Nine well-prepared teams presented outstanding reports to judges in another successful cycle of this popular professional competition for students
March 22, 2017 – Silver Spring, MD – On Monday, March 13 nine teams of students enrolled in surveying and geomatics programs across the country participated in the final component of the NSPS Student Competition. The teams have worked on their projects, each of them different in scope, application and methodologies that had to somehow involve the project topic: High-precision vertical control applications. The student teams’ work included the conception of the project, design of the surveying elements, and analysis elements. Teams had to submit beforehand a description of the project and a binder that included all the project documentation, data, analysis and outcomes discussion. In addition, at the competition finals site where the NSPS Spring 2017 meetings were being held, the student teams each mounted a poster and stood by to answer questions and take critiques from the judges and audience members. The teams were required to then present how they approached the project and their findings to a team of four judges and the general audience. Their oral presentation and written report had to present their work and relate all project elements in a “cohesive applied, professional, practice-based, scientific/research” discussion.
There were winners in two categories of judging. In the baccalaureate category, first place went to the team from Texas A&M Corpus-Christi; second to Oregon Institute of Technology; third to the Pennsylvania State University-University Park. In the associates’ degree category, first place went to Central New Mexico Community College (Albuquerque) and second to Dunwoody College of Technology (Minneapolis). Other competitors included teams from New Mexico State University, Michigan Technological University (Houghton), Kennesaw State University (GA) and the University of Akron (OH).
The judges and audience members remarked on the great variety of application as well as the poise and organization of the students as they presented their oral reports and responded to poster session comments. Professional surveyors in the audience commented on the great promise shown by all these students, and how encouraging it was to see such great caliber in these budding members of the profession.
Video interviews with the teams at their posters may be seen on the NSPS YouTube channel. Other videos showing each teams oral presentation are being processed and soon will be available.