Spotlight: Lynn Moorman
Why did you become a Geographer?
I became a geographer when I realized that geographic knowledge and skills helped me better understand the world, from my own garden to international societal issues of climate change. I love investigating how geographic technologies can help to explore the world, and how there is something to be learned in every image or map I read. I also love experiencing new areas, and this year I have travelled more than 100,000 kms, learning about landscapes, conducting research and meeting other geographers.
What have you been doing most recently as a Geographer?
For the last year I have been involved in further research into digital earth and spatial cognition. I have conducted research projects in Australia, where I track eye movements as people interpret digital images and work with Digital Earth, in order to better understand user tendencies, requirements, and learning supports necessary to optimize understanding and use of geographic representations. I am also involved with introducing geospatial mobile applications to different user groups (municipal, environmental) to help with their citizen science efforts.
This year, I am the Co-Chair of the International GeoOlympiad (iGeo) in 2018, a competition of the brightest geographers aged 16-19 in the world, to be held in Quebec City, Canada. To prepare for this, I have been involved with previous iGeo events as a field work development and assessment team member in Beijing, China (2016) and Belgrade, Serbia (2017). I am also honoured to be a geographer-on-board Arctic expeditions with Adventure Canada, travelling to places like the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic, Greenland, and coast of Labrador, supporting the expeditions and teaching people about the magnificent landscapes.
What advice would you give someone who is thinking of making a career in Geography?
For anyone interested in geography, I would advise starting with a strong foundation across all aspects of geography - geographers are big picture thinkers and need to see relationships across subjects. Experience with geographic technologies, especially GIS, will enhance opportunities for employment, and also be an incredibly useful tool for analysis and visualization. Finally, once you know your favorite area of geography, make contact with an aligned discipline (computer science, ecology, sociology, health science, etc...) and make a niche for yourself with your unique geographic perspective, knowledge and skills.