National Scenic Visitors Center / Earthwalk USA
Sharing the wonder of America’s diverse landscapes, instilling
the passion to explore and the will to protect
the passion to explore and the will to protect
Engineering the largest walkable relief map in the universe
NSVC Open House
Saturday, April 13 was a big day for the largest map in the universe. The National Scenic Visitors Center Board met on the campus of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. The meeting was following by an NSVC Open House– where the latest map prototypes were featured, along with screened and print visuals, and a few extras.
The team hosted several visitors, among them Duquesne University President Ken Gormley and his wife Laura. Dr. Phil Reeder, Duquesne’s Dean of Earth Sciences, facilitated the day with hosting, web connectivity, and refreshments, enabling a truly cordial experience for attendees. The photos below provide a peek into what was an exuberant refresher for NSVC ‘mappers’, associates, and friends. 
Phil Reeder, Mary Ellen Snyder, Matt Kambic, Ken Gormley
Map prototypes line the conference table at Duquesne University
Standing on freshly-minted 2×2 ft. prototypes,
NSVC Executive Director Mary Ellen Snyder and Board President Matt Kambic enjoy a sock-facilitated preview of Earthwalk USA. Prototype Progress!
NSVC Executive Director May Ellen Snyder reviews the latest series of prototype maps produced by Michael Bianco of FabLab fame. More on all the prototyping progress coming soon– we are prepping for our April Board Meeting / Open House to be held on the campus of Duquesne University on April 13. We look forward to sharing much more with you then.
First Physical Prototype
Great news from Bethlehem, PA, where the very first physical manifestation of the eventual largest map in the universe has spawned!
The National Scenic Visitors Center team has worked patiently towards this day. And even though the first ‘outake’ is modest, it speaks to bigger, better, brighter and- dare we say- more bodacious things to come. Skillfully engineered by studio wizard Mike Bianco, the composite map came off the 3D printer around 2:00 pm yesterday in one of the FabLab’s fab-est labs. Rendering from a Zicheng Huang map file, the material reproduced a section of the Lehigh Valley area, including parts of the Susquehanna River and environs. The printer’s final, partial output did not complete the 3X exaggerated relief. (In the photo, note the crosshatched areas: these will transform into mountain ridges and other elevated areas in the next iteration.) A fascinating beginning that can only- literally- go up. We’ll be posting here as the next prototypes come off the presses. Onward…! 
NSVC President Matt Kambic, feeling like he has just raided the ‘Lost Ark of Relief Maps’
Coming Soon to a Planet Near You….
The National Scenic Visitors Center is about to embark on our first physical prototyping effort. Lots more to come on this endeavor, but to whet all of our appetites, the photo shown here represents the Lehigh Valley centric area that has been selected for our very first test maps.
Also shown is a quick selfie snapshot of Matt Kambic, Amy Hollander, and Mary Ellen Snyder after a recent ‘summit’ meeting on the high ground of Fogelhaus Guest Cottage, near Zionsville. Pennsylvania. Onward…! 
NSVC at Association of Science and Technology Centers conference
Amy Hollander and Mary Ellen Snyder in front of the Earthwalk Traveler poster display.
The National Scenic Visitors Center presented at the Association of Science and Technology Centers conference on September 22 in Hartford, Connecticut, facilitating an important inaugural reveal of the NSVC / Earthwalk USA project. Executive Director Mary Ellen Snyder and professional museum consultant Amy Hollander did the honors. In their presentation, they explained the Earthwalk Traveler concept to the Museum marketplace – our future hosts for this exhibit.
The NSVC poster session description read as follows: “Announcing development of the Earthwalk TravelerSM – a 6000 sq. ft. nationally traveling exhibit! Your visitor base will be immersed in this innovative exhibit which reinvents how they experience the natural geography of America. Its centerpiece will be a 2000 sf walkable relief map enhanced with digitized storytelling. This tactile, auditory, visual and spatial learning environment offers multiple layers of understanding– allowing visitors to connect with the environmental, cultural, and historical forces shaping our past, present and future.” More information about the conference is in the pipeline. Stay tuned! 
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