GEO415/PAD515 Cartography

The course, GEO 415/PAD 515 Cartography, focuses on teaching students how to make professional maps with use of the mapping software, ArcGIS Desktop. In this semester, this course was offered with combining with the Mayerson Student Philanthropy Projects. Each student has been working on a different mapping project for a different non-profit organization. Working on the Mayerson projects is extremely valuable for the students to gain not only insights of applying cartographic theories to create qualify maps, but also experiences of solving real world problems for local non-profit organizations. All these experiences help to prepare the students not only to succeed in their future career in their own field, but also to extend their future career opportunities to other fields.

Quotes from various GEO 415/PAD 515 Students:

"This community interaction gives me confidence about being able to use these new GIS skills in a real-world setting. I feel as though I will be able to incorporate GIS applications into a possible career for myself. These skills are another positive experience that I am bring to the table and offer my future employers."
 

"This project was very beneficial for learning GIS and for gaining confidence in communicating with people I have never met before. It has helped me to learn how to ask for more information if needed and how to be outspoken if something isn’t working correctly or if I’m not able to do something specific for anyone that I’m working with. This project, and working with my organization, was a wonderful experience."
 

"Working with Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) taught me a lot of things. One being that there are different ways to map. ...Working with my nonprofit also brought to my attention how everyone could benefit from having a map or having someone with a background in map making."
 

"After working on this project for the time we have, I do think it has impacted my direction for my career field. ...It is amazing and even fun seeing all the ways this program can be manipulated to show data that will be useful to a client and help the community. ...I have been looking into jobs that would require the program and that is not only for the geology field."

A word from Faith Community Pharmacy Executive Director, Aaron Broomall:

"We are very grateful and excited for this project. We know there will be many others we can help as a result of the student's work and this grant."

Adapted from Faith Community Pharmacy's website.

Faith Community Pharmacy was founded in 2002 as the St. Vincent de Paul Community Pharmacy by two local pharmacists, Mary Beth Beimesch and Rosana Aydt who saw there was a need for prescription help throughout Northern Kentucky. The pharmacy service area consists of the 14 counties of the Diocese of Covington. Our formulary targets chronic disease states, such as diabetes, cardiovascular illnesses, COPD, asthma, mental health, GI/GU and rheumatology. The pharmacy is prohibited by law from dispensing controlled substances.  Our goal is to ensure that no one in Northern Kentucky goes without needed medication do to affordability.

A word from the Center for Employment Opportunities Business Account Manager, Erica DiMartino:

"I am so excited for CEO to be able to use this money to help our participants get to and from work and give them the running start they need to re-enter the workforce. To have the updated map to help them get to and from those places and facilitate that transition is a huge help! We are so excited to get the grant and support the transition of our participants to new jobs and so appreciate this opportunity."

Adapted from the Center for Employment Opportunities website:

We provide immediate, effective, and comprehensive employment services exclusively to individuals who have recently returned home from incarceration.

Our vision is that anyone with a criminal record who wants to work has the preparation and support needed to find a job and stay connected to the labor force. We believe that everyone, regardless of their past, deserves the chance to shape a stronger future for themselves, their family, and their communities.

Professor Wang: If the class had been taught regularly, the class would be face-to-face class and the students would visit the nonprofit on site. However, due to COVID-19, all my students did the virtual site visit by ZOOM or just emails, which were still very successfully and helped the nonprofit and the students to learn each other's needs.
 
Another adjustment was all the class project activities were conducted on Canvas Discussion Board, instead of in-class presentations. For example, the selection of target nonprofit mapping projects was done on Canvas Discussion Board and each student posted their target nonprofit by following the rule of "the first come and the first serves". The Mayerson Project award was also voted on Canvas Discussion Board. The presentation/advertisement for the student's collaborator nonprofit was posted on Canvas Discussion Board first, and then every student submitted their ranking of all applicants in Assignment Submission Folder on Canvas. The project final presentation/poster was also presented on Canvas Discussion Board and every student read and commented on other people's poster.