RIT student starts club to help classmates explore careers in geospatial technology

Rochester, New York – A course in geographic information systems inspired Destiny Patton to create a new space for students at Rochester Institute of Technology to explore the field together.

Patton, a fourth-year human-centered computing major and geographic information systems minor from Birmingham, Ala., founded Tigers of Geographic Information and Research (TIGIR). The club officially launched in April and has attracted more than 40 members from different academic backgrounds.

Her interest developed during an introductory GIS course taught by adjunct instructor Catherine DuBreck. After presenting at a regional conference, Patton wanted to connect with classmates who shared her enthusiasm.

“The way she talked about her career, her job, I really liked it and I wanted to do more of it,” said Patton about DuBreck. “I was thinking of other ways to learn from her, not exactly follow her footsteps but create my own way.”

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DuBreck includes humanitarian mapping projects in her teaching and had encouraged students to establish a GIS club.

“I am so proud of Destiny and admire her initiative to be the one to start the club,” DuBreck said. “The most rewarding part of being an educator is inspiring even just one student.”

TIGIR’s leadership reflects its broad reach, with students studying imaging science, environmental science, urban planning and museum studies. GIS tools help people analyze and display location-based information for work ranging from environmental management to public safety.

“The club is a fantastic development showing broad student interest in geospatial technology across the entire university,” said club advisor Brian Tomaszewski, a professor in RIT’s School of Interactive Games and Media and director of the Center for Geographic Information Science and Technology.

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Members meet weekly in MAGIC Spell Studios. Patton hopes to show that opportunities extend beyond programming. She has mapped crime data at RIT’s Center for Public Safety Initiatives and collected environmental field data during an internship with Langan.

Fellow member Priscilla Anderson completed a Library of Congress co-op, creating an online tool for exploring Austro-Hungarian maps.

RIT also offers a GIS immersion, which had more than 85 students enrolled as of August. Club members hope to attend conferences, host industry events and connect recruiters with students across the university.

“I just want students like me to be a part of that growth early,” Patton said.