Written by Quinn Callaghan, 2026 Undergraduate Summer Intern
My Summer Working with Levy County Emergency Management
Having spent my entire life in Florida, I’ve repeatedly watched the rebuilding process that occurs after natural disasters. As I’ve become interested in pursuing a career in public service, I’ve felt drawn to emergency management as I know firsthand how essential it is. Because of this, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work as an Emergency Management GIS Support Intern this summer.
Research, Fieldwork, and Building the GIS System
During this time, I worked with my fellow intern, Ellie Urichko, to build the foundations of a GIS system that will help Levy County more efficiently prepare for and respond to disasters. While the title of “GIS Intern” may imply that I spent most of my time making maps, I got to help conduct a lot of the foundational research that goes into creating a well-functioning GIS system. This involved doing research into how different Florida counties structure their GIS systems and evaluating different GIS software options to help decisionmakers at Levy County pick which approach was the best fit for them. One especially rewarding part of the research I conducted was interviewing GIS professionals at other counties to get an inside look at how they conducted their work. This allowed me to learn from John Carlson at Alachua County, Alexander Cheek at Wakulla County, and Cynthia Skelhorn at Citrus County.
Working Together to Strengthen Disaster Preparedness
Throughout the summer, I was struck by how much our project differed from GIS projects I had done for class assignments. Rather than being given a set of instructions or a clearly defined end product to aim for, Ellie and I had to figure out what a practical system would look like for a group of people who will continue using and building off it long after our internships end. To do this, we worked with our faculty advisor, Dr. Kathryn Frank, associate professor in the UF Department of Urban and Regional Planning, as well as professionals from Levy County’s Development and Emergency Management Departments, including Bernard Cox, Nasim Ghasemi, Leatha Keene, Caleb Hardee, and Jordan Delvecchio. Through this, we gained a better understanding of Levy County’s existing emergency management systems and how GIS could supplement their work.
Acknowledgements
Ultimately, this internship was a valuable way to take my GIS skills outside of the classroom for the first time, and the work I did with Levy County has made me excited to keep developing these skills. I am immensely grateful for the work Nature Coast Biological Station, the University of Florida, and Levy County did to create this opportunity and for the guidance Dr. Kathryn Frank provided during my work this summer. I would also like to thank Bernard Cox, Nasim Ghasemi, Leatha Keene, Caleb Hardee, and Jordan Delvecchio for teaching me about the work they do in Levy County and Ellie Urichko for being such an amazing fellow intern to work with. I would also like to extend my gratitude to John Carlson, Alexander Cheek, and Cynthia Skelhorn for being so generous with their time and expertise during our interviews.
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