Prior to 2019, Texas used red-light traffic cameras to deter drivers from driving recklessly and running red lights. However, due to legislation signed by Governor Greg Abbott, red-light cameras are no longer used in Texas. This decision was made to ‘protect drivers' constitutional rights.’ Additionally, it was argued that these cameras increased the rate of rear-end collisions.

This study investigates the effect of removing red-light cameras in Fort Worth before and after the ban by examining the rate of different types of collisions. The location data of crash sites and police reports will be mapped using ArcGIS Pro to determine the frequency and density of these crashes.

The Amazon rainforest is one of the largest carbon sinks in the world, playing a critical role in regulating global carbon dioxide levels. However, deforestation has significantly reduced its ability to sequester carbon, contributing to rising CO2 emissions. We will analyze deforestation trends in the amazon over the last three decades by integrating satellite imagery, historical land cover data, and carbon flux models. Using remote sensing data from Nasa and Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE), we will generate temporal GIS layers to map forest loss and quantify the impact on carbon sequestration. Through identifying key deforestation hotspots, this project aims to provide important insights into the relationship between land-use changes and atmospheric carbon levels, supporting future conservation strategies and policy recommendations.

Tri-colored bats are on track to be listed as an endangered species, however insufficient information is available on their roost sites. The aim of this project is to determine which culverts in Texas, more specifically Tarrant County, are likely to be used as winter roosts for the Tri-colored bat species. The project will utilize available culvert data from TxDOT and data on the potential ranges of Tri-colored bats. Analysis will begin by categorizing the culverts into individual layers by features such as height, length, and material.

The ephemeral DeGrey River of northwestern Australia’s Pilbara region presents unusual very high relief double levees of up to 5.8 m that are still poorly understood. This study aims to take advantage of excellent exposures of these double levees to assess their likely origin. Accessing and studying these features in a modern setting constitute a unique opportunity to better understand their geomorphology and evaluate their reservoir potential as an analogue for the subsurface.
We investigated these levees using shallow augering, percussion coring, digging of shallow pits, and ground-penetrating radar (GPR), calibrated using dGPS surveys. Remote sensing data, such as LIDAR and photogrammetric drone surveys, were also used to identify and visualize fluvial geomorphologic features, which were then ground truth by pedestrian surveys and general field observations. Core and auger samples were described according to grain texture using the USDA classification and a Munsell color atlas. to distinguish the similarities or differences from sediments by depth. Grain size was further assessed in sand and gravel using a Brunton Grain Size Card.
These levees were primarily developed by water during multiple large flooding events which exceeded their height limit, as opposed to the alternative hypothesis that these were large eolian features coincidental with levee positions at the channel margin. This is evidenced by the common layers of gravelly and poorly sorted coarse sand dispersed within the levee strata. Similarly, sedimentary structures of lower and upper flow regimes typical of water flood are observed for these strata. Locally, the outer part of the two levees was found to include an eolian cap, which provided additional height to the levee locally. These strata were fine-grained and well-sorted by contrast, typical of aeolian origins.
Cyclone-driven floods control the activation of the DeGrey River and associated sedimentation. These double levees form through rapid sediment deposition in unusually energetic overbank flows. The high permeability and sandy stratification of these levees provide opportunistic reservoir potential. This contrasts with silty levee deposits observed in perennial rivers with lower discharge variation. The high double levees of the DeGrey River appear to be a hydrologic and geomorphic feature characteristic of ephemeral river systems.

This study aims to investigate how the growth and expansion of Tarrant County has potentially increased average temperatures from 1985 to 2020. The study will utilize satellite imagery from the USGS, weather data from the NWS, and population and land cover data to better understand the relationship between urban growth and temperature change. We speculate that the rapid growth and development of Tarrant County has led to a measurable increase in average daytime temperatures due to the urban heat island effect.