Environmental Studies Tools and Technology

• Cmap Tools

Cmap Tools is an open-source program used by ENVS students to create a concept map: a visual representation of an environmental problem by hierarchically organizing relationships and processes.

• Delicious

ENVS uses the Delicious social bookmarking website to create a "virtual database" of our web-based resources: links to research articles, GIS data, environmental organizations, image repositories, student research projects, and concept maps.

• The ENVS Blog

The Environmental Studies Program regularly publishes a blog featuring posts from students, staff, faculty, and alumni associated with the Program.

• GIS / Google Earth

Using a comprehensive system of hardware, software, and data, ENVS students can create a map, analyze geographically referenced information, then share it publically using Google Earth, a free application which allows anyone to share and view high-resolution maps. 

• Google Tools

ENVS has incorporated into its curriculum the use of Google's suite of free, web-based tools to help students organize and communicate: creating blogs, organizing and sharing images, collaborating on documents, and more.

• The Help Wiki

ENVS has created a one-stop repository of all information and procedures related to the Program. Have a question about how to develop a thesis? Need to set up an internship? Want to learn how to browse for GIS metadata? You'll find the answers here.

• Situated Research Sites

Situated research is the method used by ENVS to focus student research into tangible, relevant inquiry by means of specific research areas. Instead of simply focusing on a topic (e.g. water) or a process (e.g. desertification), situated research examines a range of phenomena/practices/perspectives as they act on a particular location. ENVS has identified a number of local/regional and international locations as sites in which to undertake situated research.