Maine GIS User Group |
Education & OutreachAngela Stokes AwardsThe Angela Stokes Awards are scholarships and grants annually awarded by MEGUG. The program is in memory of Angela Stokes, a previous winner of a MEGUG scholarship who passed away February 1, 2006. 2025 Angela Stokes Awards Recipients Three students from the Bowdoin College have been selected to share a $1000 Angela Stokes Award. The recipients are Emma Olney (Environmental Science and Government, '25), Wren West (Class of '25), and Kyle Pellerin (Computer Science and Environmental Studies, '26). In addition to their majors, each is emphasizing GIS in their studies. Anna McLaughlin, (Biomedical Sciences, '25) from the University of Maine at Fort Kent, was awarded a $1000 Angela Stokes Award. Three graduates of the Upward Bound program at the University of Maine each received a $500 scholarship. The recipients are Lucas Hennessey of Nokomis Regional High School, Megan Kimbrell of Penobscot Valley High School, and Aaron Osgood of Central High School. Each student received GIS training during their high school years and completed a 3-tier GIS fundamentals micro credential. MEGUG congratulates all of the 2025 recipients! Emma Olney
Wren West
Kyle Pellerin
2024 Angela Stokes Awards Recipients Katelyn (Katie) DeWinter
Ruth Ellis
Matthew Pittsley
David Delvecchio David is a Geography and Enviornmental Policy and Planning major from the University of Maine at Farmington. 2023 Angela Stokes Awards Recipients Christian LaMontagne
Growing up on a small island community, off the coast of Portland, I started working on the water from a young age. Lobstering each summer since high school, I earned my Bachelor's degree in Classics from Bowdoin College in 2021. Ever since I started fishing, I have been interested in the nexus of environmental data, geospatial technology, and fisheries management. Today, as a licensed commercial lobsterman and commercial scallop dragger, I am exploring my interest in public policy and developing important GIS skills that I hope to use to enact meaningful change in my community and beyond. Beginning my study at the Muskie School of Public Service in the fall of 2022, I am currently pursuing a Master's degree in Policy, Planning, and Management. I currently reside in my home community, the Town of Long Island in Casco Bay. Gabby Ravin
I am a sophomore at the University of Southern Maine majoring in Environmental Science and minoring in Sustainability Studies. I am an environmentalist, feminist, and animal activist. I love to play with my dogs, hang out with friends, and talk to new people. I'm so thankful for this opportunity to win this scholarship as my interest in GIS is new but rising. Jesse Robert: Jesse Robert is an Environmental Geographic Information Science major at the University of Maine at Machias. Jesse was selected to receive the 2023 Angela Stokes Award (Scholarship) in recognition of his stellar academic performance and his work on projects with the Dennys River Historical Society. Contact us: megugboard@gmail.com
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Emma is a Senior at Bowdoin College, where she majors in Environmental Studies and Government and minors in Biology. She is passionate about the intersections between human community resilience and ecology. During her time in college, she has had the opportunity to study the Gulf of Maine and Bay of Fundy ecosystems, as well as connect with Maine fishermen and lobstermen through interviews and learn about climate resilience grants through her work with Bowdoin's Environmental Studies Department. In the fall, she will continue her studies at the University of Cambridge in England, where she will pursue a Master of Philosophy in Polar Studies.
Wren is a senior at Bowdoin College, majoring in Anthropology & Environmental Studies and minoring in English. Her research interests focus on community resilience in rural Maine and understanding how Maine municipalities respond to challenges. She is also interested in local food systems, oral history, and archival preservation. At Bowdoin, she has had the opportunity to learn and use GIS for a range of community resilience related projects. Originally from central Massachusetts, she loves knitting, reading, running outside, and making breakfast.
Kyle is a junior at Bowdoin College majoring in computer science and environmental studies with an emphasis on GIS. His past work includes projects analyzing healthcare deserts in his home state of New Hampshire, updating the Maine Social Vulnerability Index, and creating a tool to help the Forest Service in Ísafjörður, Iceland, afforest their land to optimize potential carbon sequestration. Currently, he is working to help create a web app for the COBALT seagrass project in Casco Bay Maine, as well as preparing for this summer, when he will be working at onX maps as a software engineering intern. In the future, Kyle hopes to learn more about the intersections between AI and GIS and explore the connections between mapping and communities.
Anna McLaughlin is a recent Biology graduate from the University of Maine at Fort Kent, where she concentrated in Biomedical Sciences and played on the varsity women’s soccer team. Originally from Chelsea, Quebec, Canada, she developed a strong interest in GIS during her undergraduate studies. Anna discovered GIS through her coursework and was fascinated by how widely it can be used—from health sciences to environmental research. It’s a tool she's grown passionate about and hopes to keep using in meaningful ways.
Katie is a senior at the University of New England, majoring in Marine Science with minors in Geographic Information Systems and Applied Mathematics. Originally from Livonia, NY, Katie plans to continue her academic studies in graduate school and aims for a career as a researcher, studying the impacts of climate change on coastal ecosystems. Her current research involves studying the effects of sea level rise on Maine’s salt marshes, using GIS to measure changes in area cover of salt marsh pools over time and the relationship between pool formation and marsh elevation.
Ruth is an environmental science major with a GIS minor. Before college, she grew up and graduated high school in Merrimack, NH. With a huge love for the environment and specifically the impacts of climate change on vulnerable ecosystems and people, she devotes her college studies to understanding and combatting the negative effects of climate change. Her current research focuses on coastal erosion, storm damage, and salt marsh health and monitoring over time.
Matthew is a senior in environmental science with minors in marine biology and Geographic Information Systems. He is originally from Cape Cod, MA and will be graduating from UNE a semester early in December. Matthew’s main interests are in coastal and wetland ecology and how these environments are changing in response to climate change. Additionally, he is interested in how coastal communities will be impacted and improving coastal resilience. His main research has been on the impacts to beaches and dunes from winter storms in Maine using drone imagery. He is eager to use his skills in GIS to study changes to coastal areas and habitats facing sea level rise and climate change.
