Archive for Mark Bjelland
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Geographical Mysteries: Washington State Coastline
Take a closer look at this map from City-Data.com. Something strange is happening north of Blaine, Washington. The land seems to… well, it just drops off rather abruptly into the Pacific Ocean. And it all seems suspiciously rectilinear. Plus, off to the west, there lies an unnamed island with a northern border that also displays [...]
Satellite Image Curiosities Part II
2.5 miles SSE of Faunce, Minnesota is another landscape curiosity only visible from the air.
Satellite Image Curiosities
Type the following into your web browser: “Thirteen Lake, Kroschel, MN 55072″ and zoom into the west side of Thirteen Lake. Gustavus geography graduate Eric Foss’ father is a surveyor with a love for Minnesota and an eye for life size cartography. It looks even crisper on aerial photography.
Aubrey Austin Completes Research on Hiawatha Light Rail Line
Geography senior Aubrey Austin completed a geography honors thesis project on the Hiawatha Light Rail line in Minneapolis and Bloomington, Minnesota. She analyzed how businesses such as restaurants, hotels, and nightclubs and attractions such as the Mall of America, Airport, and Target Field promoted use of the Hiawatha Line. The Target Field was notable for [...]
Geography Student Melissa Wygant Writes Editorial on Red River Floods
Geography major Melissa Wygant turned her class project on the proposed Red River diversion project into a newspaper editorial. For the Nature and Socity course, Melissa studied the effects of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ proposed diversion project on rural areas. Noting that the project would actually make flooding worse for some rural areas [...]
Swedish Geographer Measures Costs of Distance on Personal Relationships
A Swedish geography dissertation examined the costs and benefits of long-distance commutes. Geographer Erika Sandow of Umea University found that men were more likely than women to gain from long commutes in terms of higher salaries and career advancement. On the other hand, men who commuted longer than 45 minutes to work saw negative effects [...]
Old School Geography Picnic
The Gustavus Geographers gathered at the ca. 1860 Borgeson log cabin for their annual picnic. Amidst the fragrant wild plum blossoms and spring blooms of the Linneaus Arboretum, students, faculty, and families gathered to enjoy a meal together. The menu included kabobs grilled by Dr. Douglas and sambusas, humus, and other Mediterranean delights from Lencho [...]
Geography Student Melissa Wygant to Intern at National Weather Service
Melissa Wygant, a junior geography major, will intern this summer at the National Weather Service forecast office in Chanhassen, MN. The Chanhassen office is one of two National Weather Service offices in Minnesota and provides weather forecasting, radar, flood prediction, and storm advisory and warning services for southern and central Minnesota.
Geography Students Help with Sandbagging
Students from the water resources management geography course got a firsthand look at floodplain management by helping sandbag in Saint Peter. With spring snowmelt pushing the Minnesota River to flood stage after a particularly wet fall and snowy winter, the students were called into action to protect properties along Old Minnesota Avenue and at the [...]
Geography Student Jasmine Porter Wins International Studies Fellowship
Sophomore geography and political science major Jasmine Porter has won a competitive award as an Institute for International Public Policy Fellow. The fellowship includes scholarships, summer language and policy institutes, internships with international agencies, and money towards graduate study. It is great to have such a talented person here at Gustavus. Congratulations Jasmine! [...]