GIS Career & Networking Fair

GIS Career & Networking Fair 

February 8, 2024

10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Mississippi Room (3rd Floor) of the Coffman Memorial Union

300 Washington Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455

Directions

ABOUT

The GIS Networking and Career Fair is an event put on by the GIS Student Organization at the University of Minnesota. It is free to attend and open to anyone interested in pursuing a career in GIS. The GIS Networking and Career Fair offers a chance to meet with prospective employers to learn about job opportunities, professional career advice or just to hear about the interesting work they do. 

SPEAKERS

Jay Dickson

Polar Geospatial Center (PGC), Director

Theme: "Remote Sensing and Geospatial Innovation at the Ends of the Earth"

Jay Dickson is the new Director of the Polar Geospatial Center at the University of Minnesota, an NSF-funded facility that provides geospatial support to Arctic and Antarctic scientists and logistics professionals. From 2016-2023, he managed the Bruce Murray Laboratory for Planetary Visualization at Caltech, where he conducted planetary research and led large scale data processing and visualization projects like the construction of a 5.7-trillion pixel high-resolution image mosaic of the surface of Mars. From 2002-2016 he was a researcher at Brown University where he participated in interplanetary NASA and European Space Agency missions and conducted 8 seasons of field work in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica. He holds a B.A. from Hampshire College and a M.S. in Geographic Information Systems and Technology from the University of Southern California.

Gary Sankary

Esri, Industry Marketing Strategy Lead

Theme: "Bringing Geospatial Insights to Business Intelligence - Applying the Science of Where"

Gary Sankary joined Esri as an industry subject matter expert in 2014. He has focused on helping consumer facing industries leverage ArcGIS to unlock insights about their customers and locations. Gary has extensive experience in retail and customer analytics. 

Shashi Shekhar

Department of CSE, Professor

Theme: "What is special about Geo-AI and Spatial data science?"

Shashi Shekhar is a leading scholar of spatial computing and GIS. Contributions include scalable algorithms for eco-routing, evacuation route planning and spatial pattern mining, along with an Encyclopedia of GIS, a Spatial Databases textbook, and a spatial computing book for professionals. Shashi is a McKnight Distinguished University Professor, a Distinguished University Teaching Professor, and an ADC Chair at the University of Minnesota. He is serving as the Director of a National AI Research Institute, namely, AI-CLIMATE, an Associate Director of his college's Data Science Initiative, a co-Editor-in-Chief of Geo-Informatica journal (Springer), and a general co-chair of the SIAM International Conference on Data Mining (2024). Earlier, he served as the President of the University Consortium for GIS (UCGIS), and a member of many National Academies' committees and the Computing Research Association board. Recognitions include IEEE-CS Technical Achievement Award, UCGIS Education Award, IEEE Fellow and AAAS Fellow. 

AGENDA

REGISTRATION

Vendors

Are you interested in having a booth at the Career Fair? If so, please fill out this Google Form to sign up for a table and register as a vendor.


Students & Members of the Public

Are you interested in attending this year's Career Fair? Please fill out this Google Form to sign up.


We're looking forward to seeing you there!

For more information or questions, please contact us at gisso@umn.edu.

Vendors

Bolton and Menk 

For over 70 years Bolton & Menk, Inc. has served public and private clients with comprehensive planning, design and construction engineering and surveying services. The employees at Bolton & Menk are seeking hard-working and ambitious co-workers to join us to deliver tomorrow’s leading infrastructure projects. Bolton & Menk is employee-owned, is ranked among ENRs Top 500 Design Firms, a Star Tribune Top 200 Workplace in Minnesota and a Des Moines Register Top Workplace. With over 900 employees in Colorado, Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, North Carolina, and South Carolina, there are always new challenges and career development opportunities available. Learn more about our history here: https://www.bolton-menk.com/about-us/  


City of Saint Paul

The City of Saint Paul is a leader in promoting inclusion and equity, preserving culture and traditions, and providing quality public services. City employees take pride in creating strong communities and addressing Saint Paul’s most challenging issues. The City of Saint Paul is a place of opportunity, offering an amazing array of career paths. With more than 600 job classifications from 16 operating departments and nearly 3,000 employees, you can find your next career with us. Employees enjoy competitive pay and benefit packages, generous leave programs, and the satisfaction of doing work that makes Saint Paul the most livable city in America! The City of Saint Paul values a workforce that reflects the community. Be a part of a workforce that genuinely cares and supports you and the community. Together, let's strive for a more prosperous and equitable future for us all. 


Connexus Energy

Based in Ramsey, Minnesota, and Minnesota’s largest electric coop, Connexus Energy provides electricity and related products to member residents and businesses. Our Board of Directors, elected by our membership, governs the electric cooperative.


Connexus Energy serves more than 144,000 members in portions of Anoka, Chisago, Hennepin, Isanti, Mille Lacs, Ramsey, Sherburne, and Washington counties. 


ddms, inc.

ddms inc. is an environmental data partner with deep expertise. When you’re dealing with complicated scientific data that needs to be expertly interpreted, securely stored, and seamlessly managed, ddms has the practical knowledge you need. With long-term clients around the globe, and a team of experienced scientists and data experts on hand, we’re the environmental data partner you can trust. 


Environmental Resource Management (ERM)

Sustainability is our business.  As the largest global pure play sustainability consultancy, ERM partners with the world’s leading organizations, creating innovative solutions to sustainability challenges and unlocking commercial opportunities that meet the needs of today while preserving opportunity for future generations.  ERM’s diverse team of 8,000+ world-class experts in over 150 offices in 40 countries and territories combine strategic transformation and technical delivery to help clients operationalize sustainability at pace and scale. Together with the world’s leading organizations, we are shaping a more sustainable future. 


Esri

Esri is the global market leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, location intelligence, and mapping. Since 1969, we have supported customers with geographic science and geospatial analytics, what we call The Science of Where. We take a geographic approach to problem-solving, brought to life by modern GIS technology. We are committed to using science and technology to build a sustainable world. 


Houston Engineering, Inc. 

Houston Engineering, Inc. is a full-service civil engineering consulting firm with offices throughout the upper Midwest. Having been in business since 1968, we have provided outstanding client service and effectively managed our business strategy resulting in sustained growth for the organization for more than fifty years. We offer a full range of services that covers water resources, environmental issues, water supply, municipal, transportation, surveying, land and site development, waste management, and GIS. As part of our growing business, Houston Engineering also provides web page development and information technology services.


HEI is continuously seeking talented candidates who support our firms’ core values: being client-focused, being committed to excellence and quality, and striving to be the ideal team player. Our commitment continues to be meeting our client needs and providing an engaging (and fun!) atmosphere for our employees. 


Metropolitan Council

The Metropolitan Council is the regional policy-making body, planning agency, and provider of essential services in the seven-county Twin Cities metro area. Our mission is to foster efficient and economic growth for a prosperous region. The Met Council provides essential services and infrastructure — Metro Transit's bus and rail system, Metro Mobility, Transit Link, wastewater treatment services, regional parks, planning, affordable housing, and more — that support communities and businesses and ensure a high quality of life for residents. 


Mortenson

Mortenson is a leading national builder. In the US we are among the top 5 EPC firms for both solar and wind construction. At Mortenson innovation and GIS tools are critical to our success and future growth.  


Minnesota Geological Survey

The Minnesota Geological Survey (MGS) serves the people of Minnesota by providing systematic geoscience information to support stewardship of water, land, and mineral resources. 


Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT)

At MnDOT, we are driven to find talented, innovative employees for Minnesota’s nationally recognized transportation system. We work to build the best team in the transportation industry to ensure that Minnesota thrives with a safe, sustainable and leading-edge transportation system.


You will be surrounded by a diverse community of experts, each driven by challenging work and motivated by the greater good. You will understand the impact of the work you are doing and be able to see the benefit you are providing to the citizens of Minnesota. You can set your sights high and use your strengths to grow within the organization. 

Minnesota IT Services & the Minnesota Geospatial Information Office (MnGeo)


Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) is the information technology agency for Minnesota’s executive branch. MNIT builds, maintains, and secures the state’s IT infrastructure, applications, projects, and services. We deliver enterprise and local technology solutions for Minnesota state agencies that transform how government brings services to the people of Minnesota – including geospatial services.

                                        

In addition to providing geospatial support to state agencies, MNIT is also home to the Minnesota Geospatial Information Office (MnGeo), which provides coordination, guidance, and leadership for the state’s use of geographic information systems (GIS). 


Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium

For over 25 years the Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium has been dedicated to its mission to develop and support the GIS professional in Minnesota for the benefit of our state and its citizens. A collaborative, volunteer-based organization, the Consortium has supported the community through the multiple opportunities it offers related to GIS education and networking events. Most prominently, it organizes an annual conference that brings together geospatial professionals from all sectors. It also provides technical workshops each spring and fall, networking events, scholarships for college students, event grants and lifetime achievement and leadership awards, and sponsors training events for the K-12 system. The Consortium is a catalyst for GIS collaboration and education. It encourages people to develop professional relationships across disciplines, levels of government, and throughout diverse industries, significantly impacting a broad spectrum of GIS professionals, students, and educators.


Polar Geospatial Center(PGC)

The Polar Geospatial Center (PGC) at the University of Minnesota, is a renowned research facility dedicated to advancing polar science. Leveraging cutting-edge technology and expertise, PGC provides vital geospatial data and support to scientists, logisitics, organizations, and governments operating in the polar regions. With a focus on mapping and remote sensing, PGC's mission is to support groundbreaking research in a safe, timely, and efficient manner, as well as enhance our understanding of the Earth's polar environments. Visit www.pgc.umn.edu to learn more about their critical contributions to the study and preservation of our planet's polar regions. 


Pro-West & Associates

Pro-West & Associates is a GIS consulting business based in Walker, MN with opportunities to work on-site and remotely. We support government and private sector organizations with the full range of GIS services, empowering them to reach their GIS goals. 


Sentera

Sentera provides agronomic insights to customers in the agriculture industry. Our GIS team analyzes drone imagery collected by our pilots. GIS products are produced by converting this imagery into various raster and vector outputs.


The City of Minneapolis Public Works

We build, operate and maintain the public infrastructure in Minneapolis. 

Provide services with a high performing Public Works department.

Lead with collaboration and public and private engagement as standard business practices. 


Travelers Insurance

Taking care of our customers, our communities and each other. That’s the Travelers Promise. By honoring this commitment, we have maintained our reputation as one of the best property casualty insurers in the industry for over 160 years. Join us to discover a culture that is rooted in innovation and thrives on collaboration. Imagine loving what you do and where you do it. 


USGS 

The USGS WIM (Web Informatics and Mapping) team creates custom-coded web maps and geospatial Python tools. We have an office on the St. Paul campus, and a few of our team members are MGIS alumni. Stop by our table to see examples of our web apps, chat about geospatial programming, and learn about USGS careers. 


US Solar

US Solar is a developer, owner, operator, and financier of solar generation and storage projects with a focus on emerging markets and community solar programs. With over 200 Megawatts of completed projects and over 2 Gigawatts in construction and development, US Solar is trusted nationwide. 


U-Spatial

U-Spatial collaborates with a variety of departments and centers, seeking to meet the fast-growing demand for core services such as the help desk and training, while creating new opportunities and synergies around spatial research, teaching, and service. 


Westwood Professional Services

Westwood Professional Services Inc. (Westwood) was established in 1972 and has since become a leader in many of the markets it serves. Westwood is a full-service, multidiscipline professional engineering firm and serves wind, solar, power delivery, residential and commercial development, and public infrastructure clients and their projects from multiple offices across the U.S.


Some of our most impressive innovations have been achieved thanks to GIS; these innovations make us a competitive, agile, and efficient firm that delivers important and timely project data to all stakeholders. From an advanced geospatial project management tool to an interactive ALTA web app, we have enhanced site design and drastically improved virtual walk-through technology.


In 2023, Zweig Group ranked Westwood nationally at #12 and #30 respectively on its Hot Firms and Best Firms to Work for lists. Zweig also awarded Westwood two national 2nd place awards for Marketing Excellence. Westwood was recently recognized as #79 in the ENR Top 500 Firms in 2023. The firm consistently ranks on industry top 25 lists and receives recognition for its involvement on award-wining projects nationwide.