Michigan Technological University will operate a series of workshops in the area of geographic information systems (GIS). The workshops are critical to fill a need in keeping undergraduate faculty members abreast of new ideas and techniques utilizing geographic information systems. This will result in the updating of GIS courses. Hence undergraduates will have the appropriate knowledge and training for employment as a GIS specialist. Two two-week workshops will be held at the School of Forestry and Wood Products, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan. The workshops will provide the participants with an opportunity to meet, receive state-of the art information, gain hands-on experience, exchange ideas, and develop appropriate lectures and laboratory exercises for undergraduate GIS courses. In addition, attendees will meet with several GIS managers to see how a GIS operates on a day-to-day basis, and determine what employees deem important for undergraduate GIS students to know. Success of the project will be determined by a questionnaire assessing both the quality of the workshop and the utility of the lecture and lab manual developed as part of the workshop. In addition to the NSF funds, participants institutions will provide about 15% in travel costs toward the operation of the project.
