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| Maps from the Overall Skills Competition Winner's Poster |
Esri Canada: Skills Canada GIS 2018 competition wrap up - Four teams of two tackled the challenge: analyzing the services and amenities available to seniors living in Brampton who do not drive.
Google Blog: Google Science Fair 2018: Resources for educators to get ideas flowing - The Google Science Fair is a global online competition in partnership with Lego Education, National Geographic, Scientific American and Virgin Galactic. "Submissions for this year’s Science Fair will open in September 2018. But since teachers play such an important behind-the-scenes role in helping students test their hypotheses and prepare their submissions, we wanted to give teachers a head start on prepping for the competition. There's a library of new teaching materials and exercises for educators."
Resources
Esri: GeoInquiries - There are two new collections: US Government and Civics with 11 of 15 activities available in public beta. The complete collection is expected to be available around June 1. And, there'll be some GeoInquiries announcements at the Education GIS Summit in July.
Esri Certification Program: "We’ve created a few new tools to support geospatial program champions as they align their programs with an Esri technical certification. The Esri Technical Certification for Education story map, is a high-level guide bringing awareness of the key issues that surround the alignment process. Additionally, the Higher Education Alignment Survey, measures an institution's readiness to align with the Esri Technical Certification Program. With these tools, program champions are empowered to meet their alignment goals. Join us in a conversation in GeoNet."4-H Code Your World: "This October, 4‑H and Google will launch an exciting National Youth Science Day (NYSD) challenge, Code Your World, which invites kids to get involved in computer science through hands-on doing." There is one computer activity (using Scratch) and some hands on activities including one that seems to involve coloring a map. The challenge is "perfect for first-time and beginner coders ages 8-14."
On and Off Campus
The Spokesman review: NNU summer drone project to map Idaho history - Northwest Nazarene University professor Dale Hamilton and computer science students will use drones to help archaeologists get a better look at Idaho’s history in the Boise Basin and throughout the Boise National Forest.
Sierra Sun Times: Stanislaus State Geography Seniors Put Merced County Files on the Map - "Eight University students in a service learning geography class spent the spring semester piloting Merced County’s shift to user-friendly digital archiving. A second group in the same class started a project to map sites where first responders may need to accommodate special needs or language barriers."
Chicago Tribune: Wrigley Field serves as classroom for Lane Tech students - "Lane Tech College Prep High School students, in collaboration with the University of Chicago, will be installing sensor boxes at Wrigley Field to measure sound levels, customer satisfaction and air quality, among other things."
Folio: Study pinpoints Edmonton neighbourhoods that would benefit most from off-leash dog areas - "'It seems neighbourhoods farther away from the city core have a higher dog population, yet have the fewest off-leash opportunities,' said Joseana Lara, who conducted the study with classmate Miguel Monsalve as a requirement for a senior-level advanced geographic information systems course that saw students systematically look into ways to make Edmonton more livable by relying on geospatial data." The course is required for a planning degree at the University of Alberta.
Courses and Programs
NGA: NGA receives national accreditation for geospatial intelligence certification programs - "The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s GEOINT Professional Certification Program, the official credentialing program of the National System for Geospatial Intelligence, achieved national accreditation for all 10 of its geospatial intelligence professional certification programs, April 20." Huh? From what I understand it means the The National Commission for Certifying Agencies, the standard-setting body of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence, says the ten certification programs are A-OK. The handbook (pdf), interestingly, lists 11 certifications.
USGIF: USGIF Partners with Boundless to Provide Educational Opportunities for GeoINT Community - "Boundless will provide an educational support package to four online-only, USGIF-accredited GEOINT programs. Additionally, Boundless and USGIF will provide all 14 USGIF-accredited colleges and universities with access to Boundless data and training guides to complement Boundless software and support open-source learning."
Profile: Brandman University
Brandman evolved from part of the Chapman University system, which has campuses around Orange County, California, and an online presence. Brandman, formerly Chapman University College, was started in 1958 to teach individuals at El Toro Marine Corps base in Irvine. Brandman is named after its key funder, the Joyce and Saul Brandman Foundation. Both Chapman and Brandman are regionally accredited (for most disciplines) and are private, non-profit schools.
Today Brandman serves adult and military students from 25 campuses in California and Washington State in its hybrid programs as well as via 100% online programs. It offers a two course $700 Esri-backed undergraduate GIS certificate focusing on GIS Use in Non-Profit Organizations. The press release above notes how GIS is "snowballing" within the university and popping up in social science and business degrees.