GIS Day 2025 Digital Exhibit and Poster Competition

Call for Participation: GIS Day 2025 Digital Exhibit and Poster Competition

Open to all University of Miami students

There are two competition categories this year: Digital Exhibits (interactive websites, Story Maps, etc.) and Posters (max 36" x 48"). Student Digital Exhibits will be presented verbally in a special session tentatively scheduled from 2 - 3:30 p.m. in the Frost Science Building, Conference Room 115/125. Posters will be displayed throughout the event. There will be separate divisions for graduate and undergraduate entrants in each category.

Your Digital Exhibit (web maps, web apps such as Story Maps and dashboards, etc.) must have interactive elements and contain at least one map created utilizing GIS technology. It can be hosted on any platform (e.g., ArcGIS Online, Mapbox, Leaflet, etc.). 

Your Poster must demonstrate the use of geospatial data or methods to address a contemporary challenge or research question. 

There are no restrictions on sub-disciplines or topics; we hope to attract entries from diverse fields.

Digital Exhibits and Posters will be scored using ​these criteria​.

All entries are due by 5 PM on Thursday, November 13th. Email your Digital Exhibit link to Chris Hanson w/ subject “GIS Day 2025 Digital Exhibit Submission.” In the body of the message provide the following:

1) Your name and program/major
2) The title of your submission as you want it to appear in the exhibit
3) A brief 1-paragraph description of your project

Posters should be physically delivered to Mr. Hanson at the GIS Lab (201 Campo Sano). 

Remember: Digital Exhibits and Posters will be presented in person.

1. Register your Digital Exhibit or Poster here by Friday, November 7, 2025
2. Final submission to Chris Hanson is due by 5 PM on Thursday, November 13, 2025

Digital Exhibit submissions will be included in the GIS Day 2025 archive hosted on the University of Miami Libraries website.

Monday, November 17th, 12 PM – 5:30 PM 

12:00 - 12:15 PM Welcome Remarks 

12:15 - 1:45 PM Harnessing Geospatial Data Across Disciplines 

• Dharma Proctor, Sustainability Coordinator, Department of Facilities, Operations, and Planning, UM
• Laura Taylor, Lecturer, Department of Environmental Science & Policy, UM
• Ruowen Shen, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, UM
• Ana Arias, GIS Specialist, City of Coral Gables
• Tim Norris, Librarian Associate Professor, UM Libraries, and Data Scientist, Institute for Data Science and Computing, UM 

2:15 - 3:30 PM Student Digital Exhibit Competition

• Undergraduate Division 
  • Veronica Richmond (Biology and Creative Advertising): Invasive Species in the Galápagos Islands 
• Graduate Division 
  • Anes Abdulkarim, Jack Bettex, and Kayla Thompson (Civil Engineering): Seismic Vulnerability Assessment of Yellowstone Park 
  • Santiago Chehin (Data Science): Why Tourism Matters 
  • Monica Estrada (Urban Sustainability & Resilience): Water and Wastewater Infrastructure in the Global South: Inequalities in Water Access and Infrastructure Between Tourist & Non-tourist Areas 
  • Katherine Gunnip (Anthropology): Louisiana Parishes 
  • Pitney Jules (Data Science): Georgia's Development from 2010 to 2020 

  3:45 - 4:45 PM Student Poster Competition and Campus Resources Fair 

• Undergraduate Division 
  • Brynne Casto (Marine Biology and Ecology): Sailboat Traffic in Ecologically Significant Habitats: A Decade of AIS Vessel Track Analysis in the Virgin Islands 
  • Marina Deane-Gonzalez (Biology and Marine Science): Analyzing Freshwater Mussel Species Distribution and Richness in the Ohio River Mainstem Using ArcGIS 
  • Ariella Duval (Marine Affairs): Communicating Red Tide Risk in Florida: Aligning the NCCOS Respiratory Irritation Forecast Products with Best Practices in Scientific Communication 
  • Caitlyn Fernandes (Nursing) and Sofia Tapanes (Health Science): Mapping Social Determinants of Health to Effectively Inform Community Health Services 
• Graduate Division 
  • Magic Vang (Public Health): Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Aedes Aegypti in Miami-Dade County 
  • Lilliana Vilchez (Prevention Science and Community Health): Geographic Disparities in HIV Testing Availability in Miami-Dade County, FL 
  • Geng Ziheng (Structural Engineering): Beating the Heat: Community-Based Strategies for Mitigating Urban Heat Islands in Phoenix 

  5:00 - 5:30 PM Closing Remarks, Announcement of Winners, and Reception