Feb 16, 2021 Supporting GIS Project Development During a Worldwide Pandemic
By Justin Sorensen One-year ago, I began developing a concept for offering online GIS consultations and project support at the Marriott Library. The idea was to provide an alternative option to an in-person consultation for University patrons by meeting virtually to answer questions and provide project...
Feb 09, 2021 New Library Services: Building a Mobile VR Classroom
By Tony Sams The J. Willard Marriott Library, in partnership with Teaching and Learning Technologies, and the College of Biological Sciences, received CARES funds to design and build the U’s first off-site VR classroom to support Dr. Colleen Farmer’s course, Biology 3665: Form, Function, and Adaptation...
Feb 08, 2021 Examining Changes in U.S. Presidential Voting Patterns Over 100-Years
By Justin Sorensen Examining the animation accompanying this week’s Map Monday release depicts how American voting trends change over time, with majority support alternating between the Democratic or Republican parties. While this information provides a general interpretation of each election outcome, visualizing the data provides a...
Feb 02, 2021 Bright Spots in a Pandemic Winter
By TJ Ferrill It's been just about a year since the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Though we are constantly facing challenges and suffering brought on by SARS-CoV-2, there have been some positive changes. Here are my top 5 items to help me look on the bright...
Jan 25, 2021 Visualizing the Current State of COVID-19 Throughout the United States
By Justin Sorensen 2021 has arrived and with it, the continuing impacts of the Coronavirus pandemic within our daily lives. While our optimism grows for returning to normal activities as the much anticipated vaccines are distributed throughout our nation and the world, it’s important to remember...
Jan 22, 2021 In Celebration of Independent Films
The Sundance Film Festival—which will be screened entirely online in 2021, beginning January 28—has been a celebrated institution in Utah for over 40 years. And it’s been an immersive, annual pilgrimage for me since I moved to Salt Lake City nearly 20 years ago....
Nov 17, 2020 Covid Impacts to the Audio Studio
By Robert Nelson I look upon the March earthquake as the end point of “normal” use of the Audio Studio. From the middle of March until August 24, 2020 no one, including myself, was allowed into the space. When we resumed use, it was capped at...
Nov 16, 2020 GIS as a Form of Art
By Justin Sorensen It has been said that "Art is in the Eye of the Beholder", and when you really think about it, it's true. We all have different interpretations of what art is as well as what we like and what we don't like. Art...
Nov 02, 2020 Virtual Retreat
By Greg Hatch Five years after we formed the Creativity & Innovation Services department, the COVID-19 pandemic presented my team and me with an ideal opportunity to reflect on our collective mission, set new individual goals, and reimagine how we will make them all a reality...
Oct 27, 2020 Zoom for GIS Consultations: What I Have Learned During the Coronavirus Pandemic
By Justin Sorensen The Coronavirus pandemic has changed our lives in so many ways. In the beginning, it seemed as though our world had turned upside-down, leaving us searching for new ways of conducting business and living our daily lives while accommodating the impacts that social...