January 2016 GeoMentor Spotlight: Brian King
Each month we'll feature at least one GeoMentor volunteer, learning more about them and the wonderful and enthusiastic talent available in our GeoMentor community to assist K-12 schools with GIS and geography applications for their classrooms.Read about our currently featured member of the community below, or check out previously featured GeoMentors by using the navigation links on the right. If you are interested in being featured, go here for more information. We are excited to learn more about our GeoMentor community members!
If you aren't a GeoMentor yet, we'd love to have you participate!
January 2016 GeoMentor Spotlight
Brian King - GIS Analyst / Archeologist
Position/Job/Affiliation: GIS Anaylst V / Archeologist at Freese and Nichols, Inc,, Austin, Texas; Staff Grade at the Pennsylvania State University, Dutton e-Education Institute, World Campus. Past-President URISA Texas (2012-2015); present Vice-President URISA Texas (2016). National Information Security, Geospatial Technologies Consortium (NISGTC), Board Member, since 2013.
What was your favorite class in K-12? History
How did you first learn about and/or use GIS? I started using GIS while working in Cultural Resource Management (CRM). I used ArcGIS to depict archeological site boundaries and the location of shovel tests and backhoe trench excavations across the site. A lot of my field data was collected using a Trimble GPS unit and I used a GIS for mapping. I enjoyed GIS so much that I earned my masters degree from Pennsylvania State University.
Name one thing you love about GIS and/or geography: A GIS allows people to spatially organize large datasets,
visually view complex issues, and ask questions that lead to wise decision making.
Why did you want to volunteer as a GeoMentor? Most people have no idea what a GIS is and do not
realize how embedded it is in our daily lives. Introducing K-12 students to Geography and GIS will change how they view the world and provide them with valuable skills that can be utilized once they enter the working world.
What kind of GeoMentor volunteer opportunity and experience are you looking for? I am interested in exposing elementary students to GIS and showing them how it can help them better understand the world. GIS is a tool that students can use again and again as their education progresses, as well as provide them with an enjoyable skill once school is finished.
If someone asked you why they should learn about GIS and/or geography, how would you respond in one sentence? People who study GIS and Geography are in a better position to ask analytical questions and make rational decisions on topics that impace the earth (i.e. flooding, crime analyses, population distribution, predictive models, etc.)
Email address: bck@freese.com; bcking00@yahoo.com
Website(s): http://urisatexas.org/ ; https://www.linkedin.com/in/briancking
If you are interested in being featured, visit here for more information.