An introduction to GIS for Dallas CityLab High School
Dr. Joowon Im (PI, Assistant Prof. of Landscape Architecture), Alan Klein (Co-PI, Director of IUS), and Amruta Sakalker (Co-PI, GRA of IUS) completed a research project funded by NITC (National Institute for Transportation and Communities)’s education grant: GIS TRAINING IN TRANSPORTATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE FOR PROMOTING STUDENT SUCCESS IN STEAM EDUCATION. The research team partners with Dallas CityLab High School on workshop focused on transportation, planning, design, and environmental justice. This also involved a few talented professionals throughout the DFW region supporting this initiative.
Most often, research activity is limited to outlets and journals, unable to impact the younger population in the high schools. However, this project was a great initiative that allowed the co-creation of GIS curriculum with a studio class at the CityLab High School. The partnership led students to get introduced to Science, Technology, and Engineering, while also understanding the community issues around the Trinity River watershed.
The project was led in 3 stages that includes Curriculum Development and data collection, a pilot lab workshop with GIS tutorial along with a field trip to the Trinity River, followed by the exhibition in Spring 2022. The research team worked closely with CityLab to develop a GIS curriculum that was further incorporated into an existing studio course at the high school. The team then tested the curriculum via a four-week pilot workshop which was later exhibited in the month of March and April of 2022. The exhibition highlighted the effectiveness of the GIS transportation analysis while collaborating with the American Institute of Architects, Dallas chapter, held in Downtown Dallas.
Engaging with the high schoolers will create opportunities to apply the research in areas that could directly impact mobility and shape the future of transportation in the area.