August 2016 GeoMentor Spotlight: Dawn Wright

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08-25-2016 07:37 AM
JoleneKeen1
Occasional Contributor II
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August 2016 GeoMentor Spotlight:

Dawn Wright, Esri Chief Scientist

What was your favorite class in K-12? Recess (just kidding), it was Science, with History a close second (we did not have geography in my K‐12)

How did you first learn about and/or use GIS? I was not exposed to GIS until my doctoral education. A few years after the deepsea vehicle Argo I was used to discover the HMS Titanic in 1986, I was presented with some of the first GIS data sets to be collected with that vehicle while a graduate student at UCSB. This provided me with the need and opportunity to learn GIS. It was also then that I became acutely aware of the challenges of applying GIS to deep marine environments which became the subject of my dissertation research back then in the early 1990s. 

Name one thing you love about GIS and/or geography (I know, just one!): the maps!!!!!!!

Why did you want to volunteer as a GeoMentor? I have been inspired by my colleagues both at Esri and AAG and wanted to do my part

If someone asked you why they should learn about GIS and/or geography, how would you respond in one sentence? Our very life on this planet depends upon it! It’s primarily through both GIS and geography that we can understand human‐environment interactions and cause‐and‐effect regarding climate change, migration and refugee movements, terrorist activity, ocean health, air quality, just about everything!

Email address: dwright@esri.com
Website:
OSU Professor Profile
Twitter username:
@deepseadawn

 

Interested in being featured? Go here for more information.

We are excited to learn more about you! 

Questions? Email geomentors@aag.org.