Lee Schwartz, Geographer of the United States, is the keynote speaker for ninth annual GIS in Higher Education Summit, set for Thursday, March 30, in the Morgan Library Event Hall. The summit brings together professors, instructors, researchers and students from across Colorado to learn from each other best practices for teaching with and about the dynamic field of geospatial technologies.

In addition to presenting during the all-day summit, Schwartz will present an evening lecture on “Geography, Maps and Foreign Policy – Perspectives from the State Department Geographer,” 5:30-6:30 p.m. in BSB A101. This lecture is free and open to the public.

Schwartz oversees the Office of the Geographer and Global Issues at the U.S. Department of State, which provides mapping and spatial analysis support for issues as diverse as boundary disputes to refugee resettlement to crisis response. He manages the Humanitarian Information Unit, which responds to humanitarian emergencies worldwide, promoting innovative technologies and best practices for humanitarian information management.

The GIS in Higher Education Summit began at CSU in 2008 by Melinda Laituri, professor in Ecosystem Science and Sustainability and director of the Geospatial Centroid. The summit has been hosted by a different institution in Colorado – community college or university – ever since. Each year the event provides a venue for colleagues to meet, network, develop new partnerships, discuss curriculum, and address the changing nature of geospatial technologies for career development.

The Geospatial Centroid is a resource and service center that supports the use of geospatial technologies across campus. The Centroid, located in Morgan Library, provides help services, hosts numerous events, and offers internships for students.

For more information about the Centroid, the GIS Summit or the Lee Schwartz public lecture, visit the website.