The Challenges and Rewards of Introducing Field Trips Into a Large Introductory Geography Class

Fieldwork is an essential component of undergraduate geographic education, but with growing enrollment and limited resources few first-year instructors incorporate this activity in their courses. This article reports on the challenges of incorporating fieldwork into a large first-year course and the strategies adopted to respond to these challenges and the achieved learning benefits. Field trips were created to cater to approximately 120 students directly engaged in field activities, with each student submitting an individual written report. Through the field activities, students developed a better understanding of geography, a stronger class community, and a more positive relationship with instructional staff.     

Time and Practice: Learning to Become a Geographer

Abstract

Illustrated Dictionary of Place Names: United States and Canada. By Kelsie B. Harder. New York: Van Nostrand, 1976. Pp. xiv + 631, $18.95.

Middle America: Its Lands and Peoples. 2nd ed. By Robert C. West and John P. Augelli. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1976. Pp. xvii + 494, $14.95.

Contemporary Africa: Geography and Change. Edited by C. Gregory Knight and James L. Newman. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1976. Pp. xiv + 546, $14.95.

Atlas of Mexico. By Stanley A. Arbingast et al. 2nd ed. Austin, Tex.: Bureau of Business Research, University of Texas, 1975. Pp. ix + 165, $15.00.

Readings in Social Geography. Edited by Emrys Jones. London: Oxford University Press, 1975. Pp. 328, $18.50 and $6.95.

California: Patterns on the Land. 5th ed. By Robert Durrenberger and Robert Johnson. A California Council for Geographic Education Publication. Palo Alto, Calif.: Mayfield Publishing, 1976. Pp. viii + 134, $6.95.

Studying China in Elementary and Secondary Schools, Studying India in Elementary and Secondary Schools, and Studying Japan in Elementary and Secondary Schools. By Leonard S. Ken-worthy. World Affairs Guides. New York: Teachers College Press, 1975. Pp. 68, iii + 67, and iii + 65, $2.75 each.

World Regional Geography: A Question of Place. By Paul Ward English and James Andrew Miller. Harper &; Row Series in Geography. New York: Harper &; Row, 1977. Pp. xiii + 591, $15.95.

Census Data: Geographic Significance and Classroom Utility. Edited by Borden D. Dent. Tualatin, Oreg.: Geographic and Area Study Publications, 1976. Pp. ix + 277.

The Middle East: A Geographical Study. By Peter Beaumont, Gerald H. Blake, and Malcolm J. Wagstaff. London: John Wiley &; Sons, 1976. Pp. xvii + 572, $25.50 and $14.95.

Man's Economic Environment. By Edgar C. Conklingand Maurice Yeates. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1976. Pp. xi + 308, $11.95.

Applied Climatology: An Introduction. 2nd ed. By John F. Griffiths. New York/London: Oxford University Press, 1976. Pp. xiii + 136, $9.00.

Man and the Environment: Regional Perspectives. Edited by J. H. Holmes. Hawthorn, Victoria: Longman Australia Pty Limited, 1976. Pp. vi + 261, $7.95.

Introduction to Cultural Geography. 5th ed. By Henry M. Kendall, Robert M. Glendinning, Clifford H. MacFadden, and Craig H. MacFadden. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1976. Pp. xx + 449, $12.95.

Interpretation of Aerial Photographs. 3rd ed. By Thomas Eugene Avery. Minneapolis, Minn.: Burgess Publishing Company, 1977. Pp. xi + 392, $14.95.

Geography of the U.S.S.R. 3rd ed. By Paul Lydolph. New York: John Wiley &; Sons, 1977. Pp. xi + 495, $18.95.     

Lens on Climate Change: Making Climate Meaningful Through Student-Produced Videos

Learning about climate change is tangible when it addresses impacts that can be observed close to home. In this program, sixty-four diverse middle and high school students produced videos about locally relevant climate change topics. Graduate and undergraduate students provided mentorship. The program engaged students in research and learning about climate change, and sparked their interest in science careers. Evaluation results showed that students were highly motivated by the experience, developed a genuine interest in their science topic, learned about the scientific process, and developed twenty-first century skills. The program provided a unique and authentic approach to science learning and communication.     

Economic Change in Africa

Abstract

The Geographer at Work by Peter Gould Boston: Routledge &; Kegan Paul, 1985. x and 351 pp., figs., photos, maps, and index. $39.95 cloth; $16.95 paper.

Recollections of a Revolution: Geography as Spatial Science by Mark Billinge, Derek Gregory and Ron Martin, eds. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1984. viii and 235 pp., figs., tables, refs., and index. $25.00 cloth.

The Role of Place in Literature by Leonard Lutwack Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 1984. viii and 274 pp., refs., and index. $24.95 cloth.

The Essential Landscape: The New Mexico Photographic Survey with Essays by J.B. Jackson. by Steven A. Yates, ed. New Mexico: The University of New Mexico Press, 1985. vii and 147 pp., and photos. $45.00 cloth.

Latin America: Case Studies by Richard G. Boehm and Sent Visser, eds. NCGE Pacesetter Series. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt, 1984. x and 300 pp., figs., tables, photos, maps, apps., refs., and index. $24.95 paper.     

一种基于局部判别正切空间排列的高光谱遥感影像降维方法

提出一种基于局部判别正切空间排列(local discriminative tangent space alignment,LDTSA)的高光谱影像降维方法。LDTSA源于局部正切空间排列(LTSA)中的排列机制,在一个局域块内利用线性局部正切平面对类内样本的流形结构建模,同时还考虑到类间判别信息以最大化判别边界。利用多幅高光谱数据进行降维和分类试验。结果表明,LDTSA主要有三个优点:①在小样本问题上性能稳定;②在降维过程中保持类别间的判别信息;③有效挖掘数据集的几何流形结构。     

过完备字典稀疏表示的云图超分辨率算法

提出一种基于过完备字典稀疏表示的云图超分辨率算法。首先,联合训练针对低分辨率与高分辨率云图块的两个字典Dl和Dh,保证对应的低分辨率与高分辨率云图块关于各自的字典具有相似的稀疏表示;其次,通过求解优化问题,获得待处理云图每个低分辨率云图块关于Dl的稀疏表示,并将表示系数用于Dh以生成对应的高分辨率云图块;最后,运用最速下降算法,得到满足重构约束的高分辨率云图。红外与可见光云图的数值实验验证了本文算法的有效性,表明本文算法在视觉效果及PSNR指标上均优于插值方法。     

A conceptual framework for analysing adaptive capacity and multi-level learning processes in resource governance regimes

Governance failures are at the origin of many resource management problems. In particular climate change and the concomitant increase of extreme weather events has exposed the inability of current governance regimes to deal with present and future challenges. Still our knowledge about resource governance regimes and how they change is quite limited. This paper develops a conceptual framework addressing the dynamics and adaptive capacity of resource governance regimes as multi-level learning processes. The influence of formal and informal institutions, the role of state and non-state actors, the nature of multi-level interactions and the relative importance of bureaucratic hierarchies, markets and networks are identified as major structural characteristics of governance regimes. Change is conceptualized as social and societal learning that proceeds in a stepwise fashion moving from single to double to triple loop learning. Informal networks are considered to play a crucial role in such learning processes. The framework supports flexible and context sensitive analysis without being case study specific.First empirical evidence from water governance supports the assumptions made on the dynamics of governance regimes and the usefulness of the chosen approach. More complex and diverse governance regimes have a higher adaptive capacity. However, it is still an open question how to overcome the state of single-loop learning that seem to characterize many attempts to adapt to climate change. Only further development and application of shared conceptual frameworks taking into account the real complexity of governance regimes can generate the knowledge base needed to advance current understanding to a state that allows giving meaningful policy advice.     

A three-tiered approach to participatory vulnerability assessment in the Solomon Islands

Greater recognition of the seriousness of global environmental change has led to an increase in research that assesses the vulnerability of households, communities and regions to changing environmental or economic conditions. So far, however, there has been relatively little attention given to how assessments can be conducted in ways that help build capacity for local communities to understand and find their own solutions to their problems. This paper reports on an approach that was designed and used to work with a local grass roots organization in the Solomon Islands to promote inclusivity and participation in decision-making and to build the capacity of the organization to reduce the vulnerability of communities to drivers of change. The process involved working collaboratively with the organization and training its members to conduct vulnerability assessments with communities using participatory and deliberative methods. To make best use of the learning opportunities provided by the research process, specific periods for formal reflection were incorporated for the three key stakeholders involved: the primary researchers; research assistants; and community members. Overall, the approach: (1) promoted learning about the current situation in Kahua and encouraged deeper analysis of problems; (2) built capacity for communities to manage the challenges they were facing; and (3) fostered local ownership and responsibility for problems and set precedents for future participation in decision-making. While the local organization and the communities it serves still face significant challenges, the research approach set the scene for greater local participation and effort to maintain and enhance livelihoods and wellbeing. The outcomes highlight the need for greater emphasis on embedding participatory approaches in vulnerability assessments for communities to benefit fully from the process.     

Forecasting the western Pacific subtropical high index during typhoon activity using a hybrid deep learning model

Seasonal location and intensity changes in the western Pacific subtropical high(WPSH) are important factors dominating the synoptic weather and the distribution and magnitude of precipitation in the rain belt over East Asia. Therefore, this article delves into the forecast of the western Pacific subtropical high index during typhoon activity by adopting a hybrid deep learning model. Firstly, the predictors, which are the inputs of the model, are analysed based on three characteristics: the first...     

General seismic wave and phase detection software driven by deep learning

We developed an automatic seismic wave and phase detection software based on PhaseNet, an efficient and highly generalized deep learning neural network for P- and S-wave phase picking. The software organically combines multiple modules including application terminal interface, docker container, data visualization, SSH protocol data transmission and other auxiliary modules. Characterized by a series of technologically powerful functions, the software is highly convenient for all users. To obtain the P- and S-wave picks, one only needs to prepare three-component seismic data as input and customize some parameters in the interface. In particular, the software can automatically identify complex waveforms (i.e. continuous or truncated waves) and support multiple types of input data such as SAC, MSEED, NumPy array, etc. A test on the dataset of the Wenchuan aftershocks shows the generalization ability and detection accuracy of the software. The software is expected to increase the efficiency and subjectivity in the manual processing of large amounts of seismic data, thereby providing convenience to regional network monitoring staffs and researchers in the study of Earth's interior.