Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Program Awarded $729,000 Grant to Continue Work with the Maryland Highway Safety Office

This was the largest award directed to any higher education institution in Maryland, and the second largest award overall.

Washington College’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Program has been awarded a $729,000 grant to continue its work with the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Highway Safety Office (MHSO). The funding is part of $13 million in federal and state highway grants that were recently announced by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, part of a statewide focus to prevent motor vehicle crashes and eliminate roadway fatalities. The grant was the largest award directed to any higher education institution in Maryland and the second largest overall. 

The partnership with MHSO creates 15+ paid internships for students each semester as well as in the summer, allowing Washington College undergraduates to gain valuable real-world skills in data analysis and mapping. 

“Experiential learning opportunities like these GIS internships are central to the College’s mission of offering rich, co-curricular opportunities and building the skills and experience of students through projects that make a difference in the region” said John Seidel, director for the Center for Environment & Society (CES).  The GIS Program falls under the CES umbrella of initiatives, but is entirely self-funded. 

The GIS Program practices a growth model based in training undergraduate interns as professionals who can tackle the technology service needs of their communities. By involving student interns in funded projects with partners and clients all throughout the United States, the GIS Program teaches data analysis, functional mapping, and the use of geospatial technology through experience.