Robert Ryder, Long Island Sirvaide, [1674]. Courtesy of John Carter Brown Library.

Coastlines is an on-going program series that explores the complex, often interconnected ecological, economic, social, and cultural changes that have shaped the greater New York region, often highlighting Long Island as a case study. This interdisciplinary program brings together specialists from across the humanities and the sciences to deepen our knowledge of how these human and environmental transformations have impacted current regional conditions and to consider their possible future ramifications. Relevant topics we seek to illuminate include conflicts over land use and infrastructure, evidence of climate change, the exploitation and conservation of maritime and other natural resources, agricultural and industrial (re)developments, suburbanization, and the region's racial and ethnic diversity. We also encourage interdisciplinary cross-fertilization through sharing updates on new technologies, technical skills, and innovative research techniques that offer new ways of gathering, sharing, visualizing, and analyzing information (particularly in the realms of cartography, Geographic Information Systems, and the Digital Humanities).

The Coastlines series includes public lectures, graduate seminars, and hands-on workshops featuring visiting scholars who are among the leading innovators in these areas today. Suggestions for future guests or events are welcome. 

Past events: 

March 7, 2014  Eric W. Sanderson, "The Welikia Project: Mapping Frontiers in New York City Ecology," 1pm in Humanities 1008.
Sanderson will also lead a graduate seminar that day at 11:00  

Sanderson is Senior Conservation Ecologist at the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York. He will discuss his ground-breaking use of digital mapping to re-construct the historic landscapes of New York City. He is the author of Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York City (2009) and Terra Nova: The New world After Oil, Cars, and Suburbs (2013). 

April 4, 2014  Mark Momonier, "Coastal Cartography's Four Shorelines: From Christopher Columbus to Hurricane Sandy," 1pm in Humanities 1008.

Monmonier will also lead a graduate seminar that day at 11:00  

Monmonier is a Distinguished Professor of Geography at Syracuse University. His specialties include geographic information, map design, data visualization, and the history of 20th century cartography. He is the author of may books, including Lake Effect: Tales of Large Lakes, Arctic Winds, and Recurrent Snows (Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 2012) and Coast Lines: How Mapmakers Frame the World and Chart Environmental Change (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2008).