Juniper Systems Donates Equipment for GEOSPAtial Sciences Teaching at Utah State University

4 Mar 2009

During this past November’s International Geography Awareness Week, USU alum Chris McGinty, right, Geospatial Marketing Manager with Juniper Systems, answered questions from graduating senior Whitney Gardner about the company’s field mapping unit.

Notes from Utah State University:

Thanks to the generosity of a local business, Utah State University students are well-equipped for field research in a variety of disciplines. Cache Valley-based Juniper Systems recently gifted the College of Natural Resources’ GEOSPAtial Sciences Teaching Lab with two Archer field PCs designed for global positioning system data collection in rugged environments.

“Our field PCs are lightweight, handheld units made to withstand water, dust and extreme temperatures,” said Debbie Trolson, Juniper System’s North American sales manager. “The units are ideal for applications in geophysics, rangeland management, environmental monitoring, wildlife management, forestry and many other fields.”

Trolson and colleague Kirk Earl, sales account manager and a USU alum, presented the units to Bonnie Banner, lab manager, and Chris Luecke, head of USU’s Department of Watershed Sciences, during a ceremony in the CNR atrium Jan. 28.

“We’re grateful to Juniper Systems for providing these instruments,” said Luecke. “Having access to the latest technology enhances our students’ research experiences and makes them more competitive.” Banner said USU’s partnership with Juniper Systems reaches back to 2003, when employees from the company began conducting free training workshops with USU students. “We’re grateful to the company for continuously providing our students with state-of-the-art training opportunities in critical skills,” she said.

In addition to offering training, Juniper Systems employees participate in the college’s yearly Geographic Information Systems Day during its annual observance of International Geography Awareness Week.

“Having Juniper Systems here on campus offers our students a glimpse of the many interesting career opportunities available in geography and GIS science,” Banner said. “A number of our graduates now work for Juniper Systems and their customers.”

Attending the ceremony was USU alum Whitney Gardner, who learned to use Juniper Systems equipment while conducting an undergraduate research project in land cover classification in southwestern Utah’s Pine Valley Mountains. Gardner, who graduated from USU in December 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in geography, is currently conducting an irrigation assessment in Cache County for the Utah Association of Conservation Districts.

“We’re mapping water rights and irrigation canals to better manage water in the county,” Gardner said. “I’m using an Archer unit, like those Juniper Systems has provided to the College of Natural Resources.”

Related links:

: : USU GEOSPAtial Sciences Teaching Laboratory : :

: : USU College of Natural Resources : :