China Study Abroad: Summer 2013 Participants

Jake Chen, a junior double-majoring in GIS and Economics and minoring in Sustainability, is one of ten outstanding juniors who received a research scholarship for honors program in China. He is an active member of the University community: Dean’s advisory board, teaching assistant for the Department of Geographical Sciences, volunteer for Relay for Life, and is a member of the Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Education Honor Society, the vice president of the Geography Club for two years running, member of Gamma Theta Upsilon (GTU); an international honor society in geography and a brother of Phi Delta Sigma. He has been working at the U.S. Census Bureau, digitizing TIGER file, conducting spatial analysis on the population and evaluating GPS accuracy. He has also been interning at other corporations like the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism And Responses to Terrorism (START) and SAM Inc. He wants to pursue a career in geographical sciences in relation to business to analyze spatial trends of development. His goals are to incorporate economics with his passion to explore the world and pursue a Master’s degree in urban population development.

Jaysen Kralovetz gave up an established career in the music business to return to undergraduate study at the University of Maryland. He is one of ten outstanding honors students who received a scholarship from UMD's Department of Geographical Sciences to conduct research in China. He is a GIS and Computer Cartography major and an LGBT Studies minor with an interest in human and cultural geography. He also has an interest in the museum field and recently volunteered for Historic Annapolis, conducting primary research on runaway slaves for an exhibit entitled "Freedom Bound: Runaways of the Chesapeake." Jaysen entered the University of Maryland on a Transfer Academic Excellence Scholarship after completing his Associate of Arts in Museum Education from Anne Arundel Community College and in his junior year was added to the Dean's List of UMD's College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. He is a member of Phi Theta Kappa and Gamma Theta Upsilon and participates in UMD's Geography Club. His goals are to study changes in cultural beliefs and practices over time, particularly as they may be related to members of the LGBT community.

Alexa Nieves is a rising senior at the University of Maryland, majoring in Environmental Science and Policy, with a concentration in Land Use. She is an active member of the University of Maryland Dance Team. Throughout her undergraduate studies she has been employed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, doing GIS work and reviewing ecological assessments. It is her hope to go on to graduate school for public policy and land use development. 

Amelia Rock, a junior majoring in Geography and minoring in Global Poverty, is one of ten outstanding juniors who received a research scholarship for an honors research program in China. She is an active member of the University community, having been invited to join Gamma Theta Upsilon and belonging to Primannum Honor Society. For the past two years, she has been actively involved in the UMD Cambridge Community, working for the Department of Resident Life as a Community Assistant in Cumberland Hall. She recently received a position at the Circulation/Reserves Desk in McKeldin Library. Amelia has also participated in community service around the College Park area. Last summer, she studied abroad in Croatia learning about the country and their upcoming membership with the European Union. Amelia hopes to combine her interests in developing areas and population change with a love of learning about new cultures and exploring the world.   

Ted Sandler, a senior majoring in GIS, is one of 10 spectacular seniors who received a research scholarship for honors program in China. He is an active member of the University community as a member of the University Honors program, the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity, and the Geography club. Ted wishes to pursue a career in the geographical sciences especially regarding human geography and improving the infrastructure needed for people to travel where they need to go. He has been working at a private GIS firm called TRX Systems specializing in indoor navigation and tracking, where his duties include digitizing building floor-plans and integrating ESRI software into the company’s software. His goals are to incorporate business and international relations, with his passion to explore the world and pursue Master’s in GIS and in Business Management.  

Cole Walters, a senior double-majoring in Geographical Sciences and Anthropology, is one of the 10 outstanding students to receive an honors research scholarship to China. Cole has been an active member in the campus community since his freshman year, taking part in the Anthropology Student Association, Geography Club, GTU, Sigma Phi Epsilon and the Primannum Honors Society. At the end of his sophomore year he received a citation from the CIVICUS Living and Learning Program. Cole has taken part in several major undergraduate research projects including a summer project with UCLA outside of Xi’an, China, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association in Silver Springs, Maryland. In June 2013, Cole was one of fourteen other undergraduates to represent the REU-NSF on Oahu, HI, studying structure in motion technologies in relation to Biomass. Most recently, Cole has been working with Dr. Klaus Hubacek to link American lifestyle consumption patterns with carbon emissions. Cole plans to seek a Master’s in the Geographical Sciences to gain further knowledge on land use and land use change in developing countries.