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Recently, I was awarded an Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) Individual Grant for the Summer 2023 term to work on the project, “Characterizing Spatiotemporal Changes of Wildland Urban Interfaces in the United States.” Under the mentorship of Dr. Guofeng Cao, this project aims to characterize the spatiotemporal distribution of WUIs by taking advantage of computational resources, the availability of massive geospatial data, and advances in machine learning. This project also will understand the spatiotemporal trends of demographics, damages to communities, and climatic measurements. The findings can help advance the understanding of the changing wildfire risks posed to WUI communities, and provide insights for migration policies. Although this project will prove challenging, I feel confident in the GIS, remote sensing, and data science skills I’ve learned through department classes.  
 
I came to CU as a Geography major in the Fall of 2021. Originally brought here through the multidisciplinary nature of Geography, I was quickly drawn to GIScience and the intersection between the social and natural sciences. While only in my second year, I am firmly on track to graduate a year early, in May 2024, with a GIS emphasis and minors in both Geology and Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences.  
 
Geography is my passion and so given my limited time at CU, I attempt to do as much as possible. During my first semester here, I was hired by the National Snow & Ice Data Center (NSIDC) as a technical writing assistant and have happily worked there for the previous 18+ months. The following spring, I looked to get into some undergraduate research, so I reached out to faculty and began working with Dr. Cao on our now UROP grant-funded project.  
 
To contribute back to the department, I have been a Lab Assistant for the introductory GIS class and worked as an ArcGIS Student Technician helping to rewrite labs. I also serve on the Undergraduate Committee as a student representative where I help to review curriculum issues and set policy for undergraduate studies.  
 
I am now a mentor for Earth Explorers, a science outreach program for middle school students interested in Earth science research. I work to support the students throughout the semester as they meet with CU scientists and make a film on their research.  
 
This summer, in addition to the UROP research, I will be completing an internship with the geospatial software company, Esri, in Charlotte, North Carolina. I look forward to returning to Boulder in the fall where I will be starting my final year of undergraduate studies. Post-graduation, I plan to advance my education through a graduate degree program.  
 
I would like to thank the CU Boulder Geography Department for its supportive and motivating environment in which students thrive. Finally, a special thanks to each of my instructors and also my undergraduate research professor, Dr. Guofeng Cao, all of which encourage me to be the best I can be.