GSS Spotlight!

ALEX VASLOW

Graduate Student Technician

What is your education and/or professional background?

I have a B.S. in environmental geology from Winona State University and am currently in my second year of the M.S. in Data Intelligence and GeoAnalytics program here at SMUMN.

What led you to GIS? More specifically, how did you get to Saint Mary's University of Minnesota (SMUMN) in Winona? 

I took an intro to GIS course as an undergrad and immediately loved working with the program. At the time I wasn’t sure what I was going to do afterwards, but I knew that I wanted to go beyond a bachelor’s degree. My professor, Dr. Dylan Blumentritt, greatly encouraged his students to explore GIS as he showed us how useful it can be with real-world applications. I asked if there were any programs he recommended specifically for GIS and he pointed me in the direction of Saint Mary’s. He even got an SMU student to come give a brief presentation to the class about the programs!

Explain briefly a project at GSS you've done that contributed to your overall knowledge and educational experience.

Since I’ve started I have been working on the National Wetlands Inventory for North Dakota. This is a project that was started by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to provide detailed wetlands information in many states in the U.S. for both public and private use. What I do specifically is identify and map out detailed wetland polygons in the region.

How do you see GIS fitting into your future? 

I plan on using GIS for the rest of my career. I am getting married soon and because of that I plan to get any position that supports us enough. However, eventually I would like to land a GIS director position.

Where can we find you outside of GSS?

Outside of GSS I spend a lot of time with my friends playing board games, tennis, racquetball, and walking around the lakes. I also love playing magic at Jimmy Jams in downtown Winona.