Journal of Undergraduate Research

Tanner Thompson and Dr. Ryan Jensen, Department of Geography Introduction Kelp forests provide food and shelter for many organisms, and they are an important part of coastal ecosystems throughout the world. Along the Pacific coast of the United States, kelp forests are made up of one of two species of kelp: bull kelp (Nereocystis Luetkana) […]

Amanda Sheepherd and Dr. Ryan Jensen, Geography Department Introduction It is well known that urban areas are warmer than the surrounding rural areas, with various negative (though sometimes not immediately perceived) consequences for urban residents and the environment. As the world’s human population becomes increasingly urban, methods of mitigating urban heat become more imperative to […]

Aaron Snow and Dr. Matthew Bekker, Geography Department Introduction In July, 2016, I had the opportunity to attend the North American Dendroecological Fieldweek (NADEF) at Mount Rainier National Park, Washington. NADEF organizes the attendees into five different groups to undergo specific research projects all having to do with tree rings. My group, the intro group, […]

Shawn Wortham and Matthew Bekker, Geography Introduction The purpose of this research project is to properly cross date samples of the Bristlecone Pine Tree in order to learn more of the past, present, and future of Utah’s Water Resources. Under the mentorship of Dr. Bekker, we will take both living and dead cross sections of […]

Calli Nielsen and Dr. Matthew F. Bekker, Geography Utah juniper is rarely used by dendrochronologists in tree-ring applications. In the global species database, Utah juniper has a score of 1, which means that it typically only crossdates within its own site, and is therefore not useful in tree-ring research. This mentored research project was conducted […]

Andrew Van Leuven and Dr. Ryan Jensen, Geography Introduction One of the more widespread issues facing twenty-first century planners and policymakers is that of urban decline, especially in the midwest and northeastern United States. Evidences of Urban Decline Urban decline is evident in vacant and abandoned residential structures in the central downtown districts or a […]

Chelsea Bakaitis and Michael Clay, Geography Introduction The traditional downtown and suburban form of a metropolis is becoming an obsolete model to describe the Sacramento region. The region has five commercial centers among the communities (described as “edge cities”) surrounding the traditional downtown of the City of Sacramento (Garreau 1991). Developers of the region have […]

Kimball Hansen and Dr. Matthew Bekker, Department of Geography Project Purpose The goal of this project was continue the previous avalanche chronology of Loafer Mountain that my mentor professor started and had me finish in 2011. We wanted to incorporate using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) which could help us find better results for our avalanche […]

Conor Fishback and Dr. Chad Emmett, Geography Department Recently three of Jordan’s neighboring states: Israel, Iraq, and Syria have experienced different types of large scale violence within their country. Jordan has remained relatively stable with no major violent conflicts. On October 21st 2012, the Jordanian Government announced that it had foiled a terrorist plot involving […]

Chelsea Decker and Dr. Matthew Bekker, Geography Department Introduction The arid and heavily populated Wasatch Front in Utah is dependent on streamflow from snowmelt. Historical records of streamflow go back about 100 years but this is insufficient to provide a complete picture of streamflow variability in the area. Water managers would greatly benefit from a […]