Good Afternoon Geographers and Sustainers,

The TN Geographic Information Council (TNGIC) spring conference is coming up in April. Student participation in the event is highly encouraged by the TNGIC leadership and the TNGIC membership and they have several ways to encourage your participation. I’ll do my best to provide what I think is the most relevant information below, but feel free to follow up with additional questions.

 

• Location – Montgomery Bell State Park, the park has a small conference and convention space
• Lodging – The Lodge at Montgomery Bell State Park, after you register for the event, you’ll receive a code for a discounted rate for lodging. At the time of this email the code was only working sometimes when reserving your room online but you can call the park registration number and reserve over the phone
• Registration Cost – Free if you volunteer. $75 if you’re a student but don’t volunteer.
• How do you sign up to be a volunteer? If you don’t have one already, create a free TNGIC account.
• After you are logged in, use this link to sign up as a student volunteer.
• Why should you volunteer other than free registration? Because you’ll have lots of opportunities to meet and interact with geospatial professionals from across the state. See the Talking to People -> Professional Conferences section of the UTK Geography Career Coaching Guide for specific recommendations and ideas.
• How to be involved other than volunteering?
• There is a student map gallery and contest. These maps can be static or interactive. They can also be other interactive “map type” content like story maps, dashboards, hub sites, etc. Submit a “map” using this link. Be sure to pay attention to the deadlines. Contact me if you plan on submitting a static map so that we can schedule a time to get your map printed before the event.
• This would be a great opportunity to show off a final project from class or undergraduate research topic since you’re already doing the work.
• There is a student presentation session and contest. These are typically about 20 total minutes in length with a 15 minute presentation and 5 minutes for Q and A. I know for a fact that some recent graduates were hired in-part because their future employers were impressed with their presentations. Submit a presentation using this link. Be sure to pay attention to the deadlines. We’ll have a practice session before the conference for those of you presenting.
• This would be a great opportunity to show off a final project from class or undergraduate research topic since you’re already doing the work.
• Annual Cornhole tournament – There is always a social event one night with dinner and a cornhole tournament. Even if you’re terrible at it, you should sign up as a two-person team. You’ll spend some quality time hanging out with other TNGIC members. You sign up for the tournament the day of the event. No early registration necessary.
• What can you expect at the event?
• The event is spread over three days (April 12-14). Day one is for workshops. You won’t need to attend that day. Day two and three have keynotes, presentation sessions, the map gallery, etc.
• A keynote presentation is usually someone brought in as a special guest speaker. Everyone usually attends this morning event.
• Lunch is usually provided as part of the registration cost.
• There are usually two sets of concurrent sessions going on in the afternoon. You can attend any of these sessions that are of interest.
• One night there is a social where everyone gathers. There is usually food provided and live music, but not any alcohol.
• There is a map gallery where you can view the printed maps and interactive content.
• There is a vendor/exhibit area where you can meet companies that work in the geospatial field. There are usually several universities with booths there if you are interested in pursing a graduate degree related to geospatial technology.
• At some point there will be a business meeting where the TNGIC board of directors provides updates on organization initiatives, the budget, etc.
• There is usually some time set aside for committee meetings as well.
• This is a professional event.
• Dress, speak, and act like you would for a job interview or like you’re meeting a potential employer. You’ll be required to agree to the TNGIC code of conduct to register for the event.
• That being said, you can expect a friendly and laid back atmosphere. Many of the folks you meet will have been TNGIC members for decades and look forward to reconnecting with their friends and colleagues.
• TNGIC has a long history of supporting all forms of student participation. You will be welcome at the event. You should feel free to introduce yourself to anyone you meet, give them your elevator pitch, and pick their brains like you would in an informational interview.
• What other costs can you expect?
• As a volunteer, registration is complimentary.
• Several meals during the event are also provided. But I don’t think breakfast is provided. There is a restaurant on-site.
• You’ll need to cover the cost of lodging at the inn. Because the event space is on the other side of Nashville, it is customary to book a room the night before the main conference starts (night of April 12) and check out the last day of the conference (April 14). Having a roommate is a great way to reduce the cost.
• You’ll also need to cover the cost of transportation to and from the event space. Carpooling is a great way to reduce the cost.
• What other sources of funding are available?
• If you present at the conference (map, poster, presentation, etc), the Office of Undergraduate Research provides travel funding. But you have to apply for the funding, so do it early.
• I’ll check and see if there are other funding sources available and let you know.

 

That seems like a fairly exhaustive summary for the event. As always, contact me with any questions you may have.

 

Michael Camponovo

GIS Outreach Coordinator

Geography Department, UT Knoxville

209A Burchfiel Geography Building

1000 Phillip Fulmer Way

Knoxville, TN 37996

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(865) 974-5348

https://gislab.utk.edu