tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6076827259673403482024-03-18T21:35:01.278-07:00UW-Eau Claire Geography AlumniThe purpose of this blog is to foster communication and relationships between current students and alumni. We welcome blog submissions from all alumni. Please email your entry to goettlm@uwec.edu. The first blog post contains the blog template. We look forward to hearing from you! Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01976883329625751439noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-607682725967340348.post-21098310775820333132016-05-13T08:46:00.004-07:002016-05-13T08:46:36.757-07:00Adam Meinerz - Ho-Chunk Nation<b>Name:</b> Adam Meinerz<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkGvzRB2VWBdTGZs0SxX7H4Iq2eNhQ8pueI7Vl-RADwTRmNW9pEKsxrNTFy63jjL-O7uBcYfqyPcg_ShzHLoTaUtsO-RfDiZO_M8bqNE5O7PltSXNHype8-JdTULfMdtELDOFHH_KYyyA/s1600/20140903_095648.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkGvzRB2VWBdTGZs0SxX7H4Iq2eNhQ8pueI7Vl-RADwTRmNW9pEKsxrNTFy63jjL-O7uBcYfqyPcg_ShzHLoTaUtsO-RfDiZO_M8bqNE5O7PltSXNHype8-JdTULfMdtELDOFHH_KYyyA/s400/20140903_095648.jpg" width="282" /></a><b>Major: </b>Comprehensive Geography with an Environmental Emphasis<br />
<b>Year Graduated: </b>2010<br />
<b>Current Employer: </b>Ho-Chunk Nation<br />
<b>Job Title:</b> GIS Coordinator<br />
<b>Length of Employment:</b> 1.5 years<br />
<b>Interests and hobbies:</b> Hunting, fishing, kayaking, playing basketball and softball.<br />
<br />
<b>What helped you decide what route to take after graduation (i.e. graduate school or type of job)</b>?<br />
After graduation I was working a few odd jobs to make ends meets. I was working as a clerk at a gas station, working part time at a flooring company, performing accounting and other office duties at a family’s small business, and helping my uncles out at their farm. After working eight months after graduation, and working those low desired jobs, I was hired by AeroMetric. I was hired on as a LiDAR Technician and edited LiDAR datasets and digitized breaklines. I later moved into a Quality Control/Quality Assurance position. In this position, I analyzed LiDAR datasets/deliverables for AeroMetric and other geospatial companies as well. After two years of working for AeroMetric, the company merged with two other geospatial companies and formed Quantum Spatial. A year later, our branch was closed and almost 70 people lost their jobs. I received job offers from Tampa, FL and Cedar Falls, IA. After rejecting the Tampa job, I accepted the job in Cedar Falls. I know, sounds like the weirdest thing ever. As I was planning on moving to Cedar Falls, I received a job offer from the Ho-Chunk Nation in Black River Falls. It was perfect because it was 45 minutes from my hometown and parents. Also, it is 40 minutes from my wife’s hometown and parents.<br />
<br />
<b>What do you think gave you to edge to get your current position? </b><br />
I’m a visual communicator and I played that card during the interview. With creating maps in the past, I had plenty to show off at the interview stage. The maps were a great way to start a conversion and show the interviewers. Also, I had two different internships on my resume which is very important because experience is most vital aspect that employers are searching for. <br />
<br />
<b>Describe your typical day at work:</b><br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>There is no typical day at work. That is what I love about my job! In a nutshell, I support the geospatial needs of a lot of people within various departments that include: forestry, wildlife, administration, IT, business, cultural resources, DNR, education, human health services, environmental health services, housing, labor, planning & development, register of deeds, BIA roads, president’s office, and the legislative office. I’m the geospatial point of contact for county, state, federal agencies and etc. Some duties include: creating custom maps, restructuring data files, operating an interactive website, cartography, entering data in geodatabases, administer the geodatabase, digitizing features, GPS data collection, installing GIS software, post land boundaries, conduct prescribed fires, set up GPS hardware, and training employees. With 400 different properties over the range of 26 counties in three different states, the tribe values GIS. GIS brings maps of all kinds to the hands of decision makers and an interactive intranet webpage is a highly valuable tool. I work 90% office time and 10% field time.<br />
<br />
<b>Where do you see yourself in 5 years? </b><br />
Still working for the Ho-Chunk Nation in Black River Falls, WI. I have a job that I enjoy and live in a town that fits me well. I have a beautiful wife and live in an amazing home in country with ten acres of land. With the way that GIS is always advancing, I don’t think I would ever get bored with it!<br />
<br />
<b>What advice can you give to those who are still in school? </b><br />
Be tough because nothing is easy in the “Real World.” You’re living the dream right now, you know, the college lifestyle. Be patient and when opportunities arise, you better excel on those opportunities!<br />
<br />
Feel free to contact me at a_meinerz@hotmail.com<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-607682725967340348.post-4099277756702586402015-03-26T10:05:00.002-07:002015-03-26T10:14:17.194-07:00Jon Bowen - Esri<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvnV5E7mu21xhRlJH8gpbAwJNPMBg2mdZdlgWkNY7oB5FcXSdRZJZ7vG4NBENIFV7oQaXL7d0W9rT-8_Y6brI7HYZtB_rk0PYIlAa3Zrkg-Wm1Sa6jpKpnkWgwLx4w1RAePAkIEnAylTI/s1600/IMG_0865.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvnV5E7mu21xhRlJH8gpbAwJNPMBg2mdZdlgWkNY7oB5FcXSdRZJZ7vG4NBENIFV7oQaXL7d0W9rT-8_Y6brI7HYZtB_rk0PYIlAa3Zrkg-Wm1Sa6jpKpnkWgwLx4w1RAePAkIEnAylTI/s1600/IMG_0865.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: white;"><b>Name:</b> Jon Bowen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: white;"><b>Major & Minor: </b>Geography<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: white;"><b>Year Graduated:</b>
2012<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: white;"><b>Current Employer:</b> Esri<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: white;"><b>Length of Employment:</b> about 9 months<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: white;"><b>Interests and hobbies:</b> whitewater kayaking, traveling, biking, things that keep me
moving<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: white;"><b>What helped you decide what route to take after
graduation (i.e. graduate school or type of job)?</b> You sort of take what you know, what you enjoy doing and
apply it to people who give you the opportunity to live off of it. I was
fortunate to have a lot of experience from internships and guiding trips that
gave me the idea of a person I wanted to be and once I found that I had made connections
to apply what I know in the way’s I find fun and amusing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: white;"><b>What do you think gave you an edge to get your current
position?</b> The ability to say yes to anything and
figure out the details later. My stoke level for the things I’m doing at the
moment. Extensive internship experience.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="color: white;">Describe your typical day at work:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: white;">My typical day at work…well I usually get in around
8 am to a workspace that consists of no offices but a collaborative space much
like the lab at Eau Claire yet inspirationally overlooking DC. Check some emails, check Github for
updates/issues, manage all the new elements for the website, then start working
on my more exciting projects that tend to be more cartographically focused in
the am until about noon. From there on California is alive and at work so we
start to do collaborative projects on future Story Maps templates and
prototypes with the rest of our team from Redlands. Intermixed in the afternoon I tend to do my
less interesting projects which include server management and some other GIS
problems solving. On a given day I do anywhere from an ongoing set of 3-4
different projects. These may consist of some of the following;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: white;">Building custom story maps for our bigger partners <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: white;">Meetings with important gov bureaus or big
non-profits<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: white;">Researching new story ideas to take on as personal
projects<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: white;">Creating mock-ups for prototypes/whiteboard new
ideas<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: white;">Front end HTML/CSS and content website management<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: white;">Wrestling server and GIS issues<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: white;">Learning the latest and greatest in the industry
and javascript<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: white;">Slamming coffee<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: white;"><b>Where do you see yourself in 5 years?</b> Since my position is fun, creative, inspiring, educational
etc I plan to stay at Esri until that changes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="color: white;">What advice can you give to those who are still in
school?</span></b><span style="color: white;"> Get off your arse and do something
you enjoy. The world needs more people who enjoy their work. You’re at a
perfect time in your life to try and do literally everything until you find
something that you can jive with. Don’t waste your time on people or activities
that don’t help you making your tomorrow better than your yesterday. If your
lazy now you’ll be lazy forever so don’t expect a thing to be given to you if
that be the case. Your 4 years in college shape the rest of your 90 year
lifetime not just with your job outlook but with your social life, comfort
levels, exercise habits, etc,. Put into motion the life you envision and not
give two shits who disagrees with that, you’ll find your groove eventually and
I guarantee you if you make yourself happy the folks around you will put up the
stoke your putting down. </span><span style="color: #9bbb59; mso-themecolor: accent3;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-607682725967340348.post-4999771487621160032015-03-26T10:00:00.001-07:002015-03-26T10:14:06.451-07:00Kyle Wells - : Colorado State University (CSU) – Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands at Fort McCoy, WI<div style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin4OIyRZsVb1_YqrnIhZ7Dsd_YC1YRTBejel6e033kxQf2PtISa3nCUPNR_wMw3syZASHX53O-6OLIDCVoLykt-cESKKVXv7i_DJhexWTZ08nXvRRdSk_eXH5wVuMGST_GFPd7EDjpbpY/s1600/Wells_Katahdin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin4OIyRZsVb1_YqrnIhZ7Dsd_YC1YRTBejel6e033kxQf2PtISa3nCUPNR_wMw3syZASHX53O-6OLIDCVoLykt-cESKKVXv7i_DJhexWTZ08nXvRRdSk_eXH5wVuMGST_GFPd7EDjpbpY/s1600/Wells_Katahdin.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;"><b>Name:</b> Kyle
Wells<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;"><b>Family:</b> My
dog Mani<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;"><b>Major & Minor:</b> Geography (Liberal Arts) & History (Liberal Arts)<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;"><b>Year Graduated:</b> Fall 2011<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;"><b>Current Employer:</b> Colorado State University (CSU) – Center for Environmental
Management of Military Lands at Fort McCoy, WI<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;"><b>Length of Employment:</b> 9 months<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;"><b>Interests and Hobbies:</b> Traveling, Camping, Fishing, Sports<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;"><b>What helped you decide what route to take after graduation and/or
in your career path (i.e. graduate school or type of job)? </b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;">I knew that I enjoyed Geographic Information Systems in school, so
started applying for GIS/Cartography related jobs. Fortunately during my final
semester, Garmin International representatives visited the UWEC Geography
Department to mingle with students and see what projects students have been working
on. During their visit, I presented them with a well put together resume and
discussed what projects I had been working on. This led to an interview, and my
first job out of school as a Cartography Technician with Garmin.<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;">I was not sure if a career in the Cartography industry was what I
ultimately wanted, but it was a start, and would hopefully help me decide. Over
two years had passed working at Garmin, and I realized I wanted to use GIS with
environmental projects, and perform analysis. I found that with Colorado State
University as a GIS Technician.<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;"><b>What do you think gave you to edge to get your current position? </b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;">Certainly 2.5 years as a Cartography Technician at well respected
company helped; however because my work with Garmin was so specific to Garmin,
it was hard to translate all of those skills to my current position. This is
where a strong GIS background from the university helped greatly. My
understanding of geodatabases, collecting data with GPS equipment, analyzing
datasets, and creating maps gave me the edge that CSU was looking for.
Participating in additional research projects, like a field seminar course to
Honduras, appealed to CSU as well. <span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;"><b>Describe your typical day at work:</b> <span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;">On a typical day I am entering data in geodatabases, digitizing
features, collecting and uploading GPS files, maintaining and updating map
collections, delivering data, creating specialized maps, and providing GIS
support to many different departments on the installation. It changes every day
so there is no getting bored!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;"><b>Where do you see yourself in 5 years? </b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;">Either with CSU or in another position that incorporates
geospatial technology. I work with a lot of people that are unfamiliar with GIS
and it has been fun showing them its capabilities. For example, teaching them
that data can be used to perform analysis when planning and designing projects,
rather than GIS just being used for reference maps. If I can continue to help
others using GIS, then that is where I see myself for a while. <span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;"><b>What advice can you give to those who are still in school</b>? <span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;">Get involved and interact with classmates and professors. There
are plenty of opportunities, whether it is reaching out to classmates in the
lab, working with professors, participating in Geography and Anthropology Club
activities, presenting projects outside of class, or attending conferences.
These allow you to test your skills and knowledge, while also improving upon
them. Plus you get to know people and have some fun.<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;">Practice interviewing based on your experiences from school. There
is a big difference between you understanding your work and explaining it to
other people. These are more examples of why interacting with others and
presenting your work will be beneficial. <span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;">Start looking at job requirements early to help you get an idea of
what experience you may need. If you are unsure about whether to continue
school or start working, talk to alumni or professors. They are great to talk
to and are more than happy to help.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-607682725967340348.post-2932394612097744852015-03-26T09:56:00.004-07:002015-03-26T09:56:34.623-07:00Hillary Johnson - ACTED <div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><b>Name:</b> Hillary
Johnson</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRhZXM6jy8JpgadB3BNY8vVkhmc9Ruzf8V33ucjclz9A45-i_8D2s4enAalohho2WU_9Mq-3_SBLRpaOi2UhEQMGWULQuBw7-NLYKrNA4MaxF_r3X2pQlOwL4fUTTaUdqUBM3A8jncARA/s1600/Johnson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRhZXM6jy8JpgadB3BNY8vVkhmc9Ruzf8V33ucjclz9A45-i_8D2s4enAalohho2WU_9Mq-3_SBLRpaOi2UhEQMGWULQuBw7-NLYKrNA4MaxF_r3X2pQlOwL4fUTTaUdqUBM3A8jncARA/s1600/Johnson.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: white;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><b>Major & Minor:</b>
International Geography<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><b>Year Graduated:</b> May
2012<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><b>Current Employer:</b>
ACTED (Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development) – a French NGO<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><b>Job Title:</b> GIS
Officer based in Jordan<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><b>Length of Employment:</b>
6 months<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: white;">Interests and
hobbies: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;">Travelling, running, horseback riding, spending time with
family and friends, learning Arabic<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: white;">What helped you
decide what route to take after graduation?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;">I wasn’t exactly sure what I would want to study in graduate
school so I thought it would be in my best interest to gain some professional
experience straight after graduation. In the two and a half years since
graduation, I have learned a lot about what I am looking for in a job and have
found what I truly enjoy doing in my current position. Now if I go to graduate
school in the next couple of years I have a much better idea of what I want to
study and professional job experience that will help me in the classroom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: white;">What do you think
gave you an edge to get your current position?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;">I think having the GIS experience from UWEC geography
department and a strong GPA from those courses really helped me. In addition,
since my position is based overseas, having some international experience from
studying abroad for a semester was also a plus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: white;">Describe your typical
day at work:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;">I work for a NGO that specializes in information management
and research for humanitarian crises around the world. In Jordan, our team conducts
needs assessments to better inform humanitarian aid programming for the Syrian
Refugee Crisis both in refugee camps and in the surrounding villages and
cities. I am based in Za’atari Refugee Camp, which is the second largest
refugee camp in the world and is located just outside of the city of Mafraq in
the north of the country. As a GIS officer, my job involves data analysis on
the research done in the camp and creating maps based on that data. A typical
day for me is to arrive in the camp around 8am and begin work on whatever
project is going on at the time. This includes maintaining and updating the
geospatial database for the camp, updating general infrastructure data to share
with other agencies in the camp, creating new maps based on recently collected
data, and responding to inquiries from other partners in the camp for
information to help their programming. Our day in the camp ends at 5pm though
on many days work continues from home depending on the urgency and scale of the
current project.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: white;">Where do you see
yourself in 5 years?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;">It’s hard to say since I’m currently living from one 6 month
contract to another, but I could see myself continuing in this line of work for
the next few years. I am also considering graduate school now that I have a
better idea of the kind of career path I am interested in – which has to
include travel, field work and GIS. I’m just taking it one adventure at a time
for now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: white;">What advice can you
give to those who are still in school?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;">My biggest piece of advice is to take advantage of
opportunities available to you now, whether it’s is an internship, joining a
club, studying abroad, student research or even just taking one class in something
you’re interested in just because you want to. I think it’s important to be
open-minded with your future because your dream job may be something you
haven’t heard of yet. I dreamed of a way to live abroad, help people and use my
GIS skills when at UWEC without knowing it was even possible – and here I am
doing it. My point is to be open-minded and try new things because you never
know where it might take you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;">I’m more than willing to answer any questions about how I
landed myself in Jordan so feel free to email me at hillaryj7@gmail.com<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-607682725967340348.post-3540858237089802642014-02-05T07:54:00.000-08:002014-02-05T07:54:00.982-08:00Tyler Schwartz - Ayres Associates <div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpXO2Tlnuvywut354yvo1ZouLwmt_rxSuKps-rxwEGutPdDrwiekG_qHWNU9kM0Ehh66si-vf7acVF86xdiy9SX2kL2RIxYtliLOIJTLl-xZpE43YPQ0k4GyVlQPx413BCs86G5hixEMM/s1600/tyschwartz.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpXO2Tlnuvywut354yvo1ZouLwmt_rxSuKps-rxwEGutPdDrwiekG_qHWNU9kM0Ehh66si-vf7acVF86xdiy9SX2kL2RIxYtliLOIJTLl-xZpE43YPQ0k4GyVlQPx413BCs86G5hixEMM/s1600/tyschwartz.JPG" height="160" width="200" /></a><strong>Name</strong>: Tyler Schwartz<br />
<br />
<strong>Major & Minor</strong>: Geography / Political Science<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<strong>Year Graduated</strong>: 2012<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<strong>Current Employer</strong>: Ayres Associates, Geospatial Division,
Madison<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<strong>Length of Employment:</strong> 2 months<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<strong>Interests and Hobbies</strong>: Skiing, Camping,
Hiking, Kayaking, Live Music, Volleyball<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<strong>What helped you decide what route to take after graduation and/or in
your career path (i.e. graduate school or type of job)?</strong> I was very
torn after school on whether to continue on for my Master's degree or enter
into the work force. As an older student I ultimately decided to get a job
after graduation. I applied for a Lidar/Photogrammetry Technician
position (and got it) after an extensive job search following graduation.
I didnt really have that much of a choice on where to work or what career path
I wanted to pursue, as my main priority was to simply find a decent job.
I would encourage students who are younger however, to continue on to graduate
school as I think it will ultimately open more doors and increase your ability
to get a decent paying job.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<strong>What do you think gave you to edge to get your
current position?</strong> I got an edge in a number of ways. First, be an
engaged and hard working student. Forge relationships with your
professors. Doing so will create solid references for prospective employers or
graduate school. In addition, build those relationships with your professors
through student faculty research, then present it at student research day, AAG
or WLIA (among other organizations). This will give you a big leg up on
your competition.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Secondly, when you do get that interview, be engaged and
come prepared. Know what the company does, who they are and what some of
their past projects have been. Come prepared to answer questions about
past projects that you have done and what your strengths (and weaknesses) are
as a person. Come with questions to ask about the company. And
above all, be enthusiastic, engaged and interested about the position.
Ask questions and dont be silent.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<strong>Describe your typical day at work:</strong> I spend most of my day
either doing stereo compilation (digitizing in 3D) or Lidar processing
(cleaning raw data, preparing for delivery to client)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<strong>Where do you see yourself in 5 years?</strong> Hopefully still at Ayres
or pursuing a Masters Degree<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<strong>What advice can you give to those who are still in
school</strong>? If you have the drive and motivation, go to graduate school.
The job market right now is highly competitive especially for entry level
jobs. Having a masters will not only get you into a more specialized and
higher-level position, but it will also hopefully allow you to make more
money. Its a wise investment if you enjoy doing research and are a
focused student. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Most of what you will do in the real world after you
graduate will not be anything like what you did in school (especially
capstone). So if you like research and analysis, the masters degree is the sure
fire way to make sure you can get a good research/analysis type job after
school (as opposed to something less interesting).<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<o:p></o:p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-607682725967340348.post-79786188036317291972014-02-05T07:52:00.001-08:002014-02-05T07:52:16.159-08:00Bethany Bobek - Garmin International<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLv3NSGG5P9DGG1b-kI1x8cKYbT12sUom0NEBjkWuS5uEKvY6Nrez4YaTmur3BAYhpUcBqybhCed-tEKzTHiLxWgi2TU0ZFpt-voQ4MofPmoEMprX8ZMOYigbrETxyU9NrOQY8PI220Wc/s1600/Bethany_Bobek.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLv3NSGG5P9DGG1b-kI1x8cKYbT12sUom0NEBjkWuS5uEKvY6Nrez4YaTmur3BAYhpUcBqybhCed-tEKzTHiLxWgi2TU0ZFpt-voQ4MofPmoEMprX8ZMOYigbrETxyU9NrOQY8PI220Wc/s1600/Bethany_Bobek.JPG" height="200" width="186" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
<span style="background-color: #073763; color: #eeeeee; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Name:</b> Bethany Bobek</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
<span style="background-color: #073763; color: #eeeeee; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Family: </b>Clint (husband) and Ethan (son)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
<span style="background-color: #073763; color: #eeeeee; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Major & Minor: </b>Comprehensive Geography</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
<span style="background-color: #073763; color: #eeeeee; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Year Graduated:</b> 2009</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
<span style="background-color: #073763; color: #eeeeee; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Current Employer: </b>Garmin International</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
<span style="background-color: #073763; color: #eeeeee; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Length of Employment: </b>almost 4 years</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
<span style="background-color: #073763; color: #eeeeee; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Interests and Hobbies:</b> being a good mom, disc golf, volleyball, rock climbing, camping, hiking, ultimate frisbee, canoeing, board games, kubb</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
<span style="background-color: #073763; color: #eeeeee; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
<span style="background-color: #073763; color: #eeeeee; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>What helped you decide what route to take after graduation (i.e. graduate school or type of job)?</b> I felt like I didn't need to go to grad school in order to get a GIS related job so I decided to try to get a job, and I did.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
<span style="background-color: #073763; color: #eeeeee; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>What do you think gave you to edge to get your current position?</b> Having a good GPA and doing well in the interview. Also student research and an internship.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
<span style="background-color: #073763; color: #eeeeee; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
<span style="background-color: #073763; color: #eeeeee; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Describe your typical day at work:</b> I work in the recreation group of cartography. We make maps that are used in Garmin's GPS units. I work on a variety of different projects so my day varies depending on what deadlines we have. Garmin does not use ESRI software. For the topographic map products, my group hosts data to the Garmin database and edits/cleans up data from different sources. We work with hydro data, roads and trails, DEMS, points of interest, park polygons etc... We do a lot of QA for each of the products we develop, including testing in the hand held GPS units. I also work with golf data that includes digitizing golf course features from imagery. Also, I work with aviation data that involves geo-referencing features from airport diagrams and charts and digitizing and performing quality assurance tests. If you get an interview at Garmin and they ask what group you prefer to be in between Marine, Automotive and Recreation, definitely say Recreation. The recreation group offers a lot more variety and challenge than the other two groups.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
<span style="background-color: #073763; color: #eeeeee; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
<span style="background-color: #073763; color: #eeeeee; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Where do you see yourself in 5 years? </b>Unsure</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
<span style="background-color: #073763; color: #eeeeee; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
<span style="background-color: #073763; color: #eeeeee; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>What advice can you give to those who are still in school?</b> Try to get as much experience with anything GIS related, whether it's an internship or student research or just more GIS classes. Although it's not necessary for working at Garmin, it would be helpful to have some programming knowledge too.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
<span style="background-color: #073763; color: #eeeeee; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">www.garmin.com</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
<span style="background-color: #073763; color: #eeeeee; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am happy to answer questions about working at Garmin. I can be contacted at nelson_bethany@yahoo.com</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-607682725967340348.post-67772832926825729602014-02-05T07:43:00.000-08:002014-02-05T07:43:06.233-08:00Trevor Peterson - AmericCorps<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><b>Name:</b> Trevor
Peterson
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><b>Family:</b> Nothing’s legal<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><b>Major & Minor: </b>Human
Geography & English Literature</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjekfH6bF3Z2QrHfC9RyKmFE72vyMsfkXs-PBGtTmWfNwE4x4TKp0lH6je-htDyDR6Nz7P5ExoL5T4KT7SmMAhj2z91TugEtCu8x52GSlyysM4AIvm2ckLVERIzLMPfZr3Kx2gfKgI3Ucw/s1600/Peterson.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjekfH6bF3Z2QrHfC9RyKmFE72vyMsfkXs-PBGtTmWfNwE4x4TKp0lH6je-htDyDR6Nz7P5ExoL5T4KT7SmMAhj2z91TugEtCu8x52GSlyysM4AIvm2ckLVERIzLMPfZr3Kx2gfKgI3Ucw/s1600/Peterson.JPG" height="200" width="188" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: white;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><b>Year Graduated: </b>2010<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><b>Current Employer:</b> University of
Wisconsin – Stout / AmeriCorps VISTA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><b>Length of Employment: </b>2 years 7
months<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><b>Interests and Hobbies:</b> I am
interested in food systems and the intersection between urban and rural
population. I believe in the Charter of the New Urbanism, agrarian urbanism,
and most of the writings of James Howard Kunstler. My hobbies include biking,
fishing, KUBB, gardening, foraging, and rooting for the Green Bay Packers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><b>What helped you decide what
route to take after graduation (i.e. graduate school or type of job)?</b> I chose
to serve as an AmeriCorps Volunteer In Service To America (VISTA) in Menomonie,
WI because this program allowed me to follow my passion for food sovereignty in
the already familiar setting of western Wisconsin. AmeriCorps is similar to
Peace Corps, except we are tasked with fighting poverty domestically. My site
in Dunn County was asking VISTA members to organize food security initiatives
through the Involvement Office at UW – Stout. I read the application – which
called for service through organizing community gardens, nutrition education,
and outreach to local farmers – and decided this was my path. While the living
stipend is 10% above the poverty line, all my student loans are deferred during
my time of service and I receive an education award when I’m finished that will
erase 1/3 of my college debt. Also, the experience I’ve gained as a community
organizer has exceeded what I could have hoped to attain in graduate school.
Overall, I’ve learned to live on very little while maintaining meaningful
employment in a field relevant to my interests.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><b>What do you think gave you to
edge to get your current position?</b> My student engagement and research separated
me from the other candidates for this AmeriCorps VISTA position. The narrative
of my written application and stories I told during my phone interviews
included anecdotes from my engagement on campus with the FOODLUMS. I recounted
this engagement with such vividness and enthusiasm that my interviewers wanted
me to duplicate my efforts at their site. Also, I had a research project on
food access in the Twin Cities from my final semester fresh in my mind. This
project, with research goals from my Advanced GIS and Geography of Race and
Ethnicity courses, had methods and models that I could relate to my service as
a VISTA. My interviewers recognized that I had the right combination of passion
and discipline to meet their expectations of a VISTA member at their
site. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;">Describ<b>e your typical day at
work: </b>As a community organizer, it’s my role to listen to the needs of the
partners at my site and connect them to the assets in our county. I’ve become
adept at one-on-one interviews where I listen to the needs of a community
member and help them realize their individual strengths. I’ll leave these
interviews with a notepad full of ideas and projects they would like to see
happen. My next task is plugging these ideas into existing programming in the
county or gathering enough like-minded partners to launch a new program. To accomplish
this task, I maintain a large asset map of community partners and their
affiliations. This map allows another service member to follow my flow after my
term ends. While some of my time is spent on building new relationships, a
larger portion is spent on maintaining existing relationships at my site. My
philosophy is to check-in with partners regularly with little or nothing to ask
because it increases their likelihood of agreeing to support a large initiative
when the time comes. Finally comes the direct service; which includes garden
installations, nutrition education, film festivals, and local food summits. Any
given workday could end with participating in one of these service events.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><b>Where do you see yourself in 5
years? </b>In five years, I hope to be mildly employed in a meaningful field with
the opportunity to continue my development as a place maker in western
Wisconsin. I look forward to years living in the Twin Cities learning from
institutions, co-ops, and organizations there for the benefit of opening their
ideas to rural Wisconsin farming populations. I’d like to slowly build a
self-sustaining farm property in the town of Sherman or county of Pepin that
uses the principles of agroforestry and renewable energy for the benefit of my
family and neighboring community.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><b>What advice can you give to
those who are still in school? </b>Find a meaningful service outlet that helps you
develop your professional strengths. Draw from your service experience while
developing your research interests or capstone project. Collaborate with the
department faculty when you can and seek multiple faculty perspectives on your
projects. Finally, don’t overschedule your semester. Too many course credits
hamstrings your social and civic development.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-607682725967340348.post-56359639804064012222013-03-04T12:51:00.001-08:002013-03-04T12:51:30.326-08:00Chad Ronchetti - Burns & McDonnell Engineering<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHC2DHu6V1ifgjB-AI6Y6z92yXBGAkxZb8JGBcU8EE_8TVY0vImyRgCMoippbHmHdjX1O0RYzfme0X5xreWgdkzr_2rmhfTZSfAVNuaDhRI-ryGB0DuTH8ppuL_BlQcJgufNu-UdKYM7Q/s1600/IMG_1181_ronchetti.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHC2DHu6V1ifgjB-AI6Y6z92yXBGAkxZb8JGBcU8EE_8TVY0vImyRgCMoippbHmHdjX1O0RYzfme0X5xreWgdkzr_2rmhfTZSfAVNuaDhRI-ryGB0DuTH8ppuL_BlQcJgufNu-UdKYM7Q/s200/IMG_1181_ronchetti.JPG" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Name:</b> Chad Ronchetti<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Family:</b> Kara Ronchetti
(Spouse), Merlot (Cat)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Major & Minor:</b>
Comprehensive Environmental Geography</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Year Graduated:</b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> 2011</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Current Employer:</b> Burns &
McDonnell Engineering<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Length of Employment:</b> 1 year<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Interests and
Hobbies: </b>Hiking,
cooking, and making my wife smile<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>What helped you
decide what route to take after graduation (i.e. graduate school or type of
job)?</b>
My age. I was a non-traditional student at the age of 30 when I graduated. I
was eager to start a professional life, so I could retire with some pep left in
my step. As for the type of job, I wanted variety. I didn't want to be behind a
computer every second of my professional life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>What do you think
gave you the edge to get your current position?</b> I would say that is
three fold. Having had professional experience in the way of internships and
student work, the references that come from performing at my best in those
positions, and a solid GPA.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Describe your typical day at work: </b>As an environmental
specialist, working mainly in a GIS support capacity for the Environmental
Services and Permitting division within Burns & Mac, my job is
wide ranging in tasks. Though much of my work revolves around GIS and
data management responsibilities, 25% of my time is spent in the
field collecting support data for analysis. A few examples include:
finding estimated sediment load within a reservoir utilizing bathymetric
and sediment-core data; calculating the impacts of potential high voltage
electric transmission lines on environmental, engineering, and civic factors;
thermal variance studies that analyze
temperature variance in water-bodies near power generating
facilities; and assisting with wetland delineations and soil surveys.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Where do you see
yourself in 5 years? </b>I
see myself ushering in an expansion of GIS support directly within my division,
and if I am lucky, managing the GIS workflow as a section manager.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>What advice can you
give to those who are still in school? </b> Take school seriously. Not only is it expensive,
but it is the foundation for everything you will do professionally going
forward. Our professors dedicate much of their lives to creating an environment
that is conducive to learning, understanding, and excelling, but they
can only give you the torch. It is your responsibility to take that torch and
run with it. Study, research, experiment, and learn from failure. Also, do
everything in your power to get boots-on-the-ground internship experience. What
you learn in an internship can be in-valuable, but what's more is the networking
and references you gain in the professional world. A solid GPA will get you an
interview, but good references can get you the job. Finally, appreciate your
professors. They do so much to give you a leg up, the least you can do is say
thank you.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-607682725967340348.post-14835138089477212462013-02-04T11:45:00.002-08:002013-02-04T11:45:48.872-08:00David Hon: Wisconsin DNR <br />
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjztHmWHAhOfTX5P71kKblUWSQYr__vfu6jNSDNdb2uyRt_WxBeixKovQ5UAxVkx1aey7gPLwdSZFyd5MNlzsAeBND0F688yfrQzYgZC0i5Um2eJIeYwDOC1ZmJliARVlZ4XfAylTMvv1A/s1600/David_hon.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjztHmWHAhOfTX5P71kKblUWSQYr__vfu6jNSDNdb2uyRt_WxBeixKovQ5UAxVkx1aey7gPLwdSZFyd5MNlzsAeBND0F688yfrQzYgZC0i5Um2eJIeYwDOC1ZmJliARVlZ4XfAylTMvv1A/s200/David_hon.PNG" width="198" /></a><b>Name:</b>
David Hon<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Family:
</b>N/A</div>
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<b>Major & Minor: </b>Geography,
Environmental Emphasis</div>
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<b>Year Graduated:</b> May 2012</div>
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<b>Current Employer:</b> Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources</div>
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<b>Job
Title: </b>Hydrogeologist
and Storm Water Specialist</div>
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<b>Length of Employment:</b> Since May 2012<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Interests and Hobbies:</b> On an average week, you’ll find me doing
something active every day, whether it’s going for a long, hard run outside,
going for a leisurely bike ride around town, or swimming at Gold’s Gym. I cook
all the time and love it. Spending time with my friends and meeting new people
are very important things on my to-do list as well! I also enjoy reading,
travelling, and playing piano.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>What helped you decide what route to
take after graduation (i.e. graduate school or type of job)?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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I wasn’t sure <i>exactly</i> what direction my career was going to take, although I had a
general idea. Working with people was on the forefront of what was important to
me in the job search, but I also enjoyed working with GIS, research, and water
resources. I thought gaining some experience was important before doing
anything else so graduate school was not part of my short-term plan. I wanted a
job that was challenging, had lots of variety, and outside my comfort zone. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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So,
I decided that my best course of action was to explore what jobs were out there
and send out as many resumes as possible. I learned a lot about what careers
were available to me based on my experience and education just from the job
hunt. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Describe your typical day at work: </b>As a
hydrogeologist, I have two basic duties: reduce the liability for the Wisconsin
Department of Transportation during roadwork by scouting potential hazards
(petroleum contamination, hazardous waste, etc) in southwestern Wisconsin, and
coordinate cleanups of petroleum and heavy metal contaminated soil and
groundwater in Jackson County. The typical day involves gathering buried
information, meeting with City Boards, negotiating, interviewing local
officials, calling bluffs, composing and sending technical notices, and occasionally
I’ll sample a private well or use GIS to visualize a large site. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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As
a storm water specialist, I review construction, industrial and municipal
properties to convey permit coverage to them. Any time a property over an acre
is under construction, the owner needs a storm water permit. I review their
plans to reduce suspended solids and pollutants into surface waters and
wetlands and make sure their best management practices (BMPs), like detention
basins or bioswales, are adequate. I also inspect the sites once we convey
coverage to make sure the BMPs are functioning properly. Many of these
properties are frac sand mines in Western Wisconsin. Knowledge of geomorphic
features, watershed properties, and physical geography is certainly key to
success in this position.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Needless
to say I have the variety, challenge, and intellectual stimulation that I was
looking for. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>What do you think gave you to edge to
get your current position? <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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I took 15 credits of coursework in
hydrogeology, as well as some coursework in physics and chemistry, which gave
me the background knowledge to be a hydrogeologist. I also had an interest in
working with people and had a fairly large amount of experience doing just
that. I was a Peer Educator for the Center for Alcohol Studies and Education
for 3 years; a caregiver for a young man with Down’s Syndrome for 3 years; a
crew leader for a team of volunteers surveying invasive plants in the Eau
Claire County Forest; and I was actively involved in the Eau Claire County Parks
and Forestry Citizen Advisory Committee. By the time I graduated I was
well-versed in negotiation, persuasion, and patience.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I also was a research assistant for
three different projects, where I worked closely with several professors in
different departments (Biology, Geology and Geography). I enthusiastically was
involved with each project, which gave me several more good references. I had a
master resume prepared with my entire work history and spent close to 10 hours
perfecting the resume I sent into the WDNR. I had a lot of practice
interviewing during my college career, so I was relaxed and confident in
conveying my experiences when I walked in to interview for my current position.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Where do you see yourself in 5 years? <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Gosh, I’ll
be 28? Old! There are a number of ideas floating through my head, but hopefully
starting a family and either go into the consulting industry (aka the private
sector) or attend to a graduate program for environmental law.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>What advice can you give to those who
are still in school?</b> <o:p></o:p></div>
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GIS might be one of the hottest
careers out there right now, and it’s a good option for our major. But it’s not
even close to the only option for geographers. Find any way you can to do what
you’re passionate about. That way, you’ll gain skills and knowledge quickly in
things you’re interested in. Also, when you’re enthusiastic about something,
you make lasting connections with people, so your network will grow naturally. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Take your curiosity by the horns. If
you are creative and self-directed, independent studies, research
assistantships, and internships are all great options to explore your interests
further. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Get a job even if you don’t need one.
There is nothing like real world experience. Sometimes it’s easy to get lost in
school, but work keeps you grounded.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Keep a master resume with all of your
experiences on it (not just jobs!), as well as a template industry-specific
resume and cover letter. That way you can just copy and paste what you need out
of the master resume onto the individual resume. Be meticulous when you are
designing your final resume. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Start a quality LinkedIn account. If
you get a business card from someone or talk to someone who may have an opening
later down the line, it’s a great way of following up with them if you’re interested.
If they show interest, they can look at your profile, which is essentially an
expanded online resume.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ignore any pressure from anybody to
become something you’re not. While their observations may be helpful, if you
don’t do what you want to do, you’ll regret it later.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Work hard but also play hard. Be
active. Meet new people. Explore new hobbies. Keep a journal or diary if you
want to find inspiration. Leave some room in your day to think – block off at
least an hour with absolutely nothing planned. Creativity often comes in a
flash when you’re least expecting it. <o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-607682725967340348.post-22839242352542435972013-02-04T11:40:00.003-08:002013-03-04T13:10:08.179-08:00Blog Overview<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Hello UW-Eau Claire Geography Community! The purpose of this blog is to foster communication and relationships between current students and alumni, especially those who have entered the workforce or continued on in academia as geographers! We hope to hear from alumni with a variety of backgrounds: physical geography, human geography etc. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We would all love to hear what everyone is up to and we hope this blog can be the forum for keeping in touch. We also hope that valuable information and advice can be communicated to our up and coming graduates and to those recent graduates who are still looking for a job and trying to make the same tough decisions you have already made. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Please contact Dr. Christina Hupy at <a href="mailto:hupycm@uwec.edu">hupycm@uwec.edu</a> with an entry for the blog. Please fill out the information below and answer the questions. And please include a picture. Feel free to include your company’s website and contact information if you’d like to be contacted by alumni or students with questions. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We are all really looking forward to hearing from our alumni! Please pass the blog website along to other alumni as well.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Name:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Family:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Major & Minor:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Year Graduated:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Current Employer:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Length of Employment:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Interests and Hobbies:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">What helped you decide what route to take after graduation and/or in your career path (i.e. graduate school or type of job)?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">What do you think gave you to edge to get your current position?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Describe your typical day at work:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Where do you see yourself in 5 years?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">What advice can you give to those who are still in school?</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-607682725967340348.post-5612582551295327702012-07-03T11:25:00.002-07:002012-07-03T11:25:36.496-07:00Beth Ellison - Southern Illinois University<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuMNdUTt4wiBCkun8Ys_yGwoJLiFIpMEHtwqsUrE9wdF6ORQk2UPOOXoYcWn5UIWBKB5qvFtv2l3Y6AK31O-s7N5BeloHAAkFBk-dgjJuFU9-Z4YmXEINBVM5vGxbHgbvASbPZT5ZfmyM/s1600/ellison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuMNdUTt4wiBCkun8Ys_yGwoJLiFIpMEHtwqsUrE9wdF6ORQk2UPOOXoYcWn5UIWBKB5qvFtv2l3Y6AK31O-s7N5BeloHAAkFBk-dgjJuFU9-Z4YmXEINBVM5vGxbHgbvASbPZT5ZfmyM/s200/ellison.jpg" width="147" /></a><b>Name:</b> Beth Ellison<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Family: </b>Been together with fellow-UWEC Geography Alum, Blake
Christenson for 3.5 years and we are expecting our first little one this July!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Major & Minor: </b>Comprehensive Geography Major in
International Studies<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Year Graduated:</b> 2008<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Current Employer:</b> Southern Illinois University - Carbondale<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Length of Employment:</b> 2 years<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Interests and Hobbies:</b> What aren't I interested in? Down in Southern Illinois there is fabulous
hiking (believe it or now we are VERY hilly down here - we are approximately 12
hours from Eau Claire), wineries (30+ within 30 miles of my house), and
biking. Basically if I can get outside,
I will (at least on the days where we are not 100+ heat index).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>What helped you decide what route to take after graduation
(i.e. graduate school or type of job)?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Immediately after graduation I attended Miami University
(OH). I had a research assistantship
(RA) with MU- Geography Dept. and the Ohio Department of Natural
Resources. For my RA, I developed a
historical flow synthesis for Ohio Reservoirs to understand fish
populations. This work was heavily
GIS-based and hydraulic modeling, currently a paper is in review for
publication. Currently, I work for
Southern Illinois University as a Staff Researcher and Project Manager. I work specifically in hazards, more or less
flooding. I have the fortune of working
with some fantastic individuals across the state: from local community members,
state politicians, the US Army Corps of Engineers and with some of the heads of
FEMA in DC. My current project is working
on proactive flood mitigation activities in Alexander County after the 2011
Mississippi River flooding.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>What do you think gave you to edge to get your current
position? </b>My expansive research history, both undergraduate and graduate
work. Also, my willingness to network
and ask questions. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Describe your typical day at work: Depends on the season and
the current projects. Right now, our
focus is proactive mitigation on the Mississippi River. I am project manager for a major flood
recovery effort to relocate residents off the floodplain and determine
best-practices for floodplain management within this given community. Check out our project website at
https://sites.google.com/site/alexcomitigation2011/. When I'm not working on this project, I'm
busy working on Hazard Mitigation Grants across the state and doing various
research/consulting on the side.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Where do you see yourself in 5 years? </b>Good question. During my time at SIUC, I will be working on
my PhD in Environmental Resources & Policy.
After we finish, Blake and I hope to find great post-doctoral
opportunities and eventually find a school, similar to UWEC to begin teaching
and research. (Blake is working on his
PhD in Criminology and Criminal Justice focusing on spatial analysis of crime
and how to effectively use this information for policing, etc.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>What advice can you give to those who are still in
school?</b> Get in all the opportunities you
can, including some level of student research.
The experience is fantastic and it is amazing how those skills will help
you in any career path. My biggest tip
would be to have exceptional communication skills. The varieties of mass-communication sometimes
can confuse and halt the progress of work-related tasks. Make sure you can use these various
communication lines to efficiently and effectively communicate what you want to
say.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Please feel free to contact me at the information
below. We are also always looking for
graduate students. Please shoot me an
e-mail if you are interested!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Beth Ellison<o:p></o:p></div>
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Staff Researcher and Project Manager<o:p></o:p></div>
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Southern Illinois University<o:p></o:p></div>
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(618) 453-7349<o:p></o:p></div>
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beth.ellison@siu.edu<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-607682725967340348.post-80105605746109556842012-07-03T11:21:00.000-07:002012-07-03T11:21:08.524-07:00Darin Mertig - Applied Data Consultants<br />
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><b>Name:</b>
Darin Mertig </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhd-zXldWDRMnUeUpfaTkXsoPmPEq0tcoLCs8QqJnmDpegHbCRwql7fgpOJE5f2ZwinRxWCGedQUq0LPNqc-FHcxMxvG28G3PiRNKHR-wnFzboQfMXwZIsuDmsx2_TtGS_VOjC82-n59k/s1600/darin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhd-zXldWDRMnUeUpfaTkXsoPmPEq0tcoLCs8QqJnmDpegHbCRwql7fgpOJE5f2ZwinRxWCGedQUq0LPNqc-FHcxMxvG28G3PiRNKHR-wnFzboQfMXwZIsuDmsx2_TtGS_VOjC82-n59k/s1600/darin.JPG" /></a><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><b>Family:</b>
Ruger( my Dog)</span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><b>Major
& Minor: </b>Geography Resource Management (Comprehensive, No Minor)</span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><b>Year
Graduated: </b>May 2010</span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><b>Current
Employer:</b> Applied Data Consultants</span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><b>Length
of Employment:</b> August 2011-Present</span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><b>Interests
and Hobbies:</b> Hunting, Fishing, Shooting, Football, Baseball, Beer Tastings<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><b>What
helped you decide what route to take after graduation (i.e. graduate school or
type of job)?</b> I had contemplated Grad school after graduation, and even looked
into a career in the Military, but after seeing the number of entry level
position’s in the GIS field all around the country, I decided that joining the
work force and gaining professional experience was the best decision at the
time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><b>What
do you think gave you to edge to get your current position? </b>My knowledge of the
GIS programs and the ability to be very flexible in what I was able to do with
the program. Also, having strong recommendations from the Geography department
was a big help. I also think the relationship between ADC and the Geography
department helped in the end, they know what UWEC Geography students have for
GIS abilities and it makes it easy for them to take students who graduate in
the same city as the employer.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><b>Describe
your typical day at work: </b>My typical day of work varies quite a bit, I can go
from making maps for the delivery of telephone books, creating the information
that is needed to start creating the maps, even to working for the Army Corp of
Engineers doing various projects. All of variation gives me a lot of different
knowledge and job skills, it also helps keep the day from becoming monotonous. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><b>Where
do you see yourself in 5 years? </b>I can see myself working as a project manager
or a division manager, but still in the GIS field and dealing with technology,
the more it changes the more there is to do and the more people they will need
to run different positions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><b>What
advice can you give to those who are still in school? </b>I would say to take any
classes which GIS, LIDAR, GPS and any other technologies offered. You can never
have enough knowledge of one program and the more that you know the better off
you are. I would recommend choosing projects that challenge your ability and
present them at multiple conferences and events as possible. You can never get
your name out there enough. Also, I
would recommend that you build your resume early and update it often.</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-607682725967340348.post-67369390101768326172012-02-03T14:03:00.000-08:002012-02-03T14:14:40.909-08:00Sarin Strobush - East View Geospatial, Minneapolis, MN<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Name:</b></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> Sarin Strobush<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Family:</b> N/A<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Major & Minor:</b> Environmental Geography</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitGfkt6Z48oCUysnKOkHZzkEhggF3M_DwaZU4Z0kcq0yEI0Q3rvEj0jaxeCM-EXp2kaloVT_KxG1Jz8BP2grqEA1_epggCBwIECXHQoCtAkjpGTXoZLiC0-IrKiC35rUOUnlffNRbr_gI/s1600/Sarin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitGfkt6Z48oCUysnKOkHZzkEhggF3M_DwaZU4Z0kcq0yEI0Q3rvEj0jaxeCM-EXp2kaloVT_KxG1Jz8BP2grqEA1_epggCBwIECXHQoCtAkjpGTXoZLiC0-IrKiC35rUOUnlffNRbr_gI/s320/Sarin.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Year Graduated</b>: 2011</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Current Employer: </b>East View Geospatial, Minneapolis, MN</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Length of Employment: </b>6 months</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Interests and Hobbies:</b> scuba diving, travelling, motorcycles, saving money, island cuisine, and renovating my house</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>What helped you decide what route to take after graduation? </b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The reason I chose to find a job instead of continuing my education is because I wanted real-world experience using GIS. I enjoyed learning about different applications of GIS in mapping and problem solving, but I wanted a chance to apply the knowledge I gained. I decided a career would allow me to implement things I knew as well as continue learning new processes.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>What do you think gave you the edge to get your current position?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Having a simple, organized resume is the easiest step to getting a job. I am by no means an expert on getting hired, but I think I got my job because of my solid resume, flexible availability, and genuine interest in the company during my interview.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Describe your typical day at work</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I work in the special project section of the company with less than ten other people. We are a contracted group that works on many types of cartographic or GIS projects. One thing that attracted me to this job is the occasional change in work assignment. I have been involved in two projects since starting in July. The first consists of high-resolution feature extraction in one geocell, and the second project deals with updating data in more than 50 geocells. I am constantly learning new tools and procedures in Arc 9.3 and 10, while applying different sets of geographic standards. I have to execute quality control by using batch checks, PLTS tools, and other software in addition to ArcGIS. My group is often working 10 hour days to complete assignments on time.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Where do you see yourself in 5 years?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I hope to still be working at East View.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>What advice can you give to those who are still in school? </b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The most important thing to do is decide what you want to do after graduating. If you want to work, decide what type of job you want and the sk<span style="color: white;">ills needed to attain it. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-607682725967340348.post-62320370453957989482012-02-03T14:00:00.000-08:002012-02-03T14:00:18.355-08:00Ryan Robert - St. Mary's University. Master's in GIS<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: white;"><b>Name:</b> Ryan Robert<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: white;"><b>Major & Minor:</b> Geography, History<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVIDokUBYqSTfIU1irviLpri9B6ALwOy4D8652kEdeQK9OQ8OIODCKAemRml91jci-fcDh0ouzMkGY059ai8QrSYOfMmAEfnXeoPDh27UVRjJTerdJAJz4_rCoVE4nKuXwnbY_kMs00g/s1600/ryanrobert_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVIDokUBYqSTfIU1irviLpri9B6ALwOy4D8652kEdeQK9OQ8OIODCKAemRml91jci-fcDh0ouzMkGY059ai8QrSYOfMmAEfnXeoPDh27UVRjJTerdJAJz4_rCoVE4nKuXwnbY_kMs00g/s1600/ryanrobert_n.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color: white;"><b>Year Graduated:</b> 2009<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: white;"><b>Current Employer:</b> GeoSpatial Services – Winona, MN<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: white;"><b>Length of Employment:</b> 1 year<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: white;"><b>Interests and Hobbies:</b> disc golf, swimming, camping<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: white;"><b><i>What helped you decide what route to take after graduation (i.e. graduate school or type of job)?</i></b> Christina (and the job market) encouraged me to pursue a graduate program. I’m glad I listened. I studied GIS at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: white;"><b><i>What do you think gave you to edge to get your current position?</i></b> I left UWEC with a firm foundation in GIS concepts and techniques, but I strongly believe that my graduate experience opened new networking opportunities for me. I was introduced to Geospatial Services, my current employer, during my studies at Saint Mary’s. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: white;"><b><i>Describe your typical day at work: </i></b> I work on National Wetland Inventory projects for the USFWS and the WI DNR. The job includes several processes including: orthorectification of images, raster to vector conversions, data attribution, geodatabase management, and topology validation. I work with very talented people with great personalities!!!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: white;"><b><i>Where do you see yourself in 5 years?</i></b> My goal is to continue working in the GIS field. Ideally I would like to be working for the city police department as a crime analyst. I’m at an exciting point in my life!!! I will be getting married in September of next year and my Fiancé and I just purchased our first home. Kids next?!?!?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: white;"><b><i>What advice can you give to those who are still in school?</i></b> I would mention three things:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: white;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span><!--[endif]--> Database design and management skills are extremely valuable. I would also recommend being comfortable with SQL.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: white;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span><!--[endif]--> The web page development and/or web application development seems to be increasingly linked with GIS and its capabilities. Agencies/organizations/employers seem to be moving more and more toward publishing interactive maps on the internet. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: white;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span><!--[endif]-->Learn a programming language. I would recommend Python as ESRI is moving in that direction.</span><o:p></o:p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-607682725967340348.post-86939984783570546302011-10-18T18:13:00.000-07:002011-10-18T18:13:27.058-07:00Lindsay Olson - Graduate School at Missouri State University<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5OPhNgX4Gz-TcdDqedHuNByMkSEVuS89vE9WE2ok_9wWmtlYe-2ulhECSqDZR2JBoAS8F6tvIIhSKEuY9JksDzgWEO6TmKzwo6iVObrvS0jHGBvk0-dQnV-VmCoo8s82XdbVEe0VEX6w/s1600/Field_Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5OPhNgX4Gz-TcdDqedHuNByMkSEVuS89vE9WE2ok_9wWmtlYe-2ulhECSqDZR2JBoAS8F6tvIIhSKEuY9JksDzgWEO6TmKzwo6iVObrvS0jHGBvk0-dQnV-VmCoo8s82XdbVEe0VEX6w/s320/Field_Photo.jpg" width="255" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><b><span>Name:</span></b><span> Lindsay Olson<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><b><span>Family:</span></b><span> Walter the cat<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><b><span>Major & Minor:</span></b><span><span> </span>Geography – Resource Management (comprehensive, no minor)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><b><span>Year Graduated:</span></b><span> Jan. 2010<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><b><span>Current Employer:</span></b><span> Ozarks Environmental and Water Resources Institute (OEWRI)/Missouri State University (Graduate Assistant)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><b><span>Length of Employment:</span></b><span><span> </span>5 months – I began my GA and graduate education in the summer 2011 semester.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><b><span>Interests and Hobbies:</span></b><span><span> </span>My academic interest is in assessing and restoring fluvial environments including watersheds, stream systems, and lakes that have been subject to pollution or other forms of degradation. Human-environment interactions, resultant problems, and human’s approaches to solving these problems are topics I enjoy researching and learning about. Lately I have focused on the effects of excess sediment to river geomorphology as that is a major component of my thesis, which is based on the Big River, part of the heavily mined Old Lead Belt in Missouri. The best part is the field work – who wouldn’t want to spend the hot and humid Missouri summer in the river staying cool and having fun while working, versus sitting at a boring stuffy desk for eight hours a day?!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><b><span>What helped you decide what route to take after graduation (i.e. graduate school or type of job)? </span></b><span>Although I was encouraged by my professors to apply to graduate school right away, I was unsure of what I wanted to do career-wise as I was nearing the end of my undergraduate education. I chose to accept a full time position with a local GIS firm I had interned for leading up to graduation. I worked full time for about a year before I decided I was ready to take on graduate school and set myself up for a career that I will truly enjoy. I am now pursuing a Master of Science in Geospatial Sciences in Geography and Geology at Missouri State University with a plan to graduate in May, 2013.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><b><span>What do you think gave you to edge to get your current position? </span></b><span>I have a full graduate assistantship at MSU which means that in exchange for 20 hours per week of research work for OEWRI my tuition is waved and I am provided with a living stipend.<span> </span>GAs of this caliber are very competitive. I definitely attribute the combination of great grades during my undergrad, a good GRE score, strong recommendations, my internship experiences, undergraduate research and presentations, and a strong application letter as reasons I was awarded this GA.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><b><span>Describe your typical day at work:</span></b><span> Graduate courses are much more self-paced than undergraduate courses. I currently have courses only on Mondays and Wednesdays, but devote time each evening and weekend to work towards the course requirements. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays I put in 20 or more hours doing research and/or field work for OEWRI. I also squeeze in a few hours per week to work on my thesis research, which at this early stage involves gathering data in the field, doing some preliminary GIS analysis, and reading 3-5 (sometimes more) relevant scholarly articles per week as I prepare to start writing my first few thesis chapters towards the end of this semester.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><b><span>Where do you see yourself in 5 years? </span></b><span>In five years I see myself in a resource conservation position with a government organization such as a county conservation department, the DNR or USDA NRCS. I would like my job duties to include grant writing, field work, reporting and analysis, and working with the public to implement conservation efforts. Overall I want my career efforts to be focused on working towards a healthier and properly managed environment.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><b><span>What advice can you give to those who are still in school?</span></b><span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span><span>1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span>It’s not a race to finish school. Take your time, explore and develop your interests.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span><span>2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span>Get involved in undergraduate research – it’ll take you far, especially if you decided to go to graduate school. You’ll get real-world experience when you present it at conferences such as AAG or GSA and it also builds your repertoire with your professors, who provide you with recommendations and advice as you move forward with your career or education.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span><span>3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> <span></span> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span>Try to do an internship or two to see how you enjoy working in an area of interest on a daily basis. You might find out that it’s not something you enjoy doing in the long run, or you might discover you have an interest in an area you didn’t recognize at first.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">I am a person with a wide variety of interests in all sorts of disciplines, so I was never that kid who said “when I grow up, I’m gonna be a ______ (fill in the blank)” and it<span> </span>took me a long time to finally figure it out – and there is nothing wrong with that. When I was 18 I started out pursuing interior design. I switched to and finished an Associate’s Degree in marketing, and then drastically changed gears to complete my Bachelor’s Degree in geography. I learned the most about my interests through the three internships I completed in my undergrad – one with a planning commission as a GIS technician, one with a county conservation department as a resource inventory technician, and one with a private business providing web-integrated geospatial solutions to county governments and other businesses. These internships gave me the experience I needed to recognize what was going to make me happy doing every day. I couldn’t have known that without the internship experience, so that is why I am such a huge proponent of them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">The more experience you can get during your undergrad, whether it’s through course work that goes above and beyond, research, or internships, the better it will help you narrow down where your real interests lie and set you up for an enjoyable career in a field you love.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-607682725967340348.post-59384696553262092162011-10-18T18:10:00.000-07:002011-10-18T18:10:15.303-07:00Matthew Sackmann - Garmin International, Inc.<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZO9didwisI-iKP4i8GYq1R1cxHnIZTzvTkFOyYdjzeqwcynfYfp6xaJFBNpxohClcYVaEAadJoOWGHfmE1GHoAebmRLa5HR6yAheLXx602b2Wq87854MHfgu4k01qwuQliw6QVIf3Ua8/s1600/211673_503010581_6167080_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZO9didwisI-iKP4i8GYq1R1cxHnIZTzvTkFOyYdjzeqwcynfYfp6xaJFBNpxohClcYVaEAadJoOWGHfmE1GHoAebmRLa5HR6yAheLXx602b2Wq87854MHfgu4k01qwuQliw6QVIf3Ua8/s1600/211673_503010581_6167080_n.jpg" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Name:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> Matthew Sackmann</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Family:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> None</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Major & Minor:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> Geography and Economics Major</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Year Graduated:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> 2011</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Current Employer:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> Garmin International, Inc.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Length of Employment:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> 3 months</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Interests and Hobbies:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> Traveling, Snowboarding, Paintballing, Fishing, Hunting</span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">What helped you decide what route to take after graduation (i.e. graduate school or type of job)?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> Garmin introduced itself to me as an excellent way to start my career</span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">What do you think gave you the edge to get your current position?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> Going to UW-Eau Claire, classes completed, independent studies, and a professional resume</span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Describe your typical day at work:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> As a marine cartography technician my day is composed of examining the quality of hydrographic office maps from around the world. <span> </span>I also complete map interpretations and interactions, fixing gaps, and viewing charts in Garmin GPS units.</span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.8pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Where do you see yourself in 5 years?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> Becoming a senior cartography technician at Garmin and potentially taking some classes on management to help make advancements in my career</span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.8pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.8pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">What advice can you give to those who are still in school?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> If taken seriously, four years of studying hard and careful planning will reward you with excellent opportunities</span></span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-607682725967340348.post-51810209397739925942011-10-18T18:03:00.000-07:002011-10-18T18:06:12.493-07:00Tom Koehler - Applied Data Consultants Eau Claire, WI<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjacSrVh6Ahy-Rhb7E_efPjrIHCNL7xFaIGpYtOtkRVmWDep3IyRgbQ6X_oZtF-m7UrOobrGP5bMWV87Qtoh2gWZeiHVwqMZk_shiJbiFDz1Gjb_SPBTntYJ21MAGW0EyfkIt3CbmoHzUA/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjacSrVh6Ahy-Rhb7E_efPjrIHCNL7xFaIGpYtOtkRVmWDep3IyRgbQ6X_oZtF-m7UrOobrGP5bMWV87Qtoh2gWZeiHVwqMZk_shiJbiFDz1Gjb_SPBTntYJ21MAGW0EyfkIt3CbmoHzUA/s1600/Capture.JPG" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Name: </b>Tom Koehler</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Family:</b> Nope</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Major & Minor:</b> Comprehensive Geography - International Studies</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Year Graduated:</b> 2010</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Current Employer:</b> Applied Data Consultants</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Length of Employment</b>: Just over a year now</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Interests and Hobbies:</b> Traveling, reading, movies, and camping</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>What helped you decide what route to take after graduation (i.e. graduate school or type of job)?</b> I wanted to get a job in GIS right away in order to see what a career in GIS had to offer me. I guess I figured that I could always do grad school at a later date.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>What do you think gave you to edge to get your current position? </b> I started at my company as a limited term employee. Basically they had a particular project they needed help with, and I was told there might be work available after that. I was up against some tough competition for the job, but I think I came out on top because of the research I worked on as an undergrad. From there I worked as hard as I could each day and was offered a more permanent position as a GIS Technician. I've jumped at every opportunity to lead projects and come up with unique solutions to problems, which has helped me get to my current position where I am currently in the transitioning over to a GIS Consultant position.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Describe your typical day at work:</b> It depends quite a bit on what sort of project we are working on. Usually the bulk of my day is taken up with working on a particular aspect of a project (data processing and development), along with some impromptu brainstorming sessions for our projects ("what is the best way to do this?" type of questions). From time to time there are meetings thrown in to plan out future projects, as well as training other employees or being trained on new things.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Where do you see yourself in 5 years?</b> I'm not sure right now, actually. I'm sure I'll still be doing GIS, but where that puts me depends on a lot of factors. I wouldn't be surprised if I ended up at graduate school either.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>What advice can you give to those who are still in school? </b> Look into summer internships for GIS companies. It can be a pretty valuable experience to get a sneak peek at what lies ahead. Also, don't be afraid to challenge yourself. Take the more difficult classes if you think you will learn a lot from them, when you are looking for a job or just starting a new one you will be a step ahead and hopefully stand out. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Feel free to contact me at <a href="mailto:tkoehler@adc4gis.com">tkoehler@adc4gis.com</a></span><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><br />
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</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-607682725967340348.post-38813384244669520752011-08-03T09:55:00.000-07:002011-10-18T18:06:30.805-07:00Jenna Christian - Penn State<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Name:</span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> Jenna Christian</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfruaVsg4T20B5sBlMF43qiklknenmaidgeouZaHVzV1gLWg3CM9zjAcxx3f54aBLPrSuJ80PwgY2HVzsqOCTksItdJccmedMA-QJihea0u2BosyziG_Ssq4QnsKTMTta3qeTUJXW2Nns/s1600/jenna_christian.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfruaVsg4T20B5sBlMF43qiklknenmaidgeouZaHVzV1gLWg3CM9zjAcxx3f54aBLPrSuJ80PwgY2HVzsqOCTksItdJccmedMA-QJihea0u2BosyziG_Ssq4QnsKTMTta3qeTUJXW2Nns/s200/jenna_christian.JPG" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Family:</span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> No kiddos or spouse!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Major & Minor:</span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">At Eau Claire I was a Comprehensive Geography Major. I’m at Penn State University now, doing a masters degree in Geography, with the plan to also doing a dual degree in Women’s Studies.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Year Graduated: </span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">2008</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Current Employer:</span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> Penn State University/NSF</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Length of Employment:</span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I am in the second year of my masters at PSU, and was being paid last year via teaching and research assistantships, although this coming year I am lucky to be on a fellowship from the National Science Foundation.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Interests and Hobbies:<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Academically, I’m interested in issues of gender, war, and peace. More specifically, my research looks at how women’s peace movements change and transform through various phases of ‘conflict’ and ‘peace’, with particular attention to the way that peace and peacebuilding are defined and practiced in both public and private spaces. I am currently doing my masters research on these topics in Liberia, West Africa, which is a country rebuilding from fourteen years of war. I am also interested in feminist and postcolonial approaches to issues of power, representation, and agency, which help guide me as I struggle through trying to become a good researcher in a place where researchers (and westerners more generally) have not always been a positive presence. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">…Of course I do have interests beyond academics, and when I’m not trying to work through the things above, I love to cook with friends (good Midwestern potlocks!), ride my bike, explore new areas, and paint (prior to becoming a Geographer, I considered being an art major). Part of why I liked geography is because studying it felt like traveling, so even beyond school, I love meeting new people and seeing/learning about new places whenever possible.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>What helped you decide what route to take after graduation (i.e. graduate school or type of job)?</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I learned as an undergraduate that I really liked to do research—talking with people about their lives and ideas, coming up with questions about why and how things work, exploring different ways to think about the world, and sharing what I learn in the process. Graduate school was a place where I would be able to do this, while taking on larger, more in-depth projects. I have also always been drawn to the idea of teaching, and being a part of an academic community, so it felt like a natural direction for me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>What do you think gave you to edge to get your current position?</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Definitely doing undergraduate research projects helped me get admitted to Penn State, and helped me to hit the ground running once I arrived. For example, I know I would not have been prepared to write a proposal last fall for the National Science Foundation fellowship I received if had I not already had the experience of applying for a UWEC Student-Faculty Research Grant or conducting research in Liberia as an undergrad. It gave me a least a better idea to start from with respect to how a proposal, and a research project more generally, might be formed. I have also been lucky to have good advisers and teachers who encouraged me to do these things, and advocated for me as I applied for grants and graduate school. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Describe your typical day at work:</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Well, as I write this, I am in Monrovia doing my master’s research on issues of gender politics and peacemaking in postwar Liberia. My typical day here involves fighting to get transportation (shared taxi) into town, doing interviews with many different interesting people, making phone calls to schedule more interviews, and (ideally!) meeting friends to share some food and talk in the evening. I’m learning about my research topics both in town at meetings, as well as more informally in the house and community where I stay, so (in a way) it’s all work—but it’s (mostly!) enjoyable work…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">…Back at Penn State, my typical day at work involves getting up in the morning, heading to campus with some coffee. I’ll do some reading or writing in my office (shared with three other grad students). Some days I have class, other days I don’t. When I was a TA, I taught four 50 minutes discussion sections of Intro to Human Geography per week, with about 20 undergrad students in each section. Planning course material for that can take a good amount of time… Grad school is similar to undergrad in some ways (you’re a student, go to classes, have an adviser, etc), but different in many others. As a grad student I spend much less time in class, and classes are generally smaller, with a large amount of reading (at least for the Human Geographers, I know less about the way classes work for the other sub-disciplines). While course grades are important, the real focus is your research, and ideally your courses help contribute ideas or skills directly to what your research will be. We are expected to be pretty self-motivated in designing and implementing research plans, and meeting our academic deadlines, although different advisers may be more hands-off or hands-on. I end my day in the office any time between 3pm and 3am, depending on what I’m working on. Some people are more disciplined with their time than I am and never end up in the office so late, but I like to work at night. I guess I would say my ‘typical’ day varies a lot. I have the big scale ( </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">J</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> ) goal—the master’s thesis—to complete, but at the small scale I have a good amount of control over how I spend my time. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Where do you see yourself in 5 years? </i><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Completing a Phd, (hopefully!) and just entering the job market. At this point the plan is an academic track job, but we’ll see…5 years is still a ways in the distance.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>What advice can you give to those who are still in school?</i></span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">If you’re at Eau Claire, take advantage of the opportunities to do undergraduate research. Not every school gives undergrads the chance to design and implement research to the extent that is possible at UWEC, and particularly in the Geography Department. If you’re considering graduate school this will give you a big leg up both in applying, as well as in succeeding once you are there. Also, take the opportunity to go and present at the AAG. If you are thinking about grad school, it’s a great way for you to get a sense of what type of work graduate students in Geography are doing (i.e. everything under the sun!) at both the MA and PhD level—as well as a way to see which schools might be good fits for you (based on who is doing work that resonates with your interests). It’s also a good place to meet and network with potential graduate advisers if you are really on top of it. Finally, I would say don’t jump into grad school too fast if you aren’t sure about it. I took some time off in the middle of my undergrad, and took advantage of some other opportunities to travel and study abroad, which really helped me figure out what type of work/research I would want to do once I actually started a graduate program. The experiences that you get from travel, internships, jobs, etc are things that will help you get into better programs and do better work when you get there. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">PS: There is a good book Ezra lent me when I was heading to grad school. It’s geared toward the Humanities, so it’s a bit different than a Geography program works, however it still gives a decent sense of what you might expect in a grad program—from time management to department politics: </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Graduate-Study-Twenty-First-Century-Humanities/dp/1403969361"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">http://www.amazon.com/Graduate-Study-Twenty-First-Century-Humanities/dp/1403969361</span></a><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Anyone call feel free to get in touch with me about whatever:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Jenna Christian<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Masters Student<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Pennsylvania State University<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Department of Geography <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">302 Walker Building<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">University Park, PA 16802<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="mailto:Jmc5974@psu.edu"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Jmc5974@psu.edu</span></a><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">715-559-2431<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-607682725967340348.post-39603660407930475152011-08-03T09:49:00.000-07:002011-10-18T18:07:31.701-07:00Tracey Grubb - TechniGraphicS, a CACI company<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLVxlnvSVZ4ze88ABSHfF4tNRAYHpTpz7Uc8tiZLKktLFp_vJpupbY2yELNWFIj1b8zv1cqWZ6Ja-rsncm084C6Kz05gHMKrpH3E5Ysu_rcv4BX9c8LR1QlcqfXN8_HtPHxnXHQEGb62o/s1600/tracygrubb.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLVxlnvSVZ4ze88ABSHfF4tNRAYHpTpz7Uc8tiZLKktLFp_vJpupbY2yELNWFIj1b8zv1cqWZ6Ja-rsncm084C6Kz05gHMKrpH3E5Ysu_rcv4BX9c8LR1QlcqfXN8_HtPHxnXHQEGb62o/s200/tracygrubb.JPG" width="200" /></a><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><b>Name:</b> Tracey Grubb</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><b>Family:</b> n/a</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><b>Major & Minor:</b> Human Geography with Spanish Minor</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><b>Year Graduated:</b> 2009</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><b>Current Employer:</b> TechniGraphicS, a CACI company</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><b>Length of Employment:</b> 2 years</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><b>Interests and Hobbies:</b> Baking, knitting, traveling, and geocaching.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><b><i>What helped you decide what route to take after graduation (i.e. graduate school or type of job)?</i></b> I wanted to gain career experience before grad school. I am also aiming to find an employer that will assist in paying for my master's degree.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><b><i>What do you think gave you to edge to get your current position?</i></b> Christina Hupy's advanced GIS course and Joe Hupy's Military Geography course secured my position.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><b><i>Describe your typical day at work: </i></b> I validate and correct data created at a digitizing level due to client specifications. I use multiple features within arcmap to find errors within the database.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><b><i>Where do you see yourself in 5 years?</i></b> I see myself climbing the ladder in the GIS world in a large city (preferably DC) and potentially working on my master's part time.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><b><i>What advice can you give to those who are still in school?</i></b> A lot of GIS employers are looking for some coding experience. I would take some Computer Science courses to get an extra edge.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /></span> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-607682725967340348.post-1321737691400498272011-08-01T11:37:00.000-07:002011-08-01T11:37:20.482-07:00Welcome to the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire Geography Alumni Blog<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Hello UWEC Geography Community! The purpose of this blog is to foster communication and relationships between current students and alumni, especially those who have entered the workforce or continued on in academia as geographers! We would all love to hear what everyone is up to and we hope this blog can be the forum for keeping in touch. We also hope that valuable information and advice can be communicated to our up and coming graduates and to those recent graduates who are still looking for a job and trying to make the same tough decisions you have already made. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG5N2pkLtlenKqnbOURdKVFIhnCPULzE_qisWZvmws4U9dsEm8VjFgII7hIZ4A4T_XYqWzMEU780uhn40-t05eSvtHsVOzHZLOZ_gKwjMb0btFpa_Us-ttNK-0qN4zBpK9t0f6ymc_hdM/s1600/ESRI2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG5N2pkLtlenKqnbOURdKVFIhnCPULzE_qisWZvmws4U9dsEm8VjFgII7hIZ4A4T_XYqWzMEU780uhn40-t05eSvtHsVOzHZLOZ_gKwjMb0btFpa_Us-ttNK-0qN4zBpK9t0f6ymc_hdM/s200/ESRI2.jpg" width="150" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Please contact Dr. Christina Hupy at <a href="mailto:hupycm@uwec.edu">hupycm@uwec.edu</a> with an entry for the blog. Please fill out the information below and answer the questions. And please include a picture! Feel free to include your company’s website and contact information if you’d like to be contacted by alumni or students with questions. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We are all really looking forward to hearing from our alumni!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please pass the blog website along to other alumni as well. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Name:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Family:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Major & Minor:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Year Graduated:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Current Employer:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Length of Employment:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Interests and Hobbies:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">What helped you decide what route to take after graduation (i.e. graduate school or type of job)?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">What do you think gave you to edge to get your current position?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Describe your typical day at work:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Where do you see yourself in 5 years?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">What advice can you give to those who are still in school?</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Eau Claire, WI, USA44.811349 -91.49849410000001644.751855 -91.612039600000017 44.870843 -91.384948600000016