DALLAS, Pa. — Surveying engineering students from Penn State Wilkes-Barre had the opportunity to learn more about their field and meet with professionals, including program alumni, during the annual Pennsylvania Society of Land Surveyors (PSLS) conference held Jan. 12-15 in Hershey.
The 15 students who attended were accompanied by Chancellor Lynda Goldstein; faculty members Dimitrios Bolkas, associate professor of surveying engineering, and Matthew Sharr, class of 2014, lecturer in surveying engineering; and staff members Desiree Voitek, class of 2009, director of campus development, and Jacqueline Warnick-Piatt, alumni relations and stewardship officer.
“Students always love attending this conference and connecting with professionals,” Bolkas said. “Probably about half of the attendees graduated from our program, so it is a good way for students to connect with them, hear about the development of the program and the campus, and see the career paths that they have in front of them walking on the same steps as our alumni. They also get to see the vendors and the technology that is out there in the industry.”
The conference included exhibits and sessions on surveying topics. This year, one of the sessions was led by Bolkas, who gave a presentation on a surveying mapping guide in development that is being funded by the Transportation Research Board.
Each year during the conference, the Pennsylvania Land Surveyors’ Foundation presents scholarships to individual land surveying students who are outstanding scholars, students and citizens. Penn State Wilkes-Barre students who received scholarships this year were Lucas Carpenter, Nathan Crotts, Luke Jones, Josh Kishbaugh and Brandon Richie.
Voitek expressed her gratitude for the relationship between the campus and PSLS, saying, “We are incredibly thankful for the support of the Pennsylvania Society of Land Surveyors. Their ongoing investment in our mission of education allows us to offer the best possible experience to students in surveying engineering. In addition to financial support, PSLS also connects a vast network of industry organizations to our faculty and students, which is monumental to our success. This partnership truly means the world to our entire campus community.”
Gabrielle Avila, who is majoring in surveying engineering at Penn State Wilkes-Barre, is a transfer student from Luzerne County Community College and had the opportunity to attend the conference for the first time this year.
“My biggest goals for the conference were to network with professionals in the field and learn more about the different niches in surveying,” she said. “I was able to gain a better understanding of what specifically I want to do when I graduate by talking with vendors at booths. I also attended various classes with topics including topography, drafting, drones and surveying terminology. These classes gave me a taste of what surveyors and engineers across the state are learning about and doing daily.”
She said she enjoyed meeting Penn State Wilkes-Barre alumni and learning more about their career paths.
“I met multiple alumni from the program and it was inspiring and motivating to see how successful and happy everyone seemed to be,” Avila said. “They all found their specialties in the field and it made me excited for my own future.”
Anton Koss, who is in his second year of the associate in surveying engineering technology program, attended the conference for a second year.
“I wanted to attend because of the interesting classes and the chance to network and speak with possible future employers and coworkers,” he said. “I met many Wilkes-Barre alumni at the conference. It was cool hearing how much the program has changed over the years, from curriculum to professors to equipment.”
During the conference, he attended classes in bridge and structural surveys, topographic surveys and first aid.
“The bridge class and topography class were beneficial to me because of the work I was doing during my summer internship,” he said. “And the two first aid classes gave beneficial knowledge for the work that we do.”
The campus had a booth at the event, where conference attendees were welcome to stop and talk with the Penn State Wilkes-Barre representatives and students. The booth also included material about the surveying engineering program and some equipment that students use in their studies, including a drone.
“Several alumni stopped by our booth,” Bolkas said. “I always get excited to see students who were my students and hear how they are progressing. I saw many students who graduated around 2016 to 2019 and heard how they advanced in their careers, becoming managers and licensed surveyors.”
Warnick-Piatt said she was impressed by the number of Penn State Wilkes-Barre alumni at the conference.
“The people I know from working the past 27-plus years at Penn State Wilkes-Barre all share great memories, ask about former faculty, share their desire to come back and visit, and are thrilled to network with our current students,” she said. “From surveying engineering degrees to Drafting and Design Technology (DDT) certificates, which they may have obtained at the Guthrie Building in Wilkes-Barre earlier in our history, I am always excited to be the bridge between current students and our alumni and to see them discussing career paths, job opportunities and even business startups with each other.”