Hello! My name is Adam Abbott. I am a Senior majoring in IST with an option in design and development here at Penn State University Park. I live in Philipsburg, PA which is about 30 minutes away from State College, PA. I am from Osceola, PA which is in Tioga County. Tioga County is the home of the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon. Currently I work as a Tech Tutor on campus and I just started my post-grad job part time which will turn into a full time position upon my graduation. I am working as a Software Implementation Analyst for Blue Mountain Quality Resources in State College. In this position I am responsible for installing software for clients and validating it after installation. I am interested in this Geography course because I have not yet taken a course that entails analyzing world issues beyond that of technology issues in today’s society.
My main interest in Geography comes from my strong interest in wildlife. I believe with the expansion of human society the amount of land dedicated to wildlife is diminishing. This is an example of human impact on the environment because the more humans cut into the habitats of wild animals the more the population of those animals is affected. There needs to be a point of sustainability where humans can expand their reach without damaging the environment that many wild animals need to survive.
Hi Adam, my name is Alyssa Massaro. You said you were interested in wildlife sustainability. I too think it’s interesting to talk about what we can do to save certain species and talk about how they became endangered in the first place. I hope this course covers a bit of this topic so I can become more knowledgable and understanding. I hope you find the information interesting as well! Here’s the link to my blog post: http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/01/19/module-1-alyssa-massaro/
Thanks! I hope that I become more knowledgeable about these topics as well!
Hey Adam, I’m a junior in Geography at University Park. Here’s my post, http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/01/19/module-one-getting-to-know-you/ . You said you’re from Tioga County? I went on a backpacking trip on the West Rim Trail in the middle of November and had quite a few views of the Grand Canyon. It seemed like a nice area and neighboring Wellsboro was one of the most well kept places I’ve been within PA. Do you think the fracking industry is beneficial for small towns or do the environmental risks outweigh the pros? Enjoy your last semester at University Park.
Tyler
Tyler I am unsure of the impact of the fracking industry. I know that around my house alone (I live about 20 minutes from Wellsboro in the northern part of the county) that there have been 4 or 5 gas wells in the past 5 or 6 years. I know some who have been affected by the fracking industry in a negative way through the contamination of well water with methane gas from the wells. However, I think the pipelines are the worst impact on the environment because they clear out large portions of the woods around me just to lay the piping down. I think if natural gas is truly a cleaner fuel solution then fracking may be a necessary risk; however, I have not seen a large positive impact of all of this natural gas.
On another note, the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon is a gem that not many know about and I am glad to see that someone has explored it! Wellsboro is a town I am very familiar with (I was born in the hospital there) and it is great to see that it isn’t an unknown town to everyone.
Adam