Full Name: Andrew Butler

1) What major(s), minors, and/or certificates you are working on at UMD?

Geography (GIS) / Linguistics (Grammars and Cognition) Double Major

2) What are your interests within your program(s)?

My interests include development, human geography, earth science, social issues, language change, and phonology.

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

Aside from part-time summer jobs, I have had an internship and much volunteer experience.  I am currently involved in an internship with Dr. Tatiana Loboda and Dr. Julie Silva in the UMD geography department.

I have volunteered in many church-based home-improvement projects throughout my life, including a trip to Juarez, Mexico with Casas por Cristo.

I also lived in Ecuador for a year after high school as an exchange student and cultural ambassador sponsored by my Rotary Club in Downingtown, PA.

4) Where you are from (optional)?

Downingtown, PA.

Internship:

1) Where you are interning?

I am currently interning with Dr. Tatiana Loboda and Dr. Julie Silva in the UMD geography department.

2) What are your internship responsibilities?

 In this internship, I:

·Organize and document primary data for use in ArcGIS

·Design/prepare maps to display data on rural infrastructure and building materials

·Design/prepare maps to visually display data on rural infrastructure and building materials

·Provide feedback on data management procedures

·Assist with the preparation of academic manuscripts

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

My internship involves working on a research project that began as a land use change study in Mozambique.  Increased settlement in the Kruger National Wildlife Park was predicted to benefit the lives of Mozambicans through tourism and the creation of new jobs.  The research team’s goal was to quantify this development using satellite imagery, however, the changes in land cover and infrastructure that did occur in the latest years of this project have been unexpected.

When I began working on this project, I focused on how the opening of Kruger National Park has increased poaching and what impact that has had on village infrastructure and layout.  As predicted, villagers who participate in poaching have improved their homes dramatically over the years.

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

The project I am involved with touches on many aspects of my studies in geography.  While I work with the technical aspects of my coursework through GIS and remote sensing, I also have to consider the  the human side of geographical sciences when  examining the socioeconomic issues that are part of this project.

5) What are your career goals after your graduate?

I hope to find a job in GIS with the government