While the rest of the Syracuse University campus spent the last month deserted, the Heroy Geology Building was a hive of activity. The 44-year-old building underwent renovations, which are most obvious in the installation of huge world and regional maps covering the second floor.

These maps aren’t just designed to reflect the building as the home of geology department. Adding to Heroy’s signature spinning globe above its main entrance, these maps serve as artwork as well as an educational tool.

Jeffrey Karson, a geology professor at Heroy Geology Laboratory, said the maps have been designed to provide conversation pieces for students taking classes in the department of earth sciences.

“(These maps) can almost pass as abstract art, but upon closer inspection, reveal the remarkable shape of the surface of the Earth,” Karson said.

Karson said the installation allows students to see the world in a different way because it takes students out of the classroom.

The three maps are topographically accurate, showing details to the nearest kilometer on some regions of the map.

The first map features the topography, or physical features, of the world and was created by Smith and Sandwell Global Topography. Mountains and valleys are denoted in a range of browns and greens, and lakes, seas and oceans follow suit in pale to deep blues.

To create the second map, satellite images were stitched together to create what Karson described as a cloudless mosaic of the world. When looked at together, the images show the earth as it would appear from outer space with no clouds.

The third map takes a more local approach, depicting upstate New York. The map doesn’t resemble the actual surface of the Earth, as the Great Lakes appear to be black holes in the ground, while the rest of the land is white, blue and orangey-red. The map was designed by an artist in Ithaca, New York, who Gregory Hoke, an assistant professor in the department of earth sciences, said is known for his unique map production techniques. The map was created using laser technology and artistic techniques to create scientifically accurate representations of the area.

The installation team was advised to find maps from local sources because it’s easier for individuals to connect with something they are familiar with, which is one reason the map of upstate New York was installed.

Hoke said the installation team hopes the maps will be used for academic advancement in classes.

“Hopefully we will have a chance to use the maps as teaching aids in the recitations for some of our larger enrollment courses,” Hoke said.

Hoke said that as the semester has just started, it has been difficult to gauge student reactions to the installation but as the semester progresses, it will be easier to asses whether it has been successful.

But so far, assistant professor Jay Thomas said the maps have drawn attention from passersby.

“I see lots of people stopping, stooping down and pointing to where they live,” Thomas said.

These earth science professors hope the colorful maps will stimulate the interest of anyone who walks through the area, regardless of them being a student in or out of the geology field.

Said Karson: “(The maps) are a constant reminder of the diverse and dynamic planet that we live on today.”

Published on January 20, 2016 at 9:13 pm

Contact Saniya: ssmore@syr.edu