Robert Ryder,
Long Island Sirvaide, [1674]. Courtesy of John Carter Brown Library.
Coastlines
is an on-going program series that explores the complex, often interconnected ecological,
economic, social, and cultural changes that have shaped the greater New York region,
often highlighting Long Island as a case study. This interdisciplinary program brings
together specialists from across the humanities and the sciences to deepen our knowledge
of how these human and environmental transformations have impacted current regional
conditions and to consider their possible future ramifications. Relevant topics we
seek to illuminate include conflicts over land use and infrastructure, evidence of
climate change, the exploitation and conservation of maritime and other natural resources,
agricultural and industrial (re)developments, suburbanization, and the region's racial
and ethnic diversity. We also encourage interdisciplinary cross-fertilization through
sharing updates on new technologies, technical skills, and innovative research techniques
that offer new ways of gathering, sharing, visualizing, and analyzing information
(particularly in the realms of cartography, Geographic Information Systems, and the
Digital Humanities).
The
Coastlines series includes public lectures, graduate seminars, and hands-on workshops featuring
visiting scholars who are among the leading innovators in these areas today. Suggestions
for future guests or events are welcome.
Past events:
March 7, 2014 Eric W. Sanderson, "The Welikia Project: Mapping Frontiers in New York
City Ecology," 1pm in Humanities 1008.
Sanderson will also lead a graduate seminar that day at 11:00
Sanderson is Senior Conservation Ecologist at the Wildlife Conservation Society in
New York. He will discuss his ground-breaking use of digital mapping to re-construct
the historic landscapes of New York City. He is the author of
Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York City (2009) and
Terra Nova: The New world After Oil, Cars, and Suburbs (2013).
April 4, 2014 Mark Momonier, "Coastal Cartography's Four Shorelines: From Christopher
Columbus to Hurricane Sandy," 1pm in Humanities 1008.
Monmonier will also lead a graduate seminar that day at 11:00
Monmonier is a Distinguished Professor of Geography at Syracuse University. His specialties
include geographic information, map design, data visualization, and the history of
20th century cartography. He is the author of may books, including
Lake Effect: Tales of Large Lakes, Arctic Winds, and Recurrent Snows (Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 2012) and
Coast Lines: How Mapmakers Frame the World and Chart Environmental Change (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2008).
