The Fourth Annual BAAMA Educational Scholarship
attracted applications from students across Bay Area colleges and
universities. This year's winners submitted projects in a wide range of
subject matters (public health service centers, access to sex education
and web-based walking trails).
Susan Paulukonis, a graduate student
at UC Berkeley School of Public Health, is our First Place prize winner
for her poster “California's Metabolic Centers: Usage Patterns and Need
by Newborn Screening Identified Clients, 2005-2009.” Susan utilized
geocoding, spatial interpolation and network analysis to tackle the
following problem: The California Genetic Disease Screening Program
needed to understand who is using which metabolic referral centers,
whether one or two more centers may be needed, and if so, where in the
state they should be sited. This preliminary analysis determines center
usage by clients, distance traveled, areas of unmet need and a
preliminary look at diagnoses in the state. Susan plans to continue
using GIS to explore the distribution of disease as well as access to
services in California.
Deviyani Gurung, an undergraduate
student at the University of California, Berkeley, was awarded the
Second Place prize for her poster entry “Is Planned Parenthood Serving
You?” Deviyani’s poster shows a series of maps in San Francisco,
California. One map demonstrates proximity analyses between high
schools and Planned Parenthood facilities. A second map presents
optimal bicycle and bus routes. And, the third map suggests site
locations for additional Planned Parenthood facilities. Overall, the
poster reveals that many high school students are underserved by the
current Planned Parenthood facility locations and offers a solution.
Deviyani plans to pursue a career in city planning where she will use
GIS to help allocate funds and resources to lower income areas.
Gary Lyons, a student at Diablo
Valley College, is our Third Place prize winner for his web based Google
Earth rendering of the Carquinez Strait, available at: http://terraordo.com/index.php/projects/maps_and_cartography/google_earth_overlay/.
Four walking trails were mapped with GPS and the elevation profiles
are shown for each trail. Gary plans to be a GIS professional with an
emphasis in remote sensing and cartography.
First-, second-, and third-place
prizes included awards of $1500, $1000, and $500, respectively. All
three awards include Individual Membership in BAAMA for the 2010-11
fiscal year.
BAAMA is very excited about and proud
of all those who entered the BAAMA Educational Scholarship competition.
Congratulations to every student who is doing his/her part to use GIS
and other geospatial technologies to improve and enhance the
understanding and management of our Bay Area. Look out for the next
scholarship in 2011!