Welcome to the blog for week one! Posting a comment and responding to one another's comments will give you 1% of the module marks per week. To gain the 1% you must post your comments by the Friday of each week. However, as this is week 1, you have until Monday next week (14th) to post your comments for the week 1 blog.
The campus based students will be discussing the same issue with the distance learners.
This week (for 1%) I simply want you to introduce yourselves.
Cover the following issues:
- Distance learner or campus student
- Name
- GIS Experience (particularly experience with databases)
- Current work / study
- Interests
- Hopes for after the GIS course.
My name is Paul McKenzie and I have been working/studying GIS for 16 years and teaching for 10 years. After completing my MSc I did a bit of e-tutoring before starting my PhD. I am currently teaching on the undergraduate and postgraduate courses in GIS. I love running and got the chance to do 2 ultramarathons last year! My running has been curtailed by a new daughter and a 5 year old son! I also like films, Johnny Cash and church activities (a weird mix I know)!
I look forward to reading your comments.
Paul
Hi Everyone,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Joe McClelland and I started the course in January 2016 as a part-time, distance learner. Before that I worked in NICS, most recently managing the departmental GIS infrastructure support team. I have now transeferred to full-time, on-campus and I am looking to formalising my qualifications with a view to working in GIS ICT.
I enjoy eating and drinking and I am equally happy either at home cooking or sampling one of the many excellent eateries in and around Portrush.
On completion of the course, I hope to be able to use my newfound skills in paid employment, but for now I am enjoying the student life.
Joe
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteSorry Joe, I placed my "Post" as a reply to your "Post". I have sense deleted it and posted it in the right location (long day at the office!)
DeleteSorry Joe, I placed my "Post" as a reply to your "Post". I have sense deleted it and posted it in the right location (long day at the office!)
DeleteHi Paul and fellow students!
ReplyDeleteI am Mark Elliott and I am studying the GIS MSc full time by distance learning. I am a mature student and new to GIS. I am very interested in data and how it is used and this course builds on some of the knowledge I have gained from my Computer Systems Engineering degree. I am taking the course to make a career change.
My hobbies include fine art painting of which I have sold a good 300+ paintings in the last few years https://uk.pinterest.com/MPElliottArtist/m-p-elliott-northern-art-paintings/ and I also enjoy football (although my legs cannot cope with playing any more).
Upon course completion, I hope to build on the knowledge and skills gained either through further study or in a GIS employed role.
Mark
I should probably also add I did modules on Databases during my BSc degree but I am new to GIS as of September! Mark
DeleteHello;
ReplyDeletemy name is Chloe, I'm a distance learner- I recently graduated with BSc Geography
I've done a few modules at uni covering GIS
I'm a pretty active person, so sports take up most of my life (rowing, rugby and karate)
I'm hoping this course will expand my knowledge on GIS databases, and help me get a job :)
Hi Everyone,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Thomas Finn and i'm studying the PGdip full time by distance learning. I graduated with a Bsc in Environmental Science in June, where I completed modules in GIS and seafloor mapping. I'm looking forward to learning some more advanced techniques. My hobbies include swimming and rugby.
After this course, i'm hoping to go on to the Masters course, and then employment.
Hello there! My Name is Judith, Chloe up there is my twin sister! Like her, I am a distance learner and have been studying GIS at uni for a few years. (also graduated, also studied geography... we are twins in every respect!)
ReplyDeleteI am also very sporty, rugby, rowing, surfing and karate as well as anything that sounds slightly dangerous or like an adrenaline rush!
I'm really interested in GIS and just want to learn as much as I can about it!
Hello. My name is Maureen. I am a distance learner, part-time. I have completed some modules towards the PG Dip and I am looking forward to working on EGM717. I work full time at a university in the North West of England, though I am originally from central London. I have undergraduate and masters level qualifications in geography and I have been keen to learn more about GIS and its wider applications for some time. I have no experience of working with databases so the module content represents a completely new area for me.
ReplyDeleteI am a keen walker/hiker, enjoy travelling, good coffee and eating cake.
Good morning to you all. I am a full time GIS distance learning student and relatively new to the field but do have some database experience. I became interested in the subject through self study of QGIS that has lead me to seek new challenges and direction. I would like to become involved in remote sensing and I enjoy walking, swimming reading, box sets and of course GIS.
ReplyDeleteHi everyone, I'm Andy Martin and I'm a part-time distance learner in year two of the GIS course. I'm originally from County Down, Northern Ireland but currently live in London.
ReplyDeleteI have a degree in Geography but before commencing the course in 2015 I had no previous GIS experience. I do have a little experience of setting up queries and mining data with Business Objects and Cognos, but I'm not sure how transferable that knowledge is to GIS databases.
I currently work in the media industry but am seeking a career change as I try to reconnect with my passion for earth sciences and maps.
Most free weekends you'll find me out rambling in the countryside, climbing mountains or planning my next long-distance walk. On completion of the course I hope to move back to Northern Ireland and find a GIS related career in the more physical geography side of things - fingers crossed!
Hi everyone, I'm Marcus and I'm the e-tutor for this module - supporting the distance learning students. I was a distance learning student myself on this course and I completed my MSc in 2010.
ReplyDeleteI’m currently a full-time PhD student at the University of Southampton, and have just started my third year. My project topic is modelling railway station choice using GIS. The overall aim of the project is to explore the factors that influence railway station choice decisions made by passengers, and to apply this improved understanding to update methodologies used in the planning of new and existing railway services and networks. I’m using a lot of open source software/tools for my research (a topic that will be up for discussion in a later blog), including R, PostgreSQL, Open Trip Planner and QGIS.
I live in East Devon, near Exeter (when I'm not in Southampton). I enjoy getting out into the countryside and walking whenever I can - on Dartmoor or the coast path around Devon and Cornwall. I've also done quite a few of the long distance national trails.
Hi Marcus (and anyone else who may be able to provide me with additional information), I live in rural Lincolnshire far away from most universities and I am contemplating studying at PHD level in the future. However, having a young family I cannot at the moment spend long spells away from home, hence why I am studying my MSc by distance learning. I am just curious as to how long a PhD student spends on campus. I know it will differ from university to university but could you give me an idea of how it works for you? (I should say, the University of Lincoln are setting up a new Geography department which may be of significance to me in the near future!). Thanks Mark.
DeleteHi Mark,
DeleteI can only speak from my experience, based on what seems to happen in my faculty in Southampton. It feels much more like I am employed as a junior researcher, rather than being a student. I have my own desk in an open plan office and most of the PhD students come in every day as if they were in a job. Of course there is flexibility, and you don't have to do this. There are a few of us who have different arrangements. I still live in Devon and usually go up to Southampton once a week or once a fortnight. Sometimes I'll need to be there more than once a week, and sometimes stay overnight as it's quite a lot of travelling otherwise. I knew that I didn't really want to move to Southampton so I raised the subject with my now supervisor in the first e-mail I sent expressing an interest in the PhD (it was an advertised one). He never considered it to be a problem. He had completed his PhD at Southampton while living in Oxford. So that might have helped! Of course it will depend on the subject, and any research that requires access to labs and other research facilities probably would need you to live nearby. Even though I'm not on campus I do work every day as if I was - but have the flexibility to alter the days I have off if I want to. The other thing to note is that University terms do not apply to PhD students, you basically work all year round and are expected to take a similar number of weeks holiday as staff, although it's not formally recorded. A few PhD students in my department are doing their PhD part-time, so their commitment would be significantly less each week.
Hope that helps.
Marcus
Hi Marcus, thank you for your reply. Yes it does help. In my situation, I am probably (although if the opportunity comes my way before this may change) going to wait a few years whilst I get some work experience and I expect to do it part time over 6 years. I am curious as to if it is something logistically I could do but it does seem possible that a suitable position may arise given the time I am willing to wait to find such an opportunity.
DeleteThanks again.
Mark
Hey everyone, I'm Andrew Eastop and study the course full-time on campus. In June 2016 I graduated with a Bsc in Geography where I also studied some GIS modules.
ReplyDeleteWhen i'm not studying I enjoy playing rugby for the university team, going to the gym and eating!
I hope after completing the course I will be able to obtain a job in the GIS sector.
Hello everyone! I'm Colin and I am part - time distance learning student, currently located in the West of Ireland.
ReplyDeleteI have no previous experience with databases, but am really looking forward to getting started! I received my MA Geography from UCD in 2014, and it was here where I first learned about GIS from an excellent lecturer named Dr. Gerald Mills.
In my free time I love to travel, particularly to European cities.
After the course I would like to use the skills I have gained and work for an NGO abroad, before returning to Ireland in the future.
Good luck to everyone in their studies!
Hello Everyone,
ReplyDeleteI'm Sophie and I'm a full time on campus student, my undergrad was Geography and Political Science, which I did a few years ago in Dublin. I'm interested in GIS as a policy tool and also I like maps.
Hi all
ReplyDeleteI live in cornwall and am a mature student doing the FT MSc distance learning. I have a conservation degree and just finished a 2 year research officer role tracking and mapping visitor behaviour in zoos. I've wanted to develop my GIS skills since doing a module in my BSc - although I used it a lot in my last job I feel I just scratched the surface! Hoping this course will enhance my job/academic prospects
Hello everyone :), I'm Emma Campbell and I am a full time student on campus studying this GIS masters. I studied Geography as my undergraduate degree which included some GIS modules and graduated in June. I like cars, reading, dancing and eating. :) After completing this masters I hope to have improved my GIS skills and pursue a career in the GIS sector.
ReplyDeleteHi everyone,
ReplyDeleteI am Lianne McDonnell and I am a part-time distance learner. I graduated with a Bsc in Environmental Science with Ulster University in June 2016. I have covered many aspects of GIS throughout my degree, including the tutoring of my own GIS material in a local high school. However, I have very little experience with GIS databases and therefore I hope that this module will help to improve my GIS skills and also make myself a better candidate for future career opportunities. I love nature, travelling and exploring new things.
Hi All,
ReplyDeleteI am Peter McDonnell and I am a part time distance learning student. I have no experience of GIS apart from what I have covered in previous modules of the course. I work as a marine ecologist in Ireland. Conservation, travel and diving are my interests. I hope to apply the knowledge I am gaining through this course in my work life and explore new avenues in conservation and ecology that GIS may open for me.
Hello My Name Is Ray Lockhart I am a full time student just done an Environmental Degree which covered some GIS,i liked it so much I signed up for some more and I am doing a MSc in GIS
ReplyDeleteHi everyone, I'm Sarah Fannin and I am a full time distance learning student. I graduated with a BSc in Geography in June and after completing some GIS modules as part of that degree, have continued my studies to hopefully pursue a career in the GIS industry. In my spare time, I enjoy going on roadtrips, going to the gym and eating!
ReplyDeleteHello everybody,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Rudi Doran. I've recently just graduated with a degree in Geography at UUC. I wanted to increase my knowledge and skills of GIS so I decided to do this masters. I'm hoping that this path will lead to a wide range of employment opportunities in the coming years.
I enjoy going to the movies, eating out, listening to music, travelling and spending time with family and friends.
Hello everyone,
ReplyDeleteI'm Christopher and I'm a fulltime student. I don't have much experience using GIS but my previous degree in ecology and conservation did touch on the subject. I decided to do this master to increase my knowledge and skillset in the use of GIS, since I think it's an important skillset to have for environmental science. My interests are mainly based around being outside and I really enjoy camping, diving, and travelling.
Hello everyone,
ReplyDeleteI'm Tracy and I'm a part-time distance learner on the second year of the course. I graduated in Fine Art before moving into a government role which got me interested in GIS so, after retiring early, I decided to make the most of the opportunity to retrain. My interests are anything that takes me outdoors or involves a nice coffee.
Hi all, my name is Aaron Taggart and i am a full time campus student of the GIS postgraduate course. I obtained my BSc degree in Geography last year and decided that further education within GIS was the right option for me. Throughout my previous degree i completed a number of GIS modules which i thoroughly enjoyed, gaining plenty of skills which i plan to utilise within this postgrad course.
ReplyDeleteI have a keen interest in the physical aspect geography, in particular with changes in weather and climate. Mapping and modelling weather and climate within GIS would be an ideal job for me. Once i have completed this postgraduate course i would like to move abroad and work in the GIS sector.
Hi everyone
ReplyDeleteMy name is Conor Leighton. I am a full time on campus student. I have a degree in Environmental Science and have already completed two semester 2 modules of this course.
At the moment I work part time in a shop on the weekends. My interests include music, golfing and just going for a drive.
My hopes for the future are to use this master’s qualification in order to get a job. I think GIS is a fascinating field and it has so many applications.
Hello all!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Brendan Tonry, I am a distance learner and this is my 6th module. I also have a level 6 course done in GIS and ironic as it may seem, the more modules I cover the more I realise I have yet to learn.
I enjoy adventure race's, swimming in our local lake and Guinness.
My aspirations are to pursue further study in remote sensing in the future. I find it fascinating.
Bye for now, Brendan.