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Elizabeth Skender

Elizabeth is a senior pursuing a bachelor’s in arts in Urban Studies, a Certificate in GIS, a minor in Economics, and a bachelor’s in philosophy (BPhil) concerning her research about the evolving geography of retirement communities.

She holds multiple certificates from the Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI) about their suite of applications and is involved with various geospatial communities, such as Women+ in Geospatial and Women in GIS.

As President of the Urban Studies Honor Society at the University of Pittsburgh, she leads and organizes various events, including industry networking sessions and community gatherings such as coffee meetups with the local GIS community. Additionally, she is an active member of the Urban Planning Club and the student board of the AGX Conference. She has served as an undergraduate teaching assistant for Introduction to GIS and will be taking on the role again for Applied GIS this fall.

During the summer of 2024, she interned at Pittsburgh International Airport, working on various projects, focusing on developing a comprehensive web map application for the airport's fire department and facilities maintenance teams. Her major tasks with this project included:

(1) Collecting images for fire water and potable hydrants, valves, and fire department connections (FDCs) in the field.
(2) Labeling each point by manufacturer, pipe width, operator method, and contract.
(3) Converting CAD drawings of fire water and potable water lines into a GIS-friendly format.
(4) Completing floor plans for landside and central services buildings by level.
(5) Developing hosted feature layers for air handling units (AHUs) and sprinkler protection zones for the TMP, based on physical references.
(6) Renaming hydrants and valves to match their CAD grid numbers, such as "6CPOHV" for a potable water hydrant in grid 6C.
(7) Attending relevant meetings and weekly one-on-ones with the Planning Department, Fire Department, and plumbers.
 

In addition, during the summer of 2024, she collaborated with Dr. Susan Lucas and a team of students to collect precise gravesite coordinates and information using Trimble GPS receivers. Her key responsibilities in this research included:

(1) Generating a Survey123 for students to record coordinates and grave information.
(2) Trouble shooting Survey123 and creating a hosted layer to host the data from Survey123 as well as new data.
(3) Transferring the workflow from Survey123 to be entirely with ESRI Field Maps.
(4) Creating a streamlined workflow with ESRI Field Maps with simple multiple-choice answers and automatically filled data to lessen human error.
(5) Taking part in weekly collection meetings to collect data.
(6) Modifying the web map application’s pop-ups to show only relevant data.
(7) Adjusting web map application’s symbolization and labels.

 

In conclusion, Elizabeth's extensive academic background and firsthand experience display her exceptional skills and commitment to Urban Studies and GIS. Her pursuit of multiple certifications, combined with her practical projects and leadership roles, reflects a strong interdisciplinary approach. Whether enhancing airport facility management or improving data collection methods, her work proves significant proficiency and innovation in geospatial analysis. Elizabeth's diverse ability and accomplishments position her as a highly capable and promising professional in Urban Studies and GIS.