Joao presenting the poster based on his summer research
As the new academic year gets rolling, we're excited to feature environmental geosciences student Joao Ferreira! To learn more about how Joao came to the Department of Geosciences and his summer experience at the Flathead Lake Biological Station in Montana, be sure to check out our Q&A with him below!
Where are you from originally?
I'm from Curitiba, State of Parana, Brazil
Where did you go to school before coming to GSU?
I attended Mill Creek High School in Hoschton, GA
What year in school are you?
I'm in my third year, starting college in the fall of 2022
What’s your major/concentration?
Geosciences with a concentration in Environmental Geosciences
Which class has been your favorite to take in the Department of Geosciences?
I would say Quantitative Spatial Analysis as it teaches a plethora of statistical modeling techniques in SPSS and GIS that bridges raw geospatial data with comprehensible, informative, and visually pleasing maps that are very satisfying to gaze at.
What made you decide to become a GEOS major?
An inspiring conversation with Dr. Moraes and her anecdotal journey as a student impelling me to transition from BIS to a more focused pathway in GEOS.
What is your favorite thing about being a GEOS major at GSU so far?
The GEOS pathway and its faculty are up to speed with industry standards/practices and current research that convey into lectures instilling marketable and relevant skills into students. Additionally, GEOS quality of spurring community action is as notable as it is fun and belonging. The people are just immaculate and GEOS is an accumulation of their wisdom and greatness.
Tell us a bit about your summer experience out in Montana...
I found the posting for Field Ecology and Seminars at the Flathead Lake Biological Station in Montana through the Geo-all listserv, which is a FANTASTIC way to stay in the loop of all opportunities relating to studying abroad, events, and internships within Environmental sciences/GIS/Geology. I applied to the 4-week program because it promised a sore-feet and dirty-hands experience to environmental lecturing alongside its field work. The program is designed in a way where spontaneity is expected and mistakes are embraced as its learning structure encourages adaptation and flexibility without excluding the fierce rigor and adversity. You apply through the FLBS portal for the summertime with multiple dedicated scholarship options covering room and board, tuition, and materials. Under a big sky and untouched wilderness, you leave the program only after presenting a fully written research report plus a poster and some new found friends.
What are you planning to do after GSU? And how do you think your GEOS degree at GSU has prepared you for that?
I’d like to move forward with my master’s, but before that I feel it would do good to grab some job or intern experience outside of academia. Although I’ve invested in applying for remote sensing internships, my main general focus is environmental infrastructure, particularly in South America. These dreams not only require competence in principal softwares and field-specific knowledge of processes and solution integration, but also in a “real world” contexts of such work exhibited through colloquiums, faculty research endeavors, class projects, and conversations in seminars which I would encourage everyone within the field to participate in for the mutual benefit of the student and the community.
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- Joao determining the rate of flow at Yellow Bay Creek, Montana
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- Joao’s entire Field Ecology class at Lake Josephine in Glacier National Park