GSS SPOTLIGHT!

KAYLA BOETTCHER

What is your education and/or professional background?

I am a senior environmental biology major at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota. I graduated from Menomonie High School in Wisconsin in 2017. I not only work at GSS but I am also a Resident Assistant through the university.

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

I found GIS through a course that was held on campus. During one of our classes, GSS Director Andy Robertson came and spoke on what GIS is and why it is important, and I thought working with GIS would give me good insight into what I may want to do in the future. When it comes to how I ended up at SMUMN, it is actually a funny story. During my senior year of high school, I was being recruited for diving and SMUMN found me on my profile. The coach began to contact me a lot and at the time I was not super excited about going to SMUMN. I agreed to come for a visit, and after being on campus and meeting the environmental staff, I knew this was the place for me. Not only is Winona beautiful, but I also felt really connected to the community as a whole.

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

I had the opportunity to start working with NWI 2.0 in MRG. MRG stands for Middle Rio Grande and it is a project area in New Mexico. I was given the completed data set and was asked to go through and make connections so the flow paths would be complete. Through this opportunity, I was able to learn more about the National Wetland Inventory and develop an understanding for what all the codes mean and how all of these pathways come together. It has been very interesting to be able to work in an area that is very different from what we see around us in Minnesota. Working with GSS has allowed me to gain a lot of respect for the effort and time it takes to create databases that move on from us to the customer, where everyday people and organizations can use and explore the data. 

How do you see GIS fitting into your future? 

I am hoping to use my experience with GIS to map and develop databases for farm land that can be used to map where the runoff water travels and use that information to attempt to limit the amount of pollutants that leave the fields. By understanding where the water goes, we can then begin to better plan and manage the land to ensure high production with the smallest environmental effect. 

Where can we find you outside of GSS?

Outside of GSS you can find me all over in the community doing service work, within Winona and on campus. I am the reigning Miss Winona, which keeps me very involved and busy. You can also find me rocking out to music in my car and in the residence life office on campus. As an RA, I have the opportunity to connect with lots of students and help develop community. I can also be found wandering through the bluffs and trying to spot fish in Gilmore Creek!