And now my watch has ended* at the Geographical and Geospatial Sciences Committee of the National Academies

On May 26th, I finished my second term as co-chair of the Geographical and Geospatial Sciences Committee of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine. This ends twelve years of service as chair or member of the GGSC and its predecessor, the Mapping Sciences Committee. It’s been a terrific experience working with the scholars and practitioners on the committees, and the awesome NASEM staff. We’ve had some great meetings, speakers and discussions on all things cutting-edge in Geography and Geographic Information Science. Here are some of the stellar people with whom I’ve had the privilege to work.

(L-R): Dawn Wright (ESRI), Deborah Glickson (NASEM), Oceana Francis (University of Hawaii), Pat McDowell (University of Oregon), Kristen Kurland (Carnegie Mellon)

New person in this photo: Charles Burgis (NASEM)

*Game of Thrones reference

UCGIS Election

I am proud – but intimidated – to be elected President of the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS) at the 2022 annual symposium in Syracuse, NY, in June.

The UCGIS is a non-profit organization that creates and supports communities of practice for Geographic Information Science research, education, and policy endeavors in higher education and with allied institutions. The UCGIS is the professional hub for the academic GIS community in the United States, with partnerships extending this capacity abroad.

I will serve a three year term as President-elect, President and Past-president.  My vision for the UCGIS is to be an organization that helps universities be better GIS universities. This includes research and teaching, but also the infrastructure, services and staff that help create a synergistic GIS community on and off campus.