Journal of Undergraduate Research

Stephen H. Alfandre and Dr. Richard Jackson, Geography The City of Zion is something that is commonly discussed but rarely conceptualized. The only information we have pertaining to the spatial characteristics of Zion is a plat created by Joseph Smith in 1833. And although the plat revolutionized city settlement in the western United States, there […]

Benjamin M. Wouden and Dr. Matthew F. Bekker – Assistant Professor of Geography Tree-ring dating, also known as dendrochronology, is an important measure in determining the age of trees. Dendrochronology, is essentially, “the study of tree life,” a study of annual rings in trees. It is a science used to provide chronological and environmental data […]

Benjamin Sykes and Dr. Matthew Bekker, Geography Department This Research Project involved the use of Geographic Information Systems, Remote Sensing Images, Fragstats, GIS Data layers obtained from Utah County, and database programs to quantify change to the natural landscape following human development in the area commonly known as “The Meadows” Shopping Center, located in American […]

Julia Matheny and Dr. Matthew Bekker, Geography Montezuma Canyon, of San Juan County, Utah has a long and rich history of human occupation with land use by various peoples. The Anasazi occupied the area from 200 to 1300 A.D., at which time the area was abandoned. Euroamerican pioneers came into the canyon in the 1880’s […]

Elizabeth Gillins and Dr. Ruth Kerry, Geography Department Using electrical conductivity data (ECa) in soil survey is related to several soil properties. Particular use has been made of ECa data in precision agriculture because it is related to properties that could affect crop yield. Although theoretically sound reasons exist to explain these relationships, they vary […]

Austin Parker and Dr. Ruth Kerry, Geography Several medical geography studies have identified Utah as an outlier in terms of various illnesses with far lower rates than other states in the country. Gooaverts (2009) noticed small clusters of low cervical cancer rates in Utah compared to other states, although he wasn’t specifically studying the heavy […]

Alex Norr and Dr. Michael Clay, Department of Geography INTRODUCTION Integrated land use and transportation forecasting models are used to assist decision makers in the policy analysis and infrastructure capital improvements selection process (1, 2, and 3). These models are typically given precise, point-estimate inputs that are mathematically linked, through a series of submodels, to […]

J Joseph Naylor with Dr. Matthew Bekker, Geography Department, BYU Introduction Dendrochronology is the process by which tree rings are measured and compared with others to determine the age and growth rates of trees. It has a variety of emphasis that allow for the extensive use of tree rings in studying many different fields. Some […]

Derek Farnes and Dr. Ryan Jensen, Geography As the world’s urban population continues to grow, more and more attention is being given to the environment in which humans live – urban areas. Unfortunately, urban expansion often leads to considerable loss of urban forest and its associated amenities. When studying the urban forest, a critical biophysical […]

Douglas Metcalf and Dr. Matthew Bekker, Geography Department Geologists use various dating techniques to determine the ages of geologic phenomena. Dendrochronology- the analysis of annual growth-rings in trees- is one of these methods (Stoffel and Bollschwieler, 2008). Unlike other dating procedures, it can determine the exact years in which various events occurred. Such events include […]