Summer School - University of Oxford

The Enterprise and the Environment Summer School will take place from 30 June - 12 July 2019 at the University of Oxford and is intended for undergraduate and masters students passionate about environmental change. 

The course typically attracts a global spread of 35-40 attendees from a diverse mix of academic disciplines and will include teaching across subjects such as sustainable enterprise management, environmental economics and policy, the future of transport, valuing water for sustainable development, and the renewable energy transition. 

For more information, see the attached brochure or visit their website. 

Contact Andrew McCarthy with any questions.

Post-Doctorate Opportunity - University of Hamburg

Universität Hamburg and its partner institutions invite applications for research associate positions within the Cluster of Excellence “CliCCS”. 

Within the course of the upcoming year a total of 18 Postdoc positions as well as 30 PhD positions will have to be filled.

Participating departments include biology, geosciences (oceanography, meteorology, geography, soil sciences), humanities, law, mathematics and informatics, river and coastal engineering, social economics, social sciences and humanities, urban planning and regional development.

For more information and to apply, click here.

DOT Research Opportunity

Data Visualization and Geospatial Data Research Opportunity at the U.S. Department of Transportation

APPLICATION DEADLINE: January 30, 2019, 12:00 AM ET

Innovations in data visualization and the use of geospatial transportation data have major implications on the ways that transportation datasets are used, bringing forth innovative new software and challenges. These changes push us, as analysts and statisticians, to rethink our relationship with data. During this fellowship, you will explore opportunities to advance geospatial and data resources that are appropriate for statistical analysis and visualization, build new data sets, and innovate the way in which we use existing datasets. 

We are looking for a paid Fellow trained in geospatial and data visualization analytics to mentor under a mid-senior level survey statistician. This is a great opportunity to hone statistical skills and to gain experience collaborating with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), one of the 13 independent Federal statistical agencies. The ideal candidate will have experience in geospatial applications and data visualization, and be knowledgeable of data compilation and statistical analysis. The fellowship provides an excellent opportunity to provide input and creativity --thinking 'outside the box'-- into projects with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, as well as offer skills development, skills training, and networking opportunities.

Annual stipend: $78,000 (commensurate with educational level and experience)

Health insurance supplement: $3,000

Professional development allowance: $2,000

Relocation allowance: $2,000

This fellowship is located in the Office of Survey Programs (OSP). The OSP designs, develops, and conducts quality survey programs to capture information on the transportation system for effective use in transportation decision making. OSP staff collaborate across agencies, with all levels of project staff, with key internal and external stakeholders, and others to explore innovative methods of data collection and survey design in improving and initiating survey programs. Strong communication, coordination, and teamwork are needed to be successful in this role. In addition to assisting with developing and implementing transportation surveys, the selected candidate will be involved with researching and analyzing administrative and auxiliary data sources that can be used to further enhance transportation databases. He or she will also apply specialized data analysis techniques to collect, augment, and enhance BTS datasets. In addition, the candidate will assist with publishing and disseminating data that describe the characteristics, performance, use, and impact of the Nation's transportation systems.

This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens only.

The U.S. Department of Transportation is actively reviewing applications and is looking to fill positions as soon as qualified applicants are identified.

For a full description of this opportunity and to submit your application, visit https://www.zintellect.com/Opportunity/Details/DOT2018-08.

If you have questions, send an email to USDOT@orau.org.

UMD Data Challenge 2019

Are you creative? Analytical? Have a knack for solving complex problems? The UMD Data Challenge hosted by the University of Maryland's College of Information Studies and the School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation is our university's annual, week-long competition where UMD students across programs solve real-world problems using data from organizations such as Amazon Web Services and Baltimore City.

 

All data-driven UMD students (from any major or year) are invited to participate.

• Select a dataset provided by a sponsoring organization
• Use your creativity and analytical prowess to solve a problem
• Work with an industry mentor
• Compete for exciting prizes and kudos

This is a free event, including admission, swag, food, and beverages. Spots are limited. Register by January 31st to participate. For more information and to register for this event, click here.

Tutoring @ UMD

The Student Success Office is pleased to inform you that the www.tutoring.umd.edu website has updated. As a temporary measure due to the loss of Learning Assistance Services (LAS), we revamped the website to both provide information on tutoring and to provide a wide range of academic resources and services available on campus, from our peer institutions, and other non-university websites. Topics include: procrastination, time management, note-taking skills, stress, and much more! While these resources will be beneficial to our students, this newly updated website is in not a replacement of LAS.

ENSP306

There are still seats available in ENSP306 - Fundamentals of Qualitative Research Methods for Environmental Studies!

Course description: An introduction to research design and methods, with an in-depth focus on qualitative research methods and application to environmental studies. Topics include: writing an appropriate research question, identifying relevant methods, submitting a proposal to the Institutional Review Board, choosing appropriate sampling approaches, conducting interviews, focus groups, ethnographies, analyzing textual data, and presenting qualitative results.

Have questions about the course? Email Dr. Caroline Boules at cboules@umd.edu!

GEOG498I

Hey #GeoTerps! Are you interested in big data analysis, modeling, and using LiDAR data to study terrain reconstruction, urban modeling, forest management, and coastal data analysis? If so, check out GEOG498I offered this Spring! See syllabus here.

This course fulfills a 400 Level Technical Elective for GIS majors and can be towards by GEOG majors towards a GIS minor.

Course Learning Objectives:
Upon a successful completion of the course the students will be able to:
• Have in-depth knowledge of fundamentals of algorithms for geospatial data science.
• Learn techniques for efficiently encoding, manipulating and querying geospatial data.
• Gain substantial understanding of how geospatial data are actually processed in modern geographical information systems.
• Learn how to design and implement algorithms dealing with geospatial data, with emphasis on point data processing and analysis and on terrain modeling and analysis.
• Apply algorithms for discrete and continuous geospatial data to LiDAR data processing and analysis.