Klein ISD’s Geospatial & Land Surveying Program
Written by William Alexander, SIT | Published in Texas Surveyor Magazine
It’s a chilly Friday morning. Sleepy teenagers straggle in bunches toward work trucks parked alongside their school, where a group of field technicians wait. The students are carrying tripods, level rods, and automatic levels, as the technicians finish painting marks on curbs to use for elevation points. The technicians break the students into groups, each of which is assisted through a level loop field exercise.
Every week, Spring-based surveying firm Gratia Geomatics donates its time to help teach students in the Klein ISD Geospatial Engineering & Land Surveying Pathway. Gratia’s President, Isidro Garza, RPLS, has over 29 years of surveying experience and helped found the program. He is a common sight at Friday lessons, stepping in to help teach student and field technician alike. He maintains a consulting position for the program’s curriculum and coordinates the assistance of other local Chapter 9 surveyors to support the program with guest speakers and demonstrations.
The program began through a chance conversation between Mr. Garza and the engineering teacher for his son, Brad Schuster. “We met through his son being in one of my classes,” said Mr. Schuster. “We got to talking about surveying. I had some knowledge of the field through my Air Force engineering experience and encouraged Isidro to attend a CTE (Career & Technical Education) advisory board meeting to offer the idea of a class for the students.”
Deborah Bronner-Westerduin, Director of CTE Programs, says she remembers that meeting like it was yesterday. “When we asked the attendees for potential avenues for students to find employment opportunities, Isidro immediately stood up and told us about land surveying. How the workforce is aging, creating demand for qualified professionals. How it offers entry level positions at both the high school graduate and university graduate levels. The potential for high wages and individual impact in a foundational and technical industry. We followed up by gathering data from the Texas Workforce Commission and university partners, and we knew we had a special opportunity. The program was built in one semester through a partnership with Lone Star Community College and the help of local surveyors. Klein ISD received approval through the Texas Education Agency for being the first programs of its kind in Texas.”
The Pathway is a 4 year high school program that draws students from the entire Klein Independent School District and has a heavy focus on dual credit classes offered through Lone Star Community College, which grant both high school and college class credit. All four years of high school students complete courses dedicated to geospatial sciences. Upon completion of the full curriculum, students graduate with an Associate of Arts or Science degree. The first class of students that has taken the full program will graduate this spring and interest continues to grow.
In addition to the college credits in both general curriculum and geospatial sciences, the students will have experience in professional software and earn the following certifications:
National Society of Professional Surveyors’ Certified Survey Technician Level 1
Federal Aviation Administration’s Part 107 Remote Pilot Certification
AutoCAD Certification
Lone Star CC Occupational Skills - GIS Award
Experience in ESRI’s ArcGIS Pro
Experience in SolidWorks
In addition, the program has acquired the following technology to give the students real hands-on experience in field exercises:
Leica Automatic Levels
Sokkia robotic total stations, GNSS units, and SHC-5000 data collectors
Tello Mini Drone Quadcopters
DJI Phantom 4 Drone Quadcopters
As well, the program has all of the accessories to the above equipment for the students’ use, such as elevation rods, prisms, and landing pads. Gratia Geomatics supplies its own field gear when leading class exercises, such as laths, flagging, and hammers. The students are hands-on throughout, from slamming rods for control points, through operating the instruments, to writing notes in their own field books.
The wish of those involved in the program is to give the students the skills they can use to not just succeed but excel. Mr. Schuster is now the teacher for the geospatial classes, with Mr. Robert Carter hosting a computer lab and class time for the advanced students. When asked what they thought the best benefit for the students was, Mr. Schuster replied, “Exposure to people in a career field. It grounds the students and gives them a perspective they’ve never seen before on how their education will apply to their futures.” Mr. Carter says, “It affords students opportunities through both a traditional college path, and a path without college, while always leaving the door open to return to higher education if they later want to. It doesn’t stuff students into a box and tell them there’s only one way to succeed.”
The benefits are not limited to students. Says Gratia Geomatics’ Robert Guillot, “Working with the students at the Klein ISD surveying program makes me excited and optimistic for the future of our profession. Being able to demonstrate to the kids of this program the aspects of field and office practice that can’t be learned in a classroom is very rewarding.”
When asked what they would like the reader to take from this article, Mrs. Bronner-Westerduin and Mr. Schuster agree, “A charge to get involved in their local school district and begin their own programs. Companies’ engagement in their community will drive progress.”
What do the students say for themselves? Martin Almonaci wants the reader to know, “This program is fun and very helpful for me.”
The program wishes to express its thanks to the surveyors of Chapter 9 and others who gave their time and energy to making the pathway a reality, including Heather Sides, Cameron Lowe, Trisha Lund, Chester Varner, Nick Vann, and more.
For more information on the program: https://news.kleinisd.net/2020/01/24/get-a-lay-of-the-land-with-geospatial-and-land-surveying-pathway/