Faculty

Alissa Bickar has both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in geography from California University of Pennsylvania with an emphasis on GIS and regional planning. She has developed various GIS courses as an instructor for GeoSpatial Training Services (GTS) and has recently been appointed as the ArcGIS Desktop Training Program Manager with GTS. She has extensive experience in the geospatial technology field as a GIS consultant with ARM Group Inc. to federal and local government agencies, engineering firms and many clients in the oil and gas industry. Using ArcMap software and extensions, Ms. Bickar has gained experience using GIS for spatial analysis, infrastructure planning and development, site selection, environmental due diligence and regional planning.

Carmella Burdi, GISP is a Senior GIS Analyst in the Global Security Sciences Division at Argonne National Laboratory. She has an MS in Geographic Information Systems from Northwest Missouri State University and a BA in Geography and Environmental Planning from Elmhurst University. Before taking her current position at Argonne, Carmella spent eight years at DuPage County supporting the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, the Sheriff’s Office, and the Health Department.

Carmella is an adjunct instructor at Elmhurst University, currently teaching GIS 100 and GIS 300 in the Elmhurst University Online GIS Certificate Program. Her current areas of interest include web mapping applications and using mapping to identify at-risk areas of critical infrastructure.

Christopher Sadowski is a currently a GIS specialist at the City of Cleveland Department of Public Utilities in Cleveland, Ohio, and holds a master in geography from the University of Toledo. Along with being a Certified GIS Professional (GISP), Sadowski has over 10 years of experience utilizing the most current GIS and GPS technology in various disciplines. He was a recipient of the 2008 OGRIP Ohio GIS Best Practices Award and 2007 ESRI SAG Award with the Cleveland Enterprise GIS Group. In addition to his GIS experience, Sadowski has also taught college-level mathematics and geography courses online through different learning management systems. He is a member of American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS), Ohio Chapter of the Association for GIS Professionals (URISA), GIS Users of Northern Ohio (GUONO) and American Water Works Association (AWWA). His areas of expertise include GIS analysis, data management, data modeling, GPS, routing, parcels, addresses and utilities.

Vladimir Vojvodic is the senior GIS specialist at WEC Energy Group in Chicago, Ill. He is proficient in managing gas main and pipeline projects and a leader in FME development. In addition to working closely with server and cloud initiatives, he is also a GPS pilot. He holds two master’s degrees: an M.A. in Environmental and Urban Geography from the University of Illinois and an M.S. in Geology from the University of Belgrade. Mr. Vojvoci is a mentor of GIS technicians, ensuring all techs develop and progress to best of their abilities.

Ken Yanow, professor of geographical sciences, has been at Southwestern College for the past 12 years, where he teaches physical geography, Earth science, GIScience, remote sensing and digital image processing. He received his bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Barbara in physics, and two master’s degrees (astronomy and geography) from San Diego State University. Professor Yanow is an associate director for the National Science Foundation funded National Geospatial Technology Center of Excellence (the GeoTech Center), where his primary focus has been the development and promotion of geospatial technology coursework for general education. Professor Yanow’s research projects include using geospatial technology to analyze cellular network development in South America, using remote sensing to study the relationship of vegetation and solar radiation across diverse topographies, best practices for the recruitment and retention of both traditional and underserved student populations in geospatial technology coursework and programs and the exploration and vetting of core competencies for the geospatial technology profession. Professor Yanow, along with partners from the GeoTech Center, was awarded the first annual HI-TEC Innovative Program Award in 2009.

Dr. Zandbergen obtained his Ph.D. in resource management and environmental studies from the University of British Columbia in 1998. Currently he is an associate professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at the University of New Mexico. His teaching includes courses in introductory GIS courses, spatial analysis and modeling, spatial statistics and GIS programming. In 2012 he was awarded the Faculty Mentor Award at the University of New Mexico for his supervision of graduate students. His area of expertise can be broadly defined as geographic information science. His research focuses on issues of scale, error and uncertainty in spatial analysis and the robustness of spatial analytical techniques. His long-term interest is to contribute to the development of robust spatial-analytic techniques in the areas of crime, environmental science, public health, spatial ecology and water resources. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Justice and the National Institutes of Health. He has published over 40 journal articles and book chapters. He is the author of Python Scripting for ArcGIS, published in 2013 with Esri Press.