SAN MARCOS, CA (May 13, 2016) — Three Palomar College Geography students swept the awards for geographic information science (GIS) and digital mapping at the 22nd Annual California GIS Conference at the Sheraton Park Hotel at the Anaheim Resort, held on May 11, in Anaheim. The 2016 California GIS Conference, known as CalGIS 2016, is the annual conference of the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA).

Teresa Hodges won first place for her project “Chicago Crime: Taking it to the Streets: Analyzing Gun Crime Through Neighborhood Street Configurations.” Ms. Hodges and others submitted abstracts and videos of their Palomar spatial analysis projects for the opportunity to present their work at CalGIS 2016. Kari Palm won second place for her project “San Diego Highway Bridges at Risk”, and the third place award went to Thomas Crimmel for his community service learning project titled “North County Food Policy Council Web App.”

GIS program coordinator Wing Cheung said of the statewide competition sponsored by the URISA and the California Geographic Information Association, “it is a wonderful opportunity for students to get exposure for their projects, make professional connections, and obtain valuable feedback from GIS professionals.”

Students received cash awards, a one-year student membership to URISA and inclusion of their projects in the conference proceedings, to be published at a later date.

To learn more about the GIS certificate and degree programs at Palomar College, please visit www.palomar.edu/gis .

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Media Contacts:

Laura Gropen, Director, Public Affairs Office, 760-744-1150 x2152
Melinda Finn, Public Affairs Office, 760-744-1150 ext. 2365
Wing Cheung MPA, MSES, GISP, Associate Professor of Geography, 760-744-1150 ext.3652