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Mapmaker, mapmaker, make me a map: GeoWeek 2016

The University Libraries’ 10th Annual celebration of Geography Week was held November 14 – 18, 2016.  Established by a Presidential Proclamation 25 years ago and organized by the National Geographic Education Programs, Geography Awareness Week is an opportunity to focus on the importance of geographic knowledge.  At Northwestern we highlight the extensive cartographic collections and GIS expertise, software and data provided by the University Libraries that promote geographic knowledge in research, teaching and learning.

Thinking Differently with GIS, five short videos of Karen Smilowitz (Industrial Engineering & Management Sciences) and graduate students discussing their use of geographic information systems (GIS), were premiered, showing continuously throughout the week.

Activities included the GeoPuzzle Challenge, during which 113 students challenged themselves to complete one or more puzzles of the continents.  All participants were rewarded with snacks and a stress-relieving study break while those with the fastest time for each continent won prizes.

image of student working geographic puzzle

The Northwestern Geographic Photo Booth was popular with participants who received a print of four poses before a Chicago skyline backdrop. Check out the Libraries’ Flickr page for additional photo booth photos!

Image of student in Photo Booth

The new Aerial Photography Quiz had participants angling for prizes based upon their ability to identify aerial views of seven locations selected from across the globe.

image of aerial photo quiz setup
If you missed the fun (and even if you didn’t) you can still improve your geographic knowledge by playing the WildCat GeoGame.