Measuring the Earth

Dr. Hayes-Bohanan uses Goodreads to share book recommendations; he recently posted a review of a book that students of geography of any age can enjoy. It describes the clever, simple, and remarkably accurate results of the first effort to measure planet earth over 2,000 years ago.

The Librarian Who Measured the Earth by Kathryn Lasky
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is written for children, but readers of any age can enjoy and learn from this book. As a geographer married to a librarian, this is a family favorite.

View all my reviews

Foxboro Regional Charter School

N 42° 03' 25" 
W 71° 14' 42"

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(including how to look them up by address)

The EarthView team is pleased to be visiting Foxboro Regional for the first time; we have enjoyed many visits to the nearby Ahern School, and are happy to meeting some new students and educators in Foxboro (or Foxborough), a town fairly close to our home base at BSU. In fact, we invite students to compare the coordinates of their school with those of the BSU campus where EarthView is stored and where we do most of our geography teaching. When we do programs on our own campus, we usually use the Kelly Gym, whose coordinates are 41°59'15"N, 70°58'12"W. How does that compare to Foxboro Regional?

We were also delighted to learn that students from Foxboro Regional are preparing to embark on a service trip to Nicaragua! In 2006, EarthView team member Dr. Hayes-Bohanan led a study tour to Nicaragua for what he thought would be a one-time opportunity to learn about coffee with his students. He fell in love with everything about Nicaragua, and has now brought his whole family and more than 120 students to the country during 12 travel courses entitled Geography of Coffee. Several of our EarthView Wranglers (student assistants) have also made the journey, including current team member Jackie.

Peter W Reilly School, Lowell

N 42° 38' 28" 
W 71° 16' 48"

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(including how to look them up by address)

The EarthView Team is pleased to be making its first visit to Peter W. Reilly Elementary, a K-4 school in the historic city of Lowell. It is the second school we have visited in Lowell. The other is the Pyne Arts School, whose coordinates are 42°37'44" N, 71°17'11" W. Looking at the map and reading the coordinates, which purple pin points to which school?

Almost two hundred years ago, Lowell was established as an industrial city, making clothing and other textiles. It was a one of the first and most important factory cities in the United States, an important history that can be explored in its own National Park.

Visitors can learn a lot about the Industrial Revolution in Lowell.
Image: National Park Service

During the 1970s, Lowell was a center of the new computer industry. It was also becoming a destination for people migrating to the United States from Cambodia. Of the 109,000 people in Lowell, about 15,000 are from that Asian country, more than any other U.S. city except for Long Beach, California. Lowell hosts a Cambodian diplomat, the honorary consul Mr. OU Sovann. During our visit, one of our EarthView wranglers will point out Cambodia on EarthView. She is a Bridgewater geography student who completed a biology travel course in Cambodia just last month!