NC State University and the Center for Geospatial Analytics are proud to name MGIST ’23 alum Kim Garrett as our 2024 Esri Innovation Program Student of the Year!
For her MGIST capstone service-learning project, Garrett partnered with NC State’s Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources to create web mapping applications for both desktop and mobile that support exploring tree diversity on campus and guide visitors through four different tours: Wildlife Uses of Trees, Tree Ecosystem Services, Trees Across Time and Indigenous People’s Stories.
“Kim’s master’s capstone work is a perfect example of combining multiple technologies to address a visualization and instructional challenge that one of our faculty members was encountering,” says Eric Money, the Center’s Associate Director of Educational Innovation and director of the MGIST program. “Kim’s work will provide a useful platform for both students, faculty and regular visitors to campus to explore, in real-time, the tree population across NC State’s campus. With informative visuals, navigation capabilities and the ability to add data, Kim has created a truly interactive experience.”
The Esri Innovation Program (EIP) was established by Esri, the world’s top commercial GIS software company, to “cultivate innovation in GIS research and promote teaching excellence in spatial data science and analytics and GIScience in higher education institutions.” The Center for Geospatial Analytics was invited by Esri to join the program in Fall 2017. Each EIP institution worldwide can honor one student each year who has shown exemplary work in the area of GIS development and application.
The award comes with a $500 prize, a certificate of award and free Esri Press book. In addition, Garrett’s name will be engraved on a plaque that resides at the Center for Geospatial Analytics, and she will be entered into the pool of all EIP student winners worldwide, from which one winner will be selected.
