Vol. 50, No.1 , Double Issue 2012 - "50th Anniversary Issue"
THE PENNSYLVANIA GEOGRAPHER: THIRTY-NINE YEARS OF PUBLICATION
(pp. 10 - 28)
Karen M. Trifonoff
Department of Geography and Geosciences
Bloomsburg University
Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania
Abstract
The Pennsylvania Geographical Society, and its predecessor The Pennsylvania Council for Geography Education have published the Pennsylvania Geographer continuously since 1963. There have been four changes in editorial leadership, as well as changes in the method of soliciting manuscripts, from invited papers to a peer-reviewed process. This article provides a quantitative summary of the editors, authors, articles, and themes featured in The Pennsylvania Geographer from 1963 through 2001.
(Reprinted from the Spring/Summer 2003 issue of The Pennsylvania Geographer) (Volume 41, No. 1)
(pp. 29 - 33)
Robert C. Ziegenfus
Department of Geography
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
Kutztown, Pennsylvania
Abstract
The 50th anniversary of The Pennsylvania Geographer is an occasion to briefly look back on the factors that prompted the creation of first the organization now known as the Pennsylvania Geographical Society and then ten years later the journal. A videotape interview of Dr. E. Willard Miller, the founder of both, served as the primary resource material. His desire to foster interaction among all Pennsylvania geographers was an abiding quest.
INTERVIEW WITH E. WILLARD MILLER
(pp. 34 - 44)
The Editors of The Pennsylvania Geographer
Abstract
The editors felt that it was appropriate to share this item with the readers in our anniversary issue. On Saturday, October 8, 1994, at the annual meeting of the Pennsylvania Geographical Society in Somerset, Pennsylvania, the Editors of The Pennsylvania Geographer interviewed Dr. E. Willard Miller, Professor Emeritus of Geography at the Pennsylvania State University. For nearly 50 years, Dr. Miller has played a pivotal role in geographic education in Pennsylvania.
This is a reprint of a piece which appeared in The Pennsylvania Geographer Volume XXXII, #2 (Fall/Winter, 1994).
THE GEOGRAPHICAL STUDY OF THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA: A SCHOLARLY BIBLIOGRAPHY
(pp. 45 - 61)
Thomas A. Rumney, Professor Emeritus
Plattsburgh State University
Plattsburgh, New York
The following entries represent a collection of the scholarly publications on the various aspects of the geography of Pennsylvania. While it would be probably incorrect to say that all such publications on Pennsylvania’s geography are listed below, it is certain that a very large and varied number of such publications are here. Additionally, the study of and publication about Pennsylvania’s geography is an ongoing process, and that makes the following but a current identification of what has been done. Inevitably, there will be more to add to this list in the future. The following is the first installment of a three-part bibliographic presentation, covering general topics and cultural and social geography. There will be two more sections that will follow in subsequent issues of The Pennsylvania Geographer. Section Two will deal with economic and historical geography. And, Section Three will cover physical, political, and urban geography.
(pp. 62 - 83)
Richard L. Wolfel
Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering
Center for Languages, Cultures and Regional Studies
United States Military Academy
West Point, New York
Abstract
This research tracks the development of German nationalism through an analysis of the architecture and themes of two summer Olympiads hosted by Germany. These two Olympics demonstrate German national development at two different stages. The 1936 Olympics were dominated by the classically influenced monumentalism of the Nazi era, while the 1972 Olympics seek to show a progressive West German nation, one that emphasizes the alpine environment surrounding Munich as a dominant architectural theme. Recent research in nationalism and political geography has suggested that landscapes are a stage on which a nation not only proudly displays its national identity, but utilizes a popular sporting event as a method of conveying elements of the national identity to members of the nation. This concept is important throughout the world as nations compete for major sporting events, like the Olympics and the World Cup in an effort to educate both the world and their citizens in a set of desired elements of a national identity selected by the power holders of a society.
(pp. 82 - 105)
Christine Biermann
Department of Geography
The Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio
Whitney Snyder
Communication Infrastructure Corporation
Buffalo, New York
Shane Dehn
Department of Geography
State University of New York at Geneseo
Geneseo, New York
Abstract
Since the 1990s, the wind energy industry has grown rapidly in rural areas of New York State. Proposed wind farms have generated intense conflicts within communities, and opposition has in many cases undermined project success. The reasons for conflict are only partially understood and are often reduced to NIMBYism (“not in my backyard”) or planning failures. This study aims to understand how power relations influence opinions on wind farm projects in Wyoming County, a primarily agricultural and sparsely populated county in western New York. From 22 in-depth interviews with resident landowners, three themes emerged as central to wind farm conflicts: (1) micropolitics, (2) big business in small towns, and (3) agricultural landscapes and identity. These themes illustrate that wind farm conflicts are complex and multi-faceted, and that public reactions to wind farms are shaped by broader processes and
relationships both within and between places.
(pp. 106 - 131)
Sabina E. Deitrick and Christopher Briem
University Center for Social and Urban Research
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Abstract
Vanpooling can provide greater transportation options for longer distance commuters, particularly in rural and exurban locales, and contribute to reduced congestion and air pollution. Despite these benefits, vanpooling as a transit option has experienced only limited growth in Pennsylvania. In order to understand factors to expand vanpooling, this study conducted a survey of employers in the South Central region of the state, an area with extensive cross-country and cross-state commuting, limited public transit, and higher than average car pool use. The research found that knowledge about vanpooling and the federal incentives and savings available to both employers and employees available under federal Transportation Demand Management (TDM) programs is extremely low. A consistent finding of predictive models of potential support for vanpool operations showed significant and positive relationship by larger sized employers whose employees commuted longer distances, with manufacturing, educational services, and health care establishments more likely supporters.
GEOGRAPHIC PATTERNS OF CHILDREN’S BLOOD LEAD LEVELS IN PENNSYLVANIA COUNTIES
(pp. 132 - 160)
Robert C. Ziegenfus and Miranda Wagner
Department of Geography
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
Kutztown, Pennsylvania
Abstract
Blood lead levels have been declining across the United States as measured by national surveys. Nevertheless, there is a need to identify where elevated levels may still be present. Annual reports from the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Lead Surveillance Program for the years 2007-2010 were used to create a dataset of the children ages 0-6 who were tested in each county of the Commonwealth. Cartographic and statistical analysis identified the geographic patterns for children tested and for children with confirmed elevated blood lead levels defined as a value of 10 µg/dL or greater. For the confirmed elevated, three specific categories of 10-14.9, 15.9, and 20 or more were investigated.