Dr. Timothy Hawthorne no longer at UCF

On July 16, 2024, I began my new role as Full Professor and Chair of the Department of Geosciences at Auburn University. If you would like to connect in the future my new email is tlh0069@auburn.edu.

You can still follow our research team’s work on Citizen Science GIS as we are moving our lab to Auburn. Learn more at www.citizensciencegis.org.

While I proudly founded and led GeoBus UCF since 2017, I am no longer affiliated with this mobile lab program. But I am still in the mobile lab space with a new venture coming to Auburn.

A person stands on a grassy cliff overlooking the ocean at sunset. The sky is clear and the water reflects the sun's light.

Viewing the Pacific Coast sunset during NSF fieldwork. Photo Credit: Tyler Copeland

Belize Summer A 2019 Study Abroad Course Now Accepting Applications

About the Course: Work with communities in Belize (an English speaking country) on real-world research projects. Learn an in-demand research method in a high-growth technology career field. Explore the Belize Barrier Reef and several different landscapes across Belize. Learn how to use GIS mapping, apps, and drones. Spend 5 days on land and 4 on islands along the world’s second largest reef system. No previous experience with GIS is needed. Learn more at http://www.citizensciencegis.org/belize/.

Audience: This exciting study abroad course in Belize is open to all graduate and undergraduate students at UCF (and beyond). This 4 credit course counts as an elective course in both of the UCF GIS certificate programs. It is a research-based course. No previous GIS and mapping experience is required.

Apply through UCF Abroad athttps://studyabroad.ucf.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgramAngular&id=10108

Apps due February 15, 2019.

Program Fee: $2400-2500 (all expenses including airfare, lodging, tours, transportation, and meals). One of the most economical abroad experiences at UCF.

Proud to Serve as Your Florida Geography Steward with National Geographic

As of April 2018, I am deeply honored, excited, and humbled to be named The Florida Geography Steward with National Geographic. Don’t worry, I’m not leaving my assistant professor role at UCF. This unique opportunity enhances our work at UCF and leverages partnership opportunities to support geographic education and research across Florida and beyond.

What does this new state leadership role entail? I will energetically work with folks across Florida and the southeast region to strengthen geographic education and opportunities for teachers, the general public, and (most importantly) science’s next generation! I am thrilled to be back with National Geographic. Many of you here might remember I served as the Georgia Geographic Alliance Coordinator with National Geographic before I left Georgia and my previous university. The hardest part of that move was losing my connection to National Geographic.

My commitment to Florida and geography education: As a public scholar, a passionate educator, and as a father, I am ecstatic to be back working with National Geographic partners, and am deeply committed to supporting geographic education across Florida through our team’s work at UCF and through all the new partnerships we will develop and learn from as we meet new people committed to geographic education in Florida! Big things can happen when partners work together toward shared goals. Here’s to the beginning of an incredible partnership!! For education friends in Florida, please drop me a note (or leave a comment here) to tell me how we can work together to enhance geographic education across the state! Together, everything is possible. Let’s be creative, passionate, and committed to serving science’s next generation across our great state!

2017 Esri Special Achievement Awardee for Our Citizen Science GIS Team!

Citizen Science GIS is deeply humbled and excited to accept the 2017 Special Achievement in GIS Award from Esri, the world’s leading GIS company.  We are one of four higher education initiative worldwide this year to be accept the award!

“For us, receiving the 2017 Special Achievement in GIS Award reflects the importance of connecting science and society in a way that values research being inclusive of and responsive to the needs of communities around the globe. Our core value is that academics have a responsibility to engage with society,” said Dr. Timothy Hawthorne, founding director of Citizen Science GIS and assistant professor of GIS at University of Central Florida.

Read more about the international recognition in the story written by Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala on the UCF Today site.

Our 2017 NSF REU Site in Belize and Orlando is Now Accepting Applications!

cos-banner-wo-obstructionWe are pleased to announce that our 2017 National Science Foundation (NSF) #REU Site in Community GIS and Citizen Science in #Orlando and #Belize is now accepting applications from U.S. undergraduate students. The priority application deadline is Friday, February 17, 2017 @ 5 pm EST.  The fully funded research program will run from June 19-August 4, 2017. Get ready for another incredible summer of community-based research in Hopkins, Belize! To learn more about our program and to apply, please visit: http://www.citizensciencegis.org/ucf-reu-site/.

Share on social media with: #citizensciencegis #ucfreu

 

National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Briefing with The Geospatial STEM Academy

The Geospatial STEM Academy receives national attention!

AcademyLogo_HighResDr. Hawthorne and Geospatial STEM Academy Students were invited, as the only high school STEM program in the country, to brief Director Cardillo and Deputy Director Gordon at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency on November 16, 2015.

Check out the NGA media release here: https://www.nga.mil/MediaRoom/News/Pages/NGA-hosts-geospatial-student-pioneers-during-GEOINT-Community-Week.aspx

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DSC_8324 Melody Wang, Academy 10th grader, briefs NGA Director Cardillo at NGA HQ.

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Destiny Crumbley, Academy 11th grader, briefs NGA Director Cardillo and other geospatial intelligence leadership at NGA HQ.

 

Mapping Marine Debris with Youth and their Local Knowledge on Caye Caulker, Belize

Caye Caulker, Belize

11/12/2015

Today I had the privilege of returning to work with Form 3 and Form 2 students at the Ocean Academy on Caye Caulker, Belize.  As usual I was energized by the youth, particularly their ideas and their active engagement in the lessons we completed together.  Unlike previous trips with groups of college students in my study abroad course, I went in alone today.  It was somewhat terrifying being that outnumbered, but we had a great, great day.

It began with three simple questions.  Where is marine debris on this island? What do I know about? What can we do with maps to raise awareness about marine debris?

Maptastic selfies are the best way to show the power of collaboration with GIS.

Maptastic selfies are the best way to show the power of collaboration with GIS.

 

In the form 3 morning science class we first analyzed the data and maps created in last May’s study abroad program where youth and college students collected marine debris data using tablets loaded with ArcGIS Collector.  Today, the students concluded that debris is an island-wide problem, but it is most concentrated in non-business district areas and areas away from the eye of the tourist and boat docks.  They’ve really created a powerful visual that can attract greater attention to this important issue.

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Ocean Academy form 3 students mapping and analyzing their marine debris data from last year’s study abroad course.

 

Then we moved to the form 2 English class and introduced these students to the power of mapping and GIS (and we never even used the technology).  We had them create a map of Belize on the board and identify where they felt cyber bullying was most prominent.  This was one of their lessons in their English class so we wanted to connect our maps discussion to that.  They had some great ideas and without even knowing it created a database and project design that we can use to begin a cyber bullying mapping project in Belize in the coming months.  It’s going to be a challenging and exciting project and we are going to connect it with our People Loving People kindness mapping project as well.  More in early 2016.

Brainstorming a mapping strategy for cyber-bullying in Belize. Students drew a map predicting where they thought the hotspots would be located.

Form 2 students brainstorming a mapping strategy for cyber-bullying in Belize. Students drew a map predicting where they thought the hotspots would be located.

 

Then after lunch we brought together form 2 and 3 for some collaborative mapping using ArcGIS Online.  The youth focused again on marine debris, this time mapping their perceptions of the problem of marine debris.  Students were asked to map where debris was an issue and to estimate the severity of the problem from their collaborative memory of the spaces on the island.  They then mapped what the felt were the business, residential and environmental reserve districts to overlay their debris perceptions over to visualize spatial patterns.  What did they learn?  The power of the crowd can be harnessed to map things important to youth and can quickly tell a powerful and highly visual story.  About debris specifically?  Again, like they learned in the fieldwork last May, once you get away from the tourist and business districts, debris is not as likely to be cleaned up.  The youth are thinking about using their map results and some follow-up work to present data and solutions to the Caye Caulker Council.  Check out the online map at http://ucfonline.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=f6dc95764912444a85cfba9f069c0a6c

Form 2 and 3 students working together using ArcGIS Online to map their perceptions of marine debris and land use patterns on the island.

Form 2 and 3 students working together using ArcGIS Online to map their perceptions of marine debris and land use patterns on the island.

 

What a talented group of passionate and knowledgeable youth.

I’m excited for our return to Caye Caulker in early 2016 and continued collaborations with Ocean Academy.  Partnerships like this are what community GIS and citizen science are all about, and we are thrilled to continue this important work in the future.  Youth and geospatial technologies: a winning combination!

#citizensciencegis

Urban Geospatial STEM Academy

The Geospatial STEM Academy: Preparing High School Students for Geospatial Technology Careers is a summer STEM education training program that engages one hundred 9th through 12th grade students from the Atlanta and Orlando regions in community-based geospatial technology educational experiences.  Summer 1 in 2015 occurred in Atlanta, GA at Georgia State University.  With additional funding in Summer 2016, we plan to expand to Orlando, FL and Atlanta, GA!

Check out a short video showing the highlights of our summer geospatial STEM Academy.  Video created by GSU graduate student, Adam Acker.  We offer the most unique high school GIS training program in the country given our focus on community GIS and citizen science!  More information soon about summer 2016.

Academy Mission: The mission of the Academy is to introduce students to applicable and transferrable geospatial technology skillsets for the in-demand, high growth industry of geospatial technologies. The Academy’s mission offers high return on investment as it aligns with a growing nationwide STEM career direction. Geospatial technologies have recently been identified as a high-growth industry by the U.S. Department of Labor. Within geospatial technology fields, the projected employment growth from 2010 to 2020 of geoscientists is 21 percent, environmental engineers is 22 percent, and computer systems analysts is 22 percent (U.S. Department of Labor, 2012). Although these career opportunities are growing at a dramatic rate, U.S. high school students are often unaware of these opportunities until later in their college careers as most U.S. high schools are not adequately preparing students for these careers given that geography, geospatial technology, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) courses are not prominently offered in most of the nation’s high schools.

To learn more about the exciting work we do with youth and GIS, please visit the project site at http://sites.gsu.edu/stemacademy 

Belize 2016 GIS Study Abroad @ UCF

2016 Community Geographic Information Systems Study Abroad in Belize (Summer Session A @ UCF)

I am the program director for the “Geographic Information Systems in Belize: A Focus on Communities, Fieldwork and Service” course.

The 2016 Belize course runs for summer session A  We’ll spend one week on campus pre-trip at UCF, then 12 days in Belize, then one week post-trip on campus at UCF.  The course is open to undergraduate and graduate students of all majors.  No previous GIS experience required.  We are open to students from any college/university, not just Georgia State University.  This course is an extension of a similar program I co-founded at Georgia State University.

Check out this short video created by my graduate student, Adam Acker of Georgia State University, highlighting the 2015 course experience.  We expect to have a similar awesome research and learning experience in Belize in 2016 and beyond!  This international community GIS experience is unlike any other study abroad program in the country.  You’ll never regret it if you choose to join us for this incredible experience.

Welcome!

I am an AssisTim Hawthorne headshot for GSURCtant Professor of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in the Department of Sociology and a member of the GIS Research Cluster Initiative at the University of Central Florida.  I am a broadly trained human geographer with deep interests in community geography, qualitative GIS, and critical GIS.  Community geography is a subfield within geography that seeks to engage academics and community organizations/residents in shared knowledge production focused on community-engaged research that benefits real-world communities.  Qualitative GIS and critical GIS both seek to critically examine ways to extend the capacities and applications of conventional GIS approaches.

Most of my research and teaching utilizes innovative methods integrating qualitative data and mixed methods into GIS analysis.  My published work focuses on: 1) accessibility to healthcare, social services, urban greenspaces, and higher education; 2) critical GIS and qualitative GIS including new methodologies such as “satisfaction-adjusted distance measures” to healthcare providers and “critical reflection mapping methodologies” for examining the socio-spatial perceptions of new research sites; and 3) geographic education, service learning, and international education.

I earned my PhD in Geography in 2010 from The Department of Geography at The Ohio State University where I worked under the direction of Dr. Mei-Po Kwan.  I received my M.A. in Geography in 2005 from the Department of Geology and Geography at West Virginia University where I worked under the direction of Dr. Daniel Weiner.  I am also a 2003 graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University where I received a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Geography with a minor in English where I was advised by Dr. John Krygier.

I also serve as Chair of the Applied Geography Specialty Group for the Association of American Geographers.  I also serve on the editorial board of The International Journal of Applied Geospatial Research.  I am Founding Director of The Geospatial STEM Academy funded by The Verizon Foundation.  The Academy is a STEM education program for Title 1 high school students to engage with geospatial technologies (including geographic information systems and drones) in real-world, community-based projects.  I am also a co-founder of the Belize Geosciences Exchange (BGX) program along with Dr. Christy Visaggi of Georgia State University.  The BGX program provides opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students from all disciplines to learn about community-based, international research experiences that focus on social and environmental disparities in Belize.  As a former faculty member at Georgia State University (GSU), I was recognized by the GSU Honors College with their most prestigious mentoring award as I received the 2015 Faculty Award for Undergraduate Research and Mentoring.