It was our great pleasure to award $3,500 in scholarships and awards at the 2nd Annual Memphis Area Collegiate Geospatial Showcase, which took place last Friday, April 25, at Rhodes College. Seven Memphis area students submitted presentation abstracts on GIS-related school projects to compete for the awards, and all seven gave 15-minute presentations at the Showcase event. The first place finishers in each category (undergrad and graduate) won $1,500, and the runners-up each won $250.
First Place:
Samantha Supan (Undergraduate, Rhodes College) - Examining Air Quality in Southwest Memphis
Jayanta Biswas (Graduate, University of Memphis) - Exploring the relationship between road improvements, employment, and land development in Tennessee
Runners-Up:
Shannen Alack (Undergraduate, Rhodes College) - Mapping Heat: Analyzing the Impact of Building Materials and Vegetation on Land Surface Temperature in Urban Areas
Fatima Ghobadpour (Graduate, University of Memphis) - Identifying Areas with Poor Connectivity to Transportation Networks Using Deep Learning and GIS
The event also featured a panel discussion focused on GIS skills and careers. A panel of GIS professionals from both the public and private sectors fielded questions and shared their advice and experiences with the student audience.
Panelists:
Uday Banu Burrey - GIS Developer/Team Lead, Memphis Light, Gas, & Water (MLGW)
Adrena Nelson - GIS Analyst, Allworld Project Management
Dr. Kate Shields - Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Rhodes College
Scott Trapolino, GISP - GIS Manager, City of Olive Branch
We are grateful to our panelists for generously donating their time, and to Rhodes College for hosting the event.