I see my discipline, Geographic Information Science (GIS) as the intersection of Geography and Computer Science – from which I have earned my degrees. Therefore, I want students to be able to think geographically – that is, to critically consider the dynamic spatial and temporal issues of a problem and to consider how scale and distance impact our human and physical environments. I also want them to think computationally – that is, to break problems into smaller components in a logical sequence and consider how a representation in a computer is related to the object in the real world. These skills – understanding spatial relations and logical problem solving – are critical skills in our discipline and in the wider world.
My teaching and research interests in Geographic Information Science (GIS) include Volunteered Geographic Information, Space-Time Spatial Analysis and Modeling, GIS and Geography Education, and GIS and Society including Digital Places and Web GIS. I have taught Fundamentals of GIS, Advanced GIS, GIS Design and Implementation, and Advanced Spatial Analysis with GIS, Spatial Modeling, GIS Programming, Cartography, Map Use, and Statistics. I have also given workshops in Python Programming with GIS and Open Source GIS.
I am currently an Instructor of Geospatial Sciences in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Metropolitan State University of Denver.