Oregon Tech Geomatics Students Take Second at National Competition
May 7, 2014 – A team of students from the Oregon Tech Geomatics Department took second place in the annual National Society of Professional Land Surveyors Student Competition this April. The National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) held its 14th Annual Student Competition in conjunction with the California Land Surveyors Association (CLSA)/Nevada Association of Land Surveyors (NALS) joint conference in San Diego, California on April 12-16, 2014. 12 schools with baccalaureate degree programs in surveying, surveying engineering technology, and/or surveying engineering participated.
Results:
First Place: Southern Polytechnic State University
Second Place: Oregon Institute of Technology- Klamath Falls, Oregon
Third Place: Fresno State University
Honorable Mentions: Penn State, New Mexico State, Michigan Tech, Utah Valley University, and New Jersey Institute of Technology.
The topic for the 2014 competition was ALTA/ACSM Land Title Surveys and consisted of a Project, Project Binder (Project Documentation), Map, and Oral Presentation. The purpose for this four pronged approach is to provide students with an opportunity to hone their skills in organizing and presenting a project using the various mediums (Documentation, Map, and Oral Presentation) regularly utilized in surveying practice.
The Oregon Tech team was led by Josie Campbell, a senior from Portola, CA. Orlando Aquino and Steve Randall, seniors from Klamath Falls; Tim Brown, junior from Vernonia, OR; Arlo Kneeland-MacDonald, junior from McMinnville, OR; Wesley Inman, junior from Red Bluff, CA; and Tyler Puzey, sophomore from Clatskaine, OR made up the rest of the team.
The Oregon Tech team prepared a survey of the Amerititle office in Medford for this competition. The team was responsible for the legal research, field surveying, mapping, documentation and final presentation. Once the first draft of the map was completed, the team sent their map out to 15 professionals around the country including Professional Surveyors and Real Estate Professionals, including attorneys and paralegals that work with these surveys for their comments. These valuable comments were added to the final project that was submitted to NSPS.
For more information, please contact Mitch Duryea, Assistant Professor, Geomatics Department at 541-851-5762, or visit www.oit.edu/academics/degrees/geomatics.
About Oregon Tech Geomatics
At Oregon Tech, the study of geomatics combines theory, problem-solving and field work in a computer-intensive curriculum that prepares students for employment and licensure as Professional Land Surveyors. A shortage of trained personnel makes the employment forecast for geomatics graduates exceptional.
Oregon Tech's geomatics program is accredited by the Applied Science Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, Md. 21202-4012.
About National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS)
NSPS is the national organization representing the Land Surveying profession in the United States and has among its aims and objectives: Advancing the sciences and disciplines with in the profession; supporting new practical methods of surveying; promoting public faith and confidence in the profession; encouraging high standards of ethical and professional behavior; and seeking improvements in higher education curricula for surveyors.
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