Name: Mohammed Kemal
Undergraduate
Year of graduation: May 2014
Major: Geographic Information Systems
Minor: Global Poverty
Current employment status:
- Employer: NOAA OPSO Satellite Mission Operations and Maintenance Support
- Position: Scientific Programmer(contractor)
Did you/do you currently go to graduate school? If so:
- School: University of Maryland-College park
- Program: Masters of Professional Studies
- Degree: Geographic Information Sciences
Why did you want to be a GEOG/GIS/ENSP major?
To be honest the initial reason to why I wanted to be a GIS major was not that all exciting. Due to me changing over 6 majors in undergrad, in the end it came down to wanting to graduate on time. Though, at the time that was the deciding factor for me to become a GIS major, it was not till later on I learned the importance of GIS and remote sensing and how it can be relatable to the field I want to work in, which is Sustainable Agriculture. Often times, I joke and say I want to be a glorified farmer but there is nothing wrong with that. Especially considering much of the world’s income comes from agriculture, why not make it better. In return not only will I have an opportunity to succeed but most of all give back to the world.
What internships or independent research did you do as a GEOG/GIS/ENSP major?
I have had the pleasure to take part in several internships, ranging from land cover change to energy. I have worked at NASA, U.S. Department of State, USDA, USAID, Muslim Public Affairs Council and currently working at NOAA. With each and every one of these internships, I had the opportunity to dip my toes in many different applications of GIS but my favorite one thus far has to be NASA. The reason for this is because we had an opportunity to study mangrove extent for a 13 year period in which we then produce a prediction map for 2030. This was all done to show the Myanmar policy makers the need to change their policies and protect these mangroves.
Link to Project: http://earthzine.org/2013/11/17/the-bare-necessities-forecasting-myanmars-mangrove-extent-and-biomass/
What recommendations would you make to current GEOG/GIS/ENSP majors for career and academic success while they are still undergraduates?
I think the biggest thing I learned from being a GIS major is that, at the end of the day it is a technical field; there will always be a need for people in this field. I think the biggest draw back in undergrad is that as student we neglect experience and only focus on academics. Yes, a 4.0 will look amazing on paper but if you can not back it up with experience, what is the point? So I highly recommend undergrads getting out there and finding places to gain more experience, does not have to be all in GIS. In the end, you can always find a way to implement GIS. Lastly, PROGRAMMING! If I can go back in time, I would minor in Compuer science. There is an increasing need fro programming, whether it is in GIS or in general. If you can intern where you can program GREAT! If not use site such as Code Academy, Code school and UMD’s Linda to learn programming languages.
What recommendations would you make to current GEOG/GIS/ENSP majors for career and academic successafter graduation?
I would recommend undergrads to really look into the applications of GIS and not just the tool itself. Don’t get me wrong, I believe GIS is very powerful and thus why I am doing it as a grad student, but what is even more powerful is the application and versatility of the tool. I want to implement GIS and Remote Sensing in doing Sustainable agriculture and my recommendation would be to find something that you are passionate about and implement GIS to it.
