20 The Oregon Surveyor | Vol. 47, No. 1 2023 Surveyor of the Year analytical photogrammetry and remote sensing are very interesting. After almost 40 years teaching at Oregon Tech, how do you keep your program modern? Geomatics has experienced an incredible technology revolution. Geomatics has been fortunate to remain current with constant changes in geospatial technology. Acquiring hardware and software, mastering it, and introducing it in the classroom to prepare students for a successful career has been demanding but rewarding. I get paid to constantly learn and use the latest technology, not a bad deal! What are your hopes for the future of the study of Geomatics? I hope to perform a limited amount of consulting with fun and interesting projects. You plan on retiring from Oregon Tech in June. Do you have any specific plans? I need to handle my father’s estate, and other family obligations, and want to begin flying again after a long break. I look forward to many activities which there wasn’t time for while working at the university. Do you have a family recipe you can share with us? My wife Diane makes renowned peanut butter bars, and pistachio thumbprint cookies. She was willing to share the recipe for the peanut butter bars. Peanut Butter Crisp Bars Bars: 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup light corn syrup 1 cup peanut butter 2 cups Rice Krispies Frosting: 4 T. margarine 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 T. milk 1/2 tsp. vanilla 1 1.4 cups powdered sugar (double if using 9x13 pan) Combine sugar and corn syrup on stove top until sugar is dissolved. Take off stove; blend in peanut butter and cereal. Pat evenly into 8x9 pan or if recipe is doubled, 9x13 pan. For the frosting, melt butter and brown sugar in microwave or stovetop. Stir in rest of ingredients and beat until smooth. Spread on bars. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Enjoy! Walker Shares the OIT Geomatics Department Status Creation of a Geomatics Department has provided flexibility and freedom not possible under a combined engineering department. The addition of a BS GIS degree to compliment the BS Surveying degree has strengthened the department. Many professions use geospatial data, and GIS is one of the most effective technology tools for analyzing this data. The department now has a service role at the university which supports other programs listed below. Demand to support geospatial data needs at the university continues to grow, with geomatics increasingly asked to collect and process UAS data for other programs. This creates a greater need for the Geomatics Department at the university and does not leave the surveying program standing alone. Under the ongoing NCEES Surveying Education Award program, Oregon Tech has received an award each of the seven years of this program. This year, OIT was graciously awarded the Grand Prize of $25,000. This funding has greatly benefited the department. The biggest achievement for Geomatics was formal authorization to offer the BS Surveying and BS GIS degrees fully online beginning fall 2022. This required a three year approval process. Given the department taught courses fully online during the pandemic, online education delivery is challenging but feasible. The department started advertising in the NSPS Surveying Newsletter in the fall, and to date has received about 30 program inquiries, and about 15 applications. There is potential for significant enrollment increases in the surveying program, which has always been a challenge for surveying programs. Some areas where PLSO can assist the OIT Geomatics Department • Recruiting efforts. Given there are surveyors located around the state, any support with recruiting is greatly appreciated, as it is difficult for faculty to cancel classes and travel outside of the local area. OIT does need to select individuals who make good recruiters, and provide them with quality recruiting materials. • The PLSO student scholarship support is incredible, and greatly appreciated. Some level of funding support for geomatics would be useful, given the short life span of today’s technology. The university now has two Giving Days each year, where external donations are matched by the university. This would allow PLSO to double any donation to the program. State funding for universities continues to decline, so the NCEES program awards, small applied research grants, and other external funding is necessary moving forward. • Revitalize IAC and resume meetings. The Geomatics Industrial Advisory Committee (IAC) has not been active since the pandemic, and Walker says the membership should be revitalized and resume meetings. The goal is to have members from a wide range of organizations, including PLSO, provide input to the program and demonstrate to administration the broad need for the program and graduates. continued
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