Candidate for Board - Marilyn Ruiz
Candidate for Board
Marilyn Ruiz
Marilyn Ruiz is on the faculty of the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois, Urbana, where her official title is Clinical Assistant Professor of GIS and Spatial Analysis.
Professional Experience
2001 – 2008
Clinical Assistant Professor. Department of Pathobiology (50%) and Center for Zoonoses Research (50%). College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL.
1997 – 2001
Principal Investigator. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, Champaign, IL
1994 -1997
Assistant Professor. Department of Geography. Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL
1987 – 1990
Geographic Information Systems Specialist. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, Champaign, IL
1985 – 1987
Owner. O’Hara Cartographic Services, Champaign, IL
Education
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1995. Doctor of Philosophy in Geography, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
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1985. Master of Arts in Geography, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois
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1982. Bachelor of Arts in Geography, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois
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1979. Associate of Arts, Parkland Community College, Champaign, Illinois
URISA Activities
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2000-2008: URISA member and presented papers and participated in URISA annual conferences in most years
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2007: Presented paper at URISA GIS in Public Health conference
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2007: Workshop presenter at URISA GIS in Public Health conference
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2007 -2009: Co-chair of URISA GIS in Public Health conference
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2001 – 2002: On annual conference planning committee
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1995-96: Participated in Florida URISA activities
Other Professional Activities
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1983 – 2007: Association of American Geographers member
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1996-1997: Florida Society of Geographers Executive Committee member
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1997: GIS/LIS Conference Steering Committee
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1997 & 1998: Certificate of recognition from the Legal Environmental Assistance Foundation in Tallahassee, FL for mapping and analysis support
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2000 – 2001: Open GIS Consortium, Committee Chair, Spatial Decision Support Group
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2005 – 2007: UCGIS, University of Illinois Lead Delegate
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2006-2007: National Center for Supercomputer Applications Faculty Fellow
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2007-2008: Illinois GIS Strategic Planning Committee member
Statement to the Membership
I am pleased to be a candidate for the URISA Board this year. A key strength of URISA is the blend of government, private business and academic professionals united in the belief that the use of spatial data and technologies can improve society through better management and planning of urban and regional areas. The goals of URISA are worthy of effort, and I will help to carry forward these goals if I am elected to be a member of the board.
As URISA moves ahead, we need to keep in mind the strengths of all the groups involved in URISA. At URISA those who identify and articulate important urban issues can be in touch with those who have the technology and data to help solve those problems and all benefit from the strongly action-oriented views of the private sector. This strength is best realized when we have this mix of membership and we need to be sure to demonstrate the value of members from all sectors.
URISA is well connected at the national level, which facilitates sharing ideas and approaches across the nation. URISA’s goals need to include both strengthening the abilities of the current membership as well as staying aware of new problems and finding ways to reach out to those outside the mapping community. Urban issues are varied and we should not limit ourselves to traditional areas. URISA’s Public Participation Conference and the recent URISA GIS in Public Health Conference are good examples of how we can do this.
Particular interests of mine include sustainable water management, issues related to wildlife in urban settings, and reducing the health risks of vector-borne diseases such as West Nile virus and Lyme Disease in urban areas. As a URISA Board member, I would be watchful and proactive in extending URISA’s influence to include those who do less day to day technical work but who are working on issues that benefit from better information technology and spatial data.
As a member of the Board, I would be an advocate for continued and increased involvement of the research and academic community in URISA meetings and workshops. My research is related to geography and public health. I teach students how to use GIS and spatial techniques to create and analyze spatial data and solve problems. URISA helps me and other GIS professionals on campus to stay in touch with the ever-changing technologies to create and use spatial data and to better understand the mapping industry as whole. A strong presence in universities and colleges will also help to inform students of the opportunities that URISA offers to them. Students with an interest in GIS will always be new and rising. They are the growth at the ends of the tree branches and are needed to keep us strong in the future.
If elected to the board, I will use my energies both to support current URISA goals as well as extending those as needed. My twenty years experience with using spatial technologies and data to solve problems gives me an appreciation of both the complexities and promise of these technologies. I think that URISA’s focus on education and improved communication among people working in different places and bridging the private, government and academic worlds is the right approach to being able to realize these promises. I appreciate your support of my nomination and your vote.