Twenty-Sixth Annual ESRI International
GIS-Users Conference
Date: June 15-20, 2007 in San Diego, California

For the fourth consecutive year, the Intel 4-H Tech Wizards participated in the annual ESRI International GIS-users conference. Nationally, 4-H is the only group of youth who participate in the ESRI conference.

Representing the Intel 4-H Tech Wizards were Maria Bahena from Forest Grove High School and Kelvin Diaz from Sunset High School in Beaverton, along with their chaperone’s Cecilia Girón and Adriana Cañas. Both students are working on real world community projects that are integrating GIS as a component that will expand the projects. Kelvin is working with the city of Hillsboro’s CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams) program and Maria is part of Equipo Verde (Green Team).

While working on the community projects, the Intel 4-H Tech Wizards utilize spatial thinking and develop their critical thinking and team building skills. The students develop a broader sense of the world as they gain an appreciation for science and how it surrounds their everyday lives.

The highlight of the conference was the presentations done by Kelvin Diaz and Maria Bahena. Both students presented the community projects they are working on in partnership with the City of Hillsboro, SOLV and Intel. Kelvin presented a workshop on how the Intel 4-H Tech Wizards are using Arc-GIS to expand the CERT program to high-risk populations in the City. Maria shared how Equipo Verde (Green Team) is using GIS as a tool to track the growth of invasive plant species and the planting of native plants as an effort to improve the water quality in the Tualatin water shed.

Both Kelvin and Maria felt the opportunity to represent the Intel 4-H Tech Wizards at the annual ERSI conference was an incredible! Maria’s shared that the best part of the conference was the keynote by Wangari Maathai, and her (Maria’s) presentation. “Wow, I didn’t think I could do it! I was so nervous, but when I got up and started the presentation, I felt very relaxed and inspired by Wangari’s keynote. I was thinking about how she started by planting just one tree and how I and Equipo Verde are doing the same!”

Press Contact:

Lisa Conroy, 4-H Faculty
Email: Lisa.Conroy@OregonState.edu
Phone: 503-725-2113

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