What does it mean to be a SIF (student innovation fellow)?  When I originally applied for the fellowship, I will admit I was unsure of what my responsibilities would be and what type of program I was getting into.  I had worked in the space that would become CURVE briefly, before applying, and got an idea of some of the technology that would be available, but was still curious on how that technology would end up being used by faculty and students.

These past few months I have seen many different types of research and collaborative work being done in CURVE, sometimes with me assisting and other times with me simply sitting back and making sure those using the technology had everything they needed. Feeling sometimes like an integral part of the process, and other times a simple customer service rep or food and drink enforcer, whatever the role, I enjoy spending time CURVE, allowing the space to dictate my day and thoughts toward my own research and workshops.

Teaching the mapping workshops have been especially rewarding because of my personal passion for maps and the joy I get as being involved in educating. Before becoming a SIF I had an assistantship in Geosciences, teaching the labs for Introduction to Landforms –  a broad class that touches on everything from latitude and longitude to fluvial geomorphology to GIS.  Those two years of teaching allowed me to understand the importance of finding different ways/approaches to education, allowing technology to be a tool to enhance the dialog versus be the dialog.

That realization is why I enjoy being a SIF.  I personally can learn and engage in new technology to further my own work and to help others further theirs through the use of technology.  Educate students and faculty of the tools they have at their disposal to allow their knowledge and research to be heard or visualized on a larger scale.