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News from Along the 61st Parallel...

This just in...Microsearch GeoLab donation

Microsearch has donated 46 educational licenses of their GeoLab software to the department! "GeoLab is the world-leading software for surveying network adjustments of GPS and conventional data." This software will complement our existing software capabilities and provide our students with exposure and practice with a world class adjustment program. Our thanks goes out to Dr. Robin R. Steeves, President of Microsearch Corporation.
The department recently received a new Trimble GEO XT mobile GIS mapping grade GPS receiver donated by our education partners Trimble and Accupoint. Additional donations are in the works.
Two 2005 UAA Bachelor of Science in Geomatics graduates were recently featured by the university in a promotional advertisement that appeared in the local Anchorage Daily News. A scanned pdf file of the story is available here.
The UAA Office of Sponsored Programs Research News recently featured an article about the Geomatics Labs. The article is on page 3 of the newsletter.
The new UAA AeroMap U.S. & DAT/EM Systems International Photogrammetry Lab was recently dedicated at a ceremony held on campus and hosted by UAA Chancellor Elaine Maimon. Numerous geomatics community members were present to help with the celebration and to view a demonstration of the new equipment. Even the Chancellor (pictured in yellow) got to demo one of the systems. See more information on the Geomatics Lab page.
Five UAA students traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada over Spring Break to attend the American Congress on Surveying & Mapping national conference. Two of the students, Buku Saliz and Alissa Pempek, accepted scholarships from ACSM at the awards ceremony. A third UAA student not present, Elaine Nefzger, was recognized as the winner of The Museum of Surveying - North American Surveying History Scholarship. The rest of the team competed in the plane table topographic surveying competition. A few pictures are available here. The team would like to thank their many sponsors, without whom the trip would not have been possible.
GIS Day 2004 was held Friday, November 12, 2004 in the facilities of the School of Engineering at the University of Alaska Anchorage. GIS Day is a chance for school age children and the general public to learn about Geographic Information Systems and other aspects of Geomatics such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) and Photogrammetry & Remote Sensing. Attendees learned how the tools of GIS and GPS are used for private and government projects and how important they are to everyday activities. Short classes, computer activities, outside demonstrations and activities, lectures, and displays were available all day at the UAA Engineering Building. View the GIS Day flyer in pdf format here. Fuzzy pictures are here.
Announcing the latest donation from private industry to assist UAA Geomatics students. DAT/EM Systems International and Aeromap U.S.
recently gave the department the latest Summit Evolution software, upgrading from the original Summit software. In addition to their software, DAT/EM will provide technical support for three years. Total value of this donations exceeds $100,000. To properly run this digital photogrammetry software also required an upgrade to our hardware, to the tune of $7,000. Thankfully the local Alaska Region of the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) volunteered to foot the bill for the hardware upgrade. In recognition of their donations, the lab will be formally renamed in their honor.
Read the latest article about the program in The Alaskan Surveyor newsletter.
Seven UAA Geomatics students had the opportunity to attend the 2004 ACSM/TAPS Conference in Nashville, TN in April thanks to the generosity of their corporate and individual sponsors. Our heartfelt thanks goes out to the sponsors for their monetary and airline miles donations. Stay tuned for the full report with pictures...

Also at the conference, UAA Geomatics student Brad Watts was presented with the award for the 2004 Nettie Dracup Memorial Scholarship. Congratulations Brad!
Despite traveling great distances to get to Nashville and the difficulty involved, UAA students managed to participate in Nashville along with other universities by setting up an information booth.
Other notable news from Spring 2004; UAA Geomatics student Elaine Nefzger was selected as one of the winners of the UAA Student Showcase competition. This is only the second time that a Geomatics student has won and represents a rare feat for an engineering related field. Her winning entry was a well researched and written report entitled "United States Land Law in Alaska 1867-1912". Here is a list of winners.
Congratulations to UAA Geomatics student Buku Saliz, one of the recipients of the Western Federation of Professional Surveyors (WFPS) Scholarships!
Recent rulings have changed the testing conditions for the FLS and FE exams. GSA president Brad Watts shares his opinion on the matter here.
Attention Students! Scholarships for the coming year are available. Check here and then apply. Nothing to lose, plenty to gain. Talk to your advisor if you need some help or, what else, advice.