SOGIS Officers
Joe Porter - President
[email protected] I am a GIS undergrad student. I started at Texas State in the Fall 2014 semester. I transferred from Lee College in Baytown, Texas, where I obtained an Associate of Applied Science in Geographic Information Systems. Soon after I joined SOGIS I became the Webmaster. I redesigned the webpage and created social media accounts for our organization. I really enjoy being a part of SOGIS, so I always do my best to contribute in any way I can find. When I get the chance, I enjoy woodworking and making small furniture (side tables, candle holders, etc.). I have a wonderful wife and three-year-old son which I never would have gotten this far without. I look forward to my next few years at Texas State and my time here in San Marcos, Texas. |
Eli Sanchez - Vice President
[email protected] What’s up everyone?! My name is Eli Sanchez and I am an undergraduate student at Texas State University. I am currently in my 3rd year of pursuing a Bachelor of Science in GIS. I transferred to Texas Sate in the fall semester of 2013 from Austin Community College and became the Vice President of SOGIS in the fall of 2014. Becoming involved with SOGIS has given me lots of insight on different career paths I will eventually be able to pursue and has helped me improve my GIS, teamwork, and communication skills. I have worked at 3 different H-E-B stores over the past 4 years. I am currently a Business Center representative and Gas Station attendant at the San Marcos 1 H-E-B. In my free time I enjoy playing soccer, camping, hiking, throwing a Frisbee and Netflix binge watching. I am an avid NFL fan and I am a big supporter of the San Diego Chargers. |
Kyle Gaenzle - Treasurer
[email protected] I am an undergrad student studying Water Resource Management with a certificate in GIS. I have worked for The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, here at Texas State as an Environmental Interpreter, and at DrillingInfo as a GIS Technician. Shortly after joining SOGIS I became the Treasurer and have since done everything possible to give SOGIS every opportunity to be a valuable resource for its members and the Geography Department as a whole, including obtaining a grant from the SOC for GIS Day. In my free time I enjoy kayaking, rock climbing, cycling and mountain-biking. I also love cooking, especially grilling and smoking meats; I believe I have created the world’s greatest recipe for smoked salmon! |
Brietta Perez - Communications Officer
[email protected] I am an undergraduate GIS major who decided, after three years in graduate school, that I liked English language and literature more as a hobby than a career. Now I am looking forward to turning big messes of data and geographic coordinates into useful information in support of disaster relief and other efforts. Beyond mapping and geospatial analysis, I spend all my time committing acts of war against my cat, eating too much steak, and getting intensely competitive over tabletop games. |
Rachelle Mynier - Secretary
[email protected] Hello, my name is Rachelle Mynier! I am undergrad student finishing up my senior year as a Resources and Environmental Studies Major. I am currently working on obtaining my GIS certification and striving to one day use these valuable skills to positively impact our natural world through conservation and preservation. I decided to dive in head first and get involved in SOGIS as the society secretary. In doing so, I hope to gain a deeper understanding of Geographic Information Science and develop appropriate connections in the career field. Aside from school, some of my favorite things in the world include scuba diving, rock climbing, slack lining, wake boarding, fishing, singing, dancing, and playing with my wonderful black labrador! I laugh more often than I should and smile excessively. Also, I LOVE traveling! In the last few years I've been to New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, California, Alaska, Louisiana, and Grenada. I can't wait to see where life takes me next! :) |
Dr. Yihong Yuan - Faculty Advisor (2015-Present)
[email protected] Yihong Yuan received her PhD in Geography and MA in Statistics from the University of California, Santa Barbara, B.S in Geographic Information System from Peking University, Beijing. She is currently working as an Assistant Professor at Texas State University. Her research interests include but not limited to big data analytics, human mobility modeling and travel behavior analysis. She is particularly interested in extracting human activity patterns from various data sources such as telecommunication devices and location-based social media (LBSM). She has published more than 20 papers in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings. She also serves as an expert reviewer for multiple academic journals such as Transactions in GIS; Cartography and Geographic Information Science; International Journal of Geographic Information Science, Computers, Environment and Urban Systems and etc. |
Dr. T. Edwin Chow - Former Faculty Advisor (2007-2015)
[email protected] T. Edwin Chow is an associate professor in the Department of Geography at Texas State University. He holds a PhD in Geography from the University of South Carolina. His research interests focus in geocomputation and Internet GIS. His recent passion in research is to investigate the potential of web demographics to unearth spatial patterns of population dynamics. His other work involves a broad spectrum of GIScience, including lidar, site suitability, quality of life, risk assessment, hydrology and wildland fire. He has published a dozen empirical and theoretical articles in peer-reviewed journals or book chapters. Edwin teaches GIS at all levels (i.e. undergraduate, master and doctoral) as well as a graduate course in quantitative methods. He also has the privilege to serve as the faculty advisor for SOGIS. |