Meet Richard Whitley, our May Undergraduate of the Month! Richard is a Senior majoring in GIS and minoring in Remote Sensing!

What are your interests within your program(s)?

My interests within my program encompass a lot of things. I'm interested in spatial analysis, changes within the environment, computer skills, observations within environmental systems, satellite imagery, photogrammetry, development of projects and their different stages.

What previous jobs, internships, and volunteer experience have you had?

I've interned for S.T.A.R.T National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism. I've also worked as an Intramural Sports Supervisor and a volunteer for the Redskins Harvest for 2-years.

Where are you/have you been interning?

I have been interning for S.T.A.R.T: National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism.

What are your internship responsibilities?

My responsibilities include opening source data collections, uploading and editing data in ArcMap and QGIS, and developing and working on funded projects.

What project(s) are you working on or contributing to?

I've been working on projects that deal with Human Trafficking and specifically, the trafficking through various borders. Another project I did worked with Texas elevation data.

How is the internship experience relevant to your studies in Geographical Sciences?

The internship works directly with the software my major is related too.

What are your career goals after your graduate?

After I graduate, I want to work for the government and get security clearance.

What has been your favorite class at UMD? Why?

GEOG373 was my favorite class and it got me into my major!

If you could travel to anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

I would like to go to Iceland because I've heard that the geographical features are awesome! 

We're so glad that GEOG373 got you interested in GIS! If you ever find yourself in Iceland, please send us some photos of those awesome geographical structures!

Congratulations, Richard!