Geospatial Analysis

Session I

Elizabeth Lawless, "Superfund Sites & Environmental Justice Over Time in Missouri"

Superfund sites are a result of a program from the EPA that focuses on the cleanup of major environmental hazards across the United States. Many of these sites have been studied for a movement called 'Environmental Justice', or the idea that marginalized communities are impacted more adversely by environmental hazards. Using GIS technology, this study replicates a study done on Superfund sites in Illinois. It primarily examines sociodemographic and economic statistics of areas closer to Superfund sites and compares them to the rest of their respective counties, and their change over time. A negative difference in these factors can be indicative of environmental disparity. The results indicate that there is not a significant difference in the factors inspected in the counties in Missouri in neither 2000 nor 2020. However, there does seem to be a significant growth in some factors, and at a faster rate that the counties they are within. This displays a difference from the Illinois study, which indicated that race was a significant factor of disparity within Superfund sites.

Student Major(s): Data Science

Advisor: Dr. Shannon White