Alumni update extravaganza!

Sarah Mack - 2017

If you asked me one year ago where I would be in one year I would NEVER say that I would be working for a former NJ Senator. Life has a crazy way of making you think you know what is coming next, but then throwing a wrench in things and pushing you in a whole new direction. 

Interdisciplinary Experience

The interdisciplinary mature of this program makes it very exciting to work on. GIS can have many applications, and one of the main things I was excited about when this project started was seeing how other disciplines would use GIS in their projects. The economics team ended up using GIS the most. While working with them I learned a lot about their project, and I found it to be very fun to help them get the information they needed for their model. They needed the distance from properties to certain lakes so that they can use that as a variable for their model. This was going to be used to see how distance from lakes impacts home value. They want to find out how much more a home is worth if it is near or on the lakefront. They are doing this for Lake Menomin, where algal blooms are notoriously bad during the late summer, as well as for Cumberland and the Chetek chain where algal blooms aren't as bad. The purpose of that is to see if there is a difference in added value if a home is near a dirty lake or near a clean lake, which in turn will result in the value of clean water. The other part of their research consists of analyzing surveys they compiled to find peoples' willingness to pay for a cleaner lake, as well as looking into the economic effects a clean lake has on businesses. It felt good to contribute to someone else's project and I'm excited to see their results.

Detecting Best Management Practices Using Remote Sensing

As a member of the geography team, this summer ill be working on a remote sensing project to detect best management practices. This involves analyzing and interpreting satellite imagery to see if these practices contribute less to the phosphorus pollution than others. The first part of this project will consist of analyzing farmer surveys to see if these practices are spatially clustered. We will then do a unsupervised classification to see where else they are taking place. The second part involves learning about incentive programs that offer farmers payments in exchange for converting farmland to natural vegetation. We will then compare images of before and after these programs were implemented to see how much farmland has been converted.

I'm looking forward to learning more about how different farming practices contribute to pollution and also more about the models that estimate phosphorus load. I'm also looking forward to working with other to students to see how/if we can incorporate GIS into their projects.

It's green everywhere

Being from drought ridden southern California, the very first thing I noticed about this area was how green it was. On our way over from the airport in Minneapolis, all I could do was look out the window because I was impressed with all the greenery. I was born and raised in San Diego and lived there for 21 years. I moved to Los Angeles two years ago to study Geography (emphasis in GIS) at California State University, Northridge. I didn’t really know what to expect from Menomonie except that it would be much different than the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles. That is one of the main reasons why I chose to come here. I find it really enjoyable and educational to visit places that are completely different than what I am used to, especially when given the opportunity to live there. It is a learning experience like no other because you get to really immerse yourself in the local culture and actually be a part of the community.  

In my 5 days here, my experience has been nothing but positive. The people are extremely welcoming and very friendly. Every day I’m impressed more with how different it is here than where I am from. The sights look different because southern California is nowhere near as green and the lakes don’t have much water. The sounds are different because of the wildlife, I heard different bird chirps than the ones I’m used to. The smell is different because I’m actually breathing clean air and not car exhaust. The taste is different because there is no Mexican food but lots of delicious cheese. (Cheese curds are great) The feel is different because I can easily get to most places in town on a bike instead of sitting in traffic.

I’m very excited to work with our fantastic mentors and fellow students. I can’t wait to see what else this area has to offer and what more I can learn from it.