Ogden News

WKU senior Eric Anderson, a C-130 Flight Engineer for the Kentucky Air National Guard and a GIS Intern with EnSafe in Bowling Green, has been awarded a scholarship to attend the Environmental Systems Research Institute’s Federal Geographic Information Systems Conference in February 2016.

Kentucky Guardsman and WKU GIScience senior Eric Anderson of Louisville has been awarded a scholarship to attend the Environmental Systems Research Institute’s (Esri) Federal Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Conference Feb. 23-26 in Washington, D.C.

The conference brings together government professionals to help direct their missions by showcasing geospatial products, solutions, and services, as well as by addressing current and future GIS challenges. Attendees at the conference have a variety of opportunities for GIS training, professional development, workshops, plenary sessions and engagement meetings. Anderson will receive full conference registration, hotel accommodations and per diem allowance for meals during the conference in exchange for helping Esri staff with registration, monitoring technical sessions and logistics.

Eric Anderson

This marks the first time that a WKU student has been awarded a scholarship for Esri’s Federal GIS Conference. Over the past 13 years, WKU has been awarded an average of two student scholarships annually to attend Esri’s International GIS Conference, which is held during the summer in San Diego. Only 60 students are selected each year from American universities and colleges for scholarships.

“This is a great opportunity for Eric to see GIS in the practical world at the federal level from the front to the back end,” said Kevin Cary, WKU’s GIS Center Director. “He has a chance to network and engage with GIS experts discussing spatial solutions and best practices, while gaining additional insight into the expectations required for entering professional GIS after graduation.”

Anderson is a C-130 Flight Engineer for the Kentucky Air National Guard and also a GIS Intern with EnSafe in Bowling Green. He’s attached to the 165th Air Lift Squadron with over 2,500 flight hours and has been deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq and the Horn of Africa. In 2007, Anderson was awarded the Air Crew of the Air Force Award.

EnSafe is a global consulting firm that provides solutions to environmental, engineering and technical applications. In 2008, EnSafe received Esri’s Special Achievement in GIS Award. From map makers to spatial solution providers, GIS lets us visualize, investigate and understand spatial data to reveal patterns, relationships and trends. Anderson’s interests in GIS are in navigation, 3D modeling, web maps and spatial databases.

For information on GIS, visit http://www.wku.edu/gis or contact Kevin Cary in the WKU’s Center for GIS at (270) 745-2981 or kevin.cary@wku.edu

Contact: Kevin Cary, (270) 745-2981