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Three GIS Minors Receive State Trade Organization Scholarship
Three University of New England students are the recipients of a scholarship award from the Maine GIS User Group (MEGUG) to support their academic careers as environmental researchers making use of geographic information systems (GIS) to better the health of their natural world.
Katelyn DeWater (Marine Sciences, ’25), Ruth Ellis (Environmental Science, ’26), and Matthew Pittsley (Environmental Science, ’24) have been awarded MEGUG’s 2024 Angela Stokes Awards and will share $1,000 in funds to support their education. All three students are minoring in GIS at UNE.
"We are lucky to have amazing students here at UNE who are doing exceptional work to help us understand our changing planet,” remarked Will Kochtitzky, Ph.D., assistant professor in UNE’s School of Marine and Environmental Programs, who nominated the three students for the award.
“This award not only acknowledges all of their hard work during their studies, but it is also a recognition of their potential to be future leaders in the geospatial industry," he said.
Will Kochtitzky, Ph.D.
MEGUG is a nonprofit organization that promotes awareness of and encourages the coordinated development and effective use of geographic information and related technologies through the areas of policy, liaison and networking, research, education, and public relations.
The annual Angela Stokes Awards are presented in memory of Angela Stokes, a previous winner of a MEGUG scholarship who passed away on Feb. 1, 2006. Scholarships are offered to Maine residents or students studying at a Maine university or college who are studying GIS or related fields. Awardees will have the opportunity to present their studies at a MEGUG event.
Learn more about the scholarship recipients:
Katelyn DeWater ’25
DeWater is a senior majoring in marine sciences with minors in GIS and applied mathematics. Her research at UNE involves studying the effects of sea level rise on Maine’s salt marshes, using GIS to measure changes in area cover of salt marsh pools over time and the relationship between pool formation and marsh elevation. She plans to continue her academic studies in graduate school and aims for a career as a researcher, studying the impacts of climate change on coastal ecosystems.
“I feel so honored and excited to be a recipient of the MEGUG Scholarship Award,” said DeWater, of Livonia, New York. “It is an amazing feeling to have the time and effort I dedicate to my academics and research be recognized. Receiving this scholarship only reinforces my passion for researching our changing coastline using geospatial analysis, and I am grateful for its support of my education.”
In April, DeWater also became the seventh student from UNE since 2008 to be awarded the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship. Established in 1986 in honor of former U.S. Senator and 1964 presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, the scholarship was created to encourage outstanding college sophomores and juniors to pursue research careers and foster excellence in the fields of mathematics, engineering, and the natural sciences.
Ruth Ellis ’26
Ellis is an environmental science major with a GIS minor. Before college, she grew up and graduated high school in Merrimack, New Hampshire.
With a huge love for the environment and, specifically, the impacts of climate change on vulnerable ecosystems and people, she devotes her college studies to understanding and combatting the negative effects of climate change.
Her current research focuses on coastal erosion, storm damage, and salt marsh health and monitoring over time.
“It is such an honor to receive the MEGUG scholarship award,” Ellis said. “I love the work that I do and feel a great drive to continue forward, so it is wonderful to have my education be supported along the way. I look forward to continuing my research using geospatial techniques to understand the changing coastlines, and I am very grateful for this scholarship to help me pursue this passion.”
Matthew Pittsley ’24
Pittsley is a senior in environmental science with minors in marine biology and geographic information systems. He is originally from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and will be graduating from UNE a semester early in December.
His main interests lie in coastal and wetland ecology, how these environments are changing in response to climate change and how coastal communities will be impacted, and how to improve coastal resilience.
Pittsley’s main research has been on the impacts to beaches and dunes from winter storms in Maine using drone imagery. He is eager to use his skills in GIS to study changes to coastal areas and habitats facing sea level rise and climate change.
“I am incredibly grateful to receive this MEGUG scholarship and am honored to be recognized for my academic achievements with this award,” Pittsley remarked. “I am also honored to be sharing it with two amazing students whom I also have the privilege to work with on the UNE Coastal research team.
“It is hard to put into words how good it feels for my hard work in my studies to be recognized and rewarded with this scholarship,” he continued. “This recognition and financial support uplifts me to continue my hard work finishing my undergraduate degree and to continue learning and using GIS to study the changing environment around me."