Dr. Brad Baldwin

Typically, Dr. Brad Baldwin's Lake & River Ecology class would take out a map, plot their intended route(s), and make the 1 hour trip to Cranberry Lake to explore the ecology of the lake and collect samples. With so much travel time involved (2 hours round-trip) in a 3 hour lab period, Brad decided to work with the GIS department to provide students with a better use of their time through researching the area with St. Lawrence University's Internet Map Server before the trip.

Technical Details: The Geographic and Information Systems (GIS) department at St. Lawrence University maintains an Internet Map Server (IMS, found here) built around ArcGIS software. Dr. Baldwin collaborated with GIS staff for about a month to add the various levels of detail to the map that he planned to use for the course. There are currently a handful of maps that have been created by the GIS team for projects and courses such as Brad's.

Student Reactions: Students have a greater enthusiasm for their work in the course and now make the most of the time spent in the field. The background information gained from Dr. Baldwin's IMS homework assignment fosters informed discussion driving to and from the lake.

Project Outcomes: In addiiton to a positive student reaction, field work in this course has become largely student driven as they now have a greater sense for their surroundings at the lake and the objectives of the trip.