June 07, 2007
Bowling
Green, Ky. - Two Western Kentucky University Geographic Information Science (GIS) students received scholarships to participate in the 27th Annual Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) International User Conference in San Diego, which convenes June 18-22.
Ronnie Leeper, a graduate geoscience student of Bowling Green, and Brandon Fowler, an undergraduate computer information systems major and GIS minor from Louisville, were selected from a pool of international applicants for the competitive scholarships, which support 60 graduate and fourth-year undergraduate students from universities and colleges throughout the United States and around the world. The scholarships require students to work half-days at the conference in exchange for their conference registration, workshops, meals and lodging.
ESRI is the biggest organization and vendor of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software in the world. Each year, ESRI hosts a conference for GIS users to share ideas and gain knowledge about GIS technology. This year’s 27th event expects to attract more than 14,000 attendees and 350 sponsors worldwide. ESRI is 38 years old.
This is the sixth year in a row that WKU’s Geographic Information Science program has had a student selected for the scholarship, but this year is the third time that ESRI has selected two; last year was the second. Three of the department’s former geoscience graduate students work for ESRI in California and Washington, D.C.
Also attending the annual GIS User’s conference is Kevin Cary, WKU's GIS Center Director, and Dr. Yanmei Li, who directs the City and Regional Planning program in the Department of Geography and Geology.
“The department’s ongoing success in winning ESRI scholarships for its GIS students is a reflection of the leadership role that Western has taken in recent years in developing GIS programs for undergraduate and graduate students,” Geography and Geology Department Head David Keeling said. “Over 100 students have earned WKU’s professional GIS Certificate since its inauguration in Spring 2003, and the department’s success in placing its graduates in challenging GIS positions around the country is a reflection of the academic quality of the GIS program at WKU.”
For information about applying for an ESRI student assistantship, or about GIS, WKU’s GIS programs and GIS applications in business and industry, contact Kevin Cary in the Department of Geography and Geology at (270) 745-2981.
More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.
For information, contact David Keeling at (270) 745-4555.
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