-
GIS Day 2019 Introduces New Careers to Central Florida K-12 Students
The Pegasus Ballroom was buzzing with drones and excited conversations Thursday for GIS Day 2019. GIS Day presents students with hands-on activities that teach them about GIS (geographic information system) mapping, drones and coding for apps. “Students use these apps and services every day, but they don’t realize that they are using GIS. We’re using […]
-
Students Head To Belize For GIS Mapping and Teaching
BY TIM HAWTHORNE, Ph.D. Opening up one’s worldview. Exploring foreign landscapes. Interacting with new cultures. Engaging in research with communities. These are just some of the things that a group of 11 UCF students did this May with the UCF Participatory Geographic Information Systems (GIS) study abroad class in Belize. The class is part […]
-
Excavating New Opportunities
University of Central Florida’s Department of Anthropology dug up a new Experiential Learning program last spring. Anthropology Associate Professor and Undergraduate Coordinator Sarah Barber, Ph.D., created the program with Tom Penders, an archaeologist and cultural resources manager at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The program was created because Barber’s students were clamoring for archaeological […]
-
Maps, Apps and Drones
University of Central Florida professors of geographic information systems and biology teamed up Wednesday to take GIS technology and drones into Florida classrooms for 5th grade through high school. In the geospatial technology training workshop for Florida teachers, 15 teachers were shown customizable lesson plans that use GIS, mapping and drone technologies. Tim Hawthorne, GIS assistant […]
-
Sociology Students Impress at Geographers Conference
University of Central Florida sociology students presented their remarkable research at the American Association of Geographers Conference in Boston, Massachusetts, held in April, 2017. Geographers, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) specialists, environmental scientists and more gather at the annual conference for the latest in research and applications in geography, sustainability and GIScience. Sociology students Kenisha Johnson, […]
-
Open Reef Drones Take on Environmental Conservation
Geographic information systems (GIS), and related geospatial technologies like drones, are being used to do wonders for our planet. With the growing issue of climate change and over-development, University of Central Florida researchers have taken the initiative to protect the areas with the greatest risks: islands and coastal areas. UCF Assistant Professor of GIS in […]
-
Elephants and Bees
UCF Biology student Matthew Rudolph, 31, always knew he wanted a career that involved animals, but he never envisioned using tiny honeybees to help save the world’s largest land mammal. Still, that’s exactly what Rudolph has been doing for the past six months, working alongside a team of international researchers in Kenya to build fences […]
-
GIS Delivers the Past to the Future
On Thursday, January 28, Scott Branting, Ph.D., will participate in a Future Tense discussion about how present and emerging technologies can be used to deliver cultural heritage from the past to the future. Hosted by New America, a non-partisan think tank in Washington D.C., and in partnership with Arizona State University and Slate magazine, “Deploying Technology to […]
-
GIS Academy Hosts National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
On Oct. 28, Timothy Hawthorne, Ph.D., and The Geospatial STEM Academy hosted Sue Gordon, deputy director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), for a student and STEM meet and greet event. Currently an assistant professor of geographic information systems (GIS) in the department of sociology, Dr. Hawthorne is also the Founding Director and Principal Investigator of […]
-
New Faculty Brings GIS Innovation to UCF
Starting this fall, Scott Branting, Ph.D., Timothy Hawthorne Ph.D. and Yingru Li, Ph.D. joined UCF’s GIS cluster. GIS stands for Geographical Information Systems or Geographic Information Science. It is a powerful information system that improves our ability to collect, store, retrieve, manage, analyze, and report information on the earth’s surface, and to integrate those with economic, […]
-
National Geographic Educator of the Week
Timothy L. Hawthorne, Ph.D., assistant professor of geographic information systems (GIS) in the department of sociology, is featured as the National Geographic Educator of the Week. Dr. Hawthorne spent his summer teaching students at the Urban Atlanta Geospatial STEM Academy as part of a $75,000 Verizon Foundation grant. This academy provides a place for […]