Coffee Hour: UROC Showcase

The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Connection (UROC) offers research and professional development opportunities in the Department of Geography. The GEOG 495 course is a supervised off-campus, non-group instruction experience including individual field work, practicums, or internships. A written and oral critique of the activity is required.

These opportunities allow undergraduate students to gain valuable research experience and technical skills through collaboration on projects within the department and supervised by faculty and/or graduate students, as well as 1-3 credit hours to apply towards graduation. Once a year, UROC reseachers and GEOG 495 interns present a short talk about their projects at a department Coffee Hour.

UROC Projects

Gregory Edmunds

• Graduate Mentor: Peter Backhaus
• Presentation Title: Riparia Pennsylvania Reference Wetlands Database

Chris Long

• Graduate Mentor: Dani Niziolek
• Presentation Title: Implications of Modeled Fire Scenarios for the Northern Spotted Owl in the Klamath Mountains of California and Oregon

Zheming Zhang

• Graduate Mentor: Grace Malley
• Presentation Title: Wildlife Corridor Connectivity Analysis Using Circuitscape

Angelina Santamaria

• Graduate Mentor: Dani Niziolek
• Presentation Title: Tree competition, stress, and mortality in a Northern California conifer forest

Nelson Huffaker, Melody Sipe, and Christian Cooke

• Advisors/Mentors: Peter Backhaus and Mike Nassry
• Presentation Title: New Jersey Reference Wetland Database

GEOG 495 Internships

Jackie Saleeby

• Advisors: Vender and Mike Nassry
• Title: Penn State Outreach - Center Philadelphia, U School, Food Decisions Research Lab
• Internship Supervisor: Carly Pourzand, Phila.Youth Network Summer Workforce Program at The U School

Thomas Updike

• Geography Advisors: Jodi Vender and Mike Nassry
• Title: Creating a Mapathon in Niger
• Internship Supervisor: Adele Birkenes, USAID GeoCenter

Jaeden Mathias

• Geography Advisors: Jodi Vender and Mike Nassry
• Title: Seasonal Park Ranger: Blue Marsh Lake
• Internship Supervisor: Jeff Piscanio, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers