Stories

My interest in GIS, remote sensing and the whole GEO field grew over time. I knew that I wanted to be in this realm and use my computer science background with topics like artificial intelligence and machine learning. [...] I thought that going into academia and teaching would be a fun experience, and then I decided to do a Master’s.

It was a great opportunity to attend such a prestigious conference as IGARSS 2024. It showed me that there is still a lot to learn in the field of GIS. I would really recommend any ITC student to attend GIS-related conferences if they get the chance. It’s eye-opening, it gives you a different angle on the field and provides valuable exposure and learning opportunities.

I’m starting an internship in September with the World Resources Insitute for monitoring deforestation in Europe with the Global Forest Watch tool. The conference and my thesis experience have made me consider continuing in research, but I’m keeping my options open for now.

My advice to future students is to be curious and explore opportunities outside your main academic path. Our project started as an extracurricular activity and led to a paper and then a conference presentation, which was an incredible experience.

The biggest learnings are, first, having the right mindset, you need to believe you can achieve your goals. Second, working with people from different backgrounds teaches you that your ideas, even if they seem the best to you, might not be the best for others, so you need to find common ground. This helped develop my teamwork skills. Lastly, through various presentations of projects and assignments to my colleagues, I have developed public speaking skills.