On a crisp, sunny day in October 2025, a large group of our undergraduate and graduate students took a field trip to the aerial mapping office of Ayres Associates, an engineering consulting firm in Madison. Zach Nienow, manager of Ayres’s aerial mapping division and a 2004 Geography and Cartography/GIS alumnus, invited us so that students could experience firsthand the work his unit does as well as learn about geospatial careers in general. The visit also provided valuable opportunities for students to network with geospatial professionals.
Getting Hands-On Experience & Career Advice
Ayres’s geospatial staff were ready for us! After a presentation by Zach that highlighted Ayres’s history and the many geospatial services they provide, students broke into small groups and rotated between workstations where different Ayers staff described in detail the projects they’re working on and demonstrated the geospatial software and technologies they use. Students were able to ask questions and experiment with cutting-edge geospatial tools. Ayres staff also provided ample general career advice to students based on their own rich experiences working in various geospatial sectors.
We’re deeply grateful for Ayres hosting us, and for putting so much thought into the visit. Field trips like these are invaluable, as they allow students to draw tangible connections between what they’re learning in the classroom and how exactly it can be applied to solve important social and environmental problems. They also provide students a unique window into what post-graduation careers in Geography can look like, which is crucial in a field that is as diverse and sprawling as ours. Finally, visits like this help build valuable relationships between current students, alumni, and employers.
How Can You Help Future Geographers?
If you’re an alum in the Madison area and interested in hosting current Geography students at your workplace, please contact the academic advisor Joel Gruley (jgruley@wisc.edu). Joel is also looking for more alumni to volunteer to join us in-person or remotely for our monthly Career Conversations with Geographers series.
