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Six students have created an automobile tour on CD to boost tourism and local awareness of historical assets in rural areas of Northampton County.
The students, who completed the yearlong project as members of a Technology Clinic, will present their work to the Greater Nazareth Council of Governments 5 p.m. tomorrow in the Kirby Hall of Civil Rights auditorium. The event is open to the public.
Technology Clinic is a hands-on course founded in 1986 that brings together students from different majors to solve the real-world problems of a business, non-profit organization, or government body. Their research addresses the social, technological, and economic issues involved with the client’s problem.
The group includes Katherine Blair ’04, a religion and politics major from Marco Island, Fla.; Matt Hontz ’05, a mechanical engineering major and economics and business minor from Bethlehem, Pa.; Josh Keely ’05, a dual degree student in mechanical engineering and English from Curwensville, Pa.; Christina Morgan ’05, a double major in history and government & law and public health from Flemington, N.J.; Alexis Siemons ’05, a communications and culture major from Moorestown, N.J.; and Mike Sparrow ’04, a history major from Pen Argyl, Pa. The advisers are Technology Clinic director Dan Bauer, professor of anthropology, and Larry Malinconico, associate professor of geology and environmental geosciences.
The group created 25 CDs and is providing materials for production in greater quantities to the Greater Nazareth Council of Governments.
“It’s been a really interesting experience to work with very different kinds of people,” says Blair, who hopes to enter nonprofit management or management and operations consulting after graduation. “Beyond the difference in majors, we also have very different personalities and leadership styles, so working together as a team has been one of the most interesting and challenging aspects of the project.”
Working with local historians, the students conducted extensive research into the cultural traditions, economic status, critical industries, and historic events in Northampton County.
“The issue is how to gain greater recognition of the area to itself and the world, with a focus on tourism,” Bauer explains. “Better recognition of these places by members of the community also will encourage them to preserve what’s important.”
Stopping points along the tour include museums, historical sites dating to the 18th and 19th centuries, modern business and cultural attractions, and other places of geographic interest. The tour discusses the importance of slate, cement, manufacturing, and farming to the history of the region, as well as to the population today.
The western loop of the tour includes, in order, Daniel Steckel House in Bath; Governor Wolf Academy in East Allen Township; Kreidersville Covered Bridge; Roxy Theatre, Atlas Portland Cement Museum, and Siegfried Railroad Station in Northampton; Walnutport Locktenders House; and Siegfried Log Cabin in Bath.
The central loop of the tour includes, in order, Moravian Hall Square, Nazareth Moravian Church, Whitefield House, The Indian Tower, Martin Guitar Factory, Jacobsburg settlement and Henry’s Forge, and Boulton (Henry Rifle site), all in Nazareth.
The eastern loop of the tour includes, in order, Edelman’s School House in Stockertown; Weona Park Carousel and Jayne Mansfield’s grave in Pen Argyl; Bangor Public Library and Slate Belt Heritage Center in Bangor; Portland Railroad Station, Portland Covered Bridge, and Slateford Farm in Portland; Columcille Megalith Park in Bangor; Our Lady Of Mount Carmel Church in Roseto; and Slate Belt Heritage Museum and Franklin Hill Vineyard in Bangor.
Blair is a resident adviser, a member of the Phi Alpha Theta history honor society and Alpha Phi sorority, and a tour guide for the Admissions Office. She has worked as an EXCEL Scholar with Donald L. Miller, John Henry MacCracken Professor of History at Lafayette, to gather information that will be used in his upcoming volume on World War II, titled Bomber Boys.
Sparrowworks as a writing associate in the College Writing Program and as a research assistant for the history department. Prior to enrolling at Lafayette, he served seven years in the United States Navy as an aviation electronics technician and enlisted recruiter. He recently completed an honors thesis in history.
Hontz is co-chair of the music committee for Lafayette Activities Forum, owns his own recording company, Digilog Recording Services, and is a tenor in the Concert Choir.
Morgan is president of College Democrats, a writing associate for the College Writing Program, and a member of the Concert Choir.
Siemons is actively involved in philanthropy, serves as a writing associate, and is a member of Lafayette’s female a cappella group, Cadence.
Keely is president of Crew Club.
Some previous Technology Clinic projects:
Bachmann Publick House — interactive tour
Lehigh Valley Hospital Physicians Group — improving the patient experience
Hotel Easton — environmentally friendly luxury hotel concept
Weller Center for Health Education — Impaired Driving Simulator
Bachmann Publick House — proposed uses
Slate Belt region — development project
Borough of Roseto — promotion