Course description: This course will familiarize students with the basic knowledge of geographic information systems (GIS) and their application to social work practice and research. The course is organized around three primary areas: 1) conceptual; 2) technical; and 3) data management. A conceptual overview of GIS is presented to provide students with foundational knowledge about the theory, purpose, function, and applicability of GIS in practice and research settings. Students will develop critical thinking skills necessary to devise research questions appropriate for a GIS, to develop a GIS, interpret the findings, and to evaluate the spatial relationships between variables.
If you created a poster before Spring 2015 and would like to make it openly available (Unrestricted) online, please submit the linked Consent Form to digital@wustl.edu.
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Absence Presence: What is the relationship between race, place and access to traditional financial institutions?
Andrew Johnson
12-9-2014In 2011, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation published a groundbreaking report that demonstrated the vast banking disparities throughout the United States. The report illustrated that millions of American’s are either unbanked (no involvement with financial institutions) or underbanked (a significant lack of access to credible and accessible financial institutions). The most recent 2013 FDIC report demonstrated that African-American populations, of any selected demographic group, have the highest prevalence of underbanking (33.1% of total sample) and the highest percentage of unbanked individuals (20.5%) of any demographic group in the United States. Banks are bound by the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 to serve all neighborhoods within a certain distance of their branch locations– a policy that this research contends is more symbolic than effective. This research illustrates its insufficiency in providing equitable financial services to all communities in our city, especially communities of color.
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Geographic Disparities in Science Achievement and Opportunities for Employment in STEM
Brittni Jones
12-12-2014In the United States, the demand for human capital in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) continues to increase rapidly. STEM-based As a major center of biomedical research, the metropolitan region of St. Louis offers numerous opportunities for post-secondary education, training, and occupations in STEM. The objectives of this study were to examine inter-district variations in students’ achievement on the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) standardized science assessment from 2008-2011; demonstrate differences in the racial and socioeconomic composition of the school districts and in the socio-demographic composition of neighborhoods within these school districts; explore the concentration of occupations in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) within the school districts
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Operation Food Search: Feeding Children in Need
Hyunil Kim and Cecilia Zappa
12-12-2014Operation Food Search (OFS) is a nonprofit organization that provides food to individuals and families in need in 30 counties in the St. Louis region of Missouri and Illinois. The organization of OFS allows it to focus on establishing food networks, linking donors with partner agencies. OFS collects food from donors and distributes the food to partner agencies, who then distribute the food to people in need. In addition to the responsibility of managing efficient food networks, OFS operates the Hunger Hotline, where anyone can call the hotline to find out what resources are available to help with hunger in a given community This project asks which measurement of service delivery adequacy in each community is most useful in GIS to help OFS in its program evaluation? Which communities appear to be well served by OFS and its network partner agencies? Which communities are experiencing a service gap that OFS may want to consider trying to fill?
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Disparities in Access to Health Services Among Older Adults in St. Louis
Seung Ah Kim
5-4-2014This project asks: are there racial disparities in access to health services among older adults in St. Louis City and County? Are there differences in access to health services among older adults depending on their poverty status in St. Louis City and County? Is the public transportation system well-connected between areas with low automobility and health services in St. Louis City and County?
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Child Maltreatment and Racial Disproportionality in St. Louis County, 2007-2009
Nina Kobakhidze and Lina Millett
12-12-2014The Department of Social Services (DSS) Children’s Division (CD) St. Louis County Office has been interested to look at racial disproportionality in child abuse and neglect (CAN) reporting and substantiation. Racial disproportionality represents a case when the proportion of children of a particular race in the child welfare system does not reproduce their share of the overall population. The project aims to study and map CAN reporting and conclusion data for St. Louis County at zip code level during 2007-2009.
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Walking on the Border: Walkability and Socioeconomic Placement in El Paso, Texas
Jill A. Kuhlberg and Carlos M. Arango Paternina
12-12-2014This study has two aims: To explore walkability; andTo examine the relationship between walkability and SEP across census block groups in El Paso, Texas. Physical inactivity and related chronic diseases are higher for Latinos than other racial/ethnic groups in the U.S. Socioeconomic placement (SEP) and the built environment are determinants of physical activity. Walkability is a measure of the built environment that indicates how conducive an area is to walking for leisure, access to services, and travel to work. No study has examined walkability and its correlates in a U.S./Mexico border community with a large population of Latinos and high prevalence of obesity and diabetes.
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Welcoming Missouri Project
Yeongsil Kwon and Eun Young Lee
12-12-2014Racial profiling (Missouri Attorney General, n. d.) Missouri Attorney General Office (AGO) conducts survey of vehicle stops to highlight and combat racial profiling in the state, requiring all police departments to document a driver’s race for each vehicle stop. This project team hypothesizes that counties with a lower DI have more friendly environments towards Hispanic and Asian immigrants than counties with a higher DI. This project examined the association between residential immigrant concentration and racial profiling in the community. Combining the goal of MIRA and racial profiling occurring in MO, specific regions were selected where WMI is needed the most as well as where it is most adequately available.
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Adolescent Pregnancy and STIs: Should St. Louis Area Parents Be Worried?
Erin K. Leege and Joy M. Maxwell
12-12-2014In 2009, 46.0% of high school students reported ever having sex. Teens (15-19 years) have the highest chlamydia rate (3378.2/100,000 person) compared to all other age groups. 63 counties, two of which are St. Louis City and County, contribute to 50% of all gonorrhea cases in the U.S. The U.S. teen birth rate for 2009 was 39.1 per 1,000 persons, the largest among all western industrialized countries. This project asks whether pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in their communities compare to actual rates of these public health issues?
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The Association between the Concentration of Renters and Crime in Maryland Heights, MO
Ashley Lewis
5-4-2014This project aims to discover if the concentration of renters is associated with crime in Maryland Heights and examine the relationship between crime and other factors of social disorganization through a social disadvantage index.
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An Analysis of Social Risk Factors for Youth in St. Louis City
Yu-An Lin and Gretchen Waddell
12-12-2014Through consultion of data on educational attainment, income, teen employment and family type this project asks what conclusions can be drawn concerning YLC’s current services? In what areas should YLC focus its outreach efforts?
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Suicide and Access to Mental Health Resources An Analysis of Wyoming Counties for the Year 2012
Audrey Lucas
6-30-2014This project aims to determine whether or not presence of mental health resources and ease of access to resources moderates suicide rate, discover the number of Wyoming residents able to easily access mental healthcare, and identify areas in need of mental health resources.
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Service Gap Identification Community Children’s Services Fund, St. Louis Mental Health Board
Lingzi Luo and Guangyuan Qui
6-30-2014This project examines to what extent the CCSF is serving children residing in the most in need geographic areas using GIS the project idenitifes geographic areas that need more investment, especially for racial or ethnic minority groups (e.g., African Americans).
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ACCESS TO TERTIARY EDUCATION FOR BLACK AFRICANS IN POST-APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA: SOCIAL ISOLATION AND CONCENTRATION EFFECTS
Ashley Macrander
12-12-2014Tertiary education access in South Africa under the apartheid system was dichotomized along racial lines. Black universities were designed to inculcate racial ideology and state policy; whereas, White teaching and research institutions served to advance the political and economic opportunities of those who attended. This project aims to discover how Black African and White communities are spatially segregated from one another, likely resulting in social isolation; Investigate how language, HIV, and poverty are concentrated in Black African communities; determine how social isolation and the presence of concentration effects among Black Africans perpetuates apartheid inequalities in access to tertiary education.
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Geospatial Analysis of the Relationship between Tobacco Retailor Density, Race, Ethnicity and Income
Ryan Maier
5-4-2014This project examines the relationship between tobacco retailor density in St. Louis City and the dispersion of African American individuals, Hispanic or Latino individuals, and median household income.
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Climate change and crop productivity in the Midwest Region, 2002 and 2012
Fungai Mapurisa and Ja Won Kim
12-12-2014Increased weather variability in the Midwest is expected to alter soil water availability and temperature, which could decrease yield between 15-20 percent. The goal of this study is to explore the impact of weather variability on crop productivity.