2024 Geospatial Engineering & Land Surveying Day

Finding the right career path can take many twists and turns for a high school student. On Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, around 130 high schoolers from the Coastal Bend made their way to Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC) to learn about what a career in Geospatial Engineering could be like. It was all part of Geospatial Engineering and Land Surveying Day (GELS) event.  

Before the activities began, participants listened to presentations about the programs offered by the College of Engineering and Computer Science at TAMU-CC, the many scholarships that are available to them, and job and research opportunities that could be in their future.  

“It was very informational and provided great insight on a topic I was unfamiliar with,” said Elijah Alfaro, a senior at W.B. Ray High School, “I'm much more aware of how this sort of engineering is implemented to provide benefits to the natural world.” 

The participants then went on a campus tour, where the students got to learn fun facts about the Island University. They then took part in activities centered around the GELS field, which includes working with GPS devices, map creation, and urban planning just to name a few of the avenues available to study in that field.  

• Photointerpretation & Where in the World Game: In this activity, the students took part in a game that tested their geographic knowledge as they identified geographical locations around the world.  

• Surveying Activity: In this activity, the students learned how to measure distance using their own individual steps. They also used a total station, which is a surveying instrument that measures distances and angles, and is used in construction, engineering, and land surveying. 

• MapSwipe Activity: In this activity, students learned how citizens around the world can be involved in geospatial data projects as volunteers. The students were able to download the MapSwipe app on their phones and they were walked through the process of how they can map out their world.  

Results for the photointerpretation game and pacing activity were calculated, and prizes were given out to the winners. What started out as fun and games, will hopefully lead these students down a new career path.   

 “I loved how we got to learn about Geospatial Science and the careers that surround it,” said Amberly Alba, a local high school student. “I really think that land surveying is a really good career that I could probably try out in the future.”