Thursday, August 27. 2009

Education Tidbits

Dr. Michael Scott of Salisbury University in Maryland teaches in the Geography and Geographic Sciences Department in the Richard A. Henson School of Science and Technology. He's won the University System of Maryland's Wilson H. Elkins Professorship including an $80,000 award.

In 2004, Scott established the Eastern Shore Regional Geographic Center which supports GIS in the regional and in local governments. The Center and has traced pollution in septic systems for the Maryland Department of the Environment, surveyed sensitive wetlands in Georgia, and digitizing Captain John Smith's 1612 exploratory map of the Chesapeake Bay. Scott founded the university's GIS-public administration master's program in 2007; it's the first of its kind in the country.

- DelMarVANOW.com

The deputy mayor of Amman, Jordan sponsored a graduation for city and country workers who took 48 hours of advanced GIS training. Even the trainers were given certificates of appreciation.

- menafm.com

OGC has announced a new website with learning resources. There is no way to search - there are broad topic and format categories ("mass media articles, " "video""compliance"). There's also no way until you click through to the resource to know its source or date. I hope OGC will consider letting users help tag (informal) or add metadata (formal) to the resources.

- press release

Wednesday, August 19. 2009

Instructional Technologist Earns Fulbright to do GIS Work

Ok first some definitions. What's an instructional technologist? It's a role typically in a university for someone who helps integrate technology in the curriculum. (One of my high school friends got such a position right out of college and has been at Boston University ever since.) What's a Fulbright? It's a grant for academics that sends you overseas to lecture and do research. (One of the grad students back when I was in college got one. It's a big deal.)

The news then is that Meg Stewart, an instructional technologist at Vassar College, has received the grant to teach and do research at the University of the West Indies in Barbados during the 2009-10 academic year. She'll work on "a mapping project in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, looking at sustainable use of marine resources and making this geospatial information available online in Google Earth and a Web map. She will also teach a geographic information system class..."

Now, this is even more interesting when I realized that Meg (who I have yet to meet) is on the committee for the upcoming NITLE event titled Geospatial Technology in the Liberal Arts at Skidmore College in September, where I've been invited to speak.

- Poughkeepsie Journal

Tuesday, August 18. 2009

Education Tidbits

University of Illinois computer science Professor John Hart got a visit from a former student, Matei Stroila who now works for NAVTEQ. Stroila is involved in research and emerging technologies with Navteq and decided to delivered the vehicle to support Hart's research in 2D and 3D mapping, something NAVTEQ is also exploring.

In the vehicle he brought is camera equipment that takes "a sphere of pictures" and a laser scanner that makes precise measurements of how far away objects are as it passes by them.

The scanner shines a laser beam off a tree on Green Street, for instance, and the time that it takes to bounce back, combined with GPS in the vehicle, tells precisely how far away the tree is.

The vehicle was gathering one point for every 2 centimeters – less than an inch – Hart said.

- News-Gazette

Indiana State University geography students and Kennesaw State University students in north central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in a field course.

"Students surveyed and collected data regarding physical and human landscapes. They used soil and water test kits, global positioning systems as well as took walking tours of Appalachian communities and coal camps to learn about cultural landscapes and settlement patterns. ISU and KSU students formed groups to research projects ranging from "Geology of West Virginia," "Red Maple Regeneration and Oak Decline" and "Hydrology of a Reach Along Decker's Creek" to "Demographics, Politics and Bumper Stickers," "Neighborhood Architecture of Morgantown, W.Va." and "Coal Camps and the Human Landscape.""

I for one had no geography field experience as an undergrad (it was a small department) but got some from a geosci course and and a non-credit summer geology field course (2 undergrads, 15 grads - learned more about life that geology, but that was fine!).

- Indiana State University

San Diego State University Department of Geography professor Douglas Stow, an expert in remote-sensing analysis of terrestrial environments, is a recipient of The President’s Leadership Fund Awards for Faculty and Staff Excellence. He receives $5,000 to invested in his work which includes studying satellite imagery for changes in arctic habitats and the use of UAVs.

- San Diego State University

Western Michigan University is proud that one its graduates is heading to work on the next versions of Google's Internet mapping and architectural modeling software. Jonathan Rumohr of Ishpeming, Mich., an April graduate in mechanical engineering, received an all-expense paid trip to Google's Colorado complex earlier this month to work with the team on the next version of Google Earth and Sketchup.

- Western Michigan University

Monday, August 17. 2009

Education Tidbits

Professor of Geosciences M. Scott Wilkerson at the DePauw University not only used Google Earth in his geology classes he and his wife, a GIS specialist, wrote the aGeotours workbook to accompany one of the intro textbooks.

- Depauw University

A team of Colorado State University researchers, grads and undergrads and DigitalGlobe won a $1 million contract from the National Science Foundation to create computers better able to withstand lightning, floods and other natural disasters. The money comes from the stimulus bill.

- The Coloradoan

Bucks County Community College (PA) will offer a new course in "GIS for land use planning and environmental technology."

- PhillyBurbs.com

Friday, August 7. 2009

What to do if your GPS Fails

Jalopnik has the answer from Ben Wojdyla in article titled: How to read a paper map like an old-timer.

via Gizmodo

Monday, August 3. 2009

Education Tidbits

The Hawaii Geographic Information Coordinating Council (HIGICC) awarded $1,000 scholarships to Mele Chillingworth from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, who worked with the National Park Service to develop GIS maps of Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail, and with the Hawaii Agricultural Water Use Study on an irrigation database and mapping project. Scholarships were also given to Jessica Nalani Leonard from Windward Community College (WCC), who worked with the WCC Marine Option Program to create a GIS of the Waikalua Loko fishpond system.

- Honolulu Advertiser

Northwest Kansas Technical College's Diesel Technology program in Goodland, Kan., received a $40,000 grant from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation in order to purchase "GPS management systems." The GPS courses will sit alongside an electronic component curriculum and serve students moving into diesel tech jobs in agriculture, transportation, and the construction.

- High Plains Journal

A new doctoral program in criminal justice at Texas State has been approved, with enrollment now open and classes beginning in fall 2009. The program draws upon Professor Kim Rossmo’s Center for Geospatial Intelligence and Investigation. Graduate students in the doctoral program will be able to work on research project in the Center.

- NewStreamz San Marcos