We spoke with Katie Spaulding, a recent graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the newest visiting scientific specialist of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) at the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS), a division of the Prairie Research Institute (PRI). Katie shared her journey from her undergraduate career to her current role at ISGS, where she combines her passion for the environment with advanced mapping technologies. We sat down with Katie to learn about her insights into GIS and hear her advice for those entering the field.
Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your role at PRI?
A: I graduated from the U of I in May 2023 with a BS in Earth, Society, and Environmental Sustainability, along with a minor in Spanish. I began working at PRI with the ISGS in November 2023 as an hourly employee. I loved it so much that I decided to work here full-time! My current role is as a visiting scientific specialist in GIS.
Q: What drew you to your area of work or study?
A: I’ve always been interested in the environment, but I first fell in love with geography when I spent a summer in Glacier National Park and became increasingly reliant on maps to get around. Glacier is a huge park, and being able to visualize all its peaks and trails on a map felt like looking at a checklist of all the places I could visit. A year later, when I was preparing to hike the John Muir Trail, I spent a lot of time planning our transportation options, resupply stops, and the route itself. Something about looking at those maps made me feel excited, and I was fascinated by how much I relied on geospatial data in almost every aspect of my trip.
Q: Can you describe what tools are indispensable to your work?
A: I almost always have some sort of ESRI program running on my computer. ESRI is a global leader in GIS and spatial analytics, and I’m confident that any geographer you ask would have experience using their technology. My most-used ESRI application is ArcPro, an advanced mapping software that allows users to manipulate maps in nearly any way imaginable. Additionally, the team I work with in bedrock geology is amazing and always willing to help with any issues I encounter!
Q: What questions do you get asked most frequently about your career?
A: I often get asked, “So…what do you do during the day?” My answer: I make maps! I think when a lot of people think of “making maps,” they imagine uncharted territory and boundary lines. But geospatial data can tell you so much more. There are countless conclusions to be drawn and huge datasets to explore using GIS, from finding the best place to put a business headquarters to comparing polluted waterways. No matter where you work, you’ve likely used information derived from GIS at some point.
Q: What advice would you give to those just starting out in your field?
A: Keep an open mind and always be willing to learn! I had a background in ecological geography, so that’s what I initially focused on when I started job hunting. I was super intimidated by the idea of working at a geology survey since geology wasn’t my area of study. But I’ve learned so much and become really interested in topics I didn’t know much about before coming here. It’s been incredibly beneficial to step outside of my comfort zone.
Q: What do you do in your free time?
A: I do triathlons, which are races consisting of swimming, biking, and running. I also love to travel and usually plan my trips around camping or hiking. When I’m at home, I spend most of my time with my dogs and reading books!
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Katie works at the Natural Resources Building on the U of I campus. She can be reached at krs9(at)illinois.edu.