The University’s Digital Pedagogy & Scholarship team received a Special Achievement in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Award for “innovative application of technology, data collection, geospatial information visualization, and thought leadership,” according to a recent press release.

The University was selected from among 300,000 eligible candidates by a company called Esri, which has been acknowledged as the global leader in spatial analytics. The award was presented among others at the company’s annual Esri User Conference. The company’s founder and president, Jack Dangermond, said that the awards “provide a great opportunity to showcase all the outstanding achievements of our users.” Dangermond affirmed that highlighting these achievements benefits the entire GIS community.

The University was chosen from the “Libraries and Museums” category, and was the only organization from this category to earn an award. The candidates are nominated each year by the Esri staff and encompass organizations from around the globe. Dangermond selects the finalists from these nominations.

The University’s Digital Pedagogy & Scholarship team, which includes staff from four divisions of Library and Information Technology, works with students and faculty to incorporate GIS into courses and research projects, applies methodologies, creates spatial datasets, and assists students and faculty in developing GIS technical expertise.

“Bucknell faculty advocated for GIS support and invited us into their teaching and scholarship,” Digital Pedagogy and Scholarship Specialist for GIS Janine Glathar said. “They are the heart of this program and the people, along with our undergraduate students, who deserve the most credit for this award.”