Marin Municipal Water District offers spring and summer internships

Dear Sonoma State,

Marin Municipal Water District offers spring and summer internships related to the fields of ecology and vegetation management on the Mount Tamalpais Watershed. The internships provide students, or recent graduates, with practical experience and direct application in a professional setting. Internships also provide participants the chance to learn from personal observation and synthesis, to participate directly in problem-solving activities and to better prepare students for their careers or continuing education. Participants must commit to 35 hours during a semester and have substantial knowledge in one of these disciplines or the aptitude to learn. We accept four to six interns per semester.

Internship projects are involved with vegetation ecology, biological monitoring, GIS, GPS and mapping. There will be opportunity to work on such projects as our 2012 Bio Blitzes (citizen science inventory of biological species on the Watershed), updating the Mt Tamalpais Rare Plant Report, the Douglas-fir encroachment project or mapping and updating the Mt Tamalpais Watershed facilities. Mentorship is provided by MMWD's vegetation ecologist, GIS analyst and volunteer coordinator.

Applications must be received by January 15th for consideration. A Saturday volunteer event would be a great place to meet us and to get an introduction to the watershed. Visit the website for the application, details and directions to the Watershed, http://marinwater.org/controller?action=menuclick&id=580.

Marin Municipal Water District will be commemorating its centennial in 2012 and will be celebrating with a year-long series of naturalist walks, workshops and bio-blitzes on the Watershed. If you or your department may be interested in partnering with us on the citizen science and educational programming please let me know and I will give you an update regarding our planning in the new year.

Thank you for your interest in working with the natural resources team at MMWD.

Peace.

Suzanne Whelan



Volunteer Program
Sky Oaks Watershed Headquarters
Marin Municipal Water District
415-945-1128
volunteerprogram@marinwater.org

Love Mt Tamalpais? Want to see photos of our volunteers in action? Friend us! http://www.facebook.com/marinwater

CaGIS student scholarships in cartography and GIS

Each year, the Cartography and Geographic Information Society (CaGIS) sponsors two scholarships to students whose research and accomplishments support the mission of CaGIS. The scholarships recognize academic achievement and encourage the continuing success of outstanding cartography, geographic information systems (GIS), and geographic information science (GIScience) students. The scholarships also recognize achievement or potential for achievement in original research advancing the specific disciplines of cartography or GIScience. Winners are selected based on academic achievement, particularly in the calendar year prior to the award. Applications are reviewed by the CaGIS Scholarship Committee, and awards are announced in February or March.

Awards

CaGIS Masters Scholarship Award ($500): This award is to be granted to a student enrolled in, or accepted into, a Masters' degree program during 2010 or 2011. The winner will have demonstrated excellence in cartography or GIScience coursework and the potential to contribute to cartography or GIScience research. Outstanding undergraduates seeking to support Masters' level research in GIScience are also eligible to apply (see below).

CaGIS Doctoral Scholarship Award ($1000): This award is to be granted to a student enrolled in, or accepted into, a PhD degree program during 2010 or 2011. The winner will have demonstrated excellence in cartography or GIScience coursework and the potential to contribute to cartography or GIScience research.

Winners are invited to present their research at an upcoming CaGIS-sponsored conference (such as AAG, GIScience, or AutoCarto) and may be eligible for limited travel or registration support if they choose to present.

Eligibility

Candidates must be enrolled full-time in a four-year undergraduate or graduate degree program during 2010 or 2011, studying cartography, geographic information science, or a closely related field. A letter of recommendation from a faculty member attesting to these eligibility requirements and to scholarly achievement and potential is required. Membership in CaGIS is not required, though professional and service activities such as participation in CaGIS is one of the selection criteria (see below). Prior scholarship winners are eligible to apply in subsequent years if all appropriate criteria are satisfied. Undergraduate applicants who have not yet been accepted into graduate school should request that their faculty advisor assess their potential for graduate study in their reference letter.

Selection Criteria

Valid applications for CaGIS awards (see below for application procedures) are reviewed by the CaGIS Scholarship Committee, which will use the following criteria to judge applications:

• 50% academic record;
• 20% applicant's statement;
• 20% letter of recommendation;
• 10% professional activities (CaGIS membership, conference participation, publications, community service, etc.).

Level of financial need will be considered, if necessary, to break ties, after the primary criteria have been considered. The committee can choose to award no scholarships.

Application Procedure

1. Compile the following:

• - The completed application form
• - A 400-word statement of educational objectives, future study or research plans and professional activities, and relationship of activities and/or research to mission of CaGIS
• - A digital transcript showing records for 2010-2011
• - One letter of recommendation from a faculty member or supervisor familiar with your work

2. E-mail these documents; see instructions on form. Applications must arrive no later than 5:00pm CST on JANUARY 15, 2012.

Notification of Winners

The selected applicants for the scholarships will be notified on or near February 15. The winners are encouraged to attend the awards ceremony at the 2012 AAG conference or the annual AutoCarto conference.

CaGIS Scholarship Committee:

• Daniel Cole, Max Baber, and Michael Finn

Contact Information:

• Daniel Cole, CaGIS Student Activities Coordinator
• IT Office, MRC 136, P.O. Box 37012, Smithsonian Institution
• 10th & Constitution NW, Washington, DC 20013
• Phone: (202) 633-0747

E-mail: coled@si.edu

ESRI web-based GIS hurricane tracker with social media

Here is a great web-based GIS application that tracks hurricanes with additional social media feeds.  

http://tmapps.esri.com/hurricane/index.html?locate=Locate&baseMap=lyrTopo&visLyrs=HC|PC|WW|SG|YT|TW|FL|&ytkw=tropical%20storm&twkw=%23irene&flkw=hurricane&xmin=-12302981.112856865&ymin=1404619.7568966309&xmax=-5689037.929398893&ymax=5235032.118322365 

Mid-Level GIS Analyst (oakland downtown)

Job Description:

Geosyntec Consultants, Inc. (Geosyntec), an environmental engineering and consulting firm, is seeking a full-time GIS Analyst in Oakland, California to support its Groundwater Remediation practice. The selected individual will take the lead in providing data management and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) support for both routine and “one-off” site investigation and groundwater remediation projects. The ideal candidate will be completely proficient in both GIS and database technologies and will have 3-5 years of representative experience.

Job Responsibilities:

GIS Analyst will be responsible for architecture and management of environmental relational databases and development and maintenance of GIS projects. Initially, they will support legacy workflows by focusing on data management, data analysis, data visualization, report generation, and figure preparation. However, it is expected that the GIS Analyst will take the initiative to develop tools and procedures to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and transferability of data-intensive work products. Such protocols may include programming of automated routines for analytical data evaluation within GIS applications and the expansion of our website development practice.

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in environmental science, engineering, geology, geography, computer science, statistics, chemistry, or related field.
• 3+ years experience with GIS applications (ArcGIS 9.3/10, Spatial Analyst, 3D Analyst, Model Builder, ArcGlobe, ArcPublisher, ArcObjects/Python scripting)
• 3+ years of experience with RDBMS (Microsoft SQL Server and Access)
• Excellent task management and interpersonal communication skills
• Experience working with environmental data sets

Other Desirable Skills:

• Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop
• 3D Visualization and Modeling Programs (e.g. EVS/MVS, Google SketchUp, GMS)
• GIS Application Development (stand-alone or web; ESRI or open source)
• Web Programming/Web Mapping

Candidate Attributes:

Geosyntec strives to hire and retain the best and brightest candidates available in the marketplace. To be selected for this position, the candidate must possess exceptional interpersonal skills and outstanding oral and written communication skills supporting positive internal/external client and contractor relationships. The GIS Analyst will be technically savvy, highly motivated, and have a mature personality. Must be an independent worker, but also collaborate well with others. Excellent project management skills are required, as are outstanding scientific problem-solving abilities. Candidate must be able to handle multiple tasks in a fast-paced, deadline-driven work environment. The selected individual will demonstrate passion for the business of environmental consulting, technical excellence and quality, leadership potential, a commitment to lifelong learning and growth, and the desire to build a long and rewarding career with the Firm.

To Apply:

Please email cover letter, resume, salary requirements and/or history, and a sample GIS project deliverable to apearson@geosyntec.com.

Incomplete submissions will not be reviewed.

PHONE CALLS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED!

US News Science: Geospatial Technology as a Core Tool

http://www.usnews.com/science/articles/2011/05/11/geospatial-technology-as-a-core-tool

County of Napa, GIS Intern

Organization: County of Napa
Title: GIS Intern
Location: Napa, CA
Application Deadline: 2011-04-15
Posted: 2011-03-31
Position Description:

The Napa County Department of Conservation, Development and Planning is seeking a qualified intern to assist the County’s GIS Consultant in the maintenance, development and application of the Department’s Geographic Information System (GIS) during the Spring/Summer of 2011.

Duties:
The GIS Intern will be responsible for working directly with the County’s GIS Consultant to maintain and update the environmental, land use, and agricultural datasets that are critical to the County’s planning process. The intern may also be responsible for special mapping projects as needs arise. Specific duties may include:


• Adding and editing features in GIS
• Adding and editing tabular data in GIS
• Maintaining and updating metadata
• Maintaining and updating GIS management records


Qualifications:

• Current or past enrollment in a degree or certificate program in GIS, geography, urban planning, or related field.
• Experience using ESRI ArcGIS software, including ArcMap and ArcCatalog.
• Familiarity with basic GIS concepts, including data creation and management, cartography, metadata creation, and spatial analysis.
• Must be able to work collaboratively with the GIS Consultant and other County Staff, as well as independently.
• The selected intern will be asked to keep a regular (part-time) schedule of office hours.


Compensation:
This internship is currently being offered as an unpaid, temporary position within the Napa County Department of Conservation, Development and Planning.

How to respond:
Please provide a letter of interest and resume clearly demonstrating relevant GIS experience of the intern candidate. Responses should be emailed to Jeff.Sharp@countyofnapa.org by close of business on Friday, April 15, 2011. Any questions should also be emailed and will be responded to by email.

GoEco – Recommended Volunteer Opportunities for Geography Students & Staff

My name is Jonathan Gilben and I studied Geopgraphy at the University of Nottingham, and later, l co-founded GoEco, an organization dedicated to promoting environmental and social volunteer projects across the globe and in Israel.

In Israel we work with leading NGO's to run and develop volunteer projects for the protection of endangered species, the promotion of social aid, and the development of peace initiatives in the region. More recently we have widened our services to help and develop similar projects across the globe- from wildlife rehabilitation in South Africa to teaching orphans in Thailand, with many other exciting opportunities.

We would be delighted if you could assist us by either promoting, spreading the word and / or by posting the attached A4 organizational flyers for volunteers on your student notice boards or, if possible, through the university intranet. To download the A4 flyers press – HERE for the International program and HERE for the Israeli program.

Your assistance will help our efforts of sustaining and developing many projects across the globe, and we also hope that you and or your students will enjoy a unique opportunity to volunteer while experiencing diverse cultural and natural environments.

If this is not of interest or of relevance we apologize for this message and ask that you please click on unsubscribe at the end of this message.

Further information including project details and organization info can be found at: www.goeco.org
Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.
Many thanks for your help and kind regards,

Jonathan Gilben

GoEco
6 Agripas St.
Tel-Aviv 62491, Israel
Tel: +972-77-5527000
Tel US: +1-917-477-3931
Tel UK: +44-208-133-8041
Fax: +972-153-77-5527000goeco@goeco.org
 

General Dynamics Information Technology

Organization: General Dynamics Information Technology
Title: Natural Resources GIS Analyst
Location: Vallejo, CA
Application Deadline: 2011-02-16
Posted: 2011-02-08
Position Description:

General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) is looking to fill one full time associate level GIS position located at our client’s site on Mare Island in Vallejo, California. Our client, the federal government, is requesting that GDIT provide them a GIS analyst. Skills in Excel and Access are highly desirable and will be used in compiling and migrating tabular and spatial wildlife and amphibian data. The individual would be responsible for acquiring data from specialists, compiling, manipulating and reformatting various forms of information, and integrating the data with a national data management program. ArcGIS will be applied to manipulating, linking, and calculating data; however a broad knowledge of GIS would be an asset on other tasks that may be assigned. Experience with natural resources projects or relevant education would be an asset.

Education:
A Bachelor’s (BA/BS) degree from an accredited college/university in Forestry, Ecology, Soils, Geology, Hydrology, Geography or Earth Science is required for consideration.

Experience:
A minimum of one years experience in a field requiring extensive use of GIS and related tools is required as well as being able to do all the tasks outlined above. A Master’s degree can be substituted for experience requirements.

Misc requirements:
A drug test and background investigation are required prior to starting.

Salary & Benefits:
Salary is negotiable and dependent on your qualifications and experience. The position would be full time with benefits and 401k.

Local San Francisco Bay area candidates preferred.

Apply at: http://www.resumeware.net/gdns_rw/gdns_web/job_search.cfm with “Job ID Number” 178643

E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Geography Education Research Grant

E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Geography Education Research Grant

NCGE's Research Committee will award grants in 2011 for research on issues related to geography education
Proposals may request up to $4,000 for projects lasting up to 24 months.
The deadline for proposal submission is Fri 8 April 2011.

Awards will be presented during the National Conference on Geography Education in Portland Oregon in August.

Purpose. The Miller Research Grant program was established in 2004 through a generous endowment
to NCGE by E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller. The grants are intended to advance the frontiers of geography
education by supporting and promoting innovative research in theory, practice, and application. Projects
should enhance the understanding of geographic learning and teaching through original investigations
of learning processes, techniques, and content. Projects may focus on geographic learning and teaching
at any age level from pre-school to adult. Investigations concentrating on the
individual learners and teachers are welcome as are studies that pursue issues of geographic education
at the classroom, school, district, college, state, national, or international levels. Empirical research
is encouraged, as is research on learning among students, instruction and/or pre-service and in-service
programs for geography educators.

Proposals that do not explicitly focus on research related to teaching and learning geography will not be considered.

In 2011, the NCGE is particularly interested in applications relevant to the instruction
and assessment of the Advanced Placement (AP) Human geography course.

Eligibility and Restrictions.
1) Applicants must be NCGE members.
2) Grantees are required to present the results of their projects: (1) at an annual meeting of NCGE;
and (2) in a manuscript submitted for publication in the Journal of Geography.
not awarded for any other salary, fringe benefits of grantees, indirect costs, travel to conferences, tuition, page costs, or fees and registrations.  Equipment such as computer hardware and software is generally non-fundable unless it is directly andclearly tied to the success of a research project.
4) Grantees must demonstrate that they have obtained any needed clearances for research
involving human subjects that are required by their institutions or organizations.
5) A final narrative report of the research and a full financial accounting is due to NCGE within 90
days after the termination date of the project.
6) In exceptional circumstances, when the project warrants, requests may be made in excess of
$4,000.

Evaluation Criteria. Proposals will be evaluated in accordance with standards adapted from the
National Science Foundation proposal review criteria as follows:
1) What is the intellectual or scientific merit of the proposed activity? How important is the
proposed activity to advancing knowledge and understanding of geographic education? How well
qualified is the applicant (individual or team) to conduct the project? To what extent does the proposed
activity suggest and explore creative and original concepts? How well conceived and organized is the
proposed activity? Is there sufficient access to resources?
2) What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity on the theory or practice of
geographic education?
How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, training, and
learning? Will the results be disseminated broadly to enhance scientific and technological
understanding? What may be the benefits of the proposed activity to geographic education, geography,
and society?
Application Format and Supporting Materials
Applications should be 2,000 words or less, excluding the cover and budget sheets and other
supporting materials as noted below. The complete application should include:
1) Cover Sheet. Include title of the project, current contact information, and a 100 word project
summary.
2) The Project Description. The Project Description should include:
a) Specific objectives for the proposed work.
b) A description of the research design and experimental methods or procedures
c) An explanation of how the research advances geographic education.
d) A description of expected outcomes or deliverables (curriculum materials, education
products, web sites, etc.)
e) A timeline for the project
3) The Project Budget. A simple line item budget must be submitted explaining the intended
uses of funds. Restrictions on budget items are noted under "Eligibility and Restrictions."
Applicants should note in the budget any matching or supplementary funds being used for the
project. Matching funds are not required for Miller Grants, but if the proposal is part of another
project, it must be noted how the Miller funds will be budgeted respectively. It is assumed that
some research projects will require funds beyond those provided by the Miller award, so cost
sharing is encouraged when possible or necessary.

4) Supporting Materials. Please include:
a) Curriculum vita of applicant(s) highlighting research or activities that are especially relevant to
the proposed research (two page maximum).
For graduate student applicants:
b) Include a letter of support from a faculty member who is familiar with your work and can
comment on the quality of the proposal and the anticipated likelihood that the project will be
completed successfully
All submissions must be made electronically. The application must include the following 4
items. These items should be combined into a single PDF file.
1. Cover sheet
2. Project summary and description
3. Budget
4. Supporting materials


Submit all materials in a single PDF file to Eric J. Fournier, NCGE Vice President for Research at
ejfourni@samford.edu.
All applications received by the deadline will be acknowledged by return e-mail.
Any questions and inquiries may be directed to Dr. Fournier
at the e-mail address above or at (205) 726-2113.
All proposals are due by Friday, April 8

NCGE Research Committee
Eric J. Fournier, Samford University
Gillian Acheson, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Diana Sinton, University of Redlands
Shannon White, University of Missouri

2011 USGIF Scholarship Program Now Accepting Applications

The United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) would like to remind students within your department that the USGIF 2011 Scholarship Program is now accepting applications.

Applications are attached to this email and can also be downloaded at http://usgif.org/education/scholarships.

Undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students within the geospatial sciences field or one related to it are encouraged to submit applications by the May 2 deadline.

In an effort to help further the advancement of the geospatial tradecraft, USGIF is dedicated to assisting promising students interested in the geospatial sciences with its scholarship awards.USGIF hopes to inspire students who are interested in all that the growing field of GEOINT has to offer their futures.

Last year the Foundation awarded $86,000 to 19 recipients and plans to award equal or greater amounts for the 2011 program. Four Ph.D. candidates, six master’s students, six undergraduates and three graduating high school seniors received scholarships from the 2010 program. High school recipients received $2,000 scholarships, and all others received $5,000 scholarships.

All scholarship recipients are chosen based on their academic and professional excellence in a field related to the geospatial intelligence tradecraft. Recipients also receive complimentary registration to the GEOINT 2011 Symposium.

USGIF is a non-profit educational foundation dedicated to promoting the geospatial intelligence tradecraft and developing a stronger GEOINT Community with government, industry, academia, professional organizations and individuals whose mission is the development and application of geospatial intelligence to address national security challenges. For more information, please visit www.USGIF.org or contact the Scholarship Subcommittee at scholarships@usgif.org.