Tampa, Florida – Hillsborough County 4-H partnered with the Tampa Bay GIS User Group (TBGIS), to put on a GIS Career Exploration event to introduce youth to the variety of careers that use maps and geospatial analysis.
The event was part of 4-H’s “Beyond Ready” initiative that “empowers young people and prepares them for life by providing positive youth development,” said Amber Norris, Hillsborough County 4-H Agent.
“There are ample career opportunities in geospatial fields, allowing youth to pursue meaningful careers in disciplines that are interesting to them. The outlook for these professions is experiencing and is projected to continue to experience growth based on emerging technologies,” she added.
The event was held at the Florida Department of Transportation District 7 (FDOT D7) Headquarters and allowed youth and their parents to interact with professionals from the industry, with representatives from the public, private, and academic sectors.
After a brief introduction to what GIS is and different career entry points and educational resources, students saw demos of web-based map applications that Hillsborough County produces for residents from Ingrid Jourgensen, Senior GIS Analyst.
Students learned how GIS is used to manage and monitor large scale projects in solid waste during a presentation by Brooke Aumann, Senior GIS Analyst with SCS Engineers, and they learned about types of data that can be collected using drones during a demo of a Wingtra fixed-wing drone by Omar Maldonado, UAS/Support Specialist with SISO Air. Maldonado flew multiple drones and collected imagery of the group.
The event introduced the participants to careers that many of them were not aware of before attending. TBGIS hopes to host future events, possibly with additional counties in the Tampa Bay area in the future, to “engage young people and let them know what their career options really are with real world looks at unique, lesser-known professions.”
“Focusing on real examples and how to get there will ensure their success when they are ready to enter the workforce,” said Aumann.
Steve Branson, who hosted the event at FDOT D7, echoed this sentiment saying, “I really enjoyed spreading the good word on GIS to members of the Hillsborough County 4-H Club. It was a great opportunity to show motivated young men and woman there are great career opportunities in the GIS field out there just waiting for them.”
The groups hope to capitalize on this partnership and provide more opportunities in the future. Norris said, “This collaborative event helped our youth explore the many career paths available in GIS. The goal was to spark interest in GIS for these youth, and the hope is to continue to do so for others.”
Keep an eye out on the TBGIS website, the Hillsborough County 4-H website or social media, and the Geomatics Extension website for upcoming events. If you are interested in more information or planning your own event, reach out to any of these groups!
The event was supported by companies including Woolpert, SISO Air, SCS Engineers, state and local government including FDOT, the City of Clearwater, and Hillsborough County, the TBGIS group, and UF IFAS, through Hillsborough County 4-H and the Geomatics Extension program.
(For more information contact Katie Britt, Assistant Director for UF/IFAS Geomatics Extension at the University of Florida’s School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences. Reach her at k.britt@ufl.edu or 813-757-2223.
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