Julie Brookson

Why did you become a scientist?  What drew you to this field?

I have always been curious about the world around me, how things work, and experimenting with new ideas. I became a geologist because of my love of the outdoors, working with maps, and my curiosity about how the earth around me was changing. I expanded to GIS because it appeals to my logical and analytical side. I like to look for patterns in my environment and help solve real-world problems – which is ideally suited for GIS.

What have you been doing in your job most recently? 

I collaborate with students and other members of the department to enhance their projects and research through the use of GIS data analysis, visualization, and incorporation of other GIS technologies. I am working on a project designed to help geomorphology students analyze the effects of varying sea-level rise in highly populated cities around the world through the use of GIS. I am able to see the project from the data-gathering stage through to interpretation, which is rewarding.

What is the coolest thing about your work/research?

GIS is always changing and is an exciting technology that is applicable to all disciplines within Earth and Environmental Science. Through the use of GIS, mobile apps, drones, and GPS technologies we have been able to explore and visualize data in a new way.

What excites you about your work?

I love that GIS makes sense of data that might be otherwise difficult to understand – it helps to discover trends based on geospatial information. There are also multiple ways to come to a conclusion about a problem- no one size fits all, so it encourages creativity and inventiveness. Once you find a workflow that works, it’s very exciting. I also love bringing GIS to students and others who don’t have much experience with it and showing them all of the opportunities and ways GIS can help enrich research, studies, and our understanding of the world around us.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of a career in science?

Focus on what you enjoy, experiment and make mistakes, prepare for lifelong learning, and stay on top of new technologies.