Name: Avery Sandborn
Year of Graduation: 2013
Major: Geographic Information Sciences & Music Performance
Current Employment Status:
- Employer: The World Bank
- Position: GIS Consultant
Did you go to graduate school? If so:
- School: The George Washington University
- Program: Geography
- Degree: M.A. & GIS Certificate
- Year of Graduation: 2015
Current Research:
At the World Bank, I provide conceptual and analytical support for projects focused on
understanding the spatial development of emerging cities in Africa. Specifically, I am involved
with identifying and analyzing urban land cover via satellite imagery, which aids poverty and
urban boundary mapping. This research aligns closely with my previous graduate thesis
research, in which I analyzed textural infrastructure features derived from remotely sensed data
and related them to population characteristics in Accra, Ghana. I have also been actively
involved with humanitarian assistance mapping initiatives for Red Cross and USAID
development projects.
Why did you want to be a GEOG/GIS/ENSP major?
I’ve always loved maps, and when I realized that this fascination had potential research
applications, I knew geography was a perfect fit. It combined my interests of urban planning, the
environment, and cartography into one discipline.
What internships or independent research did you do as a GEOG/GIS/ENSP major?
During my junior year, I completed two internships at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center,
where I focused on relating environmental variables to disease outbreaks, as well as monitoring
lake water volume variability in dammed regions. The summer before my senior year I
participated in an NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program in Hawaii
where I analyzed archeological sites and agricultural fields using remotely sensed data and
historical maps. I also was an undergraduate research assistant at the National Center for Smart
Growth, assisting with job and housing opportunity mapping projects in Maryland.
What recommendations would you make to current GEOG/GIS/ENSP majors for career
and academic success while they are still undergraduates?
Make the most of your time as an undergraduate! Participation in internships, extracurricular
activities, and other academic disciplines affords you with a framework to be successful in a
broad range of options after you graduate. Additionally, talk to your professors about their
recommendations for research opportunities and graduate programs; they have great connections
and can advise you through the job and graduate school application process.
