About Me

Hello World. Tiffany Sprague here. I am going into my sixth year at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. This summer I am conducting research at Virginia Tech under a NSF REU Grant. Tamim Younos, PhD is my main advisor, while graduate student in the Geography Department, Tammy Parece, oversees my project. The goal of my research here is to pair with Steph to conduct a longitudinal study on the Upper Stroubles Creek Watershed. This watershed has been highly affected by urbanization on the Virginia Tech campus and the downtown section of Blacksburg. Urbanization has resulted in construction related elevation changes, covering long segments of the creek (for example, Stroubles actually runs underneath the Drillfield on campus), and storm water management related changes, such as storm drains that carry water to other watersheds. Thus, the main focus of my project will be to take GPS readings throughout the town to delineate a field-derived Digitial Elevation Model (DEM), and compare my DEM with those that have been generated from old topographic maps and present day satellite imagery. I will also analyze land use changes over time in the "original delination" of the Upper Stroubles Creek Watershed using aerial photography that dates back to the 1930s. Therefore, through the use of GIS and Remote Sensing, I hope to gain a better understanding of the impacts urbanization has on the Upper Stroubles Creek Watershed, and what this means for the future of this creek.