Penn State’s Geography 421 class was recently named a regional winner in the first Draw the Lines PA mapping competition.
The class is led by PRI affiliate, Christopher Fowler, assistant professor of geography. Fowler discovered the Draw the Lines after a Google search and took his findings to his class.
The Draw the Lines PA competition focuses on ending gerrymandering and improving democracy in Pennsylvania. Fowler’s class gathered data to show respondents mostly value competitive districts.
The finished product was a video essay which covered their failures, their strategies for dealing with urban vs. rural balance, and the impact of racial makeup on a district’s competitiveness. Their hard work won them second place in the regional competition and they are also entered into the statewide contest with results announced Feb. 6 in the State Capitol.