Ryan graduated in 2012 with a BA in Environmental Studies. He is now a Senior Scientist at the Natural Capital Project in the University of Minnesota
The problem solving skills from Environmental Studies have stuck with Ryan throughout his education
I first encountered GIS in an environmental justice class and while I had no idea what was going on, was definitely interested in learning more. I took ENTS 120 and worked in the GIS lab mapping research projects in the arb.
I remember running the same model over and over again for my comps and not understanding why it was failing. After days of failing I finally asked Wei-Hsin for help and she spotted the problem in 5 minutes. I’ve also been surprised at how skills that were so mysterious and overwhelming in ENTS 120 have come back to me years later.
I got a M.S. in Natural Resources Science and Management with a concentration Geospatial Analysis at the University of Minnesota. The cool thing about the program, and GIS courses generally, is course work was spread between departments like computer science, geography, and forestry. You get to develop a very interdisciplinary skill.
GIS can lead to interesting projects and collaborations
Having even basic GIS skills is a huge asset in lab I work at in a policy school. Graduate students with GIS skills are always in demand and get to work really interesting projects. GIS projects include a wide range of activities such as making simple static maps, coding, web development, and spatial analysis.
GIS is a technical skill that can set you apart in a wide range of fields. Even if you don’t specialize in it, I found it useful for getting my foot in the door for jobs or collaborations. Maps are a great communication tool that not many people can make.
Ryan uses GIS to map and model environmental benefits, threats, and social attributes
I use it in almost all of my research to map and model environmental benefits, threats, and social attributes. A sample of projects includes:
- Assessing the benefits in the state’s conservation portfolio
- Mapping climate change projections, and the impacts to
ecosystems and people - Modeling land use change in supply chains
- Quantifying ecosystem services of agricultural landscapes.
- Mapping survey results
- Modeling water quality changes.