student projects include: climate change along
the Appalachian Trail, modeling the impact
of green roofs on buildings, and examining
Shippensburg’s urban heat island.
I continue to maintain the weather station
on campus and somehow got roped into being
department chair for the Fall 2011 semester
while Dr. Blewett was on sabbatical. I think I
was the only person still standing in the room
after everyone else ran away when they asked
who wanted to be chair….I hope you are all
doing well and would love to hear an update
from you!
Claire Jantz
I can’t believe I have been at Shippensburg
University for almost seven years. Time flies
when you’re having fun, right I manage to
keep myself occupied on a variety of teaching
and research projects. I am excited about a
new NASA-funded research project that will
focus on mapping and monitoring of wetland
dynamics for improved resilience and delivery
of ecosystem services in the Mid-Atlantic
region. I also have two research proposals in
review to continue on urbanization research in
the Mid-Atlantic region, and to study settlement
patterns and environmental change in
the Andes using remote sensing techniques
and field-based data collection. My fingers
are crossed for a favorable outcome with those
proposals, both of which have been submitted
to the National Science Foundation. The
work I have done to write and, occasionally,
win funded research awards was recognized in
2010, when I was awarded the Provost’s Award
for Extraordinary Service.
I still teach several classes, including
World Geography, Conservation of Natural
Resources, Land Use, Urban Geography, and
a graduate course on the Science of Land Use
Change. A lot of my research feeds directly into
my classes and into research I do with students.
I am so proud of some of the student research
projects I have advised that I recently launched
a new page on my website to publish student
white papers. Please take a look at http://
webspace.ship.edu/cajant/student_white_papers.html
and see some of the great research
students are doing in the field of land use and
land cover change.
I continue to serve as the department’s
internship coordinator, and last academic
year helped to place over 80 undergraduate
and graduate students. It is rewarding to see
our students develop academically and professionally
at their internships, and I invite you to
read about some of our featured internships on
our website (http://www.ship.edu/Geo-ESS/
Internships/). And, please keep us in mind if
your agency or company is seeking interns.
In my free time, my husband and I continue
to keep honeybees as a hobbyist beekeeper
and to participate in NASA’s HoneyBeeNet
as citizen scientists (http://webspace.ship.edu/
cajant/research_honeybeenet.html). We have
also brought a third dog into our household,
a rescue that I brought home from field work,
and the pack keeps us busy with dog school,
hiking, and tennis ball.
Paul Marr
This semester
I have been reacquainting
myself
with the department,
having just
returned from a
one-year sabbatical.
Spent some
of my time taking
a much needed
break, with the rest being devoted to proposal
writing, pushing some back-burner research
projects up to the front burner (where they
were immediately overcooked), and preparing
manuscripts. Former state archaeologist
Stephen Warfel and I were able to get another
PHMC grant for excavations at the Fort Morris
site. The dig will begin in May 2012, with
our goal being to locate the fort’s palisade wall
and ultimately determine the layout of the fort,
its size, and its position on the landscape. I was
also able to get a few manuscripts out the door:
one written with Dr. Jantz entitled “Aymaran
Village Abandonment on the Chilean Dry
Puna”, which we sent to Mountain Research
and Development Journal, and the other (and
my personal favorite) was “Geography of the
British Motorcycle Industry: 1896-2004”,
which was sent to Transport History Journal.
The Aymaran village abandonment paper resulted
in the development of research proposals
to NOAA (not funded) and NSF (which will
be submitted in January, 2012). Dr. Jantz and I
hope to be working with a Chilean agronomist,
an Aymaran linguist, and the Woods Hole
Research Center to investigate the mechanisms
that have led to depopulation on the dry puna
of northern Chile. Dr. Jantz and I are also in
the process of developing a field study course in
northern Chile that would take students from
the coastal mountain range and the abandoned
nitrate mines, through the Atacama desert,
and up into the Andes Mountains. I think this
would be an amazing opportunity for students
(continued on page 6)
Down to Earth News 2012 5

Department Faculty Updates
(continued from page 5)
and hope we are able to make this field experience
a reality.
If the vote goes my way (and it should because
I paid enough for it!) I hope to be elected
as President of the Middle States Division of
the AAG. This year’s MSD conference will
be held here at Shippensburg University in
November. This is a great opportunity for us
to showcase our department and university to
fellow geographers, and I am looking forward
to making the 2012 MSDAAG conference
a success. I was recently asked to become the
editor of the Pioneer America Society’s online
journal Pioneer America Society Transactions
(PAST). This is a great organization and if you
have an interest in North American history I
would urge you to attend a meeting (Philadelphia
in 2012). Along the same vein, I was
also asked to be the editor of Middle States
Division’s journal, the Middle States Geographer.
Both should keep me busy, and by the end of
all of this I will probably be ready for another
sabbatical.
For those who are keeping track, this year’s
trout count was dismally low… I blame it on
the rain and then the lack of rain…
George Pomeroy
After two
challenging and
enjoyable years
serving as the SU’s
Interim Director
of the Institute for
Public Service and
Sponsored Programs,
I am very
glad to rejoin my colleagues and our students
full-time in the department. While the administrative
job was a wonderful learning experience,
I can say that “hands down,” nothing
beats being in the classroom engaging in ideas
with students.
Planning — local, city, town, environmental,
and land use — continues to be a theme of
my teaching and research. As Director of the
Center for Land Use, I have played a role in cooperative
efforts to plan along the I-81 Corridor
and in the South Mountain Partnership, a large
landscape conservation planning effort centered
on the South Mountain region. Several student
research and service projects, mostly through the
Land Use, Environmental Land Use Planning
(ELUP), and Geography Seminar courses, have
spoken to these initiatives.
As with the last newsletter, I can report
another successful field course in China. In
the summer of 2010, we (the students, our
children Megan and Eileen, and, of course,
Jennifer and I) again visited Shanghai, Beijing,
and Hangzhou. Again, I can safely say that the
country is changing rapidly; modernizing at
breakneck speed. A unique twist to the 2010
trip was our visit to Expo 2010 — the world’s
fair. The fair’s theme — Better City, Better Life
— featured city planning and was intended as
a signal of Shanghai’s emergence as a global
city. The day we visited so did 380,000 other
people! We also made our first visit to Beijing’s
Urban Planning Exposition Hall. Similar to
the Shanghai’s urban planning museum, the
exhibit features an impressive scale model of
the city. A cultural first was our visit to Chairman
Mao’s Mausoleum, where we respectively
witnessed the remains of the Great Helmsman
inside a crystal coffin for public viewing.
As always, I am very glad to hear from
alumni. Hearing from you allows us to inspire
students, as they need role models (you), great
case studies (your projects), and encouragement
in their personal and career development.
Jan Smith
Greetings from
Shippensburg! It is
hard to believe that
I am beginning my
10th year at Shippensburg
this year
— where has the
time gone I have
no trouble remembering the two years we spent
in Gilbert Hall or the small and warm GIS lab
in the basement of Horton Hall. Who could
forget those, right But, it is hard to believe
that we have been back in the renovated Shearer
Hall for over five years. The GIS lab and
the Ford lab are getting an incredible workout
these days with more majors in our department
as well as more students from across campus
interested in learning GIS.
Besides teaching GIS and Cartography,
I continue to teach World Geography, the
Geography of Europe, and, since 2011, have
been teaching our Senior Capstone Seminar
in the spring semester. As always, I am fortunate
to get to work with the students from our
department who are pursuing their degrees in
Earth-Space Science and Geography-Social
Studies education!
I am involved in several other projects
beyond the Shippensburg University classroom
which keep my calendar relatively full. I
serve as the Coordinator for the Pennsylvania
Alliance for Geographic Education — a nonprofit
organization which focuses on teaching
and learning of geography at all levels and is
funded, in part, by the National Geographic
Education Foundation. We provide professional
development opportunities for teachers
across the state as well as other types of support
for their teaching of geography. Over the
past several years, I have been working with
several colleagues from across the US developing
a middle school geography textbook
in conjunction with National Geographic
Learning. The other major external project in
my life recently has been my participation on
an NSF funded grant entitled the “Road Map
Project.” Essentially, this panel is working to
develop an educational framework to enhance
the teaching and learning of geography in our
K-12 schools.
I am sure I speak for everyone in the
department—we love hearing from you and
finding out what you have been doing since
leaving Ship. Please keep in touch and come
back and visit!
Kay Williams
I continue teaching the courses I have in
the past and am rotating fall semesters between
teaching Biogeography and Problems of the
Atmospheric Environment graduate class, as
well as Conservation of Natural Resources and
Physical Geography. I had not taught biogeography
for three years so it gave me a chance
to redesign the course which now includes a
PowerPoint presentation, outside activities and
a research paper. If we can get the transportation
situation better, I would also take them to
Waggoner’s Gap in the Kittatinny Ridge for a
field trip as I have in the past.
My responsibilities
as Treasurer
for the Pennsylvania
Geographical Society
(PGS) have
decreased somewhat
since we are finally
moving into the 21 st
Century and are accepting
membership
and conference payments online, including
with PayPal. The website, www.thepgs.org, has
been updated and improved. If you are not a
member of the society, I encourage you to join
which can be done online. Our annual meeting
this year will be held on November 2 & 3,
2012 in Salisbury, MD, the home school of our
Executive Director, Brent Zaprowski. This will
be our second visit to the Eastern Shore and
I’m sure it will be as successful as in the past.
It will be a joint meeting with MADAAG.
6 Down to Earth News 2012

Department Faculty Updates
On a more personal note, my daughter
Lydia decided to continue her education and is
currently enrolled in the master’s program Psychological
Sciences, a new degree. She acquired
an undergraduate degree in psychology here
at Ship in 2003 and took many science classes
between then and now. She is hoping to teach.
She and I had a nice visit to the University of
Georgia the first weekend in January to attend
the retirement party of my mentors, advisors
and friends, Al and Kathy Parker. We were just
there a weekend, but it was great to see them
and was nice going back after 17 years!
My grandsons are now 7 (Alex, second
grade) and almost 3 (Zack). With Lydia back
in school and taking night classes, Fred and I
pick up the boys until their dad gets off work
the two nights she has class. It is really fun
watching them grow up.
Christopher Woltemade
I have recently completed some research
with Kurt Fuellhart addressing the potential
for residential water conservation programs in
the Shippensburg area. The study examines the
economic costs and benefits of various conservation
programs. We presented papers on the
research at both the AAG and the American
Water Resources Association conferences and
a paper is scheduled to be published this year
in The Professional Geographer.
I’m also working together with Nate Bennett
(MS, Geoenvironmental Studies) on a
stream restoration project on Larry’s Creek in
Lycoming County, PA. A highly-eroded reach
of the creek will be reconstructed in 2012. The
broader project includes monitoring of baseline
conditions and post-project geomorphic
monitoring. I’m really hoping to involve some
students in related projects in the watershed —
there are lots of possibilities!
Personally, I’m keeping very fit by cycling
with the SU Cycling Club. Since every year I
get a year older and the students are always
young and fit, let’s just say I get my money’s
worth at our weekly training ride. After dipping
my toe back into the road racing scene
last fall, I’m hoping to participate in a few
more road races this year. At least they have
master’s categories where I don’t have to race
against 20-year-olds!
Joseph Zume
It’s been a remarkable
journey
here at Shippensburg
University. I am
now in my fifth year
here and still enjoying
every moment
of it. The Department
of Geography and Earth Science is the
BEST!! The atmosphere around here is the
most conducive for productivity; I have very
exciting and dependable colleagues, and a 20-
year department chair that is totally awesome!
Once again, I am thankful to be a part of this
great department.
My teaching has remained on schedule.
I have continued to teach Hydrology, Atmosphere,
World Geography, and the Regional
Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa.
This summer (2012), I will have the privilege
of teaching a field techniques course focused
on Geophysics, a very exciting opportunity.
A graduate-level course on groundwater flow
and contaminant transport is still on my
radar in the near future. Also on track is the
implementation of geophysics into our geoenvironmental
studies curriculum, a product of
an NSF grant that I spearheaded two years
ago. I have also been making significant strides
in the area of scholarship. Over the past two
years, I have published two articles in top-flight
international journals, a journal editorial, and
two other manuscripts are nearing submission.
Similarly, I have continued to present
my research at, at least, two national and/or
regional conferences a year. I’m also gradually
increasing the involvement of undergraduate
and graduate students in my research effort.
Service has continued to be another area
of priority to me. On campus, I still serve as
co-chair of the APSCUF/SU Student Affairs
Committee in addition to serving on
many other committees. To the discipline, I
currently serve as Outreach Director for the
Pennsylvania Geographical Society (PGS)
and Finance Director for the Africa Specialty
Group of the Association of American Geographers
(AAG). This is in addition to serving
as a peer reviewer to several academic journals
and a grant reviewer for the National Science
Foundation (NSF). I also remain in the active
membership of the Association of American
Geographers (AAG), National Groundwater
Association (NGWA), American Geophysical
Union (AGU), and the Pennsylvania Geographical
Society (PGS), and the American
Water Resources Association (AWRA).
Needless to say, my multi-tasking and
time management skills are awesome! Despite
the heavy demand on my time, I still find time
to spend with my beloved daughters, Ngodoo
and Nguveren. We spend lots of time cooking,
going to the gym, riding bikes, row boating,
etc. Those girls make life much more enjoyable
for me and I thank God for blessing me
with them!!
Emeritus Faculty Update From Ron McCall
Mr. Ron McCall and his wife Dorothy have been
keeping busy and are in great spirits these days. For the
last couple of years, Ron and Dorothy have been coming
to campus on Fridays to lunch with current faculty and
students at the Century Café in Old Main. We value
those lunches and hope they will continue.
Ron writes that his activities are numerous and
include volunteering at their church’s clothing center,
working on his parent’s families genealogies, traveling,
and keeping up with family members. He and Dorothy enjoy meeting with retired geography
faculty once a month for breakfast. As many as possible gather when they are in town.
(Apparently there are some Emeritus Faculty who don’t like Shippensburg’s warm winters!)
Besides the McCalls, those attending the monthly breakfasts are Drs. Benhart, DeVitis, and
Ehemann, and former department secretary Chris Ocker Salisbury. Ron reports that Dr.
Kermit Laidig is also doing well.
Our best wishes to all of our Emeritus Faculty members. We are grateful for your health
and appreciative of your continued support of students and current faculty. Our department
could not and would not be what it is today without you! Please keep us posted and let us
know how you are doing!
Down to Earth News 2012 7

Blewett, W.L., 2012. Geology and Landscape
of Michigan’s Pictured Rocks
National Lakeshore and Vicinity, Detroit:
Wayne State University Press, 181 p.
Blewett, W. L., and Wah, J. S., 2011. Geology,
Landscape, and Soils of Michaux
State Forest and South Mountain, Pennsylvania,
in Wah, J.S., ed., Michaux State
Forest Soils, Sediments, and Landscapes
Field Tour, Mid-Atlantic Association of
Professional Soil Scientists, p. 3-15.
Cornell, S.R., & A. Oakley, 2011, Coastal
Zone Research and Shoreline Monitoring:
Wallops Island, Virginia; Supported
by $10,000 Budget from NASA Wallops
Island, Flight Facility.
Cornell, S.R., & V. Woodlief*, 2011,
Something Old, Something New, Something
Borrowed, Something Blue: Lessons
Learned During a Service-Learning
Experience in the Gulf Coast, In: Proteus:
A Journal of Ideas: Building and
Strengthening Communities and Social
Networks, Vol. 27, No. 1, p 23-28.
Cornell, S.R. 2011, Teaching Geohazards
in Our Backyard: Using Case Studies in
Central Pennsylvania and Coastal Virginia
to Engage Students in Geoscience,
Geological Society of America Annual
Meeting Abstracts with Programs, Vol.
43, No. 5, p. 137.
Stefanic*, Michael J. & S.R. Cornell, 2011
A Multiphase Model for the Formation
of Enigmatic Coastal Geomorphic Features
of NW Curaçao: A Case Study of
Bokas From Shete Boka National Park,
Geological Society of America Annual
Meeting Abstracts with Programs, Vol.
43, No. 5, p. 251.
Cornell, S.R., 2010, Service-Learning in
the Geosciences: Effective Strategies
for Learning Outside the Classroom,
Geological Society of America Abstracts
with Programs, Vol. 42, No. 5, p. 445.
Cornell, S.R., C.A. Jantz, H. Sahli, R.
Stewart, N. Thomas, J. Campbell, & V.
Pitts, 2011: Integration of Classroom
Response Systems (aka “clickers”) into
Science Classrooms, Shippensburg University
Technology Fee Grant: $7,750.00
Woodlief*, V. A., S. R. Cornell, M.J.
Sabetta, E. Sergent, E. McGilliard*,& A.
Oakley, 2012, A GIS Analysis of the Chincoteague
Inlet Eddy and Its Impact on
the Shoreline Morphology of Northern
Wallops Island, Eastern Shore Virginia,
Ocean Sciences Annual Meeting 2012,
Salt Lake City, Utah.
Chariw, J. E., M.J. Sabetta, A. Oakley,
S.R. Cornell, 2012, Monitoring in situ
Tidal Range and Surface Aquifer Recharge
and Discharge on Wallops Island,
Virginia, Ocean Sciences Annual Meeting
2012, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Jantz, C.A. (in review). The dynamic hinterland
of New York City: the transition
from farming to watershed protection
in Delaware County, NY. Middle States
Geographer.
**Duxbury, B. and C.A. Jantz. (in review)
Urban revitalization and neighborhood
dynamics in Harrisburg, PA, 2006-2011.
Middle States Geographer.
Marr, P.G. and C.A. Jantz (in review).
Aymara village abandonment on the
Chilean dry puna. Mountain Research
and Development.
Ciavola, S.J., C.A. Jantz, J. Reilly, and G.
Moglen (in review). Forecast changes
in runoff quality and quantity in the Del-
MarVa peninsula. Journal of Hydrologic
Engineering.
Goetz, S.J., C.A. Jantz, M. Sun (2011).
Forecasting future land use and hydrology:
a case study of the Upper Delaware
Watershed. Watershed Science Bulletin.
Fall issue: 18-26.
McConnell, W.J, J.D.A. Millington, N.J.
Reo, M. Alberti, H. Asbjornsen, L.A.
Baker, N. Brozovi, L.E. Drinkwater, S.A.
Drzyzga, J. Fragoso, D.S. Holland, C.A.
Jantz, T.A. Kohler, H.D.G. Maschner, M.
Monticino, G. Podestá, R.G. Pontius,
Jr., C.L. Redman, D. Sailor, G. Urquhart,
Grants/Publications
and J. Liu. (2011). Research on Coupled
Human and Natural Systems (CHANS):
Approach, Challenges, and Strategies.
Bulletin of the Ecological Society of
America 92 (2): 218-228.
O’Connor, K. and K. Fuellhart. 2012. “Cities
and Air Services: The Influence of the
Airline Industry.” Journal of Transport
Geography 22: 46-52.
O’Connor, K and K. Fuellhart. 2010.
“Air Services at Second Ranked Cities:
Decline or Growth”, In Sumalee, A.,
Lam, W.H.K., Ho, H.W. and Siu, B. (eds)
Transportation and Urban Sustainability.
Proceedings of the 15th International
Conference of the Hong Kong Society for
Transportation Studies: 687- 694.
Yeo, I, M. Lang, C. Huang, and C.A. Jantz
(2012-2015). Mapping and monitoring of
wetland dynamics for improved resilience
and delivery of ecosystem services
in the Mid-Atlantic region. Submitted to
NASA’s Research Opportunities in Space
and Earth Sciences (ROSES) Land-Cover/Land-Use
Change 2012 solicitation
(NNH10ZDA001N-LCLUC). Total budget
$749,849; SU budget $60,434.
Jantz, C.A., B. Blewett, S. Grove, S.
Burg, and H. Sahli. Application to join
the Chesapeake Watershed Cooperative
Ecosystem Studies Unit (CW CESU). Application
approved, membership to be
active February 2012.
Ball, W. G. Brush, B. Hobbs, B. Zaitchik,
D. Brady, K. Sellner, C.A. Jantz, S.A.
Drzyzga, M. Paolisso, I. Zaslavsky, W.
Kemp, M. Li, L. Murray, and D. DiToro.
WSC-Category 2; Collaborative Research:
A Long-Term Perspective Linking
Changes in Climate, Extreme Weather,
and Watershed Land Use to Water Quality
in Chesapeake Bay. Submitted to
the National Science Foundation Water
Sustainability and Climate program. Total
budget, approximately $5 million over 5
years, SU budget $369,000 over 5 years.
(In review)
Marr, P.G., C.A. Jantz and P.A. Jantz.
Landscape change and abandonment
in the Andean dry puna ecoregion.
Submitted to NSF’s Geography and
Spatial Sciences Program. Total budget,
approximately $475,000 over 3 years.
(In review). (continued on page 13)
8 Down to Earth News 2012

GEOGRAPHY-EARTH SCIENCE DEPARTMENT ALUMNI SURVEY
Spring 2012
The Geography-Earth Science Department at Shippensburg University updates and compiles a directory of graduates of the
department every two years. We are interested to learn about what are doing currently, and in your opinions of
departmental courses and degree programs. This information is very important to us and we use it for the assessment of our
program. Any information you provide will help us adjust as necessary in order to improve department and educational
outcomes. Thank you for taking time to complete this survey. If possible, please return the survey by May 1, 2012. You may
also complete the survey online at our department website http://www.ship.edu/geo-ess/and click on Alumni.
" " " " "
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name: ________________________________________________________________________
Permanent Address: ______________________________________________________________
Telephone Numbers: Home_______________________ Work _______________________
Email Address:____________________________ _______________________________________
Year of Graduation: _____________________________
Major: (Check one):
Earth-Space Science
Urban-Rural Studies
Geoenvironmental Studies (undergrad)
Geographic Information Systems (GIS certification)
What have you been doing since your graduation from Shippensburg University
Would you prefer to receive a digital copy of the newsletter in the future _____Yes
Geography-Liberal Arts
Comprehensive Social Studies
Geoenvironmental Studies (graduate)
____No
If yes provide your email address so we can send it. _________________________________________
Do you feel that your degree from the Department of Geography-Earth Science at Shippensburg prepared you to get a job in
your field of study
Yes
No
Additional Comments:
Overall, how well did the courses taken in the department prepare you for your present job or the job you hope to attain in
the near future (Check one)
Well prepared
Adequately prepared
Poorly prepared
Additional Comments:

Below are two lists. The first is a list of communication and analytical skills; these are skills the department works to
develop through our classes. Please indicate how frequently you use each skill in your position today and how helpful you
think our program was in developing the skill. (Circle the appropriate response.)
FREQUENCY OF USE
HELPFULNESS IN DEVELOPING SKILL
Very Somewhat Little Very Not
Important Important Importance Helpful Helpful Helpful
SKILLS
Computer 1 2 3 1 2 3
Data Collection and Research 1 2 3 1 2 3
Problem Solving 1 2 3 1 2 3
Analytical and Quantitative 1 2 3 1 2 3
Communication 1 2 3 1 2 3
Geotechnology (GPS, Geophysics) 1 2 3 1 2 3
The second list, below, identifies the different content areas of focus in our program. Please indicate how frequently
you use the content in your position today and how helpful you think our program was in developing the content.
FREQUENCY OF USE
HELPFULNESS IN DEVELOPING CONTENT
Very Somewhat Little Very Not
Important Important Importance Helpful Helpful Helpful
CONTENT AREAS
Atmosphere 1 2 3 1 2 3
Environmental Land Use Planning 1 2 3 1 2 3
Geology - Soils 1 2 3 1 2 3
Hydrology 1 2 3 1 2 3
GIS/Cartography 1 2 3 1 2 3
Economic-Regional 1 2 3 1 2 3
How would you rate the quality of your internship or student teaching experience with regard to the following
categories Are you evaluating ___ Internship ___ Student teaching experience (Check one)
(Please go on to the next category if you did not have an internship or student teaching experience at Shippensburg.)
Enhance your professional growth Excellent Good Poor
Learning new skills and knowledge Excellent Good Poor
Preparation for present job Excellent Good Poor
Fairness/consideration of on-the-job supervisors Excellent Good Poor
Others (please comment)
Geographic Perspective and Life-Long Learning
A major goal of our program is to assist our students in developing a geographic perspective and encourage our students to
become life-long learners. This may be the first time you have ever thought about either of these ideas, but we would like
you to evaluate the following:
--To what extent the Geography-Earth Science program contributed to “your ability to see and understand the world in
terms of: 1) who, what, where, when, places and things are distributed across space; 2) why and how they got there; 3)
evaluate the ever-changing relationship between humans and the environment; and 4) sometimes make predictions &
propose solutions to current problems.” (Circle the most appropriate response)
Significantly Contributed Moderately Contributed Did Not Contribute At All
--To what extent the Geography-Earth Science program contributed to your development as a life-long learner
(Circle the most appropriate response)
Significantly Contributed Moderately Contributed Did Not Contribute At All
Thanks again for taking time to complete our Alumni Survey!
" " " " "

Field Courses
Honorable Mention
Sean Cornell: Caracasbaai: Where'ʹs that
Field notes from Curaçao 2011
This photograph was taken looking northwest in January, 2010 from Fort Beekenburg overlooking Caracas Bay in Curacao, Netherlands
Antilles. For those From of this you vantage who have point traveled one can with identify during both the physical Age of Exploration, and human and components during this of the There island'ʹs a landscape growing awareness that reflect and the concern 400
Dr. years Sean of European-­‐‐influenced Cornell, you know that history, and trips the trip thousands to Curaçao of years we explored of natural its colonial history history that have regarding elapsed since heritage this conservation landscape emerged as Curaçaoans
strike from the a delicate sea due to balance plate tectonics between and keeping sea-­‐‐level at change. sites that The included irony is Caracasbaai that although (Spanish the physical work landscape to balance is their full of traditional evidence culture of with
sane, environmental avoiding sleep change deprivation, as discerned and by making the trained Water), eye, where the rate the of Spanish natural first environmental made contact change globalization. is minimal For compared example, to Dr. the Allen change pointed
every the landscape minute count. owing Our to development travel to Curaçao pressures. on with Caracas the island; Bay Savonet takes its Plantation, name from a preserved the fact that out the that bay Curaçaoans faces south are toward very Venezuela, proud of their
January and on a 7, clear 2011 day is a the perfect coast example of South of America this: Dutch can be plantation seen the that horizon. was established in 1660; native language, Papiamentu, but Dutch is
We left Shippensburg University at 1:30am in
a snow storm to catch a 7:10am flight out of
Washington National Airport. We arrived in
Curaçao around 4:00pm to a hot and humid
tropical island afternoon. Over the next several
days, Dr. Cornell’s travel itinerary kept us busy.
We worked hard, played hard, learned a lot, and
rested when we could.
My first trip to Curaçao was in January
2009 with Dr. Cornell’s field studies class. Being
back on the island, I was surprised to see
how much it had changed in two years. I noticed
a lot of new fast food restaurants, casinos
were advertising heavily, there were several new
resorts, and more traffic. We suspected that a
lot of these changes were due to Curaçao’s new
autonomous position in the Dutch Kingdom,
one more step in the process of becoming an
independent nation. With this new autonomy,
Curaçao seems to be actively recruiting foreign
investment and expanding its tourist economy.
Curaçao is a dynamic place, in every sense
of the word. It entered the era of globalization
and the Kura Hulanda museum, dedicated
to tracing Curaçaoans’ African roots and the
legacy of the slave trade.
To learn about Curaçao’s contemporary
geopolitical situation, we were fortunate to
have the opportunity to meet with the U.S.
Consul Valerie Belen. The primary role of
the consulate is to assist U.S. citizens in Curaçao
regarding passports, visas,
and other services. However, we
learned that another main focus of
the consulate in Curaçao is related
to narcotics traffic. Curaçao is a
forward operations location and
provides support for military surveillance
in the Caribbean. The
consulate is critical in helping to
coordinate these activities.
We explored the physical
environment both on shore and
off shore. We explored the coral
reef ecosystem through snorkeling
and diving trips at multiple sites
around the island, noting that
some reefs had suffered recent storm damage
while others seemed to be flourishing. Of
course, Dr. Cornell enthusiastically explored
the geologic history of the island, pointing out
pillow basalts that make up the core bedrock of
Curaçao, and taking the group to Shete Boca,
where Curaçao’s characteristic reef terraces can
be observed. We also made a trip to the western
half of the island to see the Watamula, or
breathing rocks, where pressure from incoming
waves pushes air through the limestone rocks.
In a meeting with Dr. Rose Mary Allen
at the National Archaeological and Anthropological
Memory Management Museum, we
learned about Curaçaoan culture and identity.
seen as a language that will open the door to
careers and the ability to advance. Some of Dr.
Allen’s work also points to the linkages between
cultural identity and the natural landscape,
as reflected in local cuisine such as cactus
stew eaten with sorghum polenta, and in the
concept of “kunuku.” This complex term has
many meanings, originally connoting a place to
grow maize or sorghum; during the colonial era
kunuku referred to the subsistence livelihood
practiced by many rural Afro-Curaçaoans. In
more recent decades it has also come to mean
self-sufficiency and autonomy, important
themes in the anti-slavery movement, Afro-
Curaçaoans struggle for civil rights, and today
Curaçao’s progress toward autonomy.
Down to Earth News 2012 11

Field Courses
My Marine Science Consortium Experience by Eric McGilliard
One of the most rewarding experiences of
my college career was taking a Marine Geology
class offered through Shippensburg University
at the Marine Science Consortium. I signed up
for the class as a way to get away from the SU
campus while still earning a few extra credits
over the summer. The class focused on coastal
processes and much of the three weeks was
spent in the field conducting surveys, analyzing
sediment deposits via core samples, and
investigating the impacts of a beach replenishment
project initiated by the Army Corps
of Engineers and the Wallops Flight Facility.
The MSC campus offers brand new lab
and teaching facilities, a fleet of boats and
kayaks, and an assortment of scientific equipment
for teaching and research. At a total cost
of about $1,900 for a three-week course, summer
classes at the MSC are a remarkable value.
More opportunities arose at the completion
of the class as I was able to continue
working with a coastal zone research group
consisting of faculty members from Shippensburg
and Kutztown universities, as well as a
group of student researchers from both schools.
We travel to Wallops regularly to conduct field
work analyzing barrier island features such as
ground water flow, beach topography, shell
bed compositions, storm impacts, and other
facets of the coastal landscape. The research
has been partially funded by NASA and will
serve to supplement environmental assessments
that have been conducted by NASA and the
Army Corps of Engineers in order to manage
coastal infrastructure and measure the impacts
of a future beach replenishment project at the
Wallops Flight Facility.
I would strongly encourage others to
participate in educational opportunities like
those offered at the MSC. Having the ability
to get into the field working with equipment
is not possible in traditional classroom settings,
so these experiences make learning more
enjoyable and helps to complete the college
experience.
What is your story
If you took courses at the
MSC, we would love to hear
about your expereinces. Send
comments to Sean Cornell at
srcornell@ship.edu/
Check it out...
Yes. Ship is still a member of the MSC. If you
haven’t had a chance to check out all of the new and
exciting things we have been doing on the Eastern
Shore of Virginia, take some time and visit the website
(msconsortium.org). By pooling our collective
resources with other PASSHE universities, we now
have a new campus, and most importantly, we have a
strong and vibrant educational program, and a growing
research program with NASA, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, and the Nature Conservancy, just to
name a few.
12 Down to Earth News 2012

Field Courses
Grants/Publications
(continued from page 8)
Woltemade, C. J. and K. Fuellhart. In
press. Economic efficiency of residential
water conservation programs in a
Pennsylvania public water utility. The
Professional Geographer.
Woltemade, C. J. 2010. Impact of residential
soil disturbance on infiltration
rate and stormwater runoff. Journal of
the American Water Resources Association.
46(4):700-711.
Zume, J.T. and S.R. Cornell. 2010. Integration
of Near-surface Geophysical
Imaging Technology into a Geoenvironmental
Science Undergraduate
Curriculum. Funded by: The National
Science Foundation (NSF-CCLI) 3 years.
$196,902.
Zume J.T. (2011). Assessing the potential
risks of burial practices on groundwater
quality in rural north-central Nigeria.
Journal of Water and Health vol 9 (3),
609–616.
Zume, J.T. and A. Tarhule (2011). Modelling
the response of an alluvial aquifer to
anthropogenic and recharge stresses in
the United States Southern Great Plains.
J. Earth Syst. Sci. vol 120 (4) 557-572.
**Temple, K. and J.T. Zume (2011) Analyzing
the response of the Susquehanna
River to Tropical Storm Lee. Annual
Meeting of the Pennsylvania Geographical
Society (PGS), Indiana, PA.
**Kerrigan, N., S. Keiffer, and J.T. Zume
(2011) Geoelectrical Investigation of
Karst Features around Shippensburg,
PA. Annual Meeting of the Pennsylvania
Geographical Society (PGS), Indiana, PA.
Zume J.T. (2011) Streamflow Time Series
Analysis for the Lower Susquehanna
River in Pennsylvania. Annual meeting
of the Association of American Geographers
(AAG), Seattle, Washington.
Zume J.T. (2010) Water and Sustainability,
a 21st Century Challenge in Rural West
Africa. Annual meeting of the American
Water Resources Association (AWRA),
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Alternative Fall Break 2011
Honor’s Seminar “The World of Piracy”
Visits Bermuda
Dr. Alison Feeney traveled with ten students
over fall break and stayed in the original
British Naval Fort at the dockyards in Bermuda
which houses a range of historic buildings
along with tourist attractions, a snorkel beach
and dolphin quest. Working in conjunction
with the museum curator and director we
mapped, photographed, and collected materials
demonstrating the importance of Bermuda in
the Atlantic for the balance of trade, politics,
economics, and military power that is directly
related to the hay day of piracy in the New
World. We took these materials back to class
and during the remainder of the semester we
developed a 3-D model of the facility and
the beginnings of a phone app to tour the
facilities. In addition to the mapping work, all
the students were eager to explore the islands
towns, beaches, rocks, cliff, lighthouses, and
forts. We got a special tour of the underwater
archaeology lab and another of the casemates
barracks, the historic jail currently not open to
the public. We also took a glass bottom boat
tour to visit a shipwreck and tried snorkeling
in the northern-most coral reefs in the world.
Salzmann Award Supports Faculty/Student Research
The department wishes to thank the continued generosity of G. Bryan Salzmann, who
earned his M.S. in Geoenvironmental Studies in 1994. Dr. Salzmann teaches environmental
law on a regular basis, serves on the advisory board, and recently made a generous donation
to establish the G. Bryan Salzmann Award, supporting faculty and student research. The
first awards are expected to be made during Spring 2012. We greatly appreciate this support!
The department also wishes to thank all of the alumni, friends, and emeritus faculty
for their contributions to the support of our students and programs. Through your in kind
and financial gifts, our department is continuing to not only serve the mission of the university,
but we are continuing to serve our community, the commonwealth, the tri-states
region, and beyond.
Down to Earth News 2012 13

GTU/GESO
by Sabrina Woodlief, GTU/GESO
President
There is a lot of excitement going around
in Shearer Hall! Students and faculty are
enthusiastically working on and presenting
various research projects and service learning
projects, diligently attending classes and
happily getting their hands dirty, and of
course, enjoying some R&R time, taking
advantage of the odd but wonderful weather
we’ve been having.
Two main organizations have facilitated
many of these opportunities for Shippensburg
students: GTU, the International Geography
Honor Society and GESO, the Geography
& Earth Science Organization. To start the
semester off with a bang, GESO helped sponsor
five students to attend and present at the
GSA Conference in Minneapolis, Minn. Mike
Stefanic, a geoenvironmental graduate student,
presented his research from the Curaçao class
of 2010 with Dr. Cornell. The four remaining
students took advantage of networking with
graduate schools, professional organizations,
a range of companies, and other students. We
had a little time to explore the city and eventually
ventured into the Mall of America where
rollercoasters, food, and shopping were enjoyed
by all! Shortly after, we organized a Harrisburg
trip where students attended a Rock, Gem, and
Mineral Show. We also scored free tickets to
the PA State Museum for “Student Day”! This
was a particularly exciting trip because both
current students and alumni were involved.
GESO has also been involved in coordinating
with the university in planting, decorating,
and maintaining planters around the new
and improved CUB area. This is an extensive
project just now in the making, but we are all
excited in what is to come. Many students from
GESO have been volunteering at the Luhrs
Elementary School, helping with composting
and different science activities each week. So
far, this has been a positive experience for both
age groups, and we hope this is something we
can continue in the future.
Most recently, we went geocaching for the
first time, which sparked a lot of interest. This
is something we hope to organize on a larger
scale on campus in the future. Although the
winter months restrict activities we are able
to do, we look forward to meeting every week
to formulate new and exciting activities to get
involved in. Some ideas so far are: geocaching,
renting telescopes, renting a cabin, Earth Day
activities and fundraisers, getting involved with
the community garden, caving, attending other
rock, gem, and mineral shows, fossil hunting,
and rock climbing. If you would like to contact
us to be on the mailing list or to suggest activities
or volunteer opportunities, please e-mail us
at shipgeso@gmail.com.
GTU has also had an exciting run of events
planned for Shippensburg students. Although
we lost a lot of dedicated and fun individuals
who graduated recently, we are looking forward
to revamp and welcome around twenty new
inductees on February 15th. Speaking of new
members, Dr. Tom Feeney has taken over until
Dr. Tim Hawkins returns, and has done a wonderful
job in working with and encouraging us
as a group. A big thanks from us all goes to you,
Dr. Feeney! The main service GTU provides
to students is tutoring; each GTU member is
encouraged to being available to tutor, which
gives us a broad range of expertise and readiness
to help our fellow students with general
courses. Last semester was a success, and we are
hoping that each semester continues to be, as
well. In fact, we have sparked enough interest
that a few other majors have reached out to us,
seeking the opportunity to tutor geoenvironmental
courses! As an honor society, we focus
on academics, but that’s not all we do! To start
the semester off, we participated in the Middle
Springs Cleanup Project, where children were
Student Viewpoint by Dana Heston
educated on the importance of being environmentally
aware and friendly. We have also
been able to provide transportation to various
opportunities for educational and professional
advancements, such as GIS Day in Harrisburg
and job fairs around the area. In the upcoming
months, we look forward to continuing our
tutoring services, hosting various hiking and
caving trips, participating in nature clean-ups,
using Dr. Feeney’s astronomy minor and renting
telescopes, attending an orienteering field
course, and enjoying each other’s company
during our monthly “international food night”
events. If you are a GTU alum and would like
to be involved or have volunteer opportunities
or activity suggestions, please e-mail us at gtu@
ship.edu to be added to the e-mailing list.
As a department as a whole, students
seem to be much more connected than other
majors on campus. This relaxed, respectful,
and welcome atmosphere is exactly why we
are so successful, academically, professionally,
and personally. We hope to continue these
educational and enjoyable experiences and
opportunities throughout our department and
look forward to seeing you around Shearer Hall
(which you all miss, just admit it!), career days,
or out in the field for some good, gneiss fun!
Thanks for reading and good luck to all
of you!
Going back to school was not an easy decision.
With a husband, seven children, and a business to run,
I knew it would be difficult and require sacrifices from
my entire family. Life experience has taught me that the
most important things in life are never easy. With the
support of my family I decided to pursue an advanced
degree. I moved to Shippensburg with an associate’s
degree and began searching for an undergraduate program
in the area.
University life is a bit overwhelming for a nontraditional
student, but it did not take long to realize that
I have the opportunity to bring a new perspective to the
other students. We have had some great discussions, and
continue to learn from each other every day. I am grateful
for the support of the faculty, staff, and my fellow students. My professors continue to
challenge me in all of my courses, and they are never too busy to help me or answer any
questions that I might have. I have benefited from informative field trips, and have had the
opportunity to assist in field work. Through the generous donations of Student Services,
Inc., I was able to attend my first GSA annual meeting last fall. That is an experience that
I will never forget. Attending career day gave me a great picture of what lies ahead. In the
near future, I will begin working on my first research project, which will further prepare
me for a career in the geosciences.
14 Down to Earth News 2012

PA Alliance Brings Giant North America to Central Pennsylvania
For more information or to donate to the Giant Map of Pennsylvania project, please contact
Jan Smith at jssmit@ship.edu.
The Pennsylvania Alliance in partnership
with The State Museum of Pennsylvania
developed an exhibit featuring the National
Geographic Giant Map of North America.
The map exhibit at the State Museum of PA
was featured from February 18 through March
15, 2012. On the huge 26’ x 35’ map — half
the size of a basketball court — students and
visitors alike had the opportunity to traverse
the continent from Alaska’s Aleutian Islands
to the Panama Canal and from Iceland to
Baja in their stocking feet. Designed to promote
geographic literacy by igniting interest
in geography, the maps and accompanying
activities incorporate physical movement and
games to teach students place names, physical
geography, and cultural geography as well as
map reading skills. To complement the giant
map and bring regional context to its presentation,
The State Museum developed largescale
reproductions of historic Pennsylvania
maps from the Pennsylvania State Archives.
The Alliance is working in conjunction with
external funders to develop several GIANT
maps of Pennsylvania. These maps would be
able to be loaned out across the state from
the Alliance.
Students Study in China with Dr. Pomeroy
What’s better and more effective than learning in the field These students
participated in George Pomeroy’s “China Course” in the summer of 2010. Having
led three successful trips (2005, 2008, and 2010), Dr. Pomeroy and his family
are gearing up for a repeat performance this coming summer! The three-week,
three-credit field course provides students opportunities to study urbanization,
development, land use, and environmental planning. In addition, students spend
time investigating broader aspects of the regional geography of China. Most of the
time is spent working out of the Shanghai and Beijing greater metropolitan areas.
Ship students on the
overnight train from
Shanghai to Beijing.
Clockwise from top left
are Sarah Rogers, Karen
Stretton, James Chadwick,
Kevin Watkins, Christopher
Stark, and Alyssa Sabetto.
The SHIP team on the Huangpu River. Back row: James Chadwick, Kevin Watkins,
Christopher Stark. Middle row: Sarah Rogers, Alyssa Sabetto, Karen Stretton, Jennifer
Pomeroy, Ariel Sun, George Pomeroy; Front row: Eileen Pomeroy, Megan Pomeroy.
Looking down at
the rear entrance
of the Forbidden
City from
Prospect Hill with
Christopher Stark
in foreground.
Down to Earth News 2012 15

Save
the date
October 5-6,
2012
Shippensburg University
Homecoming
Weekend
If you have an article or suggestion for our next
newsletter, please contact the department
at geog@ship.edu or 717-477-1685.
Department of Geography-Earth Science
Shippensburg University
1871 Old Main Drive
Shippensburg, PA 17257-2299
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No. 12
Shippensburg, PA
Photo Contest 2011
Photo Contest 2011
Congratulations to Bridget Kearney (Best Student Photo) and
Sean Cornell (Best Faculty Photo) as well as many others who have
photos included in the “best of ” selection! Note that the 13 photos
selected by popular vote represent 5 different countries and 8 U.S.
states; awesome! The full results are now posted on the department
website www.ship.edu/Geo-ESS/. Thanks very much to all of those
who participated! We’ll look forward to submissions from alumni,
students, faculty, and staff next year.
First Place
First Place Student:
Bridget Kearney.
ornell: Tranquil and Beautiful, but Foretelling of a Flooding Future
First Place
Bridget Kearney: Mesa Verde, CO
Mesa Verde,
Colorado Ḣonorable Mention
Alex Rohrbaugh: Ocean Sunset, Gulf of Mexico between the Yucatan Peninsula and Cuba
Honorable Ment
Kathy Seiler: Avalanche Lake, Glac
Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. A wild horse spotted grazing along side the road in the summer month of July. Mesa Verde
beholds some of the most well preserved sites of all the National Parks, however there is more to see than the cliff dwellings and the
vast canyons. There is still nature and beauty elsewhere located in this park; and the wildlife inside the park is amongst the other
beautiful things.
Along th
uphill tre
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the south
Logan Pa
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ortheast shore First of Place Tom'ʹs Cove, Faculty: Assateague Sean Island, Cornell. Virginia. Tranquil This image and taken at low tide shows an exposure of the
sun sets on Beautiful, the horizon but behind Foretelling the loblolly pines. of a Worms, Flooding clams, Future. marsh grasses, and a variety of other creatures
the tidal flat The phenomenon most
Honorable
prominently featured
Mention
in this photo is
Student:
Rayleigh Scattering,
Alex
the
Rohrbaugh.
Assateague and are twice daily Island, submerged Virginia. by the tides. Sting ray predation pits are also visible as depressions in
process by which light is scattered Honorable off molecules Mention Student: Kathy
ey like to eat clams too! It'ʹs truly a remarkable and beautiful scene. Nevertheless, when it enters this the atmosphere. scene Ocean foretells This is Sunset, of the a phenomenon Gulf that of gives Mexico the sky its blue between color, which has the a relatively short wavelength, Seiler. during Avalanche Lake, Glacier National
the day. At Sunset light is required to travel through more of the atmosphere which causes more scattering, and colors of red and
ne that will be difficult not only for the trees, but for us. As if in defiance of a certain destructive
orange (which have no longer Yucatan future,
wavelengths Peninsula the
than blue) are and readily Cuba. visible. In the photo, a tall, cumulus cloud obstructs the Park, Sun’s direct Montana.
on the edge of Assateague Channel. One by one, they are lost to the sea. light As and sea-­‐‐level allows the continues shorter blue to color rise, to once and again as be visible. To the viewer, the clouds appear to “separate” the sunset.
violent due
Shippensburg
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upon which
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policy, is committed to human understanding and provides equal educational, employment, and economic opportunities
of the for barrier all persons island and without chokes regard out to the race, backbone color, sex, of the age, forest. creed, As national this sun origin, goes down, religion, the veteran status or disability. Direct requests for disability accommodations and other inquiries to the Office of Disability
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f the maritime Services, forest sit Horton on the Hall edge 120, of Shippensburg doom. Will night University, fall permanently 1871 Old Main on them Drive, Shippensburg, PA 17257-2299, 717-477-1329, ods@ship.edu.