Kendall Iida
Kendall is an undergraduate transfer student seeking a B.S. in Rangeland and Forest Management with an Ecological Restoration Minor at Colorado State University. He enjoys botany and is working as a fire ecology field technician for the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute over Summer 2023. Kendall hopes to pursue a graduate degree soon. He plans to further develop his skills with geospatial tools and apply them to trait-based tundra ecology research.
Jenni Kerns
Jenni Kerns is a senior environmental engineering student who is passionate about GIS and environmental planning. Her non-traditional background initially led her to work in the non-profit and community development sector, where she gained invaluable experience working across diverse cultures in multiple countries. This experience influenced her decision to pursue a career centered around environmental concerns. Since returning to school, internships and research opportunities have led her to focus on utilizing GIS applications to promote sustainable environmental solutions for addressing transportation infrastructure challenges and facilitating responsible development.
Colin Stiles
Following his active duty service in the US Army, Colin now has degrees in Geography and Environmental Studies from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and is now pursuing a Master’s in GIS and Geoinformatics through Colorado School of Mines’ online program. He currently works for a large engineering and consulting firm, Kimley-Horn, as a GIS analyst and Environmental consultant, where he spends half of his time collecting data in the field and the other half in ArcGIS. Looking forward, Colin is most excited about the applications of drones in geospatial work, such as collecting LiDAR and thermal imaging. He is studying for his part 107 FAA certification and hopes to advance the field of drones in GIS.
Cynthia Jennings
Cynthia is a graduate student studying Geographic Information Systems (GIS) & Geoinformatics at Colorado School of Mines. Her academic and professional interests lie at the intersection of geospatial analysis and archaeological site research and identification. She balances graduate studies with her job as a GIS Analyst for an environmental design firm, Logan Simpson Design, Inc., where she works on the cultural resources team to identify and map archaeological sites throughout the Mountain West. Cynthia is attending Mines to learn how to collect, analyze, and interpret aerial 3-D LiDAR data to detect subsurface archaeological features, especially those that may be obscured by dense vegetation or inaccessible by foot. In particular, she is interested in the geographic distribution of Spanish colonial fortifications throughout North America and the Pacific as a lens through which to better understand the reach and impact of the Spanish Empire on the western hemisphere during the Early Modern Period (1400s-1700s). She is grateful to GIS Colorado for the scholarship opportunity and excited to get more involved with the local GIS community!