Student Volunteers Needed for ASPRS Glossary

Dear ASPRS Student Members,

David Alvarez, Co-Editor of the Glossary of the Mapping Sciences, 2nd Edition, is looking for some volunteer help from ASPRS Student Members to move glossary terms (Excel and Word) from the 1st edition to an Access database.  This will significantly streamline the review process.  David is leading the effort to update the Glossary that was first published in 1994.  In addition to building the Access database, students will be determining the categories where terms should be classified.   Also students would have the opportunity to help with the review of new terms.  Those who volunteer their time will be acknowledged in the 2nd Edition.

Desired qualifications:

• Must have a good understanding of the geosciences (Surveying, Cartography, Remote Sensing, Photogrammetry, GIS, etc.); 
• Must be detail oriented and accurate;
• Must be able to meet deadlines.

Those wishing to volunteer their time should contact David Alvarez at davidalvarez76 (at) gmail (dot) com.

Thank you for assisting us with this important publication.

Apply now for a position on the ASPRS Student Advisory Council

Hello fellow ASPRS student members,

My name is Devin Bourland, Chair of the ASPRS Student Advisory Council (SAC). I am writing to invite you to apply for one of the available positions on the Council. SAC is comprised of the following positions:

· Chair
· Deputy Chair
· Educational and Professional Development Councilor
· Deputy Educational and Professional Development Councilor
· Communications Councilor
· Deputy Communications Councilor
· Networking Councilor
· Deputy Networking Councilor

Of these positions, we are looking for a Deputy Chair, Deputy Education and Professional Development Councilor, Deputy Communications Councilor, Networking Councilor, and Deputy Networking Councilor.

There are perks to being selected as a SAC councilor. You will automatically be granted a Student Assistant Position for the Annual and Fall Specialty Conferences. This means complimentary conference and exhibit registration, complimentary accommodations, and a $100 stipend at the end of each conference week.

The Council plays an important role in student involvement within ASPRS, so we hope you will join us!  Here are the descriptions of the available positions:

All specified term lengths are the minimums required for that specific position. Unless otherwise noted, each term ends July 1 each year. In addition to assigned responsibilities, you must be able to attend the ASPRS Annual Conference and the majority of SAC teleconferences which are held once a month.

Deputy Chair (1 year, then moves up to Chair position for 1 year)
· Organizes and runs the annual GeoLeague Challenge
· Helps the Chair and prepares to be Chair the next year
· Takes notes of all of the phone conferences
· Attends the ASPRS Young Professional Council Meetings

Deputy Education and Professional Development Councilor (1 year, then moves up to councilor position)
· Helps set up the SAC educational track sessions at each of the conferences
· Works with the Associate Member Liaison and the Sustaining Members Council to create opportunities for students to interact with professionals, including the Student and Employer Meet and Greet
· Promotes certification programs and webinars, especially on Social Media

Deputy Communications Councilor (1 year, then moves up to councilor position)
· Helps the Communications Councilor and prepares to take over the following year
· Maintains any Social Media associated with the SAC, including Facebook and LinkedIn

Networking Councilor (1 year)
· Maintains the online Virtual Career Expo
· Is the liaison between the SAC and the student chapters of ASPRS

Deputy Networking Councilor (1 year, then moves up to councilor position)
· Organizes the networking events for each conference, including the Exhibit Hall Tour, Speed Networking, and fun evening social events during the conference

If you are interested, please fill out the application form and send it, and supporting documentation, to Kim Tilley at kimt (at) asprs (dot) org by June 20th.  Please email me, dbourlan (at) broncos (dot) uncfsu (dot) edu, if you have any questions or would like additional information. We would like to have our positions filled by July 1st.

Thank you,

Devin Bourland
Chair, ASPRS Student Advisory Council

Update on USAID Deployment for Poverty Alleviation & Smarter Development

Hi Mapsters! We're moving forward with our partners at USAID on this exciting new deployment for poverty alleviation and smarter development. Here's the blog post on the SBTF blog that was just published about this unique initiative. And here's the Google Form to sign-up and be a part of the team! To join the official SBTF & USAID Skype Chat, please add Kirk (km5050), Melissa (mellomely) or Jeannine (j.m.lemaire) to your Skype address book (if you haven't already) and kindly ask them to add you to the official Skype chat. As you can tell, we're very excited about this new project since it will demonstrate how online volunteers can play an absolutely instrumental role in long-term development goals, not just responding to sudden onset crises. Plus, we'll get to learn important new skills and use new technologies while partnering with one of the world's biggest development organizations. Hard to imagine this ever happening a year and a half ago when the SBTF was launched! :) Onwards! Patrick, Kirk, Melissa and Jeannine

Another message from Standby Task Force

Hi Mapsters! I have some amazing news! The US Agency for International Development (USAID) is going to try something which they have *never* been done before - they've decided to partner with an online volunteer group (us!) and use crowdsourcing to work on a major poverty alleviation mapping project. This is totally new ground and cutting edge for such a large, traditional development organization and, we hope, signals that they are starting to think about alternative approaches to big development efforts. It is really amazing that we get to be part of this change. What is also amazing is that they have developed a customized volunteer app just for us to use. More details soon but I wanted to share this very exciting news since this really is a completely revolutionary move by USAID. Please do begin to RSVP earlier rather than later for this really unique partnership! Thanks! Patrick P.S. Visit Standby Task Force by clicking here.

REMINDER: Tomorrow, May 12th, is the last day to register for the 1st Annual ASPRS Student Summer Conference at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia! Hope to see you there! Click here for more information and to register!

Remote sensing energy challenge

Spatial Energy announced its first remote sensing energy challenge for the oil and gas industry. The submission deadline is May 15, 2012. For requirements, timeline and contact info please see: http://spatialenergy.com/EnergyChallenge.html.