Sue Bergeron and Jesse Rouse, two West Virginia University graduate students in the Department of Geology and Geography, recently presentedA VerySpatial Podcastfor Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Day.

The event was part of Geography Awareness Week activities on campus.

Rick Lawson, a representative of the Environmental Systems Research Institute for West Virginia, was a guest on the podcast, discussing the importance of a GIS education and the role of GIS as a profession.

Podcastsare radio-style shows published on Internet websites or directories as audio files that are available for download to a computer or MP3 player. Individuals cansubscribeto specific podcasts, which automatically download new shows overnight for later listening during the day.

The students podcasts are truly innovative and at the cutting edge of technology and service,said Dr. Trevor Harris, chair of the Department of Geology and Geography in the Eberly College of Arts and Sceinces.

The students weekly podcast is published on their website, http://veryspatial.com, which covers news, special topics and events happening in geography and related geospatial technologies.

Sue Bergeron is a Ph.D. candidate in geography, specializing in historical geography and geographic information systems. She earned masters degrees in history and geography and studied historical archaeology and anthropology.

Jesse Rouse is currently a Ph.D. candidate in geography focusing on the integration of phenomenology and geospatial technologies to study prehistoric cultural landscape. He is a registered professional archaeologist and earned a masters degree in geography and an undergraduate degree in anthropology with a concentration in archaeology.

To listen to the GIS Day podcast, visit:http://veryspatial.com/podcast.php. For more information, contact Bergeron and Rouse at podcast@veryspatial.com .