This award will help establish a laboratory facility equipped with 12 microcomputers and software for instruction using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). These systems will be used by students to simultaneously examine spatial variables in relation to each other, for the purposes of 1) increasing the understanding of the spatial associations of elements of the human and physical environments by exposing students to greater depth and complexity of data interpretation, 2) introducing 100- level students from a diversity of disciplines to state-of-the- art techniques of multivariate spatial analysis using GIS. The Geography Department plays an important role in the university's liberal curriculum through introductory human and physical geography courses, which enroll about 2000 students per year. The project will enhance undergraduate instruction at Miami University by introducing a large number of students to an important technique applicable to a wide range of problems and professions. The grantee institution is matching this NSF award with funds from non-Federal sources.
