 BITS Students examine a satellite image of a Philly locale Researchers around Temple University’s Campus have welcomed BITS participants into their research centers, study zones, and smart classrooms as part of a six-week summer intensive program to learn sophisticated information and communication technology skills and applications. Next week, BITS students will visit the Digilab, a center for using virtual realities to support e-health research.
The Sbarro Health Research Organization’s Digilab, is directed by Dr. Giuseppe Russo, a molecular biologist and bioinformatics specialist. He, along with Geography and Urban Studies graduate student Liv Raddatz, will work with six students to create a virtual reality in three dimensions that will depict a local landscape in Philadelphia. The students will investigate the landscape using traditional geographic field methods to identify key cultural, environmental, and historic aspects of a space of their choice. They will use information technologies like digital photography, online mapping applications, and podcasts to visualize and record their observations about the landscape they depict. They will also disseminate the information they gather on the Internet using such social media applications as Blogger and Flickr.
They will work with Dr. Russo to compile those digital bits of information into a three-dimensional rendering of the space that can be navigated virtually. The students will have the opportunity to work in SHRO’s Digilab to envision and navigate the landscape in three dimensions.
The applications of this technology are multifaceted. Three-dimensional spaces can be explored in different ways than conventional two-dimensional maps because both volume and magnitude are evident in the information sets. When applied to locations, the third dimension supports the analysis of landscape transitions, economic impacts and communications that factors in the effects of differences in the heights and design of buildings, economics of agglomeration when businesses are grouped in close proximities, and multiplying effects when different cultural institutions and historical centers are found in the same locations to create a community and legacy through time. The health applications are equally profound when information is visualized in three dimensions. The inner mechanics of cell functions can be examined in three dimensions, permitting researchers to see processes that are often hidden from two-dimensional views. Alternatively, researchers can also use these technologies in the treatment of patients who are experiencing cognitive and psychological changes that are impacting their quality of lives. When e-communications tools are combined with the creation of three-dimensional virtual realities, researchers and educators alike can interact with each other over large distances in real time to investigate a specific place, a patient’s needs, or participate in a lecture and demonstration.
This internship is just one of ten different ones that provide students and young adults engaged in BITS to gain skills and knowledge about state of the art information technology skills and their applications for both learning and research.
Michele Masucci, Ph.D.
Director, ITSRG
Temple University
 BITS 09 Intern, Jen Caddell and Philadelphia's Mayor Michael Nutter On June 24, 2009, Philadelphia's Mayor Michael Nutter held a press conference at Temple University's Technology Center to launch Work Ready Philadelphia's Green Jobs Initiatives for Philadelphia Youth. The program represents one tier of the city's use of federal stimulus funding to foster the development of economic opportunities for young people through growing a green economy.
ITSRG is proud to be a part of the Green Jobs Initiative through sponsoring the BITS Summer Intensive Program 2009 this year from July 6 - August 14, 2009 on Temple University's Main Campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
BITS 09 will involve over 150 Philadelphia youth aged 14 - 24 an opportunity to enhance their geographic knowledge and computer, Internet, social media, graphic arts, and research skills in a university environment through two program models - an internship experience and a service learning project. Both will enable youth to enhance their digital skills, which are increasingly in demand in a college and in the workforce.
The service-learning project will engage youth to work with Temple students and volunteers with the Sustainable Trails iniative of the Friends of the Wissahickon Park. Service learners will document the multiple ways the Wissahickon section of Fairmount Park is used by humans and wildlife. Service learners will work in small teams supervised by Temple University students and park volunteers to develop data sets related to decisions about where to place markers on new trails. They will also assist with the creation of a multimedia project that reflects the park.
Service learners will also use the datasets they create to develop team projects consisting of online maps and blogs that illustrate how competing uses of the park are balanced. Students will gain skills and practical experiences with Google Earth and Google Maps, blog applications and multimedia techniques to share the information they gather with a Web audience.
BITS 09 participants placed in internship experiences will work in small terms at either Temple University's Main Campus or with ITSRG community partners. Experiences will be designed to provide interns with career readiness skills and hands-on activities that enhance their knowledge of environment problems and research.
Interns will be placed in the Sbarro Health Research Organization's Digilab, the Social Science Data Library, the Department of Civil Engineering's Alaska Valdez project, the Blockson Collection, ITSRG, the Office of Sustainability, the Fu
Throughout the summer, the Interns will work in teams to develop a web-based multimedia project that reflects their internship experience. Interns will gain skills around group project work, website design, and multimedia applications related to environmental problems and research.
In addition, all summer intensive students will attend regular workshops focused building on college and work ready skills.
This program is made possible with generous support from Philadelphia Youth Network through the Mayor's Green Jobs Initiative and through Philadelphia Higher Education Network for Neighborhood Development.
 ITSRG Staff Training ITSRG is pleased to prepare for the start of the BITS Summer Intensive Program - 2009. 150 high school students from Philadelphia will participate in programs from July 6 through August 15. The experience will feature environmental research internships and a service learning program aimed at creating a set of place markers for the Wissahickon Park in collaboration with Friends of the Wissahickon. High school students will be supported with work-ready jobs as part of Mayor Nutter's Green Jobs initiative.
Temple University undergraduate and graduate students will serve as mentors and program facilitators for the programs. The programs aim to improve student skills related to information and communication technologies, geography, making maps, and way-finding. All high school participants will create social media projects such as blogs, collaborative maps, and digital photo collections. In addition, students will gain experiences in conducting geographic field work related to environmental problems.
The program was made possible through funding from the Philadelphia Youth Network and the Philadelphia Network for Neighborhood Development.
For more information about our summer programs, contact ITSRG at 215-204-3596 or email us at itsrg2007@gmail.com.
 Program Coordinators Kelly George and Aaron Searson  Mentors Mihn Nyguen and Aadil Patel describe the toy they made during a team building exercise  A few more toys!
ITSRG is sponsoring an Earth Day Tweetup on Wednesday, April 22, 2009. The aim of the event is to raise awareness about environmental issues, actions and research related to Philadelphia, PA.
The event is being organized with Temple University researchers, students enrolled in Environmental Studies Senior Seminar course who have developed social media projects this semester, with Philadelphia area environmental researchers, advocates, and citizens and with animal activists on Twitter.
The event will begin at 12 am on Aprill 22 and continue for 24 hours. Prime Tweetup hours are from 8 pm- Midnight on the evening of April 22. We will post a schedule of activities that will comprise the Tweetup on this blog, along with a list of environmental social media projects developed at Temple University.
There are two Twtvites available to mark your interest:
http://twtvite.com/4aznab
http://twtvite.com/teyj3j
You can follow and engage the discussion by using #greenphilly #earthtweet #templeu in your twitter messages. Follow us here:
http://search.twitter.com/search?q=greenphilly
Stay posted to our blog for more information in the coming days.
Michele Masucci
Director, ITSRG
Temple University
For the past three semesters, I have engaged students at Temple University from the Department of Geography and Urban Studies to use and develop social media resources that reflect their understanding of core concepts and inquiry themes introduced in their courses. Learning activities related to the use of social media have been designed and to provide students with an opportunity reflect the understanding they have gained through using specific online tools to conduct descriptive analysis, apply what they have learned to specific cases and examples and to share data and original content they have developed.
During the coming weeks ITSpace will showcase many of the student works that have been developed through this approach. We will culminate the series with a Tweetup Event to mark Earth Day 2009, which falls on April 22. If you would like to participate in the Tweetup, please add your name to our invitation, located here.
Michele Masucci,
Director - ITSRG
Hardly a day goes by without the announcement of a new dire circumstance for local economies. The stories include layoffs, hidden effects of the economic downturn, growing pockets where local effects are visible, and fewer opportunities and services for citizens to maintain their quality of life.
Online cartographers using web 2.0 map tools have chronicled the downturn by mapping images of localities, visualizing data sets that show the trends and eliciting citizen volunteered information to catch the impacts.
Here is a collection of a few online maps that illustrate the economic transition in the U.S.
1. Map of Newspaper Layoffs - While the relative number of layoffs in the news field is low, the impact is large and growing. A number if cities will lose their daily papers, and many others will see that local news is no longer prioritized.
2. Where is the Milk Cheapest? - This map sponsored by WHYC in NYC asks volunteers to a non-organic quart of milk, head of iceberg lettuce and six-pack of 12 oz beer in New York City. Price differences are pretty dramatic; for example Han's deli charges nearly 2.5 times the price as does Fairway for the same quart of milk. Such variation underscores the challenges the many people have in balancing time-distance-cost economies.
3. Foreclosure Maps - A proliferation of maps depicting foreclosures and other real estate value changes are show homeowners, customers, and real estate professionals the trends by location. The one we highlighted from USA today illustrates the uneven nature of the localized impacts, with just 35 counties representing the vast majority of numbers of foreclosures. Trulia.com's heat map shows home pricing on a local basis, also revealing uneven nature of housing, both on a national and local scale.
Michele Masucci
ITSRG - Temple University
We're pretty excited here at the corner of Broad and Oxford Streets. Over the last few weeks, we've watched the final demo of the old strip mall Progress Plaza to make way for the new and LONG promised grocery store in North Philadelphia.
Progress Plaza has a long and storied history on North Broad Street. Progress Plaza, the brain child of Leon Sullivan, a Baptist minster, civil right leader and social activist, was the nation's first black-owned and developed shopping center.
It has served as a field trip for the students involved in ITSRG's BITS program as they explore and document their community. One of the students favorite stories about Progress Plaza has been how the Leon Sullivan got the project started in the 1960s.
Sullivan suggested the development of the strip mall to address two major needs he saw in the community. First, the need for black-owned businesses and the need for jobs.
The story goes that when Sullivan approached the chairman of the bank to request a construction loan. He was told that Sullivan needed some equity and to, "think about it," and come back in two, three of four years. Sullivan then presented the chairman with $400,000 in cash raised from the community.
The shocked bank chairman quickly changed his story and told Sullivan he could work with him. The strip mall opened to the community in 1968 and has been home to a variety of stores and community services since its opening.
The story always brings a smile and a laugh to the students faces and a new appreciation for the plaza and the sometimes hidden treasures found in North Philadelphia.
Today, Progress Plaza is currently undergoing a 16-million dollar renovation. The plaza is soon to be anchored by a 42-thousand square foot Fresh Grocer. Earlier this year, it served as a campaign stop for President Obama.
Caroline Guigar
ITSRG - Temple
The post above, tweeted around 7 pm last night, set off a tweetstorm of LOLs, sarcastic advice, witty patois, and outright disbelief both inside the venue for the McCain dinner to honor Obama on the eve of the inauguration and outside across the twitter network of @ev. Some of @ev's twitter followers joined the fun within seconds:
"don't you just love it that politicians are so "with it" : - ) "
"Very jealous of @gmc @konatbone @ev and @sacca right now... "
"LOL! tell him you have a great mid range system! "
"Tweeter is a much better name. Of course Stat.us was even better."
"You should've asked if he was excited about being Secretary of the Anterior in response."
@ev responded by tweeting: "Travis (@konatbone) is signing up Senator Wicker to Twitter via sms: @magnolia09," followed by a question about which senators are on Twitter. The responses came quickly: Clinton, Biden, Dodd, Franken, OBAMA and countless links to congressional twitterer aggregators. With so many thousands of emails sorting the silos of political and technology knowledge bases, a few folks might have missed a really cool pic of @zappos in a tux, also attending the dinner.
It seems likely that Obama will keep his Blackberry, and for good reason. With CEOs of major technology companies all in a room electronically high-fiving their tweeps - while simultaneously mobilizing a just-in-time research force consisting of tech savvy and interested followers around the world - the movement of information through social networks has never been speedier and more able to transform the dynamics of a given space at a given time.
Twitter followers of dinner participants were put in the place, albeit through the eyes of tech movers and shakers. Yet older established politicos and tech elite alike were exposed for the breathtaking quality of the information silos that shape their decision making worlds. The dinner space was subtly altered by the tweet heard round the tech-crunched world, even if only adding a bit of snarky levity to the milieu. Yet through the digital footprint of the event, we gain yet another reminder of the profound ways in which social media are reshaping the creation of knowledge far beyond the boundaries of that room.
Michele Masucci
Director, ITSRG
Temple University
BITS student Ken Sprull designed the logo above in the summer of 2007 as part of his experience to engage in actions to improve local environmental quality in North Philadelphia. He, along with other students in his group, strongly articulated the viewpoint that North Philadelphia environmental concerns are deeply connected to social ones. Their perspective was that those include the need to foster racial harmony and reduce violence in their daily lives. His logo and the group's sponsorship of community-building events to raise local environmental awareness captured this sentiment.
With this, and many other similar exchanges in our experiences implementing the BITS Program during the past four years in mind, we followed with great interest the events of the presidential election campaign throughout last year. Our staff, the students and families with whom we work, and Temple students have found the campaign season and Obama's story of community organizer to President-elect to be fascinating as well as inspirational. Our attention has been on the use of information technologies by the candidates, the shocking media attention paid to one of our own staff who was at the center of a national debate on journalistic ethics in a web 2.0 era, and Obama's visit to historic Progress Plaza in October, a site that students in the BITS Program have been depicting as part of our community geographic information systems (GIS) initiative during the past four years.
The logistical juggernaut of the upcoming historic Presidential Inauguration has been the topic of lively conversation during the past few weeks at ITSRG. We spent considerable time debating whether or not to attend, and if so how. We ultimately decided to follow events from the ITSRG Workroom, the spot that has been our vantage point throughout the past year.
We are pleased to share the news that the Office of the Provost of Temple University recently announced that classes in session on the first day of the semester - Inauguration Day - Tuesday, January 20th may be canceled at the discretion of the instructor from 10:10 am through 1:00 pm so that students and faculty can watch the Inauguration Ceremony. Events will be shown on large screen TVs at five locations across campus:
Howard Gittis Student Center, Room 200, Main Campus
Mitten Hall, Great Court, Main Campus
Bright Hall Lounge, Ambler
Learning Center Auditorium, Ambler
Student Faculty Center, Health Science Campus
ITSRG will share perspectives throughout the day via our blogs and Twitter feed, including those of BITS students with whom we have worked over the years.
Michele Masucci, Director
ITSRG
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