The membership of ASPRS has elected George F. Hepner to the position of vice president of the ASPRS Board of Directors for a one-year term beginning May 20, 1999. Current ASPRS officer Alan M. Mikuni moves to the position of president-elect when Michael S. Renslow is sworn in as president. Current ASPRS President Thomas M. Lillesand will become past president at that time. The ASPRS Installation of Officers will be held at the 1999 ASPRS Annual Conference, Thursday, May 20, 1999, in Portland, Oregon.
Hepner, is a professor of geography at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. He grew up in Ohio, earning his undergraduate degree at the University of Toledo, and his PhD in geography from Arizona State University in 1979. His major areas of teaching and research involve land capability analysis using remote sensing and geographic information systems, automated approaches to spatial reasoning tasks and binational environmental assessment on the US/Mexico border. Currently, he is an investigator on the Tijuana River Watershed Project, which has been designated as a community demonstration project by the FGDC and Vice President Al Gore's "Smart Growth" program.
Hepner has served as vice president and president of the ASPRS Intermountain Region, as well as the Intermountain Regional National Director and a member of the Strategic Planning Committee. He is active in the GIS Division and as a reviewer and contributor to PE&RS.
As a member of the Executive Committee, Hepner says his primary emphasis will be to undertake initiatives to expand and enhance the external relationships and actions of the Society into the larger scientific and policy community. Two areas he sees as critical to the Society are projecting ASPRS further into national policy decisions and recalibrating member recruitment. "We need to make the public and policy makers aware of our unique qualifications to add to the discussion of issues related to new technologies, technology evaluation, education, employment and policy involving remote sensing, photogrammetry, GPS and geospatial information. More direct involvement in the national discussion is one important means for ASPRS to remain relevant and useful to the personal goals of our members."
Hepner also believes that the membership statistics do not reflect the demographics of the group of students and professionals involved in the future of remote sensing and geospatial information. He would like to see an increase in younger people from more varied disciplines, women and minorities in ASPRS through determined outreach activities.
Also elected for two-year terms beginning May 20th are Joan S. Zelinski as assistant division director for the Primary Data Acquisition Division, and Peggy Harwood as assistant division director for the Geographic Information Systems Division.
Founded in 1934, ASPRS is an international professional organization of 7,000 geospatial data professionals. ASPRS is devoted to advancing knowledge and improving understanding of the mapping sciences to promote responsible application of photogrammetry, remote sensing, geographic information systems and supporting technologies.
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(26 July 1999)