On the afternoon of September 18, the bustle of a group of middle school students from Madison’s Wingra School animated Science Hall.

The students, working on a unit on cartography, visited the Robinson Map Library and UW Cartography Lab. Their goal: to gain a deeper understanding of maps and the art and science of creating them. Led by cartography graduate students Gareth Baldrica-Franklin, Alton Hipps, Nuzhat Tabassum Nawshin, and Helen Tosteson, the middle schoolers and their teachers enjoyed a handful of mini-lectures and fun activities aimed at shedding light on the fundamentals of maps and map making. They also explored the amazing resources offered by the Map Library and the Cartography Lab.

Learning the Basics

In the Map Library, the cartography graduate students discussed map fundamentals using various physical maps to illustrate their points, such as how map projections affect the way maps look as well as how maps reflect the biases and positions of their creators. An interactive map bingo activity encouraged our visitors to explore the numerous maps laid out by Map Librarian Jaime Martindale for various map types and features. The students found the exercise fun and interesting, enthusiastically sharing their many findings with the group.

Exploring Design Details

In the Cartography Lab, the conversation turned to map design. Highlighting examples from their own map projects, the graduate students demonstrated some of the countless decisions that figure into making a map as well as some of the tools cartographers wield as part of their craft.

Intrigued, the students had many questions, such as, “How long does it take to make a map?” and “What’s the largest map you’ve ever made?” Then, they engaged in a group activity aimed at showing map design decision-making firsthand. On the Cartography Lab’s giant light table, students found several paper tiles that collectively made up a map of Madison. Each student was tasked with designing one map tile, adorning them with color and symbols, and assembling the tiles together again. Like map bingo, the map quilt proved to be educational and fun for the students.

Mapping the Wisconsin Idea

The incredibly thoughtful talks and learning activities that our graduate students organized and the passion they showed for sharing their rich knowledge of cartography exemplify the Wisconsin Idea—a bedrock principle of the university that knowledge produced on campus should extend beyond it and touch the lives of the broader Wisconsin community. Thank you, Alton, Gareth, Helen, and Nawshin! Your creativity and enthusiasm help our department shine.