Full Name: Nicholas Anthony John
Background:
1) What major(s), minors, and/or certificates you are working on at UMD?
I am majoring in GIS and working on a minor in The Remote Sensing of Environmental Change, as well as a minor in Sustainability Studies.
2) What are your interests within your program(s)?
Within my GIS program I am interested in mapping populations among other data sets, and I am very interested in using programming, mobile and web technology to enhance GIS work. Within my remote sensing studies I am interested in using satellite derived data with mobile and web technology. In my sustainability studies I am interested in the sustainability issues and how my actions pertain to them.
3) What previous jobs, internships, and volunteer experience have you had?
Previously I have interned with the campus arboretum to survey native and invasive plant species on campus property. Additionally, I worked as a Student System Administrator with the University of Maryland Institute of Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS) for a few years.
Internship:
1) Where you are interning?
I am currently interning at NOAA with the Office of Coast Survey’s Marine Chart Division. Additionally, I am interning at a Latino arts and culture nonprofit called Hola Cultura.
2) What are your internship responsibilities?
At NOAA I am responsible for creating digital polygon Areas of Interest(AOI) for documents within a DREG database to aid in better visualization of work areas. Additionally, at Hola Cultura I am responsible for gathering historical population data for Washington DC and then creating maps based on the respective data.
3) What project(s) are you working on or contributing to?
The Marine Chart Division of the NOAA Office of Coast Survey is making an effort to improve visualization of spatial areas that are worked on. The goal is to create visualizations that will serve as a reference and thus improve work productivity. Hola Cultura is working on a special summer project that focuses on investigating where Washington DC’s Latino community has lived over the past few decades and how affordable housing has impacted settlement patterns.
4) How is the internship experience relevant to your studies in Geographical Sciences?
My NOAA internship experience is relevant to my studies in Geographical Sciences because it allows me to see how the information and skills that I have learned in my classes are used in the real world. My internship experience at NOAA is not only validating what I have learned in my studies, but it is introducing me to new tools and workflows that will improve my knowledge in the Geographical Sciences and enhance my productivity. My internship experience at Hola Cultura also allows me to use the skills that I have learned in my studies. Furthermore, my internship experience at Hola Cultura allows me to learn and utilize web GIS skills which are important to me, and will be useful in my future studies in Geographical Sciences.
5) What are your career goals after your graduate?
If God is willing, after I graduate I would like to work in the Federal Government, at NOAA, and in a GIS capacity. Additionally, I would like to attend graduate school and further my knowledge of Geographical Sciences; I especially would like to greatly improve my statistical and programming skills in general and as they pertain to mobile and web development.