Shaping Students’ Careers

One of the major accomplishments at BGCCCI has been the role affiliated faculty have played in shaping the careers of students. Many students with no background in geospatial technology have been trained and mentored in focused research in Science Technology Engineering Art and Mathematics (STEAM) disciplines. This was accomplished through 6-10 week research internships where interns were recruited form US universities and paired with expert mentors. The internships were driven by a robust model which ensured that the interns completed their research projects on time and delivered technical reports and prepared manuscripts for potential publication in journals.  The projects that they have been part of have exposed them to geospatial technology and its applications. They have been exposed to and informed about research methodologies, intellectual property (IP) rights, ethics, and research compliance standards. The students have worked during out-of-classroom hours to complete their research tasks, and have learned to manage their time despite their busy schedules and lifestyles. They have worked hard with their mentors and presented at conferences and published in proceedings of conferences. The experience in research has helped them in progressing their career, be it in higher studies or employment in the geospatial sector, and has lifted their self-esteem and confidence. The Center has trained >100 research interns from universities across the country that has given them industry relevant skillsets. The 6-10 week research internship program which was known earlier as the Summer Workforce Internship Program or SWIP is one of the many successful programs at the Center.

Geospatial Computing Center

Cutting-edge research is conducted in the Geospatial Computing Center (GCC) located at 330, Meister Hall. The GCC is a state-of-the-art computing facility that is equipped with the latest suite of software and hardware in the geospatial industry. Students, affiliated faculty, collaborators, and other users conduct research in designing and developing applications by using a range of techniques including per-pixel, object-based, deep learning on a wide array of space-borne and air-borne remotely sensed and other types of spatial and temporal datasets.

Why is BGCCCI an excellent research center?

• Rich history and tradition of education and cutting-edge research at the BCC Geospatial Center of the CUNY CREST Institute: Since 2010, affiliated faculty and students at the Geospatial Center have conducted research in geo-analytics, published in peer-reviewed journals, and presented at numerous conferences. The center attracts Interns, research collaborators, and academicians from around the world. Participants enrolling in the program will benefit by learning in a vibrant and intellectually stimulating environment!
• Expert multi-disciplinary faculty: Affiliated faculty at BGCCCI come from multi-disciplinary backgrounds which enable a systems approach to learning. Their multidisciplinary background promotes holistic spatial thinking, which is essential for acquiring a strong fundamental understanding of geospatial technology.
• Industry-relevant courses: The design and content of the courses are driven by feedback from a consortium of industries. Therefore the courses are aligned to the skill demands of the industry. The courses are also offered to cover the dynamic nature of changing skill demands of the industry.
• State-of-the-art Geospatial Computing Center: The courses are offered in a State-of-the-art computing environment where industry-standard software and hardware will enable all participants to learn and acquire highly competitive workforce skills.
• Federal and private sector grant awards: – BGCCCI is funded by grant awards from NSF, NASA, USDOT, WDI, ESRI, PCI Geomatica, RadarSAT, AWS, Digital Globe and others). Therefore there are several paid and unpaid Internships available at the center. The awards also underline the importance of the Geospatial Center as a leading intellectual hub in the region.
• Industry consortium: BGCCCI is advised by a consortium of industries from the Geospatial Sector. There are several established out-of-the-box Internships and career opportunities available for employment.
• Professional environment for learning workforce skills: The program is offered at the City University of New York which is the 3^rd largest university system in the US and a great professional environment to acquire workforce skills in an emerging area.