Dear Selection Committee,

My name is Nicholas Stanley, and I am an undergraduate student at the University of

South Florida. I am writing to you to express my interest in pursuing a Master’s degree in
Geography with a concentration in Geographic Information Science and Spatial Analysis. This
degree will aid me in my goals of developing my skills and knowledge in geospatial analysis, as
well as provide opportunities to work with and learn from USF’s talented faculty. My interests in
urban environments, human geography, and natural hazards drive my curiosity for how cities
prepare and react to natural disasters, using GIS both as a tool to predict and organize these
events.

My introduction to geography and GIS was somewhat unconventional. I originally started

my studies with USF at the School of Architecture and Community Design. After my first year of
studying architecture, I had the opportunity to work as an intern at the Center for Digital
Heritage and Geospatial Information with Dr. Lori Collins and Dr. Travis Doering. Working with
them, I had my first exposure to GIS through their projects of mapping the city of Tampa's
history and culture. As a lifelong Tampa local, the Center's work inspired me to pursue a focus on
urban environments through a digital lens.

My work with the Center includes researching and mapping historic neighborhoods,
collecting and georeferencing aerial imagery, and assisting in fieldwork using 360-degree
cameras. As part of a capstone internship course, I created a storyboard cataloging the city of
Tampa's waterfront development, starting from the city’s inception to the current day. Using the
previously mentioned skills, I visualized a broad history of changes, from old fishing and
industrial ports to today's bayside recreation and residential landscapes. The Center has provided
me with a unique perspective on how we can apply GIS beyond traditional geospatial
applications. My wish is to continue working with the Center while in graduate school with their
assistance in funding, as the skills I gain with them can be applied to what I learn from the
master’s program, and vice versa.

The base of my undergraduate coursework centered around my major's GIS

concentration. These courses ranged from learning using programs such as ArcGIS Pro and R,
understanding the basics of geospatial analysis techniques, and collecting different types of data
such as vectors from government organizations or remotely sensed raster data from different
satellites. In my final project for GIS 4035C Remote Sensing of the Environment, I worked with
my group to create a time series of land-use changes for counties in the Tampa Bay area. Using
the ENVI software, we were able to detect a change in land-use between 2000 and 2020,
especially in areas we categorized as urban landscape and forested areas.

In addition to my GIS courses, I focused on a balance between physical geography and

human geography for my electives. Having experience in both fields helped me develop an
interest in how humans and the environment influence each other through geography. In a group
research project for GEO 4340 Natural Hazards, my contribution included researching the
impacts of and response to the 1995 earthquake in Kobe, Japan. In another project for GEO 3602
Urban Geography, I compared the land use and street designs of current Tampa neighborhoods as
they relate to urban sprawl and their times of founding. With both of these projects, I gained
insight into the physical aspects of each project's study areas and learned more about the people
who experience natural disasters or live in differently designed neighborhoods.

My motivation for pursuing a master's with USF is I know it will provide me with
opportunities to build my skills and further my interests in geography and GIS. Not only do I
expect the rigor and expectations that would come from a research university like USF, but the
opportunity to work closer with its talented faculty is priceless. Dr. Ran Tao's research on travel
behaviors and analysis and Dr. Yi Qiang's research on natural disasters and resilience inspire my
interest. Working among them and other faculty would benefit me greatly as I explore my
interests in urban environments and natural hazards.

Thank you for your consideration,

Nicholas Stanley