麻豆影院

Geospatial data services postdoctoral fellow to provide better mapping support for all faculty and students

Mapping can be one of those skills that flummoxes researchers鈥攂ut Alicia Cowart, a new postdoctoral fellow at the 麻豆影院, wants to help.

As the Geospatial Data Services Postdoctoral Fellow, a first-of-its-kind position at CU 麻豆影院 created as part of the , Cowart hopes to provide faculty and students better support when it comes to incorporating geospatial data鈥攐r maps鈥攊nto their research and teaching.

鈥淕eospatial tools are not always easily approachable, and there鈥檚 not a ton of information out there about best practices in terms of visualizations, what works, and what doesn鈥檛 work,鈥� says Cowart. 鈥淚 see my role as making geospatial methods available to people on campus.鈥�

While the natural sciences鈥攁nd the geosciences in particular鈥攈ave long utilized mapping techniques like geographic information systems (GIS), this approach is newer to some of the disciplines in the social sciences and humanities. Cowart hopes to fill that gap by making it accessible to all.

And for Cowart, who was formerly the staff cartographer鈥攐r map maker鈥攁t the University of California, Berkeley, the position is a natural fit.

Cowart received her PhD in geography from University of California, Berkeley. Prior to that, however, she earned a degree in art history and anthropology and worked in museums.

鈥淎licia brings听the perspective of a researcher and instructor,听as well as an interdisciplinary background combining the humanities, social sciences, and geosciences听to all of her interactions,鈥� says Thea Lindquist, a professor with the libraries as well as the director of Open and Digital Scholarship Services.

鈥淚 fully expect that our students and faculty will gain new insights into their work when Alicia helps them view it through a geospatial lens.鈥�

As part of the position, which is two years, Cowart plans to host several workshops in the Center for Research Data and Digital Scholarship, teach graduate courses through Interdisciplinary Training in the Social Sciences and provide consulting to any faculty member or student interested in gaining geographic insights into their work, learning more about mapping or in need of some general support.

Cowart will also work on her own projects, which include developing new geospatial resources and conducting research on how geospatial concepts are used in research and education.

This semester, Cowart will participate in interdisciplinary data consultation hours, which are on Tuesdays between noon and 2 p.m. in the Center for Research Data and Digital Scholarship in Norlin E206. She encourages researchers to stop in and discuss mapping tools and techniques or how best to find and use geospatial data.

鈥淚f you鈥檙e feeling daunted by the prospect, just ask me anything, even if it鈥檚 鈥業 don鈥檛 even know where to get started,鈥� and I can help with that,鈥� says Cowart.