Lain Graham Connects with Smithsonian

Lain Graham in the field using her FAA Part 107 drone pilot skills with Esri.

Lain is set to defend her dissertation November 20 @UCF.

Lain Graham, currently a PhD candidate in UCF Department of Sociology and currently a Senior Solutions Engineer at Esri has been appointed as a Smithsonian Research Associate. Lain has been a key leader in our Citizen Science GIS work since our inception in 2015, and was involved in presous work with our team members in Atlanta and Belize since 2013. This three-year appointment enables Lain to engage in scholarly research on archaeological projects conducted by the Museum of Natural History. Smithsonian research associates are senior experts in their field who maintain a formal scholarly affiliation with the Smithsonian. Lain brings her knowledge and experience in the fields of geographic information systems, geospatial data analysis, Archaeological data science, and remote sensing to the Smithsonian to engage in innovative research and foster collaborative scholarship.

“Lain is a shining example of what it means to be a scholar who blurs the boundaries between the academic and applied worlds to create meaningful change for society. The Smithsonian and other organizations will benefit immensely from her expertise and professionalism. She demonstrates what University of Central Florida is all about: supporting students so they can be leaders across the world working with multiple stakeholders to advance the shared goals of science and society.” -says Dr. Timothy L. Hawthorne, Citizen Science GIS Founding Director and Primary Advisor to Graham.

We're proud of Lain. She has been a major leader on several of our Citizen Science GIS projects. She defends her dissertation at UCF, next Friday, November 20 at 8:30 am EST. All are welcome to join us on Zoom.