Paul Burgess
IDSC/MA '00

1. Please describe your present professional position? Please include the URL of your organization.

As a Project Manager/Research Analyst, my responsibilities include:
• Leading or supporting multiple GIS implementation projects targeting improved water quality, species conservation, public health and national spatial data infrastructure (SDI);
• Leading project scoping and system design, analyzing user needs and system requirements, developing work plans, budgets and managing client relationships;
• Cultivating new business relationships and writing proposals;
• Teaching a variety of GIS-related topics to graduate students and GIS professionals.

URL: www.institute.redlands.edu

2. What do you find satisfying about your position?

The ability to work on all aspects of a GIS initiative, including needs assessment, requirements analysis, system design, application development, project implementation and delivery of final products. Also, interacting with clients and a larger stakeholder community.

3. How did the GISDE program at Clark University help to prepare you?

The courses at Clark provided me with a foundation in GI science and remote sensing. Clark teaches you how to approach issues from a geographic perspective where other programs emphasize learning how to use a particular technology. Also, contacts made at Clark translated into job prospects upon graduation.

4. Why should prospective students enroll in the GISDE program at Clark University?

The Clark program is a good place to study for those interested in GIS/RS as applied to international conservation and development issues and for those who want a solid theoretical foundation in GIS/RS. For those not ready to commit to the GISDE program, an MA in International Development and Social Change with coursework in GIS/RS is a good alternative because it qualifies you for NGO management positions where a background in GIS is an advantage.

5. Did you have an internship as part of your Clark education? If so, how did it help to connect you to your current career?

My summer internship came by way of a Clark alum involved in a USAID-funded project in rural Guatemala. Through this contact, I had the opportunity to work there for the summer and study Spanish. It gave me some general exposure to GIS consulting and to community-based resources management.

6. What was the topic of your research while at Clark University?

My research focused on conservation and development trade-offs in the Ipswitch Watershed, sponsored through an NSF Grant and in collaboration with Professor Gil Pontius.