Jennifer Mapes, assistant professor of geography at Kent State, will open the Penn State Department of Geography's fall 2026 Coffee Hour seminar series at noon on Friday, Aug. 28, in 401 Steidle Building Penn State University Park. The talk also will be accessible via Zoom.
Mapes will present "Fine-Scale Maps in a Big Data World: Community Geography and the Value of Zooming In," exploring how community geography can bring local knowledge and priorities into geographic research.
Her talk will examine a community geography approach that starts with questions identified by communities and involves sharing data, working together to find answers, and sharing the results with the broader community. Mapes will highlight several projects that show the value of focusing on cities and neighborhoods, where local knowledge can add context that may be missed in larger datasets.
Mapes also will discuss how community geography can strengthen the use of geographic information systems (GIS) by combining maps and spatial data with other research methods and the experiences of people who live and work in the places being studied. She will consider the role of community-engaged research in geography and opportunities for future work at the neighborhood scale.
Mapes directs the Community Geography Collaboratory at Kent State, where she works with local organizations to create maps and conduct geographic research that supports social and environmental justice in northeastern Ohio. Her research and teaching focus on urban sustainability, cartography and community-engaged research.
Mapes is the author of "The New American Small Town: Lessons for Sustainable Urban Futures," which received the J.B. Jackson Prize. She earned her master's degree in geography from Penn State in 2005.
Mapes' lecture marks the first event of the fall 2026 Coffee Hour seminar series hosted by Penn State's Department of Geography. To learn more and access Zoom information, visit the Coffee Hour event webpage.
