CGIA Member Spotlight: Rachel Russell

 

 

Job: Associate Professor, GIS, San Diego Mesa College

 

Bio: Rachel started at San Diego Mesa College in 2015.  Prior to Mesa College, Rachel was an Assistant Professor in Environmental Policy and Planning at University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, where she implemented an accelerated GIS class schedule and developed an Advanced GIS class.  She has an undergraduate degree in International Affairs from George Washington University (’05), a Master’s degree in Geography from Arizona State University (’07), and a Ph.D. in Geography from University of Southern California (’13).

Rachel first became interested in GIS as an undergrad at GWU where she saw how maps aid in the visualization of complex international environmental policy issues.  She continued to develop her GIS skills as a tool to support her research and illustrate her findings throughout graduate school.  She TA’ed several GIS labs at USC, and was inspired by the relevant, interactive, and innovate ways GIS was used to teach about natural hazards.  These methods provide a foundation for how Rachel structures her classes today, relying less on standard textbooks and more on problem solving and critical thinking about issues facing the San Diego region.

 

Project(s): Most of Rachel’s time is dedicated to preparing GIS Technician Certificate and Associate’s Degree students for the diverse regional workforce.  Currently, Rachel is working with adjuncts and an industry advisory committee to develop courses and material related to Web GIS, Python and Juptyer Notebooks, machine learning, and converting coursework to ArcGIS Pro to prepare students for employment.

When not teaching or developing teaching materials, Rachel has been busy supporting student independent projects and internships.  Some of the most interesting projects she has supervised include a Library Cat interactive web map, mapping San Diego food deserts, refugee resettlement patterns, and public art siting.  At UWGB Rachel supported a student developing a campus tree inventory.  Rachel recently began a collaboration with Mesa’s Multimedia program to print 3D maps of campus.

 

Anything about yourself? Rachel and her husband enjoy exploring nature with their energetic 3-year-old son, Alex.  Rachel is particularly proud that one of Alex’s prized possessions is a San Diego Zoo map that he calls his “treasure map” and regularly consults.

You can find Rachel on LinkedIn and more about Mesa College’s GIS Certificate and Associate’s Degree program here.  She’s always looking for GIS folks to speak to her students about their career path and the day in the life of a GIS professional!